Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212: Comparison and Analysis

Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212: Which Broker is Right for You?

Trying to decide between Interactive Brokers and Trading 212? This comprehensive comparison will help you make an informed decision based on your trading needs. We’ve analysed over 100 variables and features, and divided the comparisons into a logical structure for easy navigation.

Security

Interactive Brokers: Regulated by FCA, several EU regulators, ASIC, HKSFC, SEBI, IIROC, FFAJ, MAS, SEC, and CFTC. Security rating of 95.

Trading 212: Regulated by FCA, FSC, and CySEC. Security rating of 94.

Demo Account

Interactive Brokers: Unlimited duration, virtual funds of $1,000,000. Virtual funds can be restored by contacting customer support.

Trading 212: Unlimited duration, virtual funds of $50,000. Virtual funds can be restored by contacting customer support.

Account Opening

Interactive Brokers: No minimum deposit, but requires at least $2,000 to trade with margin. Over 25 base currencies available, including USD, EUR, AUD, and GBP. Payment methods include wire transfers, credit/debit cards, eWallets, IRA transfers, checks, and local payment methods. Offers standard, margin, cash, and professional accounts.

Trading 212: Minimum deposit of $1 for the Invest account and $10 for the CFD account. Account currency options are limited to GBP and EUR. Payment methods include wire transfers, credit/debit cards, and eWallets. Offers CFD, Invest, ISA, and professional accounts.

Social-Copy Trading

Interactive Brokers: Not available.

Trading 212: Offers the Autoinvest feature where traders can copy each other’s stock investing strategies.

Markets

Interactive Brokers: Offers over 100 forex pairs, 10 commodities, 23 crypto assets, 5000+ stocks, 50+ ETFs, and 20 futures and options. Suitable for both short and long-term investing on every market.

Trading 212: Offers over 200 forex pairs, 23 commodities, 1500+ indices, 3000+ stocks, 400+ ETFs, and 80+ futures and options. Suitable for long-term stock investing.

Trading Fees

Interactive Brokers: Variable spreads starting from 0.1 pip on forex, with commissions up to $7 per lot traded. Very low fees with financing rates from 0.75% and no commissions on stocks and ETFs with the IBKR Lite Plan. With the IBKR Pro Plan, commissions start from $0.0005 per share or ETF.

Trading 212: Variable spreads starting from 1 pip, with no commissions for Invest account holders.

Platforms

Interactive Brokers: Offers a proprietary trading platform available as desktop, webtrader, and mobile. All platforms allow traders to engage in algo trading. Offers VPS services, FIX API, and TWS API integration.

Trading 212: Offers a proprietary platform available via web and mobile devices.

Education/Customer Care

Interactive Brokers: Offers a wide range of educational material for both beginners and advanced traders, including tutorial videos, IBKR blog, and trader’s academy. Customer care is easy to contact via email, telephone, and live chat, with 8 languages available.

Trading 212: Offers a basic academy section with standard information useful mainly to less experienced traders. Customer care is easy to contact via email and live chat, with an automated translator available for any language.

Conclusion

Both Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 offer unique features and benefits for traders. Interactive Brokers is a good option for traders who want a wide range of trading assets and advanced trading tools, while Trading 212 is a good option for long-term stock investing and social-copy trading. Ultimately, the choice between the two brokers will depend on your individual trading needs and preferences.