If you want to start investing, a share dealing account can be a great way to do so.
The challenge comes when you need something that isn’t part of the ordinary. For example, most share dealing accounts are set up for the use of an individual.
But what if you own a business or perhaps a limited company? You have the right to trade stocks and shares too in most cases, under the capacity of the company.
The challenge is finding a share dealing provider that will be easy to work with, allow businesses to sign up and trade, and provide for your needs.
We’ve put together a list of share dealing account providers to help you navigate the choices and find an online broker to work for your limited company’s needs.
What Is a Share Dealing Account?
Don’t be thrown by the terminology here. A share dealing account is just a type of account that allows you to hold investments, as well as buy and sell investments within the account. Different providers will have varying costs, fees, and so on.
With this type of account, the owner, or limited company, buys and sells different company shares. In most cases, they are looking for the opportunity to earn income from dividends or make a profit in their account.
There are plenty of share dealing accounts to choose from, so you can pick what works for you.
Best Share Dealing Accounts for Limited Companies
We’ve done the research for you and narrowed down the share dealing accounts that are the top choices in the market.
Each of these providers offers limited company accounts and they have a range of features that may or may not stand out to you. Take a look through these detailed overviews to see if you can find a great fit!
*IG Disclaimer: Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
**Interactive Brokers Disclaimer: Investing in financial products involves taking risks.
Your investments may increase or decrease in value, and losses may exceed the value of your original investment.
| Provider | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. AJ Bell | ★★★★★ | Learn more |
| *2. IG | ★★★★★ | Learn more |
| 3. InvestEngine | ★★★★★ | Learn more |
| **4. Interactive Brokers | ★★★★★ | Learn more |
| 5. Hargreaves Lansdown | ★★★★★ | Learn more |
| 6. Interactive Investor | ★★★★★ | Learn more |
1. AJ Bell
AJ Bell is probably one of the oldest investment providers out there. It has a longstanding history and has maintained a great reputation through the years.
AJ Bell is known for its excellent customer service and offers a wide range of investment accounts and options, including limited company accounts. There is a specific process for limited companies to go through to open an account and your business must be registered in the UK.
AJ Bell has around 400,000 customers and has a wide selection of investment choices which includes stocks and shares, investment trusts and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The company is also known for its low fees. But it can take some time to get used to how the platform works, particularly if you've never traded before. However, AJ Bell provides plenty of educational materials to help you, plus free access to Shares Magazine which might give you some investment inspiration.
On top of this, AJ Bell has ready-made portfolios if you'd prefer to pick something already set up for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Affordable accounts | ❌️ Not easy for beginners to figure out |
| ✔️ Lots of investment assets to choose from | |
| ✔️ Low fees | |
| ✔️ Choose ready-made portfolios if you prefer | |
| ✔️ Excellent customer service |
2. IG
IG is a well-known investment company and it offers a variety of corporate accounts, including options for limited companies. IG is another well-established platform and has a wide range of options when it comes to trading. It is one of the most well-known platforms for spread betting if that is something you are looking for.
IG is considered one of the top investment providers in the UK. It's great for both beginners and advanced users and is known for offering capabilities to many investments that a lot of top companies simply won’t deal with.
The company dates back to 1974 and has always had a strong reputation. IG is a well-rounded platform so you can trade however you want to with very few limitations and constraints.
This platform is also great for resources and trading tools. It offers its customers plenty of educational tools and useful insights to help them successfully trade. It also offers a demo account to try out.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Wide variety of assets | ❌️ Some of the fee structures are complicated to understand |
| ✔️ One of the top trading providers | |
| ✔️ Been around since 1974 | |
| ✔️ Plenty of educational tools | |
| ✔️ Great for beginners and advanced traders |
3. InvestEngine
InvestEngine is primarily designed for trading ETFs, so it may not be a great fit for every limited company. However, if this is where your interests lie, it could be a good option to explore.
Its fees are also low, so you don’t have to worry about excessive costs. While InvestEngine only trades ETFs, it offers a great platform with lots of handy tools for its customers.
It offers both self-directed and managed portfolios with low costs. Managed portfolios only charge 0.25% a year (although ETF costs apply), while self-directed portfolios have no dealing fees and no account fees.
Since InvestEngine only trades in ETFs, the company offers expert knowledge in this field. Plus it offers access to more than 600 ETFs, which is one of the broadest ranges available.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ High quality platform | ❌️ Only able to trade ETFs |
| ✔️ Great customer service | |
| ✔️ More than 600 ETFs to trade from | |
| ✔️ Cheap to use |
4. Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers is fast, reliable, affordable, and incredibly savvy. It offers a lot of educational tools for beginner traders, but it also appeals to experienced traders in terms of meeting their needs and not being overly simplified.
This means that any level of trading expertise can find their place here and enjoy a great share dealing experience.
Interactive Brokers has been around for a long time. It offers stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, commodities, and more. And it's been doing that since 1978. It's had time to establish itself and that has led it to be one of the largest brokerage companies out there.
