While Junior ISAs (JISAs) present an incredibly tax efficient way to build your child’s nest egg, it’s essential to choose a cost-effective JISA that aligns with your investment style. With so many providers - Vanguard, Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor, how do you decide between them?‍

Whether you're seeking the lowest fees, a hands-off solution with the best performance or something in between, this guide will help you find the best Junior Stocks and Shares ISA account this year.

Based on how involved you want to be with your JISA investments, we have broken this down into 3 categories of JISA:

• DIY JISA (Self-Managed), where you manage the JISA and take full control over picking the individual stocks and funds to invest your money in. This type of JISA requires the most involvement but generally benefits from the lowest fees.
• Managed JISA (sometimes Robo-Advisor), where the provider picks and manages the investments on your behalf (often based on your risk profile). This requires the least involvement but attracts the highest fees.
• Ready-Made JISA, which is a middle-ground, allowing you to select from a menu of ready-made portfolios based on your risk tolerance. While you still need to choose the portfolio, you don’t need to select the individual investments. This type has slightly higher fees than DIY JISAs but lower fees than fully Managed JISAs.

For each of the above categories, let’s compare some of the best Junior ISA accounts currently available:

DIY Junior ISA Comparison

This table shows some of the very best DIY options this year:

Let's look at the top performers in more detail:
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Hargreaves Lansdown Junior ISA (Lowest Cost JISA)

If your primary goal is to keep costs to a minimum, then you should consider Hargreaves Lansdown (HL). Although HL is usually one of the most expensive platforms, the HL Junior ISA is perhaps the one major exception. Since HL does not charge platform/custody fees or trading fees for their JISA product, it is actually the most cost-effective option here. 

Further, if you avoid investing in funds that charge a fee, this JISA would essentially have £0 annual custody charges. As you’d expect, standard currency conversion (FX) fees will still apply when purchasing or selling non-GBP denominated instruments.

HL also offers one of the widest selection of investments (stocks, funds, ETFs, bonds). Overall, this is currently one of the best Junior ISA deals for cost-conscious parents seeking absolute control over stock or fund selection through the use of top-tier research tools. 

‍Go to the Hargreaves Lansdown Junior Stocks and Shares ISA
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Interactive Investor Junior ISA (Best Bundle of Accounts)

Interactive Investor (II) is a great option for those currently looking to open or transfer multiple types of investment accounts. II does not specifically charge for the JISA, however, it is only available to those on the Investor or Super Investor plans. You can see the pricing for Investor plan below:

So, for a flat fee of £11.99 per month, you can have the Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, a normal ISA and a general Trading Account with no cap on your investing. This is one of the lowest cost bundles of these 3 accounts, especially for larger portfolios where II’s flat fees become highly cost-effective.

With this trio, you could invest up to £9,000 in the JISA and £20,000 in the ISA each tax year while putting any remainder to work in the Trading Account (which is not an ISA). Side note, II came out as the best managed option in our guide on the Best Stocks and Shares ISA for 2025.

II is the best Junior investment ISA for those who prefer simple, predictable fees and who value a wide range of investment options to grow their JISA (and other accounts) how they see fit.

New customers will need to Open an ii Stocks and Shares ISA or an ii Trading Account. You can then subscribe to the Investor or Super Investor plan. After which, you can add a Junior ISA to your account at no additional cost.
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Managed Junior ISA Comparison

This table shows some of the very best managed options available this year:

Let's look at the top performers in more detail:
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Wealthify Junior ISA (Best Fully Managed JISA)

If you’re looking for a fully managed solution with strong historical returns, then this might be the best JISA for you. This is the best Junior ISA option for parents seeking a completely hands-off approach. To ensure your investments align with your risk profile and goals, your portfolio will be based on where you sit on their scale of 5 risk-reward levels. After that, the Wealthify experts do all the leg work of managing your investments.

To give you an example of how successful this managed ISA has been, over the past 5 years, Wealthify's "Adventurous" portfolio achieved an annualized return of approximately 8.5%, making it the best performing Junior Stocks and Shares ISA we have analysed. More recently, the same portfolio delivered a 15.84% return for 2024.
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If your focus is on keeping costs down, stick to Wealthify’s Original Plans (0.16%). If you’re keen on ethical investing, they have one of the best ethical Junior ISA options through their Ethical Plans (0.70%).

With the lowest minimum investment (just £1) available, this cost-effective managed JISA is accessible to all.

‍Go to the Wealthify Junior Stocks and Shares ISA
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Fidelity Junior ISA‍

Although Wealthify is a more “fully managed” product and provides ethical options, another contender in this category is Fidelity. This platform offers a wider range of actively managed funds and is suited to simplicity seeking parents who value expert guidance.

Fidelity will guide you through the “managed” options based on your preferences. If you are a cost-conscious investor, take a look at Fidelity’s Easy Invest Fund which has been designed with ISAs in mind. If you’re looking to tailor your investments in line with your goals, look into Fidelity’s Navigator Funds which will help you select the best based on your risk tolerance, from Defensive to Adventurous.

Provided you select your managed fund carefully to avoid high management fees (OCFs),  Fidelity provides a hands-off yet flexible option here.

‍Go to the Fidelity Junior Stocks and Shares ISA
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Ready-Made Junior ISA Comparison

This table shows some of the very best ready-made JISAs this year:

Let's look at the top performers in more detail:
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‍Vanguard Junior ISA (Best above £250k)

Larger portfolio parents seeking a simple, cost effective JISA tailored to risk appetite should consider Vanguard. This platform solely offers Vanguard Funds and ETFs which are some of the best Junior ISA funds available. This focused approach means it offers the lowest fees here for portfolios worth over £250k and there aren’t any per trade fees either. 

While this isn’t for small portfolio investors looking for the lowest minimum investment, Vanguard is one of the best Junior ISA providers for fund-focused parents looking to invest or transfer larger sums.

‍Go to the Vanguard Junior Stocks and Shares ISA
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Hargreaves Lansdown Junior ISA (Best below £250k)

If your portfolio’s value is less than £250k, HL proves the most cost-effective option here. Opening your JISA benefits from 0% platform and trading fees while choosing one of their Track The Market Funds will attract a management fee (OCF) of just 0.30%. You can tailor these funds based on your risk tolerance, from Cautious through to Adventurous.

This is one of the top junior ISA options for the parents and guardians, with portfolios below £250k, who want a slightly more “hands-off,” passive approach to investing while keeping costs low.

‍Go to the Hargreaves Lansdown Junior Stocks and Shares ISA
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Which is Best? (TLDR Summary)

With a keen eye on fees, here is the best option if you want:

• The lowest cost JISA - Hargreaves Lansdown. 
• A fully managed JISA with a good track record - Wealthify.
• A JISA with Ready Made Options with a portfolio worth:
  • Less than £250k - Hargreaves Lansdown.
  • More than £250k - Vanguard.

Last Word

We hope this has helped you find the best Junior Stocks and Shares ISA this year. We compare every type of ISA, explain the ISA rules and upcoming ISA deadline in our Guide to ISAs. Now that you’re aware of some of the best Junior ISA platforms, you might be interested in our guides to the Best Stocks and Shares ISAs, Cash ISAs or Lifetime ISAs. If you’re one of our clients and have any questions on this, please email your accountant. If you’d like to become a client, please fill in the form on this page.
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Remember, when you invest in stocks & shares ISAs (including Junior Stocks & Shares ISAs) your capital at risk. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future. The value of your investments may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. This communication is not intended to be a personal recommendation. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment product or service, you should seek advice from an authorised financial advisor.