Trading 212 is a strong choice for DIY investors in the UK, offering commission-free trading and a Stocks and Shares ISA.
It is genuinely beginner-friendly, with a clean app, fractional shares, and a free demo account to practise with. The main account types are Invest, the Stocks and Shares ISA, the Cash ISA and the new SIPP, plus the advanced Trading 212 Pro. As with all investing, your capital is at risk and some non-trading fees apply.
Trading 212 provides access to over 10,000 stocks, funds, ETFs and investment trusts.
They offer commission-free trading* and their auto investing feature is excellent.
OUR OFFER - To get free fractional shares worth up to 100 EUR/GBP, you can open an account with Trading 212 using promo code 'GAINS'. Terms apply
*Other fees may apply. See terms and fees
**When investing, your capital is at risk. If you enable interest, Trading 212 will hold your cash in qualifying money market funds and banks. Otherwise, your cash will be held only in banks. Interest applies on cash in an investment account. Terms apply.
- Commission free trading*
- Earn interest on uninvested cash**
- Fantastic mobile app
- Award winning ISA
- Personal pension
- No Junior ISA
- Fewer research tools than other platforms
I’ve been testing the entire app for 12 months so will show the good, bad and the ugly.
For me, what was great about Trading 212 was the fact the user experience on the mobile platform and web trading platform was the same.
Trading 212 – Main Features
- Commission free stocks*
- No fees to open or hold a Stocks and Shares ISA Account
- Fractional Shares available to all investors
- Practice portfolio accounts
- Mobile app and web trading platform
- Investing pies*** – essentially create your own fund
- 24/7 live chat support
- Interest on uninvested cash**
- Large choice of funds, ETFs and individual stocks
- Low 0.15% FX fee (the only Trading 212 fee on Invest and ISA accounts)
- Cash ISA and SIPP now available
*Other fees may apply. See terms and fees
**When investing, your capital is at risk. If you enable interest, Trading 212 will hold your cash in qualifying money market funds and banks. Otherwise, your cash will be held only in banks. Interest applies on cash in an investment account. Terms apply.
***Pies & Autoinvest is an execution only service, following your own investment decisions. Not investment advice or portfolio management
Trading 212 Rating
- Price / Fees
- User Experience
- Useful Features
- Suitable For Beginners
- Customer Feedback
- Customer Service
I’ve given Trading 212 a 4.6 out of 5 using our six-pillar rating system which I use to test all investing apps.
They scored best for their low fees, user experience and useful features.
Where I would like to see improvements is from their academy which when compared with eToro doesn’t stack up and also on their research, seeing more analysis options and articles on the stock market.
That being said, I found they have extensive training videos and still offer enough for beginners to learn about investing.
If you’ve heard enough already you can head over to the Trading 212 Website and get started.
(Capital at risk when you invest)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- User friendly
- Free Trading
- Multiple Currencies
- Fantastic mobile app
- Excellent customer service
Cons
- No cryptocurrency
- Its ease of trading can encourage over-trading
Is Trading 212 good for beginners?
Trading 212 is an excellent option for beginners in my opinion. It’s put a lot of effort into creating a platform which is easy to use and get started quickly.
They have also developed a range of supporting videos and tutorials plus have a demo account available for those who are unsure about investing cash right off the bat.
I used my girlfriend as a guinea pig to test this. She has no trading or investing experience and what she said was that even she could understand how to buy and sell stocks.
Navigating around the app was very easy and she liked the way you could see your entire portfolio’s performance in one click.
Her only issue was understanding the different types of account – something which we’ll explain in more detail next.
Who is Trading 212?
Briefly, Trading 212 was originally a Bulgarian company started in 2005. They first arrived in the UK in 2016 and have seen enormous growth since then. Trading 212 now has over 5 million funded accounts worldwide and more than £25 billion in client assets.
The leadership team starts with the original founders (which for me is always a good sign) Ivan Ashminov and Borisov Nedialkov, since expanding to bring in widely regarded Mukid Chowdhury as CEO.
Originally just a forex trading broker with retail CFD accounts, Trading 212 has evolved into the multi asset trading platform that it is today.
