Free comparison for DIY investors and people approaching retirement. Enter your pot size to see published platform fees side by side.
Independent and free for the user. Updated for the 2026 tax year. Guidance, not regulated advice.
Compare published fees from UK pension drawdown and SIPP platforms in one place. The site is independent and free for the user. Pages are guidance only — they are not regulated advice.
The retirement planner is a free tool that projects how long your pension may last:
Open the planner at /retirement-planner — no account needed to start. An optional account saves the plan across devices.
The full comparison covers 30 providers: Vanguard, Interactive Investor, AJ Bell Youinvest, Hargreaves Lansdown, Fidelity Personal Investing, Bestinvest, Charles Stanley Direct, PensionBee, Aegon, Aviva, Quilter, Standard Life, Scottish Widows, IG, Legal & General, Prudential, St James's Place, True Potential, J.P. Morgan Personal Investing (formerly Nutmeg), Royal London, Nucleus (formerly James Hay), Trading 212, InvestEngine, Freetrade, Barclays Direct Investing (formerly Smart Investor), EQi, Moneybox, Dodl (AJ Bell), CMC Invest, Penfold.
Costs shown on the live calculator exclude fund charges, which vary depending on your investment choices. Estimated annual income at 4% withdrawal is shown above the table once you enter a pot value.
The lowest calculated cost depends on your pot size. A percentage-fee platform such as Vanguard (0.15% a year, capped at £375) can be cheaper on smaller pots. On larger pots, a flat-fee platform such as Interactive Investor (from £5.99 a month on its Core plan, plus published pension admin) can work out lower. Enter your pot size in the calculator — we do not publish a single ranking. Some £0-fee platforms do not offer flexi-access drawdown; check the retirement-access label.
Pension drawdown costs typically include platform fees (0.15% to 0.45% of your pot annually, or a flat monthly fee) plus fund charges (0.1% to 0.5% for most funds). For a £250,000 pot, annual costs range from around £400 to over £2,000 depending on your provider.
Yes, you can transfer your pension to a different drawdown provider at any time. Most providers don't charge exit fees, and the process typically takes 4–6 weeks. Always check for any exit penalties and compare total costs before switching.
A SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) is a type of pension wrapper that gives you control over your investments. Pension drawdown is how you take income from your pension. You can use a SIPP for drawdown — many providers offer "SIPP drawdown" which combines flexible investment choice with flexible income withdrawals.
With pension drawdown, you can withdraw as much or as little as you like — there's no limit. However, only 25% of your pension is tax-free; the rest is taxed as income. Most experts recommend withdrawing 3–4% per year to make your pension last through retirement.