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Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212 2025

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

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.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 8500
Trading 212
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: €1
  • Trust Score: 80
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 7868

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.

Regulation

Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers emerges as a highly trusted name in online brokerage, reflected by its nearly perfect Trust Score of 99 from ForexBrokers.com. Despite not functioning as a bank, the firm distinguishes itself with its publicly traded status and impressive regulatory footing, boasting nine Tier-1 licenses and two Tier-2 licenses. This extensive regulatory compliance places it in a league favored by investors seeking a reliable and transparent trading platform.

Conversely, Trading 212, established in 2004, holds a Trust Score of 80, positioning it as trusted but not as secure as its competitor. The private company holds three Tier-1 licenses and lacks any Tier-2 licenses, which might be a consideration for those prioritizing regulatory oversight in their brokerage choice. While not a bank, Trading 212 still manages to maintain a presence in the online trading community, appealing to investors with different priorities.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Year Founded info 1977 2004
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 3
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 0
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 0

Fees

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) uses a commission-based model for forex, while Trading 212 advertises zero-commission trading on CFDs and forex but earns through the spread. In Q3 2024, IBKR’s average EUR/USD spread was 0.19 pips, with an effective all-in cost of about 0.59 pips after commission. By contrast, Trading 212’s published average EUR/USD spread for April 2025 was 2.7 pips, which is well above the industry average and materially higher than IBKR’s all-in rate.

At IBKR, forex commissions start at 0.00002 of the USD trade value per side (minimum $2 per order, or $4 round turn), and can drop with very high monthly volumes. That translates to roughly 0.40 pips in commission on a $100,000 EUR/USD trade, plus the live spread. Because of the $2-per-side minimum, smaller trade sizes become proportionally more expensive, but active traders can qualify for lower minimums and tiered discounts. IBKR aggregates prices from 17 major interbank dealers and charges a transparent commission instead of marking up spreads. Trading 212’s pricing is simpler—no separate commission on CFDs and forex—but its wider spreads can make frequent trading costlier despite the zero-commission pitch.

Ratings and rankings: Interactive Brokers earns 5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. Trading 212 earns 4/5 stars and ranks #27 out of 63. For most forex traders seeking low all-in costs—especially on standard-lot or larger trades—IBKR is likely to be cheaper, while Trading 212 may appeal if you prefer spread-only pricing and a straightforward fee setup.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Minimum Deposit info $0 €1
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.59 info 2.7 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info 2.7 info
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes Yes
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 both support forex trading (via CFDs or spot) and give access to exchange-traded stocks on U.S. markets like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) as well as international exchanges such as Vodafone (LSE: VOD). Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols versus 7,868 on Trading 212. That said, Trading 212 offers more forex pairs (146) than Interactive Brokers (90).

Neither broker offers copy trading. For cryptocurrency, Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual coins in addition to trading crypto CFDs, while Trading 212 offers crypto CFDs only. Both earn 5 stars for Range of Investments, yet ForexBrokers.com ranks Interactive Brokers #1 out of 63 brokers in this category, compared with Trading 212 at #15.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 7868
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 146
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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 platforms and tools

Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 both provide free paper trading (demo) accounts and run their own proprietary trading platforms. Each offers a web-based platform and lets you place trades directly from charts. Neither broker supports copy trading, and neither offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Specific counts for built-in indicators and watchlist columns aren’t provided here.

For platform availability, Interactive Brokers adds a full Windows desktop download, while Trading 212 does not. In independent ratings for Trading Platforms and Tools, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, whereas Trading 212 earns 4 stars and ranks #19 out of 63. If you want a desktop platform plus a powerful web experience, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you prefer a simpler, browser-first setup, Trading 212 may suit your needs.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 54
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports stock and forex price alerts, watchlist syncing with your online account, and drawing trendlines on charts. A practical difference is chart drawings: Trading 212 auto-saves your annotations, while Interactive Brokers does not, which may matter if you switch screens or sessions.

For charting depth, Interactive Brokers includes 97 technical studies, while Trading 212 offers 104. In overall app quality, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps; Trading 212 earns 4 stars and ranks #17. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a higher-rated mobile trading app experience, or pick Trading 212 if auto-saved drawings and a few extra indicators are your priority—both are strong options for trading on the go.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 104
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

In this Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212 market research comparison, Interactive Brokers clearly offers more. It earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers for Research on ForexBrokers.com, while Trading 212 scores 3.5/5 and ranks #32. If you want the widest range of built-in research and commentary, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick, while Trading 212 covers the essentials.

Interactive Brokers provides daily market commentary; Trading 212 does not. Both brokers deliver forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, and both include an economic calendar and a sentiment tool that shows how many traders are long or short. Only Interactive Brokers adds Trading Central analytics, TipRanks research, and Acuity Trading (Signal Centre) for extra trade ideas, analyst ratings, and news-driven insights. Neither broker includes Autochartist tools.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes No
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central info Yes No
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes No
Acuity Trading info Yes No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

For beginners comparing education at Interactive Brokers and Trading 212, both brokers offer plenty of video lessons, including at least 10 beginner videos and 10 advanced videos to grow with your skills. Interactive Brokers also runs ongoing live client webinars at least once a month, which can help new traders get timely, guided learning; Trading 212 does not host monthly webinars. The information provided here doesn’t confirm whether either broker meets the 10-piece minimum specifically for forex or CFD education.

Looking at third‑party ratings, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Trading 212 earns 3.5 stars and ranks #20 out of 63. In short, beginners who value regular live sessions and top-rated education may prefer Interactive Brokers, while Trading 212 still offers a solid library of beginner videos for getting started.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Webinars info Yes No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

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 logoInteractive Brokers
Trading 212 logoTrading 212
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 80
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Trading 212?

Interactive Brokers supports purchasing actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trading crypto CFDs, whereas Trading 212 does not offer real crypto ownership but does provide crypto CFD trading.

What funding options does each broker offer?

Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212: both support ACH/SEPA and bank wire deposits/withdrawals, Trading 212 additionally supports PayPal while neither supports Skrill, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified.

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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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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 80
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Trading 212 Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
IBKR mobile watchlist. IBKR Desktop platform charts. Interactive Brokers research Traders Insight daily analysis article detail Interactive Brokers IBKR Podcast video.
Trading 212 mobile trading app sentiment Trading 212 web platform Trading 212 mobile trading app economic calendar Trading212 community forum.
Regulation Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Trust Score info 99 80
Year Founded info 1977 2004
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes No
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 3
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 0
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Japan (FSA Authorised) info Yes No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info Yes
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes Yes
USA (CFTC Authorized) info Yes No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No No
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info Yes No
India (SEBI Authorised) info Yes No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 7868
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 146
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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 Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.59 info 2.7 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info 2.7 info
Inactivity Fee info No No
Order execution: Agency info Yes Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Minimum Deposit info $0 €1
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
cTrader info No No
Trading Tools Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 54
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 104
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes No
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central info Yes No
TipRanks info Yes No
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Webinars info Yes No
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Interactive Brokers Trading 212
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review Interactive Brokers Review Trading 212 Review
Overall Interactive Brokers Trading 212
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 80
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Trading 212 Review
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