Investing in financial products involves taking risk.
Your investments may increase or decrease in value, and losses may exceed the value of your original investment.
Perhaps one of the best qualities of this platform is that it's created a design that is as simple or as intuitive as you really need or want it to be. You can navigate easily and quickly to do whatever it is you’re after. Its trading execution is speedy too. You’ve got close access to data, research, reports, and trading tools.
Last, but not least, Interactive Brokers has excellent customer service and that is something that will always set a share dealing agency apart.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Robust platform | ❌️ Higher minimum deposit |
| ✔️ Great service | |
| ✔️ Easy to use platform | |
| ✔️ Wide variety of asset choices | |
| ✔️ Quick and responsive |
5. Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown is another great option for limited companies looking for a share-dealing platform.
It even lets limited companies pay into pension plans if they want to, which is another useful benefit that you may want to take advantage of.
Hargreaves Lansdown is a publicly traded company too, listed on the FTSE 100.
The company is the largest investment platform in the UK to date, thanks to its additional offerings for businesses just like yours. It has a lot to offer and you can trade more than 15,000 different investment assets.
It also offers a variety of trading choices. Choose from ready-made portfolios, pay Hargreaves Lansdown to manage your portfolio completely, or manage it all on your own. It’s totally up to you. The costs are inexpensive, with most fees related to dealing charges and not the platform itself.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Relatively low fees | ❌️ Trading stocks and ETFs can have higher fees |
| ✔️ More than 15,000 assets | |
| ✔️ Allows limited companies to open pension plans | |
| ✔️ Robust and intuitive platform | |
| ✔️ Publicly traded company |
6. Interactive Investor
Interactive Investor enables limited companies to open a share dealing account and trade in a diverse range of investments, including UK and international equities, funds, ETFs and investment trusts. You can also choose from some ready-made options if you'd prefer to have someone do the hard work for you.
Corporate accounts have additional benefits, including being able to pay salaries in connection with pension contributions, having flexibility in accessing certain asset classes, and having the opportunity to claim back expenses against tax.
It's quick and easy to open an account but there is a £20 monthly charge to cover operational costs.
Interactive Investor became part of ABRDN in May 2022. It is the UK's leading flat-fee investment platform.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Easy account opening | ❌️ Fees can be higher than some of its competitors |
| ✔️ Whole-of-market investment choice | |
| ✔️ Ready-made options available | |
| ✔️ Wide selection of investments | |
| ✔️ Corporate accounts include additional benefits |
Choosing a Share Dealing Provider for Limited Companies
These are just a few of the great options available if you're looking for a share dealing account. Many of them are unique or have their own niche that might appeal to certain customers.
So, when you’re sorting through the options, how do you make a final decision? The following points can help you:
Fees
Every limited company has a budget to monitor and some might not have a huge amount to put aside for investing purposes. That's why it pays to consider the different fee structures charged by the different platforms.
Some might charge you for the account and then charge specific trading fees. Others will allow you to use a free account, but may charge for every transaction you make.
Take the time to really dig into the fee setup for any share dealing account you are interested in. It’s important to know and understand the fees and how they may impact your company.
Type of Account
What type of account(s) do you want or need for share dealing? Obviously, you need a business account, but there are some companies that also allow you to set up pension plans if you want to. In addition to that, you can choose from a variety of account types, like these:
- Self-directed
- Pre-made portfolios
- Robo adviser
- Fully managed
What type of setup are you looking for? Do you want to be able to make all of your own choices or let someone do it for you? With some pre-made portfolios, you'll be given a designed portfolio of your choice, but you have the ability to make changes too.
Take the time to review your choices and pick what you need or want.
Investment Choices
Every investor has their own plans and ideas about how their investing is going to look. This goes for limited companies too. Are you looking at stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, or something else?
Make sure that the share dealing provider will have those investment choices available.
Figuring out if you can access the types of assets you’re interested in is a big part of this process. After all, it will do you no good to open an account that only has mutual funds if you want access to stocks and bonds too.
You may not know yet what you really want to invest in and that’s ok. If you aren’t sure, try choosing a broker that has a good variety of options.
Ease of Use
Even experienced traders want a platform that is easy to use. It’s not necessarily that the platform is overly simplified, just that going through the trading steps is straightforward. You also need to have educational tools and resources at your fingertips to meet your needs.
Compare the different platforms carefully to find one that suits your requirements.
Customer Service
Finally, customer service should be an essential part of your decision, especially as a limited company. When you need assistance, you want to know that you will receive help quickly and without any stress.
Look at customer service options. When will they be available and how can you contact them? Will these timeframes or access options work for you?
This will be solely based on your preferences and it’s an important element.
Final Thoughts
Limited companies are sometimes more limited on a share dealing account than an individual would be, but there are still plenty of options out there. The key is to take the time to determine what your needs are and which share dealing account is going to best meet those needs. Any of these providers will be a great choice and they are all different in some way.
Figure out your budget, decide your investment needs, and then get started and invest in the way that works for you.
