Moneybox Review

Moneybox have won multiple awards for their wealth management solutions and it’s easy to see why. Not only do they offer automated savings straight from your bank account in the form of round-ups, but they also offer some of the most competitive rates around on their Cash ISA and Cash Lifetime ISA.

This is a perfect solution for anyone who doesn’t have the time or resources to study the market and choose how their money is invested, and for people who are saving towards a specific financial goal, especially those looking to buy their first home.

You only need £1 to get started with Moneybox and they even have a provision to consolidate your pensions into their Personal Pension product. This really is a simple solution that takes moments to set up, but can have a significant impact on your future with very little intervention from you. All you need to get started is to be over 18 and have a national insurance number to access the stocks and shares ISA, Lifetime ISA or personal pension.

I think it would be prudent to point out that Moneybox is an app-only service. Therefore, if you’re not smartphone savvy, this won’t be the solution you are looking for.

Who is Moneybox?

Moneybox is a saving and investing app that aims to simplify these activities with one, low-cost, easy-to-use app. They have been authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority since their launch in 2016 and today have more than 1.7 million customers, with over £22 billion of assets under administration.

Who owns Moneybox?

Moneybox was founded in 2015 by Ben Stanway and Charlie Mortimer, and Ben Stanway remains Co-Founder and Executive Chair. The business is privately owned and backed by institutional investors; a secondary investment of around £70 million in October 2024 valued the company at £550 million. Moneybox has been profitable for three consecutive years, reporting revenue of £115 million for 2025.

Moneybox product range

In my opinion this is where Moneybox really stands out in what is fast becoming a crowded market. It is rare, when doing these reviews, that I come across an app with the number of account options that you can get at Moneybox.

Moneybox’s investment accounts include the following:

• Stocks and Shares ISA
• General Investment Account
• Junior Stocks and Shares ISA

Whilst the range of savings accounts including the following:

• Simple Saver (2.40% AER, or 3.40% AER with the reward rate)
• Cash ISA (4.80% AER including a 12-month bonus)
• Open Access Cash ISA (3.80% AER including a 12-month bonus)
• 32 Day Notice (3.56% AER)
• 90 Day Notice (4.00% AER)
• 95 Day Notice (3.83% AER)
• 1 Year Fixed Rate (4.50% AER fixed)

For those saving for their first home:

• Cash Lifetime ISA (4.75% AER for the first 12 months)
• Stocks and Shares Lifetime ISA
• Moneybox Mortgage Advice
• House deposit calculator

And for those saving for retirement:

• Personal Pension
• Pension Calculator

Stocks and Shares ISA

The Moneybox Stocks and Shares ISA differs a little from your average offering in that it includes the rounding up feature, meaning you can continue to drip feed money into your account without even noticing it, helping to grow your investment portfolio.

Other than that it is a fairly standard offering, allowing investors to deposit up to £20,000 a year and invest that cash into one of three low-cost Moneybox funds, or build their own portfolio from a range of tracker funds, other providers’ funds and US shares.

Moneybox funds

The Moneybox funds are aimed specifically at beginner investors and those who prefer to keep things simple. They are the default option when you open an account and attract the lowest Moneybox service fee of 0.15% a year.

• Cautious – Mainly invested in corporate and government bonds
• Balanced – A mix of shares and bonds
• Adventurous – Mainly invested in global shares

Customise Allocations

Moneybox have expanded their offering of investment options to include tracker funds that allow investors to customise their allocations, giving them complete control of their investments and allowing selections that fall in line with values and objectives. This includes a full range of US stocks, which carry no commission but a 0.45% currency conversion fee.

This option is best for intermediate and experienced investors who are looking for more control over their investment funds.

Socially Responsible Fund

There is also the option to invest in a Socially Responsible Portfolio which Moneybox have introduced with young investors who wish to invest ethically in mind.

Any of the three funds mentioned above (Cautious, Balanced, and Adventurous) can be converted into a Socially Responsible fund for ethical investing.

General Investment Account

For those that have reached their ISA allowance there is also a General Investment Account available, however, returns here will be subject to capital gains tax unlike in the ISA. From the General Investment Account, you can still invest in the same range of funds as the ISA, with the same fees.

Junior Stocks and Shares ISA

This is for parents who are looking to start a nest egg for their children. You can still invest in the Moneybox funds and tap into the great round-ups feature to maximise on your savings. The big thing of note with this account is that it can’t be accessed on the main app but rather requires a separate iOS Junior ISA app.

Simple Saver Account

The Simple Saver Account pays 2.40% AER (variable), rising to 3.40% AER if you also hold a balance in a qualifying Moneybox account such as a Cash ISA, Stocks and Shares ISA or Personal Pension. Your money is held with a panel of partner banks and is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000 per bank. You can only withdraw once per calendar month, with the money reaching your bank within one working day, and you can still drip-feed your savings in using the rounding-up tool.

Cash ISA and Open Access Cash ISA

The Cash ISA pays 4.80% AER (variable), which includes a fixed 1.35% bonus for the first 12 months. You need £500 to open the account and can make three withdrawals a year without affecting your rate. If you need more flexibility, the Open Access Cash ISA allows unlimited withdrawals and pays 3.80% AER (variable), including a 0.55% bonus for the first 12 months.

