United States
United Kingdom
Germany
Netherlands
Australia
United Arab Emirates
Canada
Italy
Spain
Austria
Croatia
Serbia
Portugal
CyprusInteractive Brokers vs Trading 212
What each one charges, who licenses it, and how they rank against each other country by country.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
The short version
We rank both for CFDs in 9 countries, and Interactive Brokers comes out ahead in every one of them.
We score each country separately, based on the company that would actually hold your account there, so check your own country in the table below.
Of the 3 fees we could compare, Trading 212 is cheaper on 2 and one is the same.
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: Interactive Brokers from SEC / FINRA, FCA, CBI, ASIC, CIRO, SFC, MAS and JFSA, Trading 212 from ASIC.
- Trading 212 is cheaper for US stock orders: $0 per order, compared with $1 per order at Interactive Brokers.Edge: Trading 212
- Neither charges an inactivity fee.
- Trading 212 doesn't charge a withdrawal fee; Interactive Brokers charges up to $10.Edge: Trading 212
- We list Interactive Brokers in 12 of the 14 countries we cover and Trading 212 in 9. They overlap in 9.Edge: Interactive Brokers
- Only Interactive Brokers offers forex and crypto.
- Interactive Brokers gets more search attention than Trading 212 (Market Signal 61 vs 56). That tells you how well known it is, not how good it is.
Where you can use each one
Where each one ranks on our list in every country we cover, its Coinish Score there, and the company that would hold your account. If a broker isn't allowed to take clients from a country, it isn't on that country's list.
CFD brokers
| Country | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | #8 of 1867/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers Australia Pty. Ltd. · ASIC | #9 of 1867/100Locally licensed Trading 212 AU Pty Ltd · ASIC |
| Austria | #7 of 3067/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #8 of 3066/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Croatia | #5 of 2867/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #6 of 2866/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Cyprus | #6 of 3067/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #7 of 3066/100Locally licensed Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Germany | #8 of 3167/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #9 of 3166/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Italy | #8 of 3367/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #9 of 3366/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Netherlands | #7 of 3067/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #8 of 3066/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Portugal | #7 of 3167/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #8 of 3166/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Spain | #8 of 3167/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #9 of 3166/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| United Kingdom | #10 of 1867/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited · FCA | Not listed |
Stock brokers & investing apps
| Country | Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | #5 of 871/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers Australia Pty. Ltd. · ASIC | #6 of 868/100Locally licensed Trading 212 AU Pty Ltd · ASIC |
| Austria | #2 of 871/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #3 of 866/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Croatia | #2 of 871/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #3 of 866/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Cyprus | #2 of 971/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #4 of 966/100Locally licensed Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Germany | #2 of 1271/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #4 of 1266/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Italy | #2 of 1171/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #4 of 1166/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Netherlands | #3 of 1071/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #4 of 1066/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Portugal | #2 of 971/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #4 of 966/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Spain | #2 of 971/100EU passport Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · CBI | #4 of 966/100EU passport Trading 212 Markets Ltd · CySEC |
| Canada | #3 of 571/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers Canada Inc. · CIRO | Not listed |
| United Kingdom | #4 of 771/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited · FCA | Not listed |
| United States | #6 of 971/100Locally licensed Interactive Brokers LLC · SEC / FINRA | Not listed |
Fees and features side by side
| Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Stocks & ETFs, Forex, CFDs, Options, Futures, Crypto | Stocks & ETFs, CFDs |
| Owner | IBG LLC | Not verified yet |
| EUR/USD all-in cost | 0.6 pips, IBKR Pro (0.20 bps commission + spread from 0.1 pip) | Not verified yet |
| US stock commission | $1 per order | $0 per order |
| Crypto trading fee | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Currency conversion fee | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Inactivity fee | None | None |
| Withdrawal fee | Up to $10 | None |
| Minimum deposit | $0 (Interactive Brokers LLC) | Not verified yet |
| Instruments | Not verified yet | 9,000+ |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Client Portal, IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation (TWS) | Trading 212 app |
| Deposit methods | Wire transfer, Electronic funds transfer (SEPA, ACH, BACS), Check (US only) | Bank transfer, Instant bank transfer (Open Banking), Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna |
| Withdrawal time (stated) | same day or next day (SEPA and bank wire) | Not verified yet |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Support | live chat, email, phone | email · 24/7 |
Every figure comes from the broker's own pages or its regulator. You'll find the sources in each review (Interactive Brokers, Trading 212).
Licences
Interactive Brokers
- Interactive Brokers LLC: SEC / FINRA (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited: FCA (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited: CBI (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Australia Pty. Ltd.: ASIC (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Canada Inc.: CIRO (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Hong Kong Limited: SFC (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Singapore Pte. Ltd.: MAS (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers Securities Japan Inc.: JFSA (Tier 1)
- Interactive Brokers India Pvt. Ltd.: SEBI (Tier 2)
Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212: common questions
Which is better, Interactive Brokers or Trading 212?
We rank both for CFDs in 9 countries, and Interactive Brokers comes out ahead in every one of them. For reference, Interactive Brokers' best ranking is #2 of 12 stock brokers & investing apps in Germany, and Trading 212's best ranking is #3 of 8 stock brokers & investing apps in Austria.
Is Interactive Brokers cheaper than Trading 212?
Trading 212 is cheaper for US stock orders: $0 per order, compared with $1 per order at Interactive Brokers. Neither charges an inactivity fee. Trading 212 doesn't charge a withdrawal fee; Interactive Brokers charges up to $10.
Is Interactive Brokers or Trading 212 better regulated?
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: Interactive Brokers from SEC / FINRA, FCA, CBI, ASIC, CIRO, SFC, MAS and JFSA, Trading 212 from ASIC. Which company you actually sign up with depends on where you live; the country table on this page names it for each one.
Can I use both Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 where I live?
We list Interactive Brokers in 12 of the 14 countries we cover and Trading 212 in 9. They overlap in 9. For CFDs, you'll find both on our lists in Australia, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Portugal, among others.