Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Plus500 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.
When comparing Plus500 and Trading 212, both online brokers offer unique features that cater to different types of investors. Founded in 2008, Plus500 is a publicly traded company, whereas Trading 212, established in 2004, remains privately held. Neither broker operates as a bank. In terms of regulatory oversight, Plus500 boasts 6 top-tier licenses, which are highly trusted, and 3 second-tier licenses. Trading 212 holds 3 top-tier licenses with no second-tier licenses.
The trust factor is essential when choosing an online broker, and here Plus500 takes a leading position with a perfect Trust Score of 99 out of 99, making it a highly trusted choice according to ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, Trading 212 holds a Trust Score of 80, indicating a trusted status but with room for improvement. This comparison highlights Plus500's strong regulatory backing and investor confidence, while Trading 212 offers a solid, albeit less comprehensive, level of trust and regulation.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2004 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
If you’re comparing Plus500 vs Trading 212 on commissions and fees, both brokers mainly charge via the spread rather than a separate commission for CFD and forex trades. Plus500 earns a 4.0-star rating and ranks #24 out of 63 brokers for Commissions and Fees at ForexBrokers.com, while Trading 212 holds 4 stars and ranks #50 out of 63. Overall, Plus500’s pricing is slightly above the industry average but is generally sharper than Trading 212’s CFD pricing.
Plus500: In April 2024, the average EUR/USD spread was 1.5 pips—above the industry average and behind the best active-trader pricing from leaders like IG or Saxo. Retail clients don’t receive discounts, but qualified Professional clients can get cash rebates that mimic an active-trader program. There’s no extra commission on CFD forex trades; your primary cost is the spread.
Trading 212: The broker advertises zero-commission trading, but you still pay the spread on CFDs and forex. Trading 212 now publishes average spreads; in April 2025, the EUR/USD averaged 2.7 pips, which is much higher than the industry average and less competitive than top CFD and forex brokers. Trading 212 offers two accounts (Invest for shares with a 1-euro minimum, and CFD with a 10-euro minimum); this comparison focuses on the CFD account, where spreads drive most costs.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | €1 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Comparing Plus500 vs Trading 212 for their range of investments: Trading 212 lists 7,868 tradeable symbols, while Plus500 offers 5,500. For forex, Trading 212 has 146 currency pairs versus 65 at Plus500, and both support forex trading via CFDs or spot. Each broker lets you buy exchange-traded stocks on U.S. and international exchanges, so you can pick shares like Apple or Vodafone. Copy trading isn’t available at either broker. Neither lets you buy actual cryptocurrency, but both provide cryptocurrency CFDs.
On ratings, Trading 212 earns 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks 16th out of 63 at ForexBrokers.com, while Plus500 scores 4.5 stars and ranks 22nd. If you want the widest selection across stocks, forex pairs, and crypto CFDs, Trading 212 has the edge, though Plus500 still covers a wide set of markets.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 7868 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 146 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. | 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.
Plus500 vs Trading 212: both brokers offer a free demo account for paper trading and each runs its own proprietary platform. You can trade in a web browser with either provider, but neither offers a downloadable Windows desktop platform. If you’re looking for MetaTrader (MT4 or MT5) or copy trading, note that both brokers do not support those features.
Tool-wise, a key difference is chart trading: Trading 212 lets you place trades directly from a chart, while Plus500 does not. According to ForexBrokers.com, Plus500 scores higher for Trading Platforms and Tools with 4.5 stars and ranks #14 out of 63 brokers, compared with Trading 212’s 4 stars and #20 ranking. If chart-based order entry matters, Trading 212 has the edge; if overall platform quality is your priority, Plus500 rates higher in this category.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 54 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Plus500 and Trading 212 both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports stock and forex price alerts and lets you sync watchlists across mobile and the web, so changes carry over. You can also draw trendlines on charts in both apps.
For charting tools, Plus500 includes 115 technical studies, while Trading 212 offers 104. Trading 212 auto-saves your chart drawings; Plus500 does not. In our ratings, Plus500 scores 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 14th out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps on ForexBrokers.com, while Trading 212 scores 4 stars and ranks 17th. Choose Plus500 if you want more built-in studies, or Trading 212 if auto-saving drawings matters more to you.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
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 | 115 | 104 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing market research at Plus500 vs Trading 212, Plus500 comes out ahead with a 4.0-star research rating (ranked 19th out of 63 by ForexBrokers.com) versus Trading 212’s 3.5 stars (45th out of 63). Plus500 provides daily market commentary and integrates Trading Central for technical and fundamental insights, while Trading 212 does not offer daily commentary and lacks Trading Central. Trading 212, however, delivers forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, which Plus500 does not. Both brokers offer an economic calendar and a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long vs. short positions. Neither broker includes tools from Autochartist, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading.
In short, Plus500 is better for traders who want daily in-house analysis and Trading Central research built into the platform, while Trading 212 suits those who prioritize headline-driven forex news from major outlets. With similar core tools like sentiment data and an economic calendar, the choice comes down to whether you value daily commentary and Trading Central (Plus500) or premium news coverage (Trading 212).
| Feature |
Plus500
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginner traders, both Plus500 and Trading 212 offer a clear starting point with at least 10 video lessons made for newcomers, plus a deeper library of advanced videos for when you’re ready to level up. A key difference is live learning: Plus500 hosts client webinars at least once a month, which can help beginners learn in real time and ask questions, while Trading 212 does not run monthly educational webinars.
When it comes to scores, Plus500 is rated 4.0 out of 5 for Education, compared with Trading 212’s 3.5. However, in ForexBrokers.com’s Education ranking across 63 brokers, Trading 212 places 21st, ahead of Plus500 at 31st. If you value live webinars alongside beginner videos, Plus500 may fit better; if peer ranking matters more to you, Trading 212 could be the pick.
| Feature |
Plus500
|
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 Plus500 is better than Trading 212. Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14, while Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #31.
Plus500 is a trusted global brand that offers an easy-to-use trading platform for online traders, alongside access to a thorough selection of CFDs. Share trading is available, but only via its Plus500 Invest product offering.
| Feature |
Plus500
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Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 |
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In this comparison, online brokers Plus500 and Trading 212 do not allow buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both offer the ability to trade cryptocurrency CFDs.
Plus500 vs Trading 212: For deposits and withdrawals, Plus500 supports PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers but does not offer ACH/SEPA (Visa/Mastercard not specified), while Trading 212 supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wires but not Skrill (Visa/Mastercard 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 | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2004 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 7868 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 65 | 146 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. | 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 | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 2.7 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.3 | 2.7 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €50 | €1 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 115 | 54 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Plus500 | 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 | 115 | 104 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Plus500 | 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 | Plus500 Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Overall | Plus500 | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Plus500 Review | Trading 212 Review |
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