7 Moneybox alternatives that put more of your money to work
Moneybox is the friendly first step into saving and investing. You round up spare change, pick a risk profile, and it quietly buys into a model portfolio while you get on with your day. It works. It also keeps charging a £1 monthly subscription plus a 0.45% platform fee on top of the underlying fund costs, and the investment menu stays narrow even as your balance grows. If you have outgrown the training wheels, or you want a Lifetime ISA without paying twice, these Moneybox alternatives cover the ground.
We picked seven UK apps that overlap with the core Moneybox jobs: a Cash ISA, a Lifetime ISA, a Stocks & Shares ISA, automated savings, and a Personal Pension. Some are cheaper, some are more powerful, and one keeps the simplicity but ditches the subscription fee.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plum | All-in-one saving + investing | Yes, basic | £2.99/mo Plus | AI auto-saves, 12+ fund options |
| Chip | Hands-off automatic saving | Yes, basic | £5.99 per quarter | Best-buy Cash ISA rates |
| Trading 212 | Free Stocks & Shares ISA | Yes, full features | Free trading | No platform fee on the ISA |
| Hargreaves Lansdown | Serious DIY investors | No subscription | 0.45% (capped on shares) | 3,000+ funds, research-grade tools |
| Nutmeg | Robo-managed portfolios | No | 0.75% (sub £100k) | Socially-responsible portfolios |
| InvestEngine | Low-cost ETF investing | Free DIY | 0.25% Managed | Zero fees on DIY ETF portfolios |
| Freetrade | Commission-free shares | Free Basic | £5.99/mo Standard | Fractional UK and US shares |
Why people move on from Moneybox
A few recurring frustrations show up on Reddit, Trustpilot and the r/UKPersonalFinance threads.
- The subscription bites at low balances. £12 a year is small money on £20,000 of investments, but on a £500 starter pot the £1 monthly fee plus the 0.45% platform charge can eat any gains. Several users on r/UKPersonalFinance call it a tax on beginners.
- The fund menu is curated, not chosen by you. Moneybox sticks to a handful of expert-built portfolios and a small set of US shares. If you want a Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap fund, or a niche thematic ETF, you simply cannot buy it.
- Cash ISA rates are competitive without being class-leading. The headline rate is fine, but the best-buy savings tables consistently show Chip, Trading 212 and Plum offering higher.
- Withdrawal delays. Several users mention that pulling money out of the Stocks & Shares ISA takes longer than they expected, sometimes a week or more, because the funds are not held intraday.
- The Lifetime ISA is locked into Moneybox’s funds. You get the 25% bonus, but you cannot invest it in a cheap global tracker like you can with Hargreaves Lansdown or AJ Bell.
If any of those describe the reason you are looking elsewhere, the list below has a fix.
The 7 best Moneybox alternatives
Plum — Best for one app that saves and invests
Plum does almost everything Moneybox does and adds AI-driven auto-saving that learns your spending pattern. The free plan covers round-ups, a fixed-rate Cash ISA, and a Stocks & Shares ISA with a small core fund range. Upgrade to Plus or Pro and you unlock more than a dozen funds, plus 3,000+ stocks for a flat monthly fee.
Where it falls short: Pro tier is needed for the broader fund choice, and the interest rate on uninvested cash trails Chip’s headline ISA rate.
Pricing:
- Free: Cash ISA, basic Stocks & Shares ISA, round-ups
- Paid: Plus £2.99/mo, Pro £9.99/mo
- vs Moneybox: Comparable on price, broader investment menu
Migrating from Moneybox: ISA transfers are supported via the standard ISA transfer form inside the app. Allow up to 30 days for cash and longer for in-specie transfers.
Bottom line: If you want the Moneybox feel with more flexible investing, start here.
Chip — Best for automatic saving plus a top-rate Cash ISA
Chip built its name on auto-saving algorithms that move money out of your current account into a Chip wallet before you can spend it. Its variable-rate Cash ISA sits near the top of the best-buy tables and the app keeps a clean log of what you have saved, where, and when.
Where it falls short: The Stocks & Shares side of Chip is thinner than Moneybox’s. It is a savings app first, an investment app second.
Pricing:
- Free: Auto-saves, easy-access savings, Cash ISA
- Paid: ChipX from £5.99 per quarter for higher rates and investing
- vs Moneybox: No monthly fee on the core savings product
Migrating from Moneybox: Cash ISA transfers in are handled inside the app via standard ISA transfer authority. Stocks & Shares transfers are slower and partial.
Bottom line: Pick Chip when the goal is “save more, automatically” rather than “build a portfolio”.
Trading 212 — Best for a no-fee Stocks & Shares ISA
Trading 212 offers a Stocks & Shares ISA with no platform fee, no commission on trades, and access to thousands of UK, US and European stocks plus ETFs. The Pies feature lets you build a model portfolio that mirrors what Moneybox’s robo would assemble, but you choose the holdings.
Where it falls short: No Lifetime ISA, no Junior ISA, and no Personal Pension. FX charges still apply on US trades.
Pricing:
- Free: ISA, commission-free trades, fractional shares
- Paid: Trading 212 charges nothing for the ISA itself
- vs Moneybox: Materially cheaper for any portfolio above a few hundred pounds
Migrating from Moneybox: Trading 212 accepts ISA transfers in cash. Moneybox positions are sold down first; you reinvest on arrival.
