Which? gives consumers confidence about where to invest

The UK government is keen for people to invest and is incentivising more of us to try Stocks & Shares ISAs by maintaining the annual contribution limit at £20,000, while the limit for Cash ISAs will be reduced to £12,000 from April 2027.

However, investing can still feel daunting, even for those who already hold pensions or ISAs. That’s why Which? thoroughly investigates investment platforms and highlights the best ones with our Which? Recommended Provider award (WRP).

Becoming a Which? Recommended Provider

To become a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) investment platform, providers must achieve a customer score of at least 70%, not rank among the 25% most expensive in our fee scenarios, and score at least three stars in every category.

In addition to these criteria, we apply statistical tests that place platforms into ‘bands’. Only those in the highest band, which stand out clearly from the rest, can be named WRPs.

Which?'s customer satisfaction rating is based on feedback from customers. We ask investors to rate the platforms they use for Stocks and Shares ISAs on ease of use, overall customer service, customer communications, value for money, overall satisfaction, and whether they would recommend the platform to others.

Which? reviews investment platforms every year and, as of 16 March 2026, AJ Bell will be named a Which? Recommended Provider for Stocks and Shares ISAs, bringing its total to an impressive 15 Which? recommendations over the years. It is also currently a WRP for self-invested personal pensions and for pension drawdown.

AJ Bell topped the customer scores with 81% for its Stocks and Shares ISA, with users rating it highly for customer service (five stars), ease of use (five stars) and value for money (four stars). More than 3,000 ISA holders responded to our survey and were quick to praise the wealth of information the AJ Bell platform provides, as well as its ease of use.

AJ Bell has made the most of its Which? Recommended Provider logos by using them across its website, organic and paid media, ATL advertising including TV and radio, and customer communications.

Money is one of the most-viewed categories on which.co.uk, with more than nine million page views in the last six months.

How Which? helped us

Lucy Wybrow, Brand Executive at AJ Bell, says:

'When choosing an investment provider, a trusted brand is an important factor for customers, and this is something we pride ourselves on. Since retaining our ISA endorsement, our brand trust figure has increased from a solid 76.5% to an impressive 82.2% within the year. We have confidence that the Which? stamp acts as an immediate trust marker on our advertisements, as people know and value Which?’s reviews. 

'Similarly, our customer testing of acquisition messaging found that Which? messages were the most appealing to our target audience. They also ranked highest for prompting prospects to find out more, highlighting Which?’s strength in driving both appeal and action.

An added achievement for us, which we’ve gained working with Which? is that we’re the only investment platform to be recommended eight years in a row. A claim that we proudly display across our advertising and site.'

About AJ Bell

Established in 1995, AJ Bell is one of the largest investment platforms in the UK, operating at scale in both the advised and direct-to-consumer markets.

The brand's purpose is to help people invest by providing easy access to pensions, ISAs and general investment accounts, alongside great customer service and competitive charges.

Visit the AJ Bell website for more details.

Which? works for you

Simon Boulton, Commercial Manager for Which? B2B Money, says:

'AJ Bell is a long-term WRP, reflecting its consistently high customer scores and positive feedback from clients.

Looking ahead our ambition is to build existing partnerships and new relationships with financial services brands that fit the Which? brand. Our mission is to make everyday life simpler, safer and fairer for consumers and our commercial relationships are a key part of that mission. In 2026, we are launching new initiatives including an newsletter series for First Time Buyers and a new look insurance comparison journey to support our mission as well as setting up new relationships that meet our consumer and commercial needs.'