Account Types
There are now five account types with Trading 212: Invest, the Stocks and Shares ISA, the Cash ISA, the SIPP and CFD (plus a free demo account). Even with the bigger range, the app keeps things streamlined and super easy to use.
When you navigate to the top of the app you can switch between them in less than a second which I liked.
To open an account it took me less than 2 minutes, you provide basic details, and national insurance and then you can deposit money and start trading right away.
You can deposit by card including Apple Pay or via bank transfer too!
Invest Account
The Trading 212 invest account is essentially what we know in the UK as a GIA or general investment account.
You can choose from over 10,000 shares and ETFs on the platform with a minimum investment size of £1 which is also the minimum deposit amount.
The great thing about this account is that you can trade for free unless you are trading in another currency to that country which you then incur a small currency conversion fee of 0.15% (much lower than the 0.5% at eToro).
You are however subject to capital gains tax on gains above the annual exempt amount, which is just £3,000 for 2026/27, so if you don’t have an ISA provider already then start with an ISA account 1st, max out your limit there and then move into a GIA.
For me, I like to always use a GIA 1st and have a little play to see whether I like it or not.
That’s what I did with Trading 212 before moving onto opening an ISA with them afterwards.
To get free fractional shares worth up to 100 EUR/GBP, you can open an account with them using promo code ‘GAINS‘. or VISIT TRADING 212 HERE. Terms apply
(Capital at risk when you invest)
Stocks and Shares ISA
The Trading 212 ISA is a great option for DIY investors.
You can contribute up to £20,000 each tax year and all your profits, interest and dividends are not subject to capital gains tax.
Just like the invest account, you can trade for free but again there is a small currency conversion fee of 0.15% to contend with if say buying US stocks from the UK.
What I really like is how quick and easy it is to use. I also use their pies feature heavily, more on that below.
Lastly, you also get interest on uninvested cash**, currently 3.8% AER on GBP, paid daily. You need to switch it on in the app, and your cash may be held in qualifying money market funds as well as banks. If you deposit and decide not to invest straight away, that money still works for you.
If you’re still wondering what account works best then read our GIAs vs Investment ISA guide.
**When investing, your capital is at risk. If you enable interest, Trading 212 will hold your cash in qualifying money market funds and banks. Otherwise, your cash will be held only in banks. Interest applies on cash in an investment account. Terms apply.
***Pies & Autoinvest is an execution only service, following your own investment decisions. Not investment advice or portfolio management
Cash ISA
Trading 212 launched a Cash ISA, and it has quickly become one of the most competitive rates on the market. The rate tracks the Bank of England base rate minus 0.15%, which works out at 3.60% AER as I write this. New customers can often grab a fixed promotional bonus on top of that for the first 12 months.
It is a flexible ISA too, so you can withdraw money and put it back in the same tax year without losing any of your allowance. Interest builds daily and is paid monthly, there are no fees, and you can start with just £1.
Because your money sits as cash with partner banks, it is FSCS protected up to £120,000. One thing to know: that limit is shared with any other money you hold at the same banking group, not a separate allowance.
Not sure whether a Cash ISA is right for you? Read our Cash ISA guide for the full picture.
SIPP (Personal Pension)
The Trading 212 SIPP arrived in 2026 and it does for pensions what they did for investing: no account fee, no custody fee, no trading commission and no transfer fee. The only charge is the standard 0.15% FX fee when you buy investments priced in another currency.
When you pay in, Trading 212 automatically claims basic rate tax relief from HMRC for you. Put in £80 and it becomes £100 in your pot, usually landing within 6 to 11 weeks. Higher and additional rate taxpayers claim the extra through self assessment.
A couple of things worth knowing. It only supports personal contributions right now, so you cannot have your employer pay in. And as with any pension, you cannot touch the money until age 55 (rising to 57 from 2028).
If you have old pensions scattered across previous jobs, transfers in are free and paperless, which makes it a cheap way to bring everything into one place.
Demo Account
The demo account or practice account as it’s known on Trading 212 is a great feature for those looking to test out the platform or indeed their investing strategies.
You are given £5,000 of ‘demo’ money to work with and can use the platform like you would with an invest or ISA account.
It’s very easy to access from the main menu just scroll down and look by the bottom for the words ‘switch to practice’.
You can also switch back to real money super easy via the big blue button.
