Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers 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.
Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, is a publicly traded online broker; Trading 212, founded in 2004, is privately held. Neither company is a bank. Based on ForexBrokers.com’s Trust Score (out of 99), Interactive Brokers scores 99, which falls in the 90–99 range and is considered highly trusted, while Trading 212 scores 82, in the 80–89 range and considered trusted.
Looking at regulation, Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, indicating extensive oversight by top-tier and trusted regulators. Trading 212 holds 3 Tier-1 licenses and 0 Tier-2 licenses. In general, more Tier-1 licenses can signal broader supervision and may boost confidence in a broker’s safety profile.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2004 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
Interactive Brokers earns a 5-star rating and ranks #2 out of 36 for commissions and fees. It offers low-cost forex pricing, with commissions starting at $2 per side and an example all-in EUR/USD cost of about 0.59 pips after commission based on Q3 2024 data. While the minimum fee can make smaller forex trades less cost-effective, larger and more active traders can benefit from lower rates and volume-based discounts.
Trading 212 earns a 4-star rating and ranks #27 out of 36 for commissions and fees. It advertises zero-commission trading, but traders still pay the spread, which is where the real cost shows up. In April 2025, Trading 212’s average EUR/USD spread was 2.7 pips, which is higher than the industry average and makes it more expensive than many top forex and CFD brokers.
Overall, Interactive Brokers is the better choice for traders focused on lower commissions and tighter forex pricing, especially if they trade larger volumes. Trading 212 may look cheaper at first because it has no commission, but its wider spreads can make it more expensive in practice for active forex and CFD trading.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €1 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 2.7 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 2.7 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to available investments, both Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 give traders access to forex, exchange-traded securities on U.S. and international markets, and the ability to buy actual cryptocurrency rather than just price-based bets. Neither broker offers copy trading. Interactive Brokers supports about 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs, while Trading 212 offers a larger list overall with about 13,000 symbols and 180 forex pairs, which may appeal to traders looking for more choice in a single app.
The main difference is that Trading 212 also offers cryptocurrency CFDs, while Interactive Brokers does not. Even so, both brokers receive 5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments, but Interactive Brokers is ranked #1 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in this category, compared with Trading 212 at #15. In short, Trading 212 offers a wider selection of listed instruments and forex pairs, while Interactive Brokers stands out for its top ranking and its focus on actual crypto rather than crypto CFDs.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 13000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 180 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | 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.
Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 both give traders a free paper trading account, plus web-based platforms and the ability to place trades directly from a stock chart. Neither broker supports copy trading, MetaTrader 4, or MetaTrader 5. For users who want to test strategies before using real money, both platforms offer a helpful demo-style experience.
Where Interactive Brokers stands out is its proprietary platform and Windows desktop trading software, which Trading 212 does not offer. That added platform choice helps explain why Interactive Brokers earns a 5-star rating for trading platforms and tools and ranks #2 out of 36 brokers, while Trading 212 is rated 4 stars and ranks #19. In simple terms, Trading 212 covers the basics well, but Interactive Brokers gives more options for active traders who want a wider range of tools.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 102 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock and forex price alerts and watchlist syncing between the app and online account. Each app also lets users draw trendlines on charts, making both platforms useful for traders who want to follow the markets on the go. For everyday mobile trading needs, the two brokers cover the core features most people look for.
The main differences show up in charting depth and overall app quality. Interactive Brokers offers 155 technical studies in its mobile charting tools, compared with 104 at Trading 212, and it also earns a 5-star Mobile Trading Apps rating from ForexBrokers.com versus Trading 212’s 4 stars. In the same category, Interactive Brokers is ranked #4 out of 36 brokers, while Trading 212 sits at #17. One standout advantage for Trading 212 is that its mobile app auto-saves chart drawings, while Interactive Brokers does not.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
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 | 155 | 104 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, Interactive Brokers gives traders more depth than Trading 212. Interactive Brokers offers daily market commentary, news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, Trading Central tools, sentiment data for long and short positions, TipRanks insights, Acuity Trading research, and an economic calendar. Trading 212 also provides forex news from top-tier sources, sentiment data, and an economic calendar, but it does not include daily market commentary, Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading tools.
That difference shows up in expert ratings and rankings too. Interactive Brokers is rated 5 out of 5 stars for research and is ranked #3 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while Trading 212 is rated 3.5 stars and ranked #32. If you want a broker with more market research tools and more commentary to help guide trading decisions, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
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 | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner learning tools, Interactive Brokers gives new traders more to work with than Trading 212. Interactive Brokers offers forex and CFD education, regular online client webinars at least once a month, and plenty of beginner and advanced trading videos. That broad mix helps beginners build skills step by step, especially if they want to learn about more than just the basics. Trading 212 also offers at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos, but it does not provide monthly educational webinars and does not appear to offer the same level of forex or CFD-focused education.
These differences show up in the ratings too. Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers in the Education category at ForexBrokers.com, while Trading 212 is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #20. For beginners who want more guided learning, especially through webinars and topic-specific forex or CFD resources, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
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 Interactive Brokers is better than Trading 212. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #25.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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Trading 212
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 82 |
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Among online brokers, Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 both support buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but only Trading 212 offers cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas Interactive Brokers does not.
For funding methods, both online brokers Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 support ACH/SEPA and bank wire deposits and withdrawals, neither supports PayPal or Skrill, and Visa/Mastercard availability 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 | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 82 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 82 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2004 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 13000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 180 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | 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 | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 2.7 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 2.7 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 102 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | 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 | 155 | 104 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | 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 | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | 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 | Interactive Brokers Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 82 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Trading 212 Review |
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