Provider comparison
Compare the UK’s best workplace pensions
Compare providers on performance, features and ease – and choose a pension your team will actually use.
Choose a workplace pension your team will actually use
Most workplace pensions are treated as a compliance exercise. The right one can become a benefit your team actually values.
Reduce admin, support your team’s financial wellbeing, and help their savings grow.
Which workplace pension delivers the best returns?
Better returns mean better outcomes for your team.
This chart shows how the default funds of leading workplace pensions compare.
Returns are shown on an annualised basis, based on performance over the past five years to 31 December 2025.
Figures are net of investment fees but gross of provider fees. Past performance, actual or simulated, is also not a reliable indicator of future returns. All investments carry risk and your investment value can go up or down. Returns may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.
Figures for the Penfold Plan are based on a simulation, provided by BlackRock, of how the portfolio might have performed had these building blocks of the plan existed together over the last five years. It’s important to note that it cannot be definitively said exactly how this plan would have performed in the past. Simulations should not be taken as a guarantee of expected past or future performance, but are designed to be illustrative only. A full list of the assumptions made to generate the simulations is available and should be carefully considered.
The figures shown represent a weighted average of performance across 30 age cohorts (ages 36-65) to provide an overall view of member outcomes. Individual returns will vary depending on fund allocation at different points in a member’s investment journey, as well as personal fee structures. For consistency in comparison, returns have been estimated based on a typical pot size of £10,000 and an average salary of £30,000. Actual returns may differ due to factors such as specific employer-negotiated fees, individual pot sizes, and salary levels.
Returns are based on data collected by investment advisors DWA from a variety of sources, including individual providers and data published on Morningstar. Where possible, actual return data has been used; however, some assumptions were made based on underlying fund data due to availability limitations. The impact of charges has been applied on a monthly basis, which may create minor discrepancies with actual experience depending on the charging structure. DWA is happy to review and correct any discrepancies should further evidence be provided.
Which workplace pension is best for your business?
 | Nest | Smart Pension | Cushon | now:pensions | People’s Pension | Aviva | Royal London | Scottish Widows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pension type | Group personal pension | Master trust | Master trust | Master trust | Master trust | Master trust | Master trust | Group personal pension | Group personal pension, or master trust |
| Defaqto rating | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Trustpilot rating | 4.7 | 4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Success team | |||||||||
| Onboarding support | |||||||||
| Employee sessions | |||||||||
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| Salary sacrifice | |||||||||
| Payroll integrations | |||||||||
| Payroll support | |||||||||
| Benchmarking | |||||||||
| Business fees | £0 | £0 | £22 monthly account charge | £0 | £36 monthly | £500 set up fee | £30-50 monthly | Typically applies for schemes with low average contributions | £0 |
Which workplace pension is best for your employees?
| Nest | Smart Pension | Cushon | now:pensions | People’s Pension | Aviva | Royal London | Scottish Widows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | |||||||||
| Fund choice | 11 | 6 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 10 | Unconfirmed | >160 |
| Sustainable fund | |||||||||
| Sharia fund | |||||||||
| Combine pensions | |||||||||
| Savings goals | |||||||||
| Savings nudges | |||||||||
| Retirement forecast | |||||||||
| Shareholder voting | |||||||||
| Financial wellbeing | |||||||||
| Pension education |
A pension that’s genuinely a benefit
Turn your workplace pension into something your team values, not ignores.
Higher engagement – employees understand and act on their savings
Clear and simple – easy to use, with no jargon in sight
Real support – guidance for you and your team
Designed for today’s savers – built around how people actually manage money
Everything you need from a workplace pension
Penfold combines strong performance with a simple, low-admin experience for employers – and a pension your team will actually use.
No setup on ongoing fees for businesses
Simple to run, even as you grow
Full support from onboarding onwards
A better experience for your employees
Choose a workplace pension your team will actually use
Join thousands of businesses switching to Penfold for a pension that’s easier to run, and one their team actually uses.
This comparison is based on publicly available information from provider websites as of December 2025, alongside our internal research. We do our best to keep this up to date and accurate. If you believe any information is out of date, please contact us.