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Finance · refreshed weekly

How AI wants investment platforms

Vanguard is the most desired investment platforms brand the answers name: Desire 70% of maximum, above indifference. 8% of the 39 brands rated sit above indifference; the rest leave the models indifferent. The category is most divided on reinforced experience. The brand the answers name most often is Capital.com, not the category's market leader.

39 brands rated · 26 named in the answers · 60 AI answers behind presence · rated by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

Attraction Standing out: seen as superior, magnetic and influential.
Affinity Belonging: tied to identity, values and legitimacy, not just specifications.
Attachment Being returned to: an emotional bond, a dependable experience, part of the routine.
AttractionAffinityAttachment Each whorl lights one ring per index threshold cleared (84 / 92 / 100 / 108 / 116)

Indices: 100 = the average brand in the same category.Indices: 100 = the average brand across every category in the index. Desire % and status are absolute and read the same either way.

Investment Platforms

Every brand, named first

8% above indifference · 92% indifferent · 0% below · 39 brands

#Brand Desire indexDesire %Status AttractionAffinityAttachment SummaryNamed in
1 Vanguard: Attraction 117, Affinity 121, Attachment 117Vanguard: Attraction 112, Affinity 122, Attachment 115Vanguard 118116 70% Above indifference 117112 121122 117115 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 20%
2 Trading 212: Attraction 125, Affinity 100, Attachment 115Trading 212: Attraction 120, Affinity 100, Attachment 113Trading 212 113111 66% Indifferent 125120 100100 115113 Chosen, not lovedChosen, not loved 25%
3 Hargreaves Lansdown: Attraction 107, Affinity 110, Attachment 118Hargreaves Lansdown: Attraction 103, Affinity 111, Attachment 116Hargreaves Lansdown 112110 66% Indifferent 107103 110111 118116 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 25%
4 Plum: Attraction 115, Affinity 100, Attachment 120Plum: Attraction 110, Affinity 101, Attachment 118Plum 111109 66% Indifferent 115110 100101 120118 Chosen, not lovedChosen, not loved 3%
5 Interactive Investor: Attraction 109, Affinity 112, Attachment 107Interactive Investor: Attraction 104, Affinity 113, Attachment 105Interactive Investor 109107 64% Indifferent 109104 112113 107105 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 13%
6 Moneybox: Attraction 112, Affinity 99, Attachment 115Moneybox: Attraction 107, Affinity 100, Attachment 113Moneybox 109107 64% Indifferent 112107 99100 115113 Chosen, not lovedRelied on, not exciting 3%
7 J.P. Morgan Personal Investing: Attraction 103, Affinity 112, Attachment 108J.P. Morgan Personal Investing: Attraction 98, Affinity 112, Attachment 106J.P. Morgan Personal Investing 107105 63% Indifferent 10398 112112 108106 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 2%
8 AJ Bell: Attraction 105, Affinity 109, Attachment 108AJ Bell: Attraction 101, Affinity 110, Attachment 106AJ Bell 107105 63% Indifferent 105101 109110 108106 Average on all threeCredible, not first choice 28%
9 fidelity: Attraction 103, Affinity 111, Attachment 107fidelity: Attraction 99, Affinity 112, Attachment 105fidelity 107105 63% Indifferent 10399 111112 107105 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 10%
