Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Trading 212 vs Alpari, 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.
When comparing the online brokers Trading 212 and Alpari, several notable differences emerge, particularly in regulatory credentials and trust scores. Trading 212, established in 2004, holds three Tier-1 licenses, a testament to its higher level of credibility and reliability. Alpari, founded in 1998, does not hold any Tier-1 licenses, impacting its perceived trustworthiness. In terms of trust score ratings provided by ForexBrokers.com, Trading 212 scores an 80, deeming it a trusted broker, whereas Alpari has a trust score of 68, placing it in the high-risk category.
Neither Trading 212 nor Alpari is publicly traded or operates as a bank, highlighting their focus as specialized online brokerage firms rather than traditional financial institutions. The difference in trust levels based on their licensing and ForexBrokers.com ratings indicates that Trading 212 may provide a more reliable trading experience for users looking for stronger regulatory assurance, while Alpari may involve higher risk considerations.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2004 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Comparing commissions and fees, Trading 212 promotes zero-commission trading on CFDs and forex, but you still pay the spread. In April 2025, Trading 212 reported an average EUR/USD spread of 2.7 pips, which is higher than the industry average and could make it pricier than many top competitors. Alpari does not publish average spread data, so direct cost comparisons are limited.
For context, Trading 212 has two accounts: Invest (shares) with a €1 minimum and CFD (derivatives) with a €10 minimum. This comparison focuses on the CFD account, where spreads are the primary trading cost rather than per-trade commissions. Alpari’s average spread figures are not available, so its typical trading costs cannot be confirmed from published data.
Ratings and rankings: Trading 212 earns 4 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #50 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. Alpari also earns 4 stars but ranks higher at #42 out of 63. In short, Trading 212 offers published average spreads but currently shows higher pricing on key pairs, while Alpari ranks better in this category despite not providing average spread data.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €1 | $20 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 2.7 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 2.7 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Trading 212 vs Alpari: both brokers support forex trading via CFDs and spot, and both offer crypto CFDs (neither lets you buy actual crypto). The big difference is breadth. Trading 212 lists 7,868 tradeable symbols and 146 forex pairs, while Alpari offers 105 symbols and 46 pairs. Trading 212 also lets you buy exchange-traded stocks and ETFs on U.S. and international markets, whereas Alpari provides exchange-traded access only on international exchanges (not U.S.). If you want copy trading, Alpari has it; Trading 212 does not.
For range of investments, Trading 212 is rated 5/5 stars and ranked #16 out of 63 by ForexBrokers.com. Alpari is rated 3/5 stars and ranked #64. In short: pick Trading 212 for the widest selection and the ability to buy real U.S. and global shares; choose Alpari if you value copy trading and can work with a more limited lineup.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7868 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 146 | 46 |
| 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 Alpari both provide free demo (paper) accounts and offer proprietary platforms. Trading 212 focuses on a web-based platform and does not provide a Windows desktop download, while Alpari offers both a web platform and a Windows desktop option. Copy trading is available at Alpari but not at Trading 212. If you need MetaTrader, note that Alpari supports both MT4 and MT5, whereas Trading 212 does not support either.
Both brokers let you place trades directly from charts. The exact counts for built-in indicators and watchlist columns aren’t specified. For Trading Platforms and Tools, both earn 4 out of 5 stars; however, Trading 212 ranks #20 of 63 brokers, while Alpari ranks #56. In short, choose Trading 212 if you want a streamlined, web-first proprietary experience, and pick Alpari if you prioritize a Windows desktop platform, MetaTrader access, or copy trading.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Alpari both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, plus stock and forex price alerts. The standout difference is watchlist syncing: Trading 212 syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account so changes carry over automatically, while Alpari does not.
For charting, Trading 212 provides 104 technical indicators compared with Alpari’s 30. Both let you draw trendlines, but only Trading 212 auto-saves your drawings. Each app is rated 4 stars for Mobile Trading Apps, yet ForexBrokers.com ranks Trading 212 #17 out of 63 brokers and Alpari #57. If you want more indicators and synced watchlists, Trading 212 is the stronger choice; Alpari covers the essentials.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Trading 212 vs Alpari: Both brokers skip daily market commentary but deliver premium forex news from top-tier sources and include an economic calendar. Tool-wise, Alpari stands out with Autochartist, while Trading 212 does not offer it. Neither broker integrates Trading Central. Trading 212 does provide a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long vs. short positions; Alpari does not. Trading 212 does not integrate TipRanks or Acuity Trading; Alpari’s availability of TipRanks and Acuity Trading is not clearly stated.
For overall research, Trading 212 earns 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 45th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Alpari scores 3 stars and ranks 58th. Traders who value an in-platform sentiment gauge may prefer Trading 212; those who lean on Autochartist’s scanning tools may favor Alpari. Both are solid for news and calendars but lack daily commentary and Trading Central.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | |
| Acuity Trading | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Both Trading 212 and Alpari provide forex and CFD education with at least 10 pieces of content. Each offers 10+ beginner-friendly videos, so new traders can learn core concepts step by step. Neither broker runs monthly educational webinars. Where they differ is in depth: Trading 212 also has 10+ advanced videos for more experienced traders, while Alpari does not.
This gap shows up in independent ratings. Trading 212 earns 3.5 out of 5 stars for Education and ranks #21 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. Alpari scores 3 out of 5 and ranks #48. If you’re just starting out, both can help you learn the basics—but if you want room to advance with more in-depth videos, Trading 212 is the stronger choice.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
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 Alpari. Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #31, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #58.
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
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 80 | 68 |
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Trading 212 vs Alpari: neither broker allows you to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both let you trade cryptocurrency CFDs.
Trading 212 supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire deposits/withdrawals (but not Skrill), while Alpari does not support ACH/SEPA and its availability for PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Mastercard, and bank wires is not specified.
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 | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 80 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 80 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 2004 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| 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) |
| Investments | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7868 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 146 | 46 | |
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 2.7 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 2.7 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €1 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | ||
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | ||
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | ||
| Client sentiment data | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Overall | Trading 212 | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 80 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trading 212 Review |
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