Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is Interactive Brokers better than Trading 212? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 39 of the best forex brokers, Interactive Brokers is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Trading 212 is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 77 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 99 | 77 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Trading 212 Review | IG Review |
| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 77 | 99 |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2004 | 1974 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bank | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Authorised in European Union | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| About Regulation | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | Yes | No | Yes |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | Yes | No | No |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | Yes | No | No |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | Yes | No | No |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | Yes | No | Yes |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | Yes | No | Yes |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | Yes | No | Yes |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | Yes | No | Yes |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No | No |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | No | Yes | No |
| SEBI Authorised (India) | Yes | No | No |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | No | No | No |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No | No |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | No | No | Yes |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No | No |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No | No |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No | No |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No | No |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No | Yes |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | No | No | No |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | No | No | No |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No | No |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 1785 | 19537 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 184 | 100 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | No | 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). | 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 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.6 (Aug 2022) | N/A | 0.86 (September 2022) |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.6 (Aug 2022) | N/A | 0.5957 (September 2022) |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Initial Deposit | $0 | EUR 10 | £250.00 |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | No |
| cTrader | No | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 640 | 5 | 14 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 128 | 45 | 33 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 85 | 19 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 45 | 33 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes | Yes |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Trading 212 Review | IG Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 99 | 77 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Trading 212 Review | IG Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, Interactive Brokers offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Interactive Brokers holds 8 global Tier-1 licenses, while Trading 212 holds 1. Both Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 hold 1 global Tier-2 licenses. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, Interactive Brokers earned a higher Trust Score than Trading 212.
To compare the trading platforms of both Interactive Brokers and Trading 212, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, IG offers a better experience. With research, IG offers superior market research. Finally, we found IG to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Neither broker offers Meta Trader.Copy trading is not offered by either broker.
Trading 212 provides traders 184 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to Interactive Brokers's 90 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, Interactive Brokers offers traders access to 8500 CFDs while Trading 212 has 1785 available CFDs, a difference of 6715.
Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by nine tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Interactive Brokers is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Trading 212 is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. Trading 212 is authorized by one tier-1 regulator (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Trading 212 is authorised by the following tier-1 regulator: the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
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.
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.
Overall winner: IG
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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