Bottom line: The best free ISA in the UK if you want to pick your own funds.
Hargreaves Lansdown — Best for serious DIY investors
Hargreaves Lansdown is the heavyweight UK platform. The app pulls in research, fund factsheets, dividend forecasts and a 3,000-fund universe that includes the cheap Vanguard and Fidelity trackers Moneybox does not stock. The Lifetime ISA, SIPP and Stocks & Shares ISA all live under one login.
Where it falls short: Fund holding fees of 0.45% mirror Moneybox, but the share account also charges a quarterly fee until you cross thresholds. The interface is busier and the app feels designed for desktop first.
Pricing:
- Free: Account opening, market data
- Paid: 0.45% on funds (capped at £45 for shares), £11.95 share trades
- vs Moneybox: Comparable on funds, more expensive on small share trades
Migrating from Moneybox: Standard ISA transfer process. HL handles the paperwork once you authorise it.
Bottom line: Step up to Hargreaves Lansdown when you have outgrown a curated portfolio.
Nutmeg — Best for a fully managed robo portfolio
Nutmeg is the closest Moneybox alternative on the “let someone else manage it” side. You answer a risk questionnaire, Nutmeg builds a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs, and rebalances it for you. The Socially Responsible and Smart Alpha ranges give more options than Moneybox’s three risk profiles.
Where it falls short: Fees are higher than passive DIY routes: 0.75% on assets under £100k for fully managed, plus underlying fund costs.
Pricing:
- Free: Open account, see model portfolio
- Paid: 0.75% management fee plus 0.19% average fund cost
- vs Moneybox: Pricier on the percentage fee, no monthly subscription
Migrating from Moneybox: Nutmeg accepts ISA transfers in cash. Quick onboarding via Open Banking.
Bottom line: Pick Nutmeg if you want hands-off and a bigger menu of model portfolios.
InvestEngine — Best for low-cost ETF investing
InvestEngine undercuts almost everyone on cost. The DIY ETF account is free, no platform fee, no trading commission. The Managed range charges 0.25% with the same range of LifePlan and Income portfolios you would expect from a robo.
Where it falls short: ETFs only, no individual shares, no mutual funds, and no Lifetime ISA at the time of writing.
Pricing:
- Free: DIY ETF account
- Paid: 0.25% Managed portfolios
- vs Moneybox: Cheaper across the board for ETF investors
Migrating from Moneybox: ISA transfers in are handled directly. Cash transfers settle inside two weeks for most accounts.
Bottom line: If you want a global ETF portfolio with the lowest realistic fees, InvestEngine wins.
Freetrade — Best for commission-free shares with a real ISA
Freetrade sits between Trading 212 and Hargreaves Lansdown. You get a Stocks & Shares ISA, fractional UK and US shares, and a clean app that does not bury features behind menus. Paid tiers unlock the SIPP and a higher interest rate on uninvested cash.
Where it falls short: The free Basic plan does not include the ISA wrapper, you need Standard for that. No Lifetime ISA.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic GIA, commission-free trades
- Paid: Standard £5.99/mo (ISA), Plus £11.99/mo (SIPP, higher interest)
- vs Moneybox: Cheaper on monthly fee if you only need the ISA, similar on SIPP
Migrating from Moneybox: Cash transfers in are simple. Custodial transfers take longer but are supported.
Bottom line: The right pick if you want to buy specific UK or US shares inside an ISA without paying per trade.
How to choose
The right Moneybox alternative depends on which part of Moneybox you actually use.
- Pick Plum if you want the same all-in-one feel with more fund choice and AI-driven auto-savings.
- Pick Chip if your real goal is to save more cash automatically and earn a competitive ISA rate, not to invest.
- Pick Trading 212 if the £1 monthly fee is the dealbreaker and you are comfortable picking your own ETFs inside an ISA.
- Pick Hargreaves Lansdown if you need access to the full UK fund universe, research tools and a SIPP that can hold anything.
- Pick Nutmeg for a managed portfolio with more options than Moneybox’s three risk profiles.
- Pick InvestEngine for the lowest fees on a global ETF portfolio.
- Pick Freetrade if you want fractional shares and a clean app with no per-trade fee.
- Stay on Moneybox if you actively use the Lifetime ISA bonus and you like the curated, narrow choice. The single-app simplicity is the product.
FAQ
Is Plum better than Moneybox? Plum has a free tier that Moneybox does not, a wider fund menu on its paid plans and a more capable auto-saving algorithm. Moneybox still wins for the Lifetime ISA bonus if you want a curated approach.
Can I transfer my Moneybox ISA to another provider? Yes. Use the receiving provider’s ISA transfer form. Moneybox processes the transfer; you do not need to withdraw and re-deposit. Cash transfers settle within two to four weeks.
What is the cheapest Moneybox alternative? Trading 212 and InvestEngine charge no platform fee on the standard ISA, which makes them the cheapest realistic alternatives for a Stocks & Shares ISA. Chip is the cheapest if your goal is the Cash ISA.
Is there a Lifetime ISA alternative to Moneybox? Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell and Tembo all offer Lifetime ISAs. Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell give access to the broadest fund range; Tembo is closest in user experience to Moneybox.
What do people use instead of Moneybox? The most common swaps on r/UKPersonalFinance are Trading 212 for a free ISA, Vanguard or Hargreaves Lansdown for serious investing, and Chip for higher savings rates.