32-Day Notice Account

This account is provided by Investec and requires 32 days notice for all withdrawals. In exchange you get a rate of 3.56% AER (variable) with interest calculated daily and paid monthly. You can open it with just £1.

90-Day Notice Account

If you can lock your money away for longer, the 90-Day Notice account pays 4.00% AER (variable). Funds can only be withdrawn with 90 days notice, which may not be all that useful if you need the money in an emergency.

95-Day Notice Account

The 95-Day Notice account is also powered by Investec and pays 3.83% AER (variable), with interest calculated daily and paid monthly. As with the other notice accounts, you can open it with £1 and save up to £120,000.

1 Year Fixed Rate

For those happy to tie their money up for a year, the 1 Year Fixed Rate account pays 4.50% AER, fixed for the full 12 months. You can only access your money at the end of the term, and deposits can only be added during the initial funding window.

Cash Lifetime ISA

If you are saving for your first home and don’t have the stomach for investing, then put your money here! There is a reason that Moneybox got my title for Best Cash Lifetime ISA as their interest rate of 4.75% AER (variable) for the first 12 months is among the best on the market. This includes a fixed bonus for the first year, after which the rate falls to 2.80% AER (variable), so it is worth reviewing your options once the bonus ends.

The Lifetime ISA is, without doubt, the most efficient way to save for your first home, as it attracts a government bonus of 25% on all deposits you make into the account. At Moneybox this bonus is paid monthly, and of course, you can still take advantage of the rounding-up feature to boost your savings.

There are however limitations on this type of account, regardless of your provider. Firstly you have to be between the ages of 18 and 39 to qualify, and you can only access the money to buy your first house or for your retirement without incurring a penalty of 25% on the amount withdrawn. You can save up to £4,000 each year, which means the government bonus can only go up to £1,000 and the value of the house you buy with your lifetime ISA can only be up to the value of £450,000.

Stocks and Shares Lifetime ISA

This performs in the same way as the regular Stocks and Shares ISA with access to the Moneybox funds to invest in and with the round-ups feature to boost your investments, however, this account is yet again geared towards people who are saving for their first home or retirement. The same rules apply as with the Cash Lifetime ISA, in that you have to be under the age of 40 to open an account and you can only deposit up to £4,000 a year in order to trigger the government bonus of 25%.

Of course, there are other providers offering a Stocks and Shares Lifetime ISA, however, Moneybox have made it onto my list of Best Stocks and Shares Lifetime ISA, in part due to their low-cost service fee of 0.15% on Moneybox funds (0.45% on other funds) with a £1 per month subscription fee, and in part due to the round-ups feature which can really help when saving for a first home.

Mortgage Advice

Free mortgage advice? This is a nice touch from Moneybox and really sets them apart from a lot of their competition. It’s a reasonably new offering, and a good sign of the continued improvements being made to the app. Moneybox claims to access deals from over 90 lenders and you can do the entire application process from within the app.

Personal Pension

The pensions service at Moneybox is very similar to that of PensionBee and Penfold, in that they help you locate and consolidate any existing pensions into one, easy to manage, Moneybox Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). Most customers invest in one of the three Moneybox funds, which have their ongoing charges capped at 0.29% a year:

IFSL Moneybox Cautious Fund – lower risk with lower potential returns. May be suitable for those close to retirement.

IFSL Moneybox Balanced Fund – a mix of growth and stability. May be suitable for those starting to approach retirement.

IFSL Moneybox Adventurous Fund – higher risk with higher potential returns. May be suitable for those further away from retirement.

You can also choose from global or socially responsible tracker funds and funds from other providers.

The only Moneybox fee on the pension is a service fee of 0.15% a year on Moneybox funds, capped at £150 a year, which places it among the lowest-cost ready-made pensions in the UK. Other funds are charged at 0.45% on the first £100,000 and 0.15% above that. There are no fees to open the pension, pay in or transfer an old pension across.

Once you reach retirement, Moneybox also offers drawdown, allowing you to take lump sums or ad-hoc withdrawals while the rest of your money stays invested, with 3% interest paid on uninvested cash.

The downside is that Moneybox cannot accept transfers from a pension associated with your current employer, and if you opt out of a workplace pension to use it instead you will lose your employer contributions.

Research services & tools

With Moneybox, you don’t see all the usual research and analysis tools you may be used to finding on a broker webpage. That’s likely due to the product being slightly different than your usual ISAs and SIPPs a broker would offer.

With Moneybox, all the funds are pre-selected for you and you simply put in what level of risk you want to take, which redistributes what percentage of shares go where. They are all tracker funds and Moneybox state that they review them annually – which, so far they have done.

When it comes to general educational content, Moneybox does fairly well, they have easy-to-digest videos and blog posts to explain all the basics of finance and keep you up to date with the latest news. Their blog is categorised into four topics which are easy to navigate; Updates, Pensions, Learn, Academy and Stories.

It’s important to note that Moneybox do not offer anything in the way of financial advice and it is therefore up to the individual investor to ascertain which of their funds would be best for their circumstances.

Moneybox FAQs