This calculator is for illustrative purposes only. It is based on the assumptions set out below and the information you enter, and its results should not be relied on when making decisions about your pension. Projections are not guaranteed, and your actual outcome will differ.
This calculator estimates how your pension pot may grow based on the information you enter, including your current pot, monthly contributions, investment period, assumed annual growth rate, and fees. It shows two projections: one for Freetrade and one for your selected provider, or Others if you enter custom fees.
This comparison assumes a like-for-like portfolio and charging basis. Your current portfolio may include investments not currently supported by Freetrade. The illustration assumes up to 12 UK share trades per year in GBP only and does not include FX costs. Growth is compounded monthly using an effective monthly growth rate, and monthly contributions are assumed to be made at the start of each month.
Each month, the model adds your contribution, applies growth, and then deducts trading fees (where applicable), percentage-based platform fees (charged monthly), and any fixed monthly fees. Tax relief is added separately every three months (at the end of months 3, 6, 9, 12, and so on), after growth and before fees in those months. Results are shown annually.
Trading fees use a fixed trade count and do not reflect individual trading behaviour. The illustration excludes fund ongoing charges, bid-offer spreads, fund dealing charges, and any exit or transfer fees. Investments can fall as well as rise in value, and you could get back less than you invest.
This calculator assumes basic rate pension tax relief of 20% is added under relief at source. The monthly contribution you enter is treated as a net contribution, and tax relief is modelled as being added in 3-monthly batches (at the end of months 3, 6, 9, 12, and so on). If the illustration ends part-way through a 3-month batch, any earned-but-not-yet-paid tax relief is added to the final value shown (without additional growth applied to that extra amount).
This calculator does not assess your income, tax position, or eligibility for pension tax relief, including annual allowance restrictions, tapered allowance, money purchase annual allowance, or relevant UK earnings rules.
SIPP rules apply. Tax treatment depends on your personal circumstances and current rules may change.
A SIPP is a pension designed for people who want to make their own investment decisions. You can normally only access your money from age 55 (57 from 2028). Freetrade currently only supports Uncrystallised Fund Pension Lump Sums (UFPLS) for SIPP withdrawals.
Before transferring, check for any exit fees or loss of benefits from your current provider. Pensions transferred to Freetrade may lose any protected pension age benefit, meaning you may not be able to draw the money until age 57. Seek professional advice if you need help with your pension.
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in a SIPP. This is capped at £12.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Core plan at £5.99/mo, which allows for a maximum portfolio size of £100,000. For portfolios above this, customers are switched to the Plus plan, which costs £14.99/mo. The FX rate varies by plan: 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% for over £50,000 on the Plus plan, 0.25% on the Premium plan.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in a SIPP. This is capped at £10.00/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000.
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: There is a 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in the share dealing account, ISA and SIPP, capped at £12.50/mo for the all three accounts. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more. The illustration assumes £6.95 trade per fee and 0.99% FX fee.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Core plan at £5.99/mo, which allows for a maximum portfolio size of £100,000. For portfolios above this, customers are switched to the Plus plan, which costs £14.99/mo. ii platform fees are charged per customer and have been allocated to GIA for modelling. The FX rate varies by plan: 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% for over £50,000 on the Plus plan, 0.25% on the Premium plan.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in a SIPP. This is capped at £10.00/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000.
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in a SIPP. This is capped at £12.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Plus plan at £14.99 per month, as the portfolio exceeds £100,000 after the first monthly contribution. The Plus plan includes one free trade credit per month, worth £3.99, which has been applied to UK trading in this calculation. The FX rate varies by plan: 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% for over £50,000 on the Plus plan, 0.25% on the Premium plan.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in a SIPP. This is capped at £10.00/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000.
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in a SIPP. This is capped at £12.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more. See how Freetrade compares with Hargreaves Lansdown.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Plus plan at £14.99 per month, as the portfolio exceeds £100,000. The Plus plan includes one free trade credit per month, worth £3.99, which has been applied to UK trading in this calculation. Standard trading fees are £3.99 per trade on Core and Plus plans for UK and US shares and ETFs, reduced to £2.99 on the Premium plan. FX fees vary by plan, with 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% above £50,000 on Plus, and 0.25% on Premium. See how Freetrade compares with Interactive Investor.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in a SIPP. This is capped at £10.00/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000. See how Freetrade compares with AJ Bell.
A SIPP (self-invested personal pension) puts you in control of how your pension is invested.
When you contribute to your pension, we automatically claim 20% basic-rate tax relief for you and pay it into your Freetrade SIPP. This usually arrives within 6 to 11 weeks.
For example, if you put in £80, the government tops it up by £20, making £100 in your pension.
If you are a higher or additional rate taxpayer, you may be able to claim extra tax relief through your tax return. This is on top of the 20% basic rate tax relief already added to your pension. Depending on your rate, the total relief can be up to 40% or 45%, or 48% in Scotland.
Pension and tax rules can change, benefits depend on your circumstances, contribution limits apply, and pension access is normally from age 55 (rising to 57 from 2028).
Here you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked questions. If you have a question that’s not listed, please contact support.
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