In short: The best day trading platforms are Plus500, Pepperstone, AvaTrade and IG, to name a few. You will find more detailed reviews below on what makes a good day trading platform and what to look out for.
Using day trading platforms is a popular investment and trading strategy for many individuals in the UK. While it may sound like a simple strategy, day trading can actually be highly complex.
That’s why most professional traders have often spent many years perfecting their day trading strategy so that they’re able to generate the kind of returns they want.
Also consider: Comparing Forex Brokers for Day Trading
12 of the best UK day trading platforms in August 2025
One of the things I really liked about the Plus500 trading platform was the recent addition of Insights; the Plus500 new analytical tool. It’s free of charge for Plus500 users and provides really useful analysis of millions of trades in real time. This is something I have not come across on other other platforms. Unlike copy trading which allows you to follow the trades of one individual, Insights allows you to identify the highest yielding trades and trader sentiment.
Another strong suit here was the excellent level of customer service on live chat. My experience was always positive and you can expect immediate responses from knowledgeable and helpful staff.
There is no MetaTrader platform available here so loyalists will be disappointed. In addition, education is very limited and there is an inactivity fee should your account lie dormant. However there is a demo account to test drive to hone your day trading skills.
Plus500UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 509909).
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
When it comes to fees, Pepperstone are leading the way with very tight spreads, no inactivity fees, no account fees, no commission on the standard account, and no minimum deposit. The Raw account here has average spreads of just 0.17 pips on the EUR/USD which is the lowest I have encountered to date from a forex broker.
There are a number of account options and trading platforms available here, making Pepperstone an option for most traders. In addition, customers will find over 1200 trading instruments including forex and CFDs.
Pepperstone have partnered with multiple social trading platforms in order to offer copy trading in an extensive community. Loyalists of the MetaTrader platform will also be happy to find both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 available here as well as cTrader and TradingView.
Pepperstone are well known for their excellent customer service and my own experience was no exception. They have an impressive score of 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot. The only negative I can find here is that the demo account is only available for 30 days. Their stock trading platforms allow users to engage in share trading with ease.
For the latest Pepperstone products, fees, and platforms available, including stock and share trading, please read my detailed Pepperstone review.
Pepperstone Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Registration Number 684312).
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.3% 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.
If you are looking for the right trading platform to suit your experience and prefer to trade forex or CFDs, then I suggest AvaTrade as an excellent option. The range of platforms available here is exceptional with the whole suite of MetaTrader platforms, as well as two proprietary platforms, a mobile app, a social trading platform, and a forex trading platform suited to professional traders.
The thriving community of traders also make AvaTrade an excellent option for copy trading. The AvaSocial mobile app allows you to research, copy, set budgets and limits, and access automated trading.
On the downside, the forex fees here are around average so you won’t save much in the way of costs and this isn’t a suitable platform for anyone looking for real stocks.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
IG is another highly popular trading platform in the UK and is one of the biggest investment providers globally.
In fact, in my previous guide to the best trading platforms UK, IG came out on top as my pick for the best overall trading platform, due to their range of services.
IG offers a range of investment options, from stocks and shares to bonds, commodities, and more. You can also invest in a tax-efficient way via their Stocks and Shares ISA.
Additionally, regularly trading UK stocks can see your commission brought down to as little as £3. As day trading means consistent trading by definition, you could easily make the most of this lower commission rate when using IG.
Otherwise, share trading fees typically fall between £3 and £8. This is somewhat of a mid-range price compared to other available platforms.
Since starting out in 2007, eToro has grown considerably and now boasts a community of more than 20 million members.
As eToro bills itself as a “social trading community”, that means you can see what other traders are doing on the trading platform.
Therefore, by watching other successful day traders on the platform, you may be able to pick up some day trading tips, or even copy parts of their trading strategies.
However, this doesn’t mean there are no costs when using eToro. There are also currency conversion costs, withdrawal fees, and inactivity fees to be aware of.
eToro (UK) Ltd, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the license FRN 583263.
{etoroCFDrisk}% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees
Tickmill is an excellent platform for day trading, and in particular for day trading futures. Day trading futures means you never miss an opportunity due to short selling restrictions that can end up costing you money.
There is no minimum account size for futures, and you can trade as frequently as you like. There are also no short sale restrictions, meaning you can take a short position as easily as a long position.
A short position allows you to take advantage of economic downturns in the market.
Tickmill is also a cost effective platform, especially for professional traders who can access some of the tightest spreads in the industry here.
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 CFDs with Tickmill UK Ltd. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs or our other products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money..
Interactive Investor is a favoured trading platform for stock market trading in the UK by many investors.
With more than 400,000 customers and nearly £55 billion in assets under management, Interactive Investor offers a range of investment accounts.
Crucially for day traders, Interactive Investor charges a flat fee of £9.99 to open an account, including both an ISA and a regular trading account, and your first trade each month has no commission attached.
However, further trades after your first free trade usually cost £5.99 in commission. This fee may severely reduce your day trading profits, especially when making multiple trades each day.
Fineco is an Italian bank offering banking and investment services worldwide.
Alongside access to 26 global markets, including the London Stock Exchange, Fineco offers a wide range of investments, including shares, funds, bonds, and foreign exchange.
Fees on the Fineco trading platform are highly competitive, giving you 50 commission-free trades in your first two months on the platform and then starting from just £2.95 per trade moving forwards.
Fineco also offers a Stocks and Shares ISA. And, if you open your ISA before 31 December 2021, you’ll pay 0% in platform fees until the end of the 2021/22 tax year.
After this, fees are still just 0.25% with no fees for fund dealing or transferring out.
These accounts make Fineco great for day traders, as you can save a fair amount of money on trading fees compared to other platforms.
What is day trading?
As a concept, day trading is extremely simple to understand.
Day trading involves buying and selling financial instruments, such as stocks and shares, and then selling and closing positions on them in the same day for a profit.
So, as an example day trade, you might buy shares in a company at the start of the day for £5 each, and then sell them in the afternoon for £5.50.
While this may be a small return, day traders make many trades in a single day so that cumulatively, small but frequent profits add up.
Of course, while this is true when day traders pick winning trades, it also puts them at risk of losing money rapidly if the assets they’ve bought fall in value.
Typically, day traders will close all their positions before the markets close at the end of the day. Otherwise, they may be exposed to changes in values overnight.
What are the pros of day trading?
- Fundamental data is readily available online through historical financial statements, ratios and balance sheets
- Day traders can benefit from down markets by utilising short-selling strategies
- The ability to work from home
- Buying and selling multiple times in a day could potentially lead to high profits for frequent, successful day traders
- No overnight risk as day traders don’t have open positions once the market closes
What are the cons of day trading?
- Research by eToro shows that over 80% of day traders lose money in their first year
- Unlike positional or long-term trading, day trading requires a higher amount of screentime
- Day traders incur higher transaction fees due to the volume of trades
Day Trading FAQs
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about day trading platforms.
Is day trading a good idea?
Is day trading gambling?
Is day trading legal in the UK?
Day trading is legal in the UK, and you can open as many trades as you like around the clock. In fact, the UK ranks highest in Europe with over 300,000 day traders, and according to World Finance, 65% of them are aged between 18-35.
However, you must file Self-Assessment tax return forms with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on the profits you make from your trades. For example, HMRC published a Cryptoassets Manual in 2021 that contained new guidance on the taxation of staking rewards and derivatives. As such, crypto day traders are subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) at a rate of up to 20%.
