My honest InvestEngine review after six months: no-fee ETF investing, the real bonus odds, and who this low-cost UK platform actually suits.
July 24, 2026Comments are off for this post.
InvestEngine Review: My Honest Take After Six Months
May 9, 2026Comments are off for this post.
XTB App Review UK 2026: One Star Opinion (1/5)
Last updated: 10 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I have used investing apps for over a decade, including Freetrade, Lightyear, Trading 212, Interactive Brokers and JPMorgan Personal Investing. This XTB app review is based on real, recent first-hand use on iPhone over the past few weeks.
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are my own personal experience and observations. Other XTB customers have reported very different experiences, both better and worse, and you can read those views directly on the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Nothing in this review constitutes professional, financial or legal advice, nor an allegation of wrongdoing by XTB. Capital is at risk when investing.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. This post does not contain any XTB referral links; where alternative brokers are mentioned, those links may include CoolCuration referral codes. We have no referral relationship with XTB and do not benefit financially from XTB itself.
Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Cool Factor: 1/5
Welcome to our XTB app review. After spending the last few weeks battling with the broker's iOS app, surviving a verification process worthy of a Kafka novella, and being chased around the screen by stock notifications I never asked for, I have reached a personal verdict. It is not flattering. So if you have seen the ads and the free share offers, this XTB app review explains exactly what you would be signing up for, in my experience.
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April 19, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Trading 212 Review UK 2026 — Honest Verdict After 3 Months
Last updated: 10 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This Trading 212 review reflects my own experience using the app daily for three months alongside Freetrade, my main broker.
This is our honest Trading 212 review after three months of using it alongside Freetrade, our main broker. When Trading 212 kept coming up in conversations, we figured we should give it a fair shot. After using it daily for a full quarter, the verdict is clear: Trading 212 is a perfectly fine platform trapped inside a frustratingly cluttered app. The fees are competitive, the savings rate is genuinely good, but the experience of actually using it every day left us reaching for Freetrade instead. Here is why we are sticking with the alternatives.
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of capital. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Cool Factor
★★☆☆☆
2 out of 5: Lukewarm
March 15, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Cheapest Investment App UK (2026) – FX Fees Compared
Investing · FX fees2026 Edit
Commission-free is not cost-free
Last updated: 21 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Looking for the cheapest investment app in 2026? The headline says "zero commission". Yet the foreign exchange (FX) fee on every US share quietly adds up. So we rechecked the live pricing for Lightyear, Robinhood, Trading 212, Freetrade, InvestEngine, Hargreaves Lansdown and J.P. Morgan. Then we worked out the real cost of buying a US share on each.
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Not financial advice. This piece reflects what works for us, not a personal recommendation, so please do your own research or speak to a qualified adviser before investing. Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
See the lowest flat FX fee in our comparison
Of the apps below, Lightyear currently has the lowest flat FX fee on US shares. The latest sign-up steps are kept up to date on our referral page.
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June 4, 2025Comments are off for this post.
Stock Events App Review: A Portfolio Tracker Worth Your Time?
Last updated: 9 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
This Stock Events app review covers everything we like (and a few things we do not) about one of the highest-rated portfolio trackers on both app stores. Stock Events promises a clean, ad-free way to monitor your stocks, dividends, earnings, and more from a single screen. After spending time with it, here is our honest take on whether it delivers.
Cool Factor: 4/5
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