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
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1
Interactive BrokersApps for iOS & Android -
2
MoomooApps for Yes (iOS & Android) -
3
KrakenApps for Yes -
4
TradeUpApps for iOS & Android -
5
FOREX.comApps for iOS & Android -
6
CoinbaseApps for iOS & Android
Here is a short overview of each broker's pros and cons
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Coinbase - Coinbase offers an intuitive and regularly updated app that’s generally fast, reliable and matches the desktop experience. It provides powerful tools for crypto investors with advanced trading features, real-time market analysis, staking rewards, secure portfolio management, and educational incentives, all backed by top-notch security and regulatory compliance. However, ratings from Android users show the interface trails its Apple counterpart, with issues relating to the user experience and notifications.
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 | 5501 | ||||
| Moomoo | 506 | ||||
| Kraken | 8861 | ||||
| TradeUp | - | 1 | |||
| FOREX.com | 2498 | ||||
| Coinbase | 23166 |
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
- With low commissions, tight spreads and a transparent fee structure, IBKR delivers a cost-effective environment for short-term traders.
- 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.
- Interactive Brokers was named 'Best US Broker' for 2025 by DayTrading.com, recognizing its long-standing commitment to US traders, ultra-low margin rates, and global market access at minimal cost.
Cons
- TWS’s learning curve is steep, and beginners may find it challenging to navigate the platform and understand all the features.
- You can only have one active session per account, so you can’t have your desktop program and mobile app running simultaneously, making for a sometimes frustrating trading experience.
- Support can be slow and frustrating based on tests, so you might find it challenging to reach customer service representatives promptly or encounter delays in resolving issues.
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
- There are reduced options contract fees from $0.65 to $0
- The broker offers access to extended pre-market trading hours
- Moomoo's analytics and insights are impressive and detailed compared to other brands
Cons
- The account range is narrow compared to other brokerages in its class with no managed portfolios or robo-advisor solutions
- There is no negative balance protection, which is a common safety feature at top-tier-regulated brokers
- 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
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
- 3D secure required
- Kraken Pro offers perpetual futures through a CFTC-regulated venue
- Kraken enables accredited US investors to lock their cash and stablecoins up for fixed periods from 3 to 18 months with competitive fixed APY of up to 7%
Cons
- Slow verification process on Pro account
- Slow verification times
- Low leverage on spot trading
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 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.
- 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 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 $5.This makes it a cost-effective choice for active day traders who want to minimize trading expenses.
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.
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
- 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.
- There’s a wealth of educational resources including tutorials, webinars, and a stacked YouTube channel to help you get educated in the financial markets.
- 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.
Cons
- There’s no negative balance protection for US clients, so you may find yourself owing more money than your initial deposit into your account.
- The group being FOREX.com, GAIN Capital Group LLC, had to pay a $700k fine to NFA for improperly handling some client accounts.
- Demo accounts are frustratingly time-limited to 90 days, which doesn’t give you enough time to test day trading strategies effectively.
Coinbase
"Coinbase is ideal for beginners looking for an intuitive platform to buy and sell a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, with robust security and regulatory compliance. However, its fees are higher compared to competitors in our tests, and it’s not as tailored for short-term traders."
Coinbase Quick Facts
| Mobile Apps | iOS & Android |
|---|---|
| iOS App Rating | / 5 |
| Android App Rating | / 5 |
| Demo Account | No |
| Instruments | Crypto, Stocks, ETFs (US only), Pre-IPO Perpetual Futures (non-US) |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| Account Currencies | USD, EUR |
Pros
- Coinbase supports 240+ cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and more recently listed altcoins like $Trump, giving early access to emerging tokens.
- Some users can secure a credit card by using their stablecoins (USDC) as collateral, with up to 4% paid back in Bitcoin.
- Coinbase has teamed up with Chainlink DataLink so now premium exchange data, including spot prices, order books, and futures data, is accessible on-chain, enabling better DeFi pricing and risk management.
Cons
- High crypto fees based on tests, especially compared to competitors like Kraken and BitMEX, and notably on the standard dealing platform.
- There are woeful research tools; Advanced Trade has TradingView charts but lacks features like news feeds, economic calendars, and AI market insights.
- Frustrating customer support during testing, with most help options hidden behind login, making it tough for locked-out users or non-account holders to get assistance.