Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FXCM vs Trading 212, 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.
FXCM, founded in 1999 and listed on a stock exchange, presents itself as a highly trusted choice among online brokers. It boasts a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 95 out of 99, supported by its possession of four Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses. Despite not being a bank, FXCM's regulatory standing and public trading status contribute to its perception as a secure and reliable platform for online trading.
In contrast, Trading 212, established in 2004, is not publicly traded but still secures a trustworthy spot in the market with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 80 out of 99. Although it holds one less Tier-1 license compared to FXCM, with three in total, Trading 212 lacks Tier-2 licenses. Like its counterpart, Trading 212 is not a bank, yet it remains a trusted name due to its solid regulatory framework and market presence.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2004 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
Both FXCM and Trading 212 earn 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, but FXCM ranks higher in this category (#25 of 63) than Trading 212 (#50 of 63). In simple terms, FXCM’s pricing is closer to the industry norm, while Trading 212’s spreads on key forex pairs like EUR/USD tend to be higher.
FXCM’s standard account spreads on EUR/USD averaged 0.78 pips in May 2024 for its EU, U.K., and Australia entities, and 1.38 pips for its St. Vincent and the Grenadines entity. Its commission-based accounts averaged 0.28 pips before commissions, with an effective spread around 0.74 pips once the commission-equivalent is included. FXCM also offers an Active Trader Rebate Program (not available in the U.K. or EU) that pays $5–$25 per million traded, with discounts tied to monthly volume. As an example, a U.K. account with a $25,000 balance and $50 million in monthly volume sees commissions drop to $2.50 per side ($5 round-turn), bringing the effective EUR/USD spread to about 0.78 pips. As with most brokers, spreads can widen during rollover or volatile markets.
Trading 212 promotes zero-commission CFD and forex trading, but your cost is the spread. For April 2025, its average EUR/USD spread was 2.7 pips—well above the industry average and less competitive than top CFD and forex brokers. Trading 212 has improved transparency by publishing average spreads. It offers two accounts: Invest (shares) with a €1 minimum and CFD with a €10 minimum; this comparison centers on the CFD account where spreads are the main cost.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | €1 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | 2.7 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 2.7 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
FXCM vs Trading 212: for range of investments, Trading 212 offers far more choice. Trading 212 lists 7,868 tradeable symbols and 146 forex pairs, while FXCM offers 440 symbols and 46 forex pairs. Both support forex trading via CFDs or spot. Trading 212 also lets you buy exchange-traded shares on U.S. and international markets, which FXCM does not offer. For crypto, neither broker provides actual coins, but both offer cryptocurrency CFDs.
Feature extras differ too: FXCM supports copy trading, while Trading 212 does not. Reflecting the product breadth, ForexBrokers.com rates Trading 212 at 5/5 (ranked 16th of 63) for Range of Investments, compared with FXCM at 3.5/5 (ranked 48th of 63). If you want a very wide selection and real share dealing, Trading 212 is stronger; if you value copy trading alongside a focused lineup, FXCM may fit.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 7868 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 146 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| 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.
FXCM and Trading 212 both offer free demo (paper) accounts and their own proprietary platforms. Each provides a web-based platform and the ability to place trades directly from charts. FXCM also offers a Windows desktop download, while Trading 212 does not. If you want MetaTrader 4 (MT4), FXCM supports it; neither broker supports MT5. FXCM includes copy trading, whereas Trading 212 does not. Specific counts for built-in chart indicators and watchlist columns weren’t provided for either broker.
For platform quality, FXCM is rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools on ForexBrokers.com, while Trading 212 earns 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #20. In short, FXCM suits traders who want MT4, desktop software, and copy trading, while Trading 212 fits those who prefer a simple, browser-based setup with a free demo to practice.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 54 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Comparing FXCM vs Trading 212 for mobile trading, both brokers offer iPhone and Android apps, along with price alerts to help you track stocks and forex pairs in real time. Each app supports watchlist syncing, so any changes you make on your phone or your online account appear everywhere—handy for staying organized across devices.
For charting, both apps let you draw trendlines and automatically save your annotations. FXCM includes 59 technical studies, while Trading 212 offers 104, giving more options for indicator-based analysis. In overall quality, FXCM is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #16 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, edging out Trading 212, which holds 4 stars and ranks #17. In short, Trading 212 packs more indicators, while FXCM scores slightly higher in expert reviews.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 104 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing market research at FXCM vs Trading 212: FXCM offers daily market commentary, while Trading 212 does not. Both brokers stream forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, include an economic calendar, and provide a sentiment tool that shows the long/short ratio. Neither platform integrates Autochartist or Acuity Trading. FXCM adds Trading Central for technical and fundamental analysis and includes TipRanks research, whereas Trading 212 lacks both.
For overall research quality, FXCM earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #11 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Trading 212 scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #45. In short, FXCM is better suited if you want deeper built-in research and analysis, while Trading 212 covers the basics with news, calendar, and sentiment data.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For forex and CFD beginners comparing FXCM and Trading 212, both platforms provide at least 10 beginner video lessons and a library of advanced videos you can grow into. The big difference is live learning: FXCM hosts client webinars at least once a month, while Trading 212 does not run monthly educational webinars.
Looking at independent ratings, FXCM earns 4.5/5 stars for Education and ranks 14th out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com; Trading 212 earns 3.5/5 stars and ranks 21st. If you want live webinars and a higher-rated learning path, FXCM has the edge. If you prefer to learn through on-demand videos, Trading 212 still covers both beginner and advanced topics.
| Feature |
FXCM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| 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 FXCM is better than Trading 212. FXCM finished with an overall rank of #15, while Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #31.
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
| Feature |
FXCM
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Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 80 |
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FXCM vs Trading 212 comparison: both online brokers do not support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but each offers cryptocurrency CFD trading.
Comparing online brokers FXCM and Trading 212 for deposits and withdrawals: both support ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, and bank wire options, but only FXCM offers Skrill, while Visa/Mastercard availability for either broker 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 | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
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| Regulation | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 95 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2004 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| 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 | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 440 | 7868 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 46 | 146 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| 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 | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.9 | 2.7 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.8 | 2.7 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | Starts from $50 | €1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 54 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 59 | 104 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | FXCM Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Overall | FXCM | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 95 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FXCM Review | Trading 212 Review |
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