Robinhood Delay UK App Launch Due To Controversy
Many novice traders in the UK were looking forward to the UK launch of Robinhood, an investment app that claims to be democratising finance for millions of traders. However, after facing pressure from US authorities and politicians, the app has announced it will be delaying its UK launch.
Trading Apps
The main function of the Robinhood app, which has over 13 million US users, is to allow new traders to buy and sell financial products without depositing a minimum sum or paying commission.
The current waiting list for the app in the UK has over 250,000 people, many of whom were looking forward to the app being launched later this year.
Read More About Trading Apps Here
Individuals on the waiting list were greeted this week with a message from Robinhood explaining the app launch would be delayed.
The email read, “We’re saddened to share that we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone our UK launch indefinitely… We’ll be closing our waitlist and taking down our UK website shortly.
The world has changed a lot over the past several months and we’re adapting with it.”
Media Focus
The app, currently valued at $8.6bn, received a lot of media and political attention after a 20-year-old US user, student Alex Kearns, killed himself in June.
Kearns is believed to have killed himself due to mistakenly believing he had lost $730,000 (£575,000) on the app.
Kearns, unfortunately, seemed to misunderstand the app, due to lack of trading knowledge as his account was actually up $16,000 at the time of his death.
Robinhood has received approval from the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) and was expected to launch in Spring 2020.
Although the launch delay is ‘indefinite’, there is hope for UK residents who plan to use the app as Robinhood also stated in their email;
“although our global expansion plans are on hold for now, we will continue our work to democratise finance for all and we look forward to the day when we can bring this mission to the UK.”
Existing Robinhood employees in the UK are expected to move to the US, while a team of skeleton employees will remain in the UK under the guidance of Wander Rutgers, former TransferWise executive.
Best Trading Apps
-
1
Interactive BrokersApps for iOS & Android -
2
PlexytradeApps for iOS & Android -
3
MoomooApps for Yes (iOS & Android) -
4
FOREX.comApps for iOS & Android -
5
TradeUpApps for iOS & Android -
6
KrakenApps for Yes
Here is a short summary of why we think each broker belongs in this top list:
- Interactive Brokers - The IBKR Mobile app, available on both iOS and Android devices, makes your phone a powerful gateway to your IBKR accounts, offering you the freedom to keep an eye on portfolios, initiate trades, and dive into real-time quotes and charts, all while managing your account activities on the fly. This app stands out for its intuitive design, making it especially welcoming for those just starting their trading journey, providing a smoother and more accessible experience than the more complex TWS platform.
- Plexytrade - Rather than developing its own app, Plexytrade offers its 100+ instruments on the MT4 and MT5 mobile platforms. While MetaTrader is favored by experienced traders, the absence of a proprietary trading app results in a steep learning curve for beginners. It also means deposits, withdrawals and account management have to be completed through the Plexytrade website, leading to a less complete mobile trading experience.
- Moomoo - The Moomoo app is part of the core offering. We’ve spent hours using it and it’s feature-rich, with the ability to find and screen assets, conduct market research, check pre-market moves, and place market and pending orders. It’s a step up from most investing apps that focus on the basics but leave you turning to the desktop platform for advanced trading tools. The catch is that with many features the learning curve from our tests was longer than at rivals.
- FOREX.com - Running alongside the MT4 and Web Trader platforms, the FOREX.com app offers full trading capabilities on a user-friendly, compact platform. Integrated news and analysis, plus real time trade alerts, are two mobile specific features that set this app above the crowd. Additionally, it beats out MT4 when it comes to mobile charting tools, with over 80 indicators and 11 chart types, not to mention a slicker design that we love.
- TradeUp - The TradeUp.com mobile app offers a clean, user-friendly experience that works well for trading on the go. It also provides all the essential tools, including custom watchlists and alerts, which help you stay up-to-date. However, the app limits advanced chart indicator customization, and the occasional notification spam can be distracting during active trading sessions based on our hands-on mobile tests.
- Kraken - We've tested Kraken in a live account and it's an intuitive app, especially compared to alternatives like Binance. You can explore tokens, manage your portfolio, and set up a buy, recurring buy, sell or convert assets in a few taps after pressing the '+' icon in the bottom menu. 2FA and biometric login make for a secure mobile experience, while it's one of the few crypto apps to offer a route to secure potential prop funding from your palm.