10 Freetrade: Attraction 117, Affinity 95, Attachment 107Freetrade: Attraction 111, Affinity 96, Attachment 105Freetrade 106104 62% Indifferent 117111 9596 107105 Noticed, not returned toNoticed, not returned to 13%
11 Interactive Brokers: Attraction 110, Affinity 107, Attachment 99Interactive Brokers: Attraction 105, Affinity 107, Attachment 97Interactive Brokers 106104 62% Indifferent 110105 107107 9997 Noticed, not returned toAverage on all three 8%
12 Moneyfarm: Attraction 104, Affinity 105, Attachment 106Moneyfarm: Attraction 99, Affinity 105, Attachment 104Moneyfarm 105103 62% Indifferent 10499 105105 106104 Average on all threeAverage on all three 3%
13 eToro: Attraction 118, Affinity 93, Attachment 99eToro: Attraction 113, Affinity 93, Attachment 97eToro 103101 61% Indifferent 118113 9393 9997 Noticed, not returned toNoticed, not returned to 2%
14 IG: Attraction 103, Affinity 104, Attachment 98IG: Attraction 98, Affinity 105, Attachment 97IG 102100 60% Indifferent 10398 104105 9897 Average on all threeAverage on all three 8%
15 Saxo: Attraction 105, Affinity 101, Attachment 98Saxo: Attraction 100, Affinity 101, Attachment 96Saxo 10199 59% Indifferent 105100 101101 9896 Average on all threeAverage on all three 8%
16 Nutmeg: Attraction 101, Affinity 100, Attachment 102Nutmeg: Attraction 97, Affinity 100, Attachment 100Nutmeg 10199 59% Indifferent 10197 100100 102100 Average on all threeAverage on all three 3%
17 InvestEngine: Attraction 103, Affinity 101, Attachment 98InvestEngine: Attraction 98, Affinity 101, Attachment 97InvestEngine 10199 59% Indifferent 10398 101101 9897 Average on all threeAverage on all three 17%
18 Dodl: Attraction 96, Affinity 100, Attachment 98Dodl: Attraction 92, Affinity 101, Attachment 96Dodl 9896 58% Indifferent 9692 100101 9896 Average on all threeAverage on all three 8%
19 Barclays Smart Investor: Attraction 89, Affinity 107, Attachment 91Barclays Smart Investor: Attraction 85, Affinity 108, Attachment 90Barclays Smart Investor 9694 57% Indifferent 8985 107108 9190 Credible, not first choiceLiked, not chosen 3%
20 Aberdeen: Attraction 90, Affinity 100, Attachment 94Aberdeen: Attraction 86, Affinity 101, Attachment 93Aberdeen 9593 56% Indifferent 9086 100101 9493 Credible, not first choiceCredible, not first choice 5%
21 Wealthify: Attraction 91, Affinity 94, Attachment 97Wealthify: Attraction 87, Affinity 95, Attachment 95Wealthify 9492 55% Indifferent 9187 9495 9795 Average on all threeCredible, not first choice 7%
22 CMC Markets: Attraction 94, Affinity 92, Attachment 85CMC Markets: Attraction 90, Affinity 92, Attachment 83CMC Markets 9089 53% Indifferent 9490 9292 8583 Noticed, not returned toLiked, not chosen 3%
23 Pepperstone: Attraction 95, Affinity 86, Attachment 85Pepperstone: Attraction 91, Affinity 87, Attachment 84Pepperstone 8987 52% Indifferent 9591 8687 8584 Noticed, not returned toNoticed, not returned to 3%
24 XTB: Attraction 93, Affinity 83, Attachment 84XTB: Attraction 89, Affinity 83, Attachment 83XTB 8785 51% Indifferent 9389 8383 8483 Noticed, not returned toBehind on all three 3%
25 Capital.com: Attraction 93, Affinity 86, Attachment 79Capital.com: Attraction 89, Affinity 86, Attachment 77Capital.com 8684 51% Indifferent 9389 8686 7977 Noticed, not returned toBehind on all three 40%
26 EQi: Attraction 66, Affinity 76, Attachment 66EQi: Attraction 63, Affinity 77, Attachment 65EQi 7069 41% Indifferent 6663 7677 6665 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 2%
Rated but never named (13)

The models rated these brands when asked, but none of the category's answers named them.

