Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Trading 212 vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Trading 212 and ActivTrades are both well-established online brokers, having been founded in 2004 and 2001, respectively. Neither company is publicly traded or operates as a bank. In terms of regulatory credentials, Trading 212 holds three Tier-1 licenses, which are highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com standards, and has a Trust Score of 80. ActivTrades, on the other hand, holds two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, earning a slightly higher Trust Score of 81.
Both brokers are closely matched in terms of industry trust and regulatory recognition, with slight differences in their licensing. Trading 212's advantage lies in its additional Tier-1 license, while ActivTrades is bolstered by its Tier-2 license. As they operate under similar frameworks, prospective clients can feel assured of their safety and reliability when choosing either platform for their trading needs.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2004 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
Looking at commissions and fees, both brokers earn 4 out of 5 stars, but ActivTrades ranks higher (#21 of 63) than Trading 212 (#27 of 63) with ForexBrokers.com. The key difference comes down to spreads: Trading 212 markets zero-commission CFD and forex trading but typically has wider spreads, while ActivTrades tends to be cheaper on major pairs.
Trading 212’s CFD account has a €10 minimum deposit. You won’t pay a per-trade commission, but you will pay the spread. The broker now publishes average spread data; for April 2025, EUR/USD averaged 2.7 pips—well above the industry average, which can make active trading more expensive despite the “zero-commission” label. Commissions and fees rating: 4/5 stars; category ranking: #27 of 63.
ActivTrades uses spread-only pricing for most trades and keeps the same spreads across its Individual, Professional (lower margin requirements), and Islamic accounts. There’s no special pricing for high-volume traders, and spreads can vary by platform and time of day. Based on data provided to us, the average EUR/USD spread was 0.98 pips in May 2024—slightly better than the industry average, though not the very lowest available. Commissions and fees rating: 4/5 stars; category ranking: #21 of 63.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €1 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 2.7 | 1.08 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 2.7 | 0.92 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing Trading 212 vs ActivTrades for range of investments, Trading 212 offers a much wider selection with 7,868 tradeable symbols and 146 forex pairs, versus ActivTrades’ 1,267 symbols and 49 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading (CFDs/spot) and let you trade cryptocurrency via CFDs, but neither lets you buy actual, delivered crypto. For real shares (not CFDs), Trading 212 provides access to both U.S. exchanges (e.g., Apple on NASDAQ) and international markets, while ActivTrades offers real shares on international exchanges only.
Feature-wise, ActivTrades includes copy trading, whereas Trading 212 does not. For Range of Investments, Trading 212 earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks 15th out of 63 brokers, while ActivTrades scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks 25th. In short, choose Trading 212 if you want more markets and access to U.S. stocks, and pick ActivTrades if copy trading is a priority.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7868 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 146 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Trading 212 and ActivTrades both include simulated (paper) trading with a free virtual demo account, and each offers its own proprietary platform. You can trade in the browser with either broker, and both let you place trades directly from charts. Key differences: ActivTrades provides a Windows desktop platform, copy trading, and access to MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Trading 212 does not support a Windows download, copy trading, or MT4/MT5.
For trading platforms and tools, both brokers earn 4 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, Trading 212 places #19 out of 63, while ActivTrades ranks #26. Choose ActivTrades if you want desktop software, copy trading, or MT4/MT5. Pick Trading 212 if a clean, in-house web platform with an easy demo experience is more important to you.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 54 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Trading 212 and ActivTrades both check the basics for mobile trading: each offers an iPhone app and an Android app, plus price alerts to keep you on top of market moves. Charting features are strong on both, with the ability to draw trendlines and have your drawings saved automatically, so your work is there the next time you open the app.
The key differences show up in tools and syncing. Trading 212 includes watchlist syncing between the app and your online account, while ActivTrades does not. For chart analysis, Trading 212 packs in 104 technical studies (indicators), compared with 30 on ActivTrades. Despite these contrasts, both earn 4 out of 5 stars for their mobile apps. In ForexBrokers.com’s ranking of 63 brokers, Trading 212 places 17th for Mobile Trading Apps, while ActivTrades comes in 21st. If you want deeper analysis tools and synced watchlists, Trading 212 has the edge; if you just need the essentials, ActivTrades still covers the core features.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing Trading 212 vs ActivTrades for market research: both brokers deliver forex news from top sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, offer a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning, and include an economic calendar. Neither broker provides tools from Autochartist, Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading.
The main difference is daily market commentary: ActivTrades offers it, while Trading 212 does not. That gap aligns with the scores—ActivTrades earns 4/5 stars for research and ranks 26th out of 63, while Trading 212 holds 3.5/5 stars and ranks 32nd. If you want headline news, sentiment data, and calendars, both fit the bill; if daily insights matter, ActivTrades has the edge.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
New traders will find strong video-based learning at both Trading 212 and ActivTrades. Each offers at least 10 beginner videos that explain core trading ideas in simple terms, and both also provide 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. If live learning matters, ActivTrades runs monthly client webinars, while Trading 212 does not currently host regular educational webinars.
For quality, ForexBrokers.com rates Trading 212’s education 3.5 out of 5 stars and ActivTrades 4 out of 5. Interestingly, Trading 212 ranks higher overall in the Education category (#20 of 63) than ActivTrades (#30 of 63). Choose ActivTrades if you want live webinars alongside a video library; pick Trading 212 if you’re happy with on-demand videos and prefer a provider that places slightly higher in the category rankings.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Trading 212 is better than ActivTrades. Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #25, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #28.
Best known for its mobile trading app, Trading 212 offers an easy-to-use trading platform suite for CFD and share trading, as well as a large variety of forex pairs. However, despite its well-designed platform and wide range of symbols, its lack of advanced trading tools and flat research offerings hamper Trading 212’s bid to be considered a top broker.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 80 | 81 |
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When comparing online brokers Trading 212 vs ActivTrades, neither supports purchasing actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
For deposits and withdrawals, Trading 212 supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire transfers, whereas ActivTrades supports bank wire transfers and Skrill but does not support ACH/SEPA or PayPal.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 80 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trading 212 Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
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| Regulation | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 80 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 2004 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7868 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 146 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 2.7 | 1.08 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 2.7 | 0.92 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €1 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 54 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Trading 212 Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | Trading 212 | ActivTrades | |
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| Trust Score | 80 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trading 212 Review | ActivTrades Review |
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