Plum Saving and Investing Features 2026: How It Really Fits
Last Updated: July 1, 2026
Plum combines automated saving, commission-free investing, a cash ISA, and a pension under one login. You can invest in funds from £2 and individual stocks from £1. Paid plans start at £3.99/month (Plus) and unlock more aggressive saving rules, the full investment range, and pension features. The free tier covers basic auto-saving and a limited investment account.
Plum makes the most sense when you use the automations as the engine and the investing tools as the next layer. If you try to treat it like a full trading platform you will hit its limits.
This page focuses on the features. For the full product verdict, see the Plum Review.
Plum's saving and investing features range from simple round-ups on the free Basic plan to a full Stocks and Shares ISA and Lifetime ISA on the Pro and Max tiers. The app uses AI-driven rules to analyse your spending and automatically move spare money into savings or investments. This guide covers how each plan tier maps to specific features, how the automation works in practice, and which plan gives you the right level of control for your financial goals.
What This Page Covers
The main Plum review answers “is Plum worth it overall?” This page answers a narrower question: “how do the saving and investing features actually fit together, and which ones matter?”
If you already know what Plum is and want to work out whether the feature set matches how you handle money, you are in the right place.
Quick Answer
Plum works best when automation does the heavy lifting and investing sits on top. The app is no longer a simple spare-change roundup tool. It now covers four areas: automated saving, commission-free investing, a cash ISA, and a SIPP pension. But the automations are still the reason to join. The rest is what you build on top once the saving habit is running.
If you want a pure trading platform, Plum will frustrate you. If you want one app that saves, invests, and grows with you as you get more comfortable, it fits.
Plum's Features at Each Tier
Plum locks features behind four subscription levels. The jump from Free to Plus is the one that matters for most people.
| Feature | Free | Plus (£3.99/mo) | Pro (£5.99/mo) | Max (£14.99/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-saving rules | Basic roundups + 1 rule | Advanced + mood-based + split rules | Advanced + mood-based + split rules | Advanced + mood-based + split rules |
| Fund investing | Limited range | Full range | Full range | Full range |
| Stock investing | Limited range | Full range | Full range | Full range |
| Stocks & Shares ISA | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cash ISA | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SIPP pension | No | No | No | Yes |
| Commission | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Min investment | £2 funds / £1 stocks | £2 funds / £1 stocks | £2 funds / £1 stocks | £2 funds / £1 stocks |
The Plus plan (£3.99/month) is the practical starting point for anyone serious about using Plum for more than a basic savings pot. It unlocks the full investment range and the cash ISA. Pro (£5.99/month) adds the Stocks and Shares ISA, which matters if you want tax-free investing inside Plum. Max (£14.99/month) adds the pension but is harder to justify unless you specifically want the SIPP alongside everything else.
How the Automations Work in Practice
Plum connects to your bank account, analyses your income and spending, and moves small amounts into savings or investments automatically. There are three mechanics:
Roundups. Spare change from card transactions goes into a savings pot. This is the original Plum feature and still the entry point. It works best for people who do not notice small amounts leaving their current account.
Scheduled auto-saves. A set amount moves on a schedule you pick. Useful for building a consistent habit if you prefer predictability over algorithmic saving.
Smart rules. The paid tiers earn their cost here. On Plus and above, Plum analyses your spending patterns and adjusts how aggressively it saves. If you have had a light week, it might save more. If you have spent heavily, it pulls back. Mood-based saving sounds gimmicky but in practice it means the app adapts rather than blindly taking a fixed amount regardless of your balance.
The automation works because it removes the decision. You do not talk yourself out of saving because the saving already happened. That is Plum's strongest argument and the one feature set no competitor has matched in quite the same way.
What the Investing Side Covers
Plum's investment range is curated, not comprehensive. Funds cover global equity trackers, technology and ESG-focused options, bond funds, and multi-asset portfolios. Individual stocks cover the main UK, US, and European names.
The range is narrower than what you get on Trading 212. Plum is not trying to be a full trading platform. It is trying to be a place where you can put money into a sensible fund or a handful of stocks without needing to research fifty options first.