#Brand Desire indexDesire %Status AttractionAffinityAttachment SummaryNamed in
— Monzo: Attraction 140, Affinity 115, Attachment 139Monzo: Attraction 133, Affinity 116, Attachment 137Monzo 131128 77% Above indifference 140133 115116 139137 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 0%
— Revolut: Attraction 130, Affinity 100, Attachment 135Revolut: Attraction 124, Affinity 100, Attachment 133Revolut 121119 71% Above indifference 130124 100100 135133 Chosen, not lovedChosen, not loved 0%
— NatWest: Attraction 96, Affinity 103, Attachment 113NatWest: Attraction 91, Affinity 104, Attachment 112NatWest 104102 61% Indifferent 9691 103104 113112 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 0%
— HSBC: Attraction 94, Affinity 101, Attachment 114HSBC: Attraction 90, Affinity 101, Attachment 112HSBC 103101 61% Indifferent 9490 101101 114112 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 0%
— Lightyear: Attraction 102, Affinity 100, Attachment 93Lightyear: Attraction 98, Affinity 101, Attachment 91Lightyear 9997 58% Indifferent 10298 100101 9391 Average on all threeAverage on all three 0%
— Santander: Attraction 89, Affinity 98, Attachment 104Santander: Attraction 85, Affinity 98, Attachment 102Santander 9795 57% Indifferent 8985 9898 104102 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 0%
— Bestinvest: Attraction 92, Affinity 102, Attachment 96Bestinvest: Attraction 88, Affinity 102, Attachment 95Bestinvest 9795 57% Indifferent 9288 102102 9695 Average on all threeCredible, not first choice 0%
— Charles Stanley Direct: Attraction 86, Affinity 109, Attachment 89Charles Stanley Direct: Attraction 82, Affinity 110, Attachment 88Charles Stanley Direct 9593 56% Indifferent 8682 109110 8988 Liked, not chosenLiked, not chosen 0%
— Halifax Share Dealing: Attraction 82, Affinity 107, Attachment 88Halifax Share Dealing: Attraction 79, Affinity 107, Attachment 87Halifax Share Dealing 9391 55% Indifferent 8279 107107 8887 Liked, not chosenLiked, not chosen 0%
— St James's Place: Attraction 84, Affinity 85, Attachment 95St James's Place: Attraction 80, Affinity 86, Attachment 93St James's Place 8886 52% Indifferent 8480 8586 9593 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 0%
— City Index: Attraction 86, Affinity 85, Attachment 83City Index: Attraction 82, Affinity 86, Attachment 82City Index 8583 50% Indifferent 8682 8586 8382 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 0%
— Lloyds Bank Direct Investment: Attraction 73, Affinity 102, Attachment 77Lloyds Bank Direct Investment: Attraction 70, Affinity 103, Attachment 76Lloyds Bank Direct Investment 8583 50% Indifferent 7370 102103 7776 Liked, not chosenLiked, not chosen 0%
— iWeb: Attraction 82, Affinity 90, Attachment 73iWeb: Attraction 78, Affinity 90, Attachment 72iWeb 8280 48% Indifferent 8278 9090 7372 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 0%

Indexed against the average of the 39 indexed investment platforms brands, so 100 is the category average and a brand is read against the rivals it actually competes with.Indexed against the average of every indexed brand in the whole index — 2,582 brands across 67 categories — so 100 is the average brand anywhere here and a number reads the same on every board. 39 investment platforms brands rated by the assistants in the latest weekly run; Named in is the share of 60 AI answers that name each brand.

Feature profile

What this category is rated on

The brands are most divided on reinforced experience: Monzo is rated 5.3 and EQi 3.0 on the 1–7 scale, a spread of 118 against the feature's usual spread (100 = as contested as usual). Against every category, investment platforms is rated highest on reinforced experience (106) and lowest on emotional magnetism (84).

FeatureDriverCategory meanVs all categories
Perceived superiority Attraction 4.5/7 101
Emotional magnetism Attraction 3.1/7 84
Positive influence Attraction 4.5/7 99
Identity & belonging Affinity 3.7/7 97
Values & integrity Affinity 4.3/7 105
Trust & legitimacy Affinity 5.0/7 100
Emotional bond Attachment 3.7/7 90
Reinforced experience contested Attachment 4.1/7 106
Part of my routine Attachment 4.2/7 99

A feature's category mean is the average of its brands' ratings, 1–7. Vs all categories indexes it against every indexed brand across every category (100 = the average brand anywhere). The contested feature is the one the category's brands are most spread on, measured against how spread that feature usually is.

Stated vs revealed

Rated well is not the same as named

Across the 39 brands, how highly the models rate a brand when asked and how often their answers name it go loosely together (rank correlation 0.33).

Rated well, rarely named

  • Monzo77% Desire · named in 0%
  • Revolut71% Desire · named in 0%
  • Plum66% Desire · named in 3%
  • Moneybox64% Desire · named in 3%
  • J.P. Morgan Personal Investing63% Desire · named in 2%

Showing 5 of 9.