Trading 212 Pro
Trading 212 Pro is for experienced investors looking for extra features for forex trading. You’ll need an account size of 500,000 euros and have worked in the financial sector for a minimum of 1 year.
Upgrading is completely free but please note this account option is not for new retail investor accounts – you need experience to be using the pro account.
A quick word on CFDs
Trading 212 still offers CFD trading (it is where the company started), but I would steer clear. CFDs are extremely high risk, and their own figures show that 73% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with them. Unless you really know what you are doing, stick to the Invest and ISA side of the app.
Investment Options
Their investment options are right up there. They have over 10,000 different assets from all corners of the world including a wide range of stocks and shares, ETFs, investment trusts, commodities, currencies and more.
The stocks and shares feature from the UK’s London Stock Exchange, NY Stock Exchange, and European, and Asian markets.
In my experience, they have everything a beginner and equally a more seasoned investor could be after.
They do however lack mutual funds options but for me, this is not a deal breaker unless you are specifically an investor in mutual funds.
Having used the app for over a year I have never been unable to find what I want and I invest in some pretty obscure financial technology brands in the US.
Extended Trading Hours
Trading 212 offers extended trading hours for fractional shares, giving you access to US pre-market and after-hours sessions. That is 9.5 extra hours of trading time beyond the standard close.
Trading Features
Social & Communities
They also have a social feed which I would liken to a cross between Facebook and Twitter.
For me this is a great addition if you are interested in interacting with investors on the platform and sharing or indeed picking up strategies or tips.
You can post your own views if you set up a public profile (don’t worry they can’t see your portfolio) and interact with other posts via comments.
Secondly, there are 100s of community forum options ranging from dividends, news, memes, HMRC, pie discussions and more. Each community has it’s own feed and people can post, interact or just read through the chatter.
Pies***
One of my favourite features on the app is the pies*** section. In the image below I have created a couple of options for you to visualise how they work.
It’s honestly so simple, you search for the stock you want to add, select its allocation within that pie***, name it all and then you can auto-invest into the pie each month just like you would with an ETF.
It’s like creating your own funds which I think is a brilliant idea. You can also see other people’s pies (if they share them) on the socials section and copy those pies over to your own portfolio if you like what you see.
***Pies & Autoinvest is an execution only service, following your own investment decisions. Not investment advice or portfolio management
Other handy features
- Economic Calendar – key macro dates like interest rate decisions and CPI releases, handy for anyone watching what moves the markets.
- 212 Hotlist – a leaderboard of the stocks users on the app are buying and selling, with risers and fallers by hour or over 30 days.
- Price Alerts – set a target price on any holding and get a push notification and email the moment it is hit.
Refer a friend
Trading 212s refer a friend scheme is excellent. You both get a free fractional share worth up to £100* when you share the link. They usually open this once or twice a month and you can refer up to 5 friends during that timeframe.
Not a bad little earner if you make use of it. For example, I sent it round my WhatsApp group with my mates and got 5 sign-ups. They all earned and so did I!
*Terms apply
Trading 212 Card
Trading 212 also offer a free Mastercard debit card linked to your Invest account. You can spend in over 170 currencies at the interbank rate with no FX markup, and hold 12 currencies in the app, which makes it a seriously good travel card.
The cashback scheme changed in August 2026. There is no cashback by default now, but you get 1.5% back (capped at £15 a month) if you turn on Invest Cashback and have at least one recurring subscription, like Netflix or Spotify, paid on the card.
Fees
No hidden fees. Trading 212 shows its costs clearly across the app.
| Fees | |
|---|---|
| Trades in a different currency to the account | 0.15% |
| Share dealing/holding stocks in an ISA | 0% |
| Currency conversion of CFDs | 0.50% |
| Bank transfer deposits | 0% |
| Card/Apple Pay/Google Pay deposits | Free for your first £2,000 (total), then 0.7% |
| Withdrawal fees | 0% |
| Cash ISA fees | 0% |
| SIPP account/platform fee | 0% |
Is Trading 212 Safe?
Yes, Trading 212 is safe to use. It’s regulated by the UK’s financial conduct authority (FCA) and the ISAs and GIAs are FSCS (financial services compensation scheme) protected up to £85,000 if they were to fail. The £120,000 limit applies only to eligible cash held with a bank, not to your investments.