Fractional shares are supported, which matters. You can buy a slice of an expensive stock from £1 instead of needing the full share price. That lower barrier makes the difference between someone starting to invest and someone never getting round to it.
My Experience Using Plum's Features
I use Plum for investing and stock trading and have money invested through it right now. The feature I use most is auto-invest, which adds money to my holdings each week without me having to do anything after the initial setup.
I picked a split between a global equity fund and a couple of individual stocks, set the weekly amount, and left it alone. That was over a year ago. The routine has run since then with no intervention from me. That reliability is what makes the automations worth paying for.
I have never had trouble buying, selling, or withdrawing money back to my bank account. Withdrawals take two to three working days, which is standard.
The frustration is the fund research tools inside the app. You can see a fund name, a past performance chart, and a short blurb, but there is no detailed fact sheet or portfolio breakdown. If you want to research a fund properly, you will do it outside Plum and then come back to buy. That is fine for someone who already knows what they want. It is limiting for someone trying to learn as they go.
Who Plum's Feature Set Fits
- People who struggle with consistent manual saving and want automation to do it for them
- Beginners who want to start investing with very small amounts (£1-£2 minimums)
- Users who like having savings, investing, a cash ISA, and a pension in a single app
- Anyone who will actually use the recurring rules and auto-invest features rather than ignoring them after setup
Who Might Find It Limiting
- Active traders who want limit orders, stop losses, and real-time data , Plum is the wrong tool
- Investors who want in-depth research tools inside the app , you will end up researching elsewhere
- People who will never use the automations and just want a cheap investment account , Trading 212 may fit better
- Anyone who objects to subscription fees , the free tier works but is deliberately limited
Common Questions
Is Plum mainly a savings app or an investing app now?
Both. The automations and saving behaviour tools are still the entry point and the strongest reason to join. The investing layer is well executed for a platform that started as a savings app , commission-free trading, fractional shares, ISA and pension options. But Plum's identity is still rooted in the saving automations. The investing features are the next step, not the core pitch.
Can you invest from £1 with Plum?
Yes. Plum supports fractional shares, so you can buy a fraction of a stock from £1. Funds start at £2. That is among the lowest entry points for UK investing, alongside Trading 212 and Moneybox.
Do you need a paid plan to invest?
You can invest on the free tier, but the fund and stock selection is restricted. Plus (£3.99/month) unlocks the full investment range. Pro (£5.99/month) adds the Stocks and Shares ISA. If you are investing more than pocket money, the free tier will feel cramped quickly. Plus is the realistic starting point.
How does Plum's investing compare to Trading 212?
Trading 212 offers a much wider stock and ETF range, more advanced trading tools (limit orders, real-time pricing), and multi-currency accounts. It is a better platform for active investors. Plum's advantage is that investing lives alongside automated saving in one app, and the lower minimums (£1-£2) make it more approachable for someone starting from scratch. They serve different users.
Is Plum's pension worth the Max subscription?
The Plum SIPP uses the same fund range as the investment account, and the fee structure is competitive for a robo-advisor-style pension. It is best suited to someone consolidating old workplace pensions into the same app where they already save and invest. If you have a SIPP elsewhere with a wider investment range you are happy with, the pension alone does not justify the £14.99/month Max subscription.
Is money held with Plum safe?
Plum is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Cash held in Plum savings is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 per person. Investments are held in a segregated client money account, separate from Plum's own funds, and covered by the FSCS up to £85,000 if Plum itself goes into administration. FSCS does not cover investment losses from market movements.
I use Plum for my own investing alongside other platforms. The auto-invest feature is the part I value most. I set a weekly amount, chose a split between a global equity fund and a couple of individual stocks, and the app has run that same routine for over a year with zero intervention.
I do not use Plum as my only investment platform. For individual stock trading with more control, I use Trading 212. Plum covers the automated side well. The strength is in the consistency of the automations, not the depth of the trading tools, and the app is at its best when you use it that way.
I’m Steven, founder of MoneyAppReviews. I test money apps, referral programs, and EV tools in real life before I write about them. I drive a 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range, use Octopus Intelligent Go for home charging, and regularly track costs, savings, and app performance over time. I focus on practical, evidence-based reviews that help people decide what is actually worth using, not just what pays the highest commission.