Named, not desired

  • Capital.comnamed in 40% · 51% Desire
  • AJ Bellnamed in 28% · 63% Desire
  • Hargreaves Lansdownnamed in 25% · 66% Desire
  • Trading 212named in 25% · 66% Desire
  • InvestEnginenamed in 17% · 59% Desire

Showing 5 of 12.

Rated well, rarely named: Desire above the category median, named in 5% of answers or fewer. Named, not desired: among the most-named quarter of the category, yet indifferent or below. A relationship inside one week's run, never a cause.

Model agreement

Where the models disagree

The models broadly agree on these brands (mean correlation 0.84 across 3 pairs: ChatGPT–Claude 0.82 · ChatGPT–Gemini 0.88 · Claude–Gemini 0.82). Still, 100 of 1,209 brand-statement ratings (8%) split by 2 points or more on the 1–7 scale, and the typical brand's Desire differs by 9 points between its most and least generous model.

BrandStatementRated highestRated lowest
AJ BellAdvocacy Gemini 6 Claude 4
AJ BellHappiness Gemini 4 ChatGPT 2
AJ BellWould miss it Gemini 6 Claude 4
Barclays Smart InvestorGood value Claude 5 ChatGPT 3
Barclays Smart InvestorSimplify Claude 5 Gemini 3

The widest 5 of 100 splits.

Across the whole index, on the same brands: Gemini rates +4.5 points of Desire % against its peers; ChatGPT rates −1.7 points of Desire % against its peers; Claude rates −3.0 points of Desire % against its peers. A generous model lifts every brand it rates, which is why scores are combined across models and indexed within the category.

Distinctive statements

What sets the leading brands apart

For the category's leading named brands, the glossary statements each is rated furthest above and below the category's average, in points on the 1–7 scale.

Vanguard
Above the categoryGood value +2.3, Good reputation +1.7, Best interests +1.6
Below the categoryDigital experience −1.0, Energised −0.9, Innovative −0.8
Trading 212
Above the categoryGood value +2.0, Innovative +1.5, Energised +1.4
Below the categoryPeace of mind −0.7, Best interests −0.4, Integrity −0.3
Hargreaves Lansdown
Above the categoryLeader +1.3, Would miss it +1.1, Good reputation +1.0
Below the categoryGood value −0.7, Energised −0.6, Innovative −0.2
Plum
Above the categorySimplify +1.4, Happiness +1.4, Good feeling +1.3
Below the categoryLeader −0.7, Exclusive experience −0.7, Good reputation −0.7
Interactive Investor
Above the categoryGood value +1.0, Peace of mind +0.9, Advocacy +0.8
Below the categoryEnergised −0.6, Happiness −0.2, Innovative −0.2
Supporting evidence

What the answers say

The category's answers say enough to judge 44 of the 1,209 brand-statement ratings (3.6%). Of those, 61% back the rating, 21% lean against it and the rest are mixed. The answers were not written to describe every brand on every statement, so this is a check on the ratings, not a second score. Counts only; no answer text is published.

Method & limitations

Every week, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are each asked directly, the way a survey asks a respondent, to rate every brand in the category on the 31 statements of the Havas Science of Desire glossary, on the survey's own 1–7 agreement scale. Statements roll up to nine features and the three Drivers of Desire (a feature is the mean of its statements; a driver is the sum of its three features, out of 21; Desire is the sum of the drivers, out of 63). Each brand is indexed against the average brand in its own category — 100 is the category average, 115 is fifteen per cent above it — and the Vs all categories switch re-indexes the same scores against every indexed brand in the index. Desire % is Desire as a share of its maximum. A brand is above indifference when its Desire is above two-thirds of its maximum (42 of 63), below indifference at or under one-third (21), and indifferent in between. The summary beside each brand says where it stands on the three drivers: an index of 110 or more counts as ahead, 90 or less as behind.

These are the assistants' own ratings when asked. They are not a survey of people and not an endorsement, and they are not read from what the assistants happen to say in an answer: the answers to the category's unbranded consumer prompts are used only to count how often each brand is named, and as supporting evidence. Relationships between ratings and how often a brand is named are correlational. A brand is indexed only when all 31 statements have been rated in a run by at least two models, and a category needs at least 4 such brands to get a board. See the full methodology.