Community Sentiment
See how users rate these brokers based on the average customer ratings submitted on DayTrading.com, plus ratings from Trustpilot, the Apple App Store and Google Play.
| Broker | Our Users' Rating | Trustpilot Score | Trustpilot Reviews | iOS App Rating | Android App Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | 5507 | ||||
| Plexytrade | 96 | ||||
| Moomoo | 560 | ||||
| FOREX.com | 2507 | ||||
| TradeUp | - | 1 | |||
| Kraken | 8973 |
Interactive Brokers
"Interactive Brokers is one of the best brokers for advanced day traders, providing powerful charting platforms, real-time data, and customizable layouts, notably through the new IBKR Desktop application. Its superb pricing and advanced order options also make it highly attractive for day traders, while its diverse range of equities is still among the best in the industry."
Christian Harris, Reviewer
Interactive Brokers Quick Facts
| Mobile Apps | iOS & Android |
|---|---|
| iOS App Rating | / 5 |
| Android App Rating | / 5 |
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Cryptocurrencies |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, INR, JPY, SEK, NOK, DKK, CHF, AED, HUF |
Pros
- While primarily geared towards experienced traders, IBKR has made moves to broaden its appeal in recent years, reducing its minimum deposit from $10,000 to $0.
- IBKR is one of the most respected and trusted brokerages and is regulated by top-tier authorities, so you can have confidence in the integrity and security of your trading account.
- The TWS platform has clearly been built for intermediate and advanced traders and comes with over 100 order types and a reliable real-time market data feed that rarely goes offline.
Cons
- IBKR was fined $11.8m by the US OFAC in 2025 for providing services in sanctioned jurisdictions. It was also fined $125k by FINRA in 2025 for municipal bond disclosure failures.
- IBKR provides a wide range of research tools, but their distribution across trading platforms and the web-based 'Account Management' page lacks consistency, leading to a confusing user experience.
- TWS’s learning curve is steep, and beginners may find it challenging to navigate the platform and understand all the features.
Plexytrade
"Plexytrade is a newcomer in the brokerage scene with attention-grabbing features like 1:2000 leverage, zero spreads on select instruments and fast execution speeds of less than 46 milliseconds. However, the absence of regulation is a significant concern, while the non-existent research and educational tools place it far behind industry frontrunners."
Plexytrade Quick Facts
| Mobile Apps | iOS & Android |
|---|---|
| iOS App Rating | / 5 |
| Android App Rating | / 5 |
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | CFDs, Forex, Indices, Stocks, Commodities, Crypto |
| Minimum Deposit | $50 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR |
Pros
- The choice of accounts provides a solution for various trading styles, with Gold Raw appealing to day traders owing to its spreads from 0.0 pips.
- Sub 50ms execution speeds are fast enough for intraday trading setups.
- Plexytrade accommodates a range of trading methods and short-term strategies, including scalping, hedging, and automated trading.
Cons
- There are no research and educational materials, falling short of alternatives like IG, while access to the economic calendar is restricted to clients with balances of $500.
- Plexytrade lacks regulation in major jurisdictions, significantly increasing the risks of opening an account and depositing funds.
- There are no social or copy trading features for inexperienced traders to replicate the trades of more experienced investors, trailing category leaders like eToro.
Moomoo
"Moomoo remains an excellent choice for new and intermediate stock traders who want to build a diverse investment portfolio. What really stands out is the broker's user-friendly app and the low trading fees."
Jemma Grist, Reviewer
Moomoo Quick Facts
| Mobile Apps | Yes (iOS & Android) |
|---|---|
| iOS App Rating | / 5 |
| Android App Rating | / 5 |
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | Stocks, Options, ETFs, ADRs, OTCs |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| Account Currencies | USD, CAD, AUD, JPY, MYR, HKD, SGD, CNY |
Pros
- The broker offers access to extended pre-market trading hours
- Moomoo's analytics and insights are impressive and detailed compared to other brands
- Moomoo is a Member of FINRA and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), adding another level of security for prospective clients
Cons
- Moomoo has faced multiple regulatory penalties in recent years, including fines and orders in 2026 that stopped it temporarily accepting some Japanese and Chinese clients
- There is no negative balance protection, which is a common safety feature at top-tier-regulated brokers
- The account range is narrow compared to other brokerages in its class with no managed portfolios or robo-advisor solutions
FOREX.com
"FOREX.com remains a best-in-class brokerage for active forex traders of all experience levels, with over 80 currency pairs, tight spreads from 0.0 pips and low commissions. The powerful charting platforms collectively offer over 100 technical indicators, as well as extensive research tools."
