Share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Hargreaves Lansdown was the most searched share dealing platform in the United Kingdom, accounting for 54.5% of all searches among the seven platforms we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, AJ Bell, Trading 212 and InvestEngine were mentioned most often, in three of the five answers. Trading 212 was recommended most often, coming first in all three responses that gave a list.
Hargreaves LansdownShare of searches 54.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
AJ BellShare of searches 16.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
Trading 212Share of searches 16.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
eToroShare of searches 7.3%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
VanguardShare of searches 3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
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Top share dealing platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, AJ Bell, Trading 212 and InvestEngine were mentioned most often, in three of the five answers. Trading 212 was recommended most often, coming first in all three answers that gave a list. Vanguard was second, and InvestEngine was third. Hargreaves Lansdown, which ranked first in searches, was not mentioned at all.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- AJ Bell3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Trading 2123 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
InvestEngine3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Vanguard2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Hargreaves Lansdown0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- eToro0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Freetrade0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about share dealing platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which share dealing platform should I use in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best investment platforms in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best stocks and shares ISA platform in the UK for beginners?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“stocks and shares isa”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“share dealing”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.
Which share dealing platforms do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each share dealing platform by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven share dealing platforms we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, Trading 212, eToro, Vanguard. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Hargreaves Lansdown | AJ Bell | Trading 212 | eToro | Vanguard | Freetrade | InvestEngine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 49.9% | 12.2% | 22.3% | 10% | 3.3% | 1.3% | 0.9% |
| Nov 2025 | 52.9% | 13% | 19.3% | 8.7% | 3.5% | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| Dec 2025 | 53.9% | 13.2% | 19.7% | 7.2% | 3.6% | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 52.4% | 12.8% | 19.1% | 8.6% | 3.6% | 2.1% | 1.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 50.7% | 15.2% | 18.5% | 8.3% | 4.1% | 2% | 1.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 53.6% | 13.1% | 19.6% | 7.2% | 3.6% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| Apr 2026 | 54.5% | 13.4% | 19.9% | 6% | 3.6% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 51.7% | 15.5% | 18.9% | 7% | 4.1% | 1.7% | 1.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 51.3% | 15.4% | 18.7% | 8.4% | 3.4% | 1.7% | 1.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 51.5% | 15.4% | 18.9% | 8.5% | 3.4% | 1.4% | 0.93% |
| Aug 2026 | 56% | 13.7% | 16.8% | 7.5% | 3.7% | 1.2% | 1% |
| Sep 2026 | 54.5% | 16.3% | 16.3% | 7.3% | 3% | 1.5% | 0.98% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 54.5% | 550K | 0% | -1.5 points | |
| 2, moved from 3rd to 2nd | 16.3% | 165K | +22.2% | +2.6 pointsmoved from 3rd to 2nd | |
| 3, moved from 2nd to 3rd | 16.3% | 165K | 0% | -0.4 pointsmoved from 2nd to 3rd | |
| 4, held 4th | 7.3% | 74K | 0% | -0.2 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 3% | 30.7K | -16.3% | -0.7 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 1.5% | 14.8K | +22.3% | +0.2 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 0.98% | 9.9K | 0% | 0 points |
54.5%
Held 1st. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.5 points.
2.
AJ Bell16.3%
Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 165K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.
16.3%
Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
4.
eToro7.3%
Held 4th. 74K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
5.
Vanguard3%
Held 5th. 30.7K estimated branded searches, -16.3% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.
1.5%
Held 6th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
0.98%
Held 7th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom?
7 brands
In September 2026, Hargreaves Lansdown was the most searched among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 550K branded searches, 54.5% of all searches for the seven we track. AJ Bell is in 2nd place, 38.1 percentage points behind at 16.3%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hargreaves Lansdown | 49.9% → 54.5% | 56%Aug 2026 | 49.9%Oct 2025 | 1st |
| AJ Bell | 12.2% → 16.3% | 16.3%Sep 2026 | 12.2%Oct 2025 | 3rd → 2nd |
| Trading 212 | 22.3% → 16.3% | 22.3%Oct 2025 | 16.3%Sep 2026 | 2nd → 3rd |
| eToro | 10% → 7.3% | 10%Oct 2025 | 6%Apr 2026 | 4th |
| Vanguard | 3.3% → 3% | 4.1%May 2026 | 3%Sep 2026 | 5th |
| Freetrade | 1.3% → 1.5% | 2.1%Jan 2026 | 1.2%Dec 2025 | 6th |
| InvestEngine | 0.9% → 0.98% | 1.4%Jan 2026 | 0.9%Oct 2025 | 7th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hargreaves Lansdown’s share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom increased from 49.9% to 54.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AJ Bell’s share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom increased from 12.2% to 16.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Trading 212’s share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom decreased from 22.3% to 16.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, eToro’s share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom decreased from 10% to 7.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hargreaves Lansdown’s share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom peaked at 56% in August 2026 and was lowest at 49.9% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, eToro’s share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom peaked at 10% in October 2025 and was lowest at 6% in April 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vanguard’s share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom peaked at 4.1% in May 2026 and was lowest at 3% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AJ Bell rose from 3rd to 2nd among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Trading 212 fell from 2nd to 3rd among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vanguard, Freetrade and InvestEngine held steady: their share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom share dealing platforms in September 2026?
7 changes
In September 2026, AJ Bell overtook Trading 212 to rank 2nd among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom, with 16.3% of the searches.
In September 2026, Hargreaves Lansdown lost share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom, from 56% to 54.5%.
In September 2026, Vanguard lost share of searches among share dealing platforms in the United Kingdom, from 3.7% to 3%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for eToro in the United Kingdom fell 45.2% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 74K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Trading 212 in the United Kingdom fell 45.2% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 165K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Freetrade in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 14.8K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for InvestEngine in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 9.9K in September 2026.
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