They use banking-level encrypted security on your accounts to log in and have plenty of warning notices on high-risk products.
When investing, your capital is at risk. If you enable interest, Trading 212 will hold your cash in qualifying money market funds and banks. Otherwise, your cash will be held only in banks. Interest applies on cash in an investment account. Terms apply.
Always do your own research before placing an investment.
Trading 212 Customer Reviews
Trading 212 ranks very highly with customer reviews: 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store and 4.6 out of 5 on Google Play from over 400,000 ratings.
The old gap between the Apple and Android apps has closed, which matches my experience of the app improving year on year.
When I looked into the google play store reviews, they were mainly around the app crashing and performance issues which Trading 212 have come out and said they are solving. Interesting as I’ve never had an issue on my apple device.
Their trustpilot reviews are, for me, the most important metric to look at and they have a 4.6 out of 5 rating from nearly 100,000 reviews, which is scored excellent.
Trading 212 Alternatives
Trading 212 vs eToro
Honestly, eToro and Trading 212 are extremely similar. The app experience on eToro is very close and they do have wider features that the platform does not have.
eToro’s patented CopyTrader feature is 1st class and does set it apart from Trading 212.
That being said, they’re so close in terms of user experience and for me they are the top two trading apps I have reviewed. You can read our full eToro review UK for the full breakdown.
One big change: eToro now offers a Stocks and Shares ISA in the UK (run with Moneyfarm), and since late July 2026 it is completely fee-free. That removes what used to be Trading 212’s biggest advantage here, although I still prefer having everything inside one app rather than a bolt-on.
I have unpacked this even more in our dedicated eToro vs Trading 212 review.
Trading 212 vs FreeTrade
Many say that FreeTrade is Trading 212’s biggest rival in the UK. I’d have to agree. Freetrade did put their ISA behind a monthly subscription for a while, but since IG Group bought them in 2025 the Stocks and Shares ISA is back on the free Basic plan, and the paid tiers just buy you lower FX fees and extra perks.
Both apps offer a user-friendly mobile experience and a large range of investments, although Trading 212 has the bigger range (around 13,000 stocks and ETFs vs Freetrade’s 8,600+).
It’s much closer than it used to be, but the bigger range and lower FX fee still swing it to Trading 212 for me. Find out more about Freetrade in our full review here.
Trading 212 vs Moneybox
Moneybox’s offering is very different to Trading 212. They offer a low-cost way to start investing but are much more funds based, although they have now added a small range of big-name US stocks inside their ISA.
What I found was that Moneybox is perfect for those who don’t want to be DIY investors but still want access to the markets. Moneybox has award winning investment products and now over 1.5 million customers in the UK.
If you’re not interested in picking your own stocks and want to let the experts take care of the majority of it for you then Moneybox is a great option.
Find out more in our dedicated Moneybox review here.
Trading 212 vs Plum
Plum are slowly becoming quite close to Trading 212 as they expand their investing options. I would say that Plum are more of a personal finance app that handles everything from budgeting, saving and now investing.
They also have a personal pension (SIPP), although Trading 212 now offer one too, with zero platform fees. They both have ISAs but for me I like to keep my savings separate to my investments.
This is why I use Plum for household savings and Trading 212 as my ISA. But, if you do just want 1 app for everything then Plum aren’t a bad option here.
Find out more in our dedicated Plum review here.
Trading 212 vs Chip
Chip started out as a savings app but they’ve grown into a proper save-and-invest platform, with a Stocks and Shares ISA offering 50+ funds from names like Vanguard and BlackRock, a general investment account and even their own SIPP.
Again, if you want everything in one place, great, but if you’re like me then I feel more comfortable separating my accounts.
Find out more in our dedicated Chip review here.
FAQs
Final Thoughts
The mobile app is excellent, with commission-free trading and a wide range of investment options.
Overall they’re a fantastic option for investors and if you’re interested open an account and have a play around with them on the demo account first.
To get free fractional shares worth up to 100 EUR/GBP, you can open an account with Trading 212 using promo code ‘GAINS‘. or VISIT TRADING 212 HERE. Terms apply
(Capital at risk when you invest)
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Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
