Moneybox vs Moneyfarm – Which Investing App Is Better?

Moneybox wins if you want to save and start investing small, especially into a Lifetime ISA. Moneyfarm wins if you have £500 or more and want your investments managed for you. On cost, Moneybox is cheaper if you stick to its own three funds (about 0.44% a year from £5,000, against up to 0.91% at Moneyfarm), but you’re getting a simpler product. All figures checked on each provider’s own site on 29 October 2026.

Full disclosure: I’ve had both apps for over 12 months, so this comparison is my personal opinion as well as the numbers. I own a Moneybox Cash ISA and a Moneyfarm Stocks and Shares ISA.

Moneybox vs Moneyfarm: the winner by type of investor

Best for hands-off investing

Moneyfarm

4.2 on Trustpilot

Expert-managed portfolios in an ISA, pension or GIA

What I like

• Expert-managed portfolios
• Fees fall as your pot grows
• ISA and pension available

Watch out for

• 0.70% total fee on pots under £50k (plus ~0.16% fund costs)
• Not for individual stock pickers

£500

minimum

0.45% management

platform fee

To £50k; 0.20% £50k-£100k; 0.10% £100k-£1.5m + 0.25% platform fee (min £1.25/mo)

None on managed portfolios

trading fee

Visit Moneyfarm (opens in a new tab)

Affiliate link. Capital at risk.

Moneybox vs Moneyfarm side by side

What are Moneybox and Moneyfarm?

Both are brilliant apps, but they’re very different. Moneybox is a saving and investing app: it’s known for rounding up your spending to the nearest pound and tucking the change into savings or investments, and it has a wide range of ISAs, savings accounts and a pension. You choose your own investments, starting with three ready-made options.

Moneyfarm operates more like a wealth manager. You answer questions about your goals and how much risk you can take, it recommends one of seven portfolios, and its team manages it for you. Moneyfarm is after the investor who wants to make their money work long term, so which suits you depends on where you are on your journey.

Moneybox vs Moneyfarm fees

When you invest, your capital is at risk.

Moneybox charges a £1 monthly subscription on investing accounts, waived for the first three months and once you hold £5,000 or more with it, plus a 0.15% service fee on its own funds (0.45% on others). Moneyfarm charges a 0.45% management fee and a 0.25% platform fee with a £1.25 a month minimum on the first £50,000, dropping to 0.45% and then 0.35% in total on bigger amounts. Here’s what the main option at each costs a year, including fund costs:

How the sums work: Moneybox is £12 subscription (until £5,000) + 0.15% + 0.29% fund charge. Moneyfarm is 0.45% + 0.25% (or the £15 a year minimum, whichever is higher) + up to 0.21% fund costs and spread. On small balances both minimums hurt: £12 a year is 12% of a £100 pot.

Moneybox is the cheaper platform if you stick to its own funds. But it isn’t quite like for like: Moneyfarm’s fee pays for a portfolio that’s managed and rebalanced for you, and human support as you grow. Pick third-party funds at Moneybox and you pay 0.45% plus that fund’s charge, which narrows the gap.

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Account options

Both have Stocks and Shares ISAs (up to £20,000 a year tax free), General Investment Accounts, pensions and cash ISAs. Two differences matter most:

• Lifetime ISA: only Moneybox has one. You can pay in up to £4,000 a year and get a 25% government bonus towards a first home costing up to £450,000 or for later life. From 29 October 2026, the withdrawal charge falls to 20% if the first home costs more than £450,000 (announced in the Budget), and a new First Time Buyer ISA is due to replace the Lifetime ISA for new savers from April 2029. See how a Lifetime ISA works.
• Cash ISAs work differently. Moneybox’s Cash ISA is bank savings covered by the FSCS up to £120,000 per bank. Moneyfarm’s Cash ISA invests in money market funds (funds holding cash with low-risk institutions); it paid a higher 4.79% in the first year, but protection is the £85,000 investment limit if Moneyfarm fails. The planned cash ISA cut to £12,000 was scrapped in the 28 October 2026 Budget, so either can take your full £20,000 allowance.

Junior ISAs are available at both, though Moneybox only opens new ones for existing customers. Torn between cash and investing? Our cash ISA vs stocks and shares ISA guide helps.

Where can you invest?

Moneybox

Most people start with Moneybox’s three funds: Cautious, Balanced and Adventurous, run by Amundi. You can then build your own mix from a range of funds and ETFs from big names, plus a small range of US shares like Apple and Amazon with no commission but a 0.45% currency fee. That’s good for people with some experience who want a bit more control.

Moneyfarm

Moneyfarm has seven portfolios from lower to higher risk, made up of global shares and bonds. You can’t pick individual investments inside them, but they’re managed by Moneyfarm’s team. Separately, its Share Investing account lets you buy over 1,000 shares, ETFs, bonds and funds for £3.95 a trade in a DIY ISA or General Investment Account.

Personally, I’d rather let the experts manage the bulk of my money. I still have an eToro account that I use to pick individual shares, but that’s more for fun, and I use Moneyfarm for the long term.

Socially responsible options

Both offer ESG choices (screened on environmental, social and governance factors). Moneybox has ESG funds and ESG versions of its starting options; Moneyfarm has socially responsible portfolios across its risk levels at the same fee as its main portfolios.

What are the apps like to use?

Both apps are slick and very user friendly. You can set up either in a few minutes on the App Store or Google Play, see your progress on a clear dashboard, and pay in by bank transfer or Direct Debit. Moneybox shines for everyday saving habits, with round-ups and regular deposits. Moneyfarm’s strength is the guidance: the risk questionnaire up front, and Investment Consultants once you have £10,000 invested.

Is Moneybox or Moneyfarm safer?

Both are safe in the ways that matter. Both are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Moneybox FRN 712935; Moneyfarm, through MFM Investment Ltd, FRN 629539) and keep your money separate from their own. Invested money is protected by the FSCS up to £85,000 per firm if a firm fails, never against markets falling. Moneybox cash sits with partner banks, each covered up to £120,000. Two details: Moneybox says its US shares, held by DriveWealth, aren’t FSCS covered, and Moneyfarm’s Cash ISA falls under the £85,000 investment limit rather than the bank deposit limit.

Personally, I like keeping my money in separate accounts to lower the risk should one provider go bust.

What are customers saying?

On Trustpilot (checked 29 October 2026), Moneybox scores 4.4 out of 5 from 5,255 reviews and Moneyfarm 4.2 from 6,967. Moneybox reviewers praise the app and the range of products, with complaints about slow withdrawals and account closures. Moneyfarm reviewers praise the service and investment team, with complaints about the recent fee rise and ID checks when opening an account.

Moneybox vs Moneyfarm: who wins?

This one is too close to call overall, because they’re built for different jobs. I like Moneybox for its savings accounts, Lifetime ISA and low-cost starting funds, and Moneyfarm as an investment account where the portfolio is run for you. Moneyfarm is the best robo-adviser I’ve come across, but the £500 minimum and the £1.25 a month minimum fee can be a stumbling block when you’re starting out.

If you’re a beginner with a small amount, or saving for a first home, Moneybox is the easier start. If you have a few thousand pounds and want to hand over the investing, Moneyfarm is the better fit. Read the full Moneybox review and Moneyfarm review, or compare Moneyfarm with Nutmeg and Wealthify.

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