FOREX.com Quick Facts
| Mobile Apps | iOS & Android |
|---|---|
| iOS App Rating | / 5 |
| Android App Rating | / 5 |
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | Forex, Futures and Options on Metals, Energies, Commodities, Indices, Bonds |
| Minimum Deposit | $100 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, CHF, PLN |
Pros
- With over 20 years of experience, excellent regulatory oversight, and multiple accolades including runner-up in our 'Best Forex Broker' awards, FOREX.com boasts a global reputation as a trusted brokerage.
- There’s a wealth of educational resources including tutorials, webinars, and a stacked YouTube channel to help you get educated in the financial markets.
- The in-house Web Trader continues to stand out as one of the best-designed platforms for aspiring day traders with a slick design and over 80 technical indicators for market analysis.
Cons
- Demo accounts are frustratingly time-limited to 90 days, which doesn’t give you enough time to test day trading strategies effectively.
- FOREX.com's MT4 platform offers approximately 600 instruments, significantly fewer than the over 5,500 available on its non-MetaTrader platforms.
- The group being FOREX.com, GAIN Capital Group LLC, had to pay a $700k fine to NFA for improperly handling some client accounts.
TradeUp
"TradeUp is best suited to budget-conscious day traders looking to trade U.S. and global markets (via ADRs) with zero commissions on a user-friendly mobile app. Its more than 250 Chinese American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), including Alibaba Group (BABA), also make it suitable for trading Chinese equities."
TradeUp Quick Facts
| Mobile Apps | iOS & Android |
|---|---|
| iOS App Rating | / 5 |
| Android App Rating | / 5 |
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | Stocks, Options, ETFs, Bonds |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.01 |
| Account Currencies | USD |
Pros
- TradeUp offers commission-free trading on US stocks and ETFs, and support for fractional shares lets you buy portions of a share for as little as $1. This makes it a cost-effective choice for active day traders who want to minimize trading expenses.
- TradeUp’s platforms work smoothly across multiple devices based on our tests, including mobile apps for iOS and Android, a desktop app for Windows and Mac, and a web-based platform. This allows active traders to switch between devices without losing continuity, whether you’re at home or on the go.
- TradeUp runs an integrated and intuitive financial calendar that helps you track earnings, dividends, and IPOs relevant to your watchlist, enabling you to stay ahead of market-moving events.
Cons
- TradeUp's educational resources aren't kept updated, and were over 6 months old in our latest tests. While there are articles and tutorials aimed at newcomers, the content is somewhat limited and does not cover more advanced trading strategies or deeper topics.
- The platform's technical indicators have limited customization options from our use. On both mobile and web versions, you can't layer multiple indicators on the same chart simultaneously, which restricts more sophisticated chart analysis.
- A 2026 security incident left the personal and financial data of 26,985 users vulnerable, including their Social Security numbers, driver's licenses, passports, and medical information.
Kraken
"Kraken will suit traders looking for a diverse list of cryptos including Bitcoin and a good security track record."
Kraken Quick Facts
| Mobile Apps | Yes |
|---|---|
| iOS App Rating | / 5 |
| Android App Rating | / 5 |
| Demo Account | Yes |
| Instruments | Cryptos, xStocks, Pre-IPO Perpetual Futures |
| Minimum Deposit | $10 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, CHF |
Pros
- Low exchange fees on Kraken Pro
- Kraken, via Payward, secured VARA authorization in the UAE, so it can offer local clients Dirham funding and trading pair
- Kraken Pro offers perpetual futures through a CFTC-regulated venue
Cons
- Low leverage on spot trading
- Slow verification times
- Slow verification process on Pro account