Cash Isas are typically offered by banks or building societies, and function like a normal savings account.
Savers pay in money and interest gets added on top.
With regular saving accounts, once the interest goes above a certain threshold, you start to pay income tax.
A basic rate taxpayer can earn £1,000 in savings interest a year before paying tax. For higher rate taxpayer the limit is £500, but additional rate taxpayers don't have any allowance - they pay tax on all their savings income. Those on low incomes may get an extra allowance.
However, when money is saved in a cash Isa, the interest is tax-free, no matter much you earn.
Cash Isas are very popular, with millions of savers holding billions of pounds in them.
Stocks and shares Isas work in much the same way.
However, instead of simply being held in an savings account, the money is invested in shares in companies, unit trusts, investment funds or bonds.
Unlike other investments, any returns are protected from income tax and capital gains tax.
Crucially, while the returns can be greater, so too are the risks. The amount of money you have in a shares Isa can go down as well as up.