All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
Both DEGIRO and Trading 212 are low cost share dealing platforms. They let you purchase stocks, shares, investment trusts, bonds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
People tend to choose share dealing platforms to buy stocks and shares. If you’re just starting out with investing you might not have used your individual savings account (ISA) allowance for this tax year, therefore you might want to choose a provider that lets you invest in a stocks and shares ISA. We’ve compared DEGIRO and Trading 212 below.
Trading 212 vs DEGIRO: Vital statistics
Customers in our customer satisfaction survey liked that Trading 212 is easy to use and that it has a good layout. Many customers mentioned its low fees.
DEGIRO isn’t FSCS protected as it’s not a UK company. It is regulated and supervised by The Netherlands Authority for Financial Markets (AFM), the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.
Trading 212 has FSCS protection, which means that if it were to go bust, your deposits would be covered up to £85,000. FSCS doesn’t cover your investments losing value, your capital is at risk when you invest.
Round 1: Stock exchanges
Exchanges covered score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
UK - London Stock Exchange | ||
US - NASDAQ | ||
US - New York Stock Exchange | ||
Canada - Toronto Stock Exchange | ||
Japan - Japan Exchange Group | ||
Euronext | ||
Germany - Deutsche Börse | ||
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
More Info | More Info |
You can trade on almost the same stock exchanges with DEGIRO as you can with Trading 212. Trading 212 lets you trade on the Deutsche Börse, a German stock exchange.
Winner: Trading 212
Round 2: Financial instruments
Financial instruments score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
Shares | ||
ETFs | ||
Bonds | ||
Funds | ||
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
More Info | More Info |
Financial instruments are types of investment. Both platforms let you invest in shares and exchange traded funds (ETFs). DEGIRO also lets you invest in bonds, but neither one lets you invest in funds.
Winner: DEGIRO
Round 3: Fees
Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
Minimum deposit | £0.01 | £1 |
Standard trading fee | £1.75 | £0 |
Best trading fee | £1.75 | £0 |
Foreign exchange fee | 0.25% | 0.15% |
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
More Info | More Info |
While DEGIRO’s fees are really low, it’s hard to compete with Trading 212 which is zero commission. Both providers have low minimum deposits.
Winner: Trading 212
Round 3: Mobile and and web features
Features rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
iPhone app | ||
Android app | ||
Desktop/web app | ||
Notifications | ||
Watch lists | ||
Community or forums | ||
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
More Info | More Info |
Both DEGIRO and Trading 212 have iPhone apps, Android apps, desktop access and the ability to create watch lists. Trading 212 also has share price notifications and forums where its users can discuss investments and ideas to improve the platform.
Winner: Trading 212
Round 4: Learning resources
Resources rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
---|---|---|
Guides | ||
Videos and walkthroughs | ||
Demo account | ||
In-depth learning tools | ||
Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
More Info | More Info |
Both providers have guides and videos to help their users learn about share dealing. DEGIRO doesn’t have a demo account, which is a huge win for Trading 212.
A demo account means that you can practice trading without using real money. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can try it out for real! It lets you have a go without even giving up an email address. Of course, if you want to keep an eye on your imaginary stocks for days, weeks or months, you’ll have to sign up.
Winner: Trading 212
DEGIRO vs Trading 212: Reddit users’ verdict
Reddit users like the low costs of using Trading 212, while DEGIRO charges fees, but tend to be a little hesitant as it’s newer to the game than DEGIRO. As Trading 212 only makes money from its CFD account, it is possible for the regular investment account and ISA to be free.
A really popular feature of Trading 212 is that you can trade fractional shares. Seemingly, Reddit users who prefer DEGIRO do so because they like that it is more widely established that Trading 212.
Our verdict: Is DEGIRO better than Trading 212?
These are both great options for low-cost trading, but, overall, Trading 212 probably comes out on top. There are benefits of using each one over the other, such as that you can open a stocks and shares individual savings account (ISA) with Trading 212 and that DEGIRO has been around for longer. DEGIRO isn’t a UK company, so you don’t have protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which would cover you if the company were to become insolvent. Additionally, Trading 212 has a demo account, which means you can give it a go before you commit.
Have a look at our table of other share-dealing platforms to compare them.
More guides on Finder
-
Charles Schwab brokerage review UK
Charles Schwab now offers a brokerage service to UK investors. Find out what Finder’s investing expert thought when testing and using this broker.
-
Robinhood UK review
Commission-free share-trading app Robinhood has launched in the UK. Our investing expert tried it out – find out the pros and cons.
-
Saxo review
Saxo is a solid all-rounder that’s widely respected in its field, offering loads of global investment options and research tools.
-
Freetrade vs Trading 212
Both Freetrade and Trading 212 offer the chance to trade without paying any commission. Find out how they compare on features.
-
eToro vs Trading 212
eToro and Trading 212 allow you to buy and sell stocks and ETFs without paying a commission for trading using the platform.
-
Moneyfarm vs Moneybox
Both Moneyfarm and Moneybox invest on your behalf using information about your risk appetite. Both let you invest in a stocks and shares ISA.
-
interactive investor (ii) review
We took a look at interactive investor to find out about its products, features, fees and app. Read our guide to get the full scoop about this investing platform.
-
Stake investing app review
Stake promises to put the US stock market in the palm of your hand, with cheap trading and real-time market data.
-
eToro UK review 2024
Online trading giant eToro lets you buy stocks with no commission, but is it the best option for traders and investors?
-
AJ Bell review
Find out about AJ Bell’s trading platform and what services it provides. We’ve reviewed the fees, features and customer reviews.