Trading 212 and XTB are two of the cheapest trading platforms available to UK retail investors. So, it make sense to pit XTB vs Trading 212 against each other in a head-to-head battle.
Both Trading 212 and XTB offer a decent range of investments without having to pay a platform fee to use either brokerage. So, check out our breakdown of XTB vs Trading 212 and hopefully this will help you pick who’s best, depending on what’s most important to you – whether that’s fees, investment choice, account types or anything else.
 |  | |
| Finder score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
XTB and Trading 212 are pretty close when it comes to their Finder score, with XTB scoring a solid 4.4 out of 5, and Trading 212 scoring an even more impressive 4.7 out of 5.
Only Trading 212 offers stocks and shares ISA, but both come with full Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection of up to £85,000.
Trading 212 and XTB both received positive feedback in our most recent Finder Investing Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 results.
Both platforms offer excellent value to UK investors, it’s free to open and hold an account with XTB and no commissions means it has an excellent fee score of 4.4 out of 5. However, Trading 212 is one of the best all-round performers for low fees and has a score of 5 out of 5.
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| General investment account | ||
| Stocks and shares ISA | ||
| Lifetime ISA (LISA) | ||
| Pension (SIPP) | ||
| Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP) | ||
| Interest on cash balances | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Both platforms offer a fairly limited selection of accounts, but Trading 212 has a free stocks and shares ISA (it also offers a cash ISA too).
XTB and Trading 212 also pay high interest on cash balances held in your investment accounts.
Winner: Trading 212
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| Investment choice score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Available markets | 3+ | 3+ |
| Number of investments | 3,000+ | 13,000+ |
| Number of ETFs/funds | 449 | 2,000 |
| Fractional shares | ||
| Min. initial deposit | £0 | £1 |
| Min. investment | £10 | £1 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
XTB and Trading 212 offer a similar range of asset types, mostly focused around individual stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
However, Trading 212 has a much larger selection of investments to choose from with over 13,000+ available, compared to XTB, which has around 3,000+.
Winner: Trading 212
| | |
| Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Platform fees | £0 | £0 |
| US shares | £0 | £0 |
| UK shares | £0 | £0 |
| International shares | £0 | £0 |
| Funds/ETFs | £0 | £0 |
| Foreign exchange fee | 0.5% | 0.15% |
| Regular investing | Yes (ETF investment plans) | Yes (AutoInvest feature) |
| Withdrawal fee | £5 fee if less than £60, otherwise £0 | £0 |
| Deposit fee | £0 | £0 (0.7% deposit fee for more than £2,000 on card, Google Pay or Apple Pay) |
| Inactivity fee | €10 | £0 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Although XTB is pretty cheap, it’s FX fee of 0.5% is much higher than Trading 212’s 0.15%.
Also, although it’s free to hold an account with XTB and there’s no commission for trades, it has an inactivity fee to watch out for and there’s also a withdrawal fee of £5 if you want to take out less than £60.
With Trading 212, there’s no withdrawal fees, a low FX fee, no inactivity fees, no commissions, and it’s free to use a stocks and shares ISA wrapper – making Trading 212 hard to beat when it comes to fees.
Winner: Trading 212
| | |
| Ease of use score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Apple iOS rating | 4.7/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Google Play rating | 4.5/5 | 3.9/5 |
| Ways to contact customer service | Phone, email and in-app chat | Phone, email and in-app chat |
| UI/UX | Good | Good |
| Desktop or web access | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Both platforms are pretty hard to separate in this category, although Trading 212 is probably more approachable for beginners whereas XTB would be better suited to intermediate traders and investors.
XTB and Trading 212 both have positive reviews on the App Store and Google Play.
Winner: Tie
| | |
| Tools, resources and features | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Analysis features | ||
| Tools for investing/trading | ||
| Social features | ||
| Learning resources | ||
| Additional features | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
XTB offers some useful trading and analysis tools but Trading 212 as a more well-rounded offering, it even includes social investing elements with its “pies” and its “communities” and news feed.
Winner: Trading 212
These are two of the best trading apps available in the UK and they’re also two of the cheapest options.
However, everything XTB does, Trading 212 does it slightly better and cheaper, so it’s Trading 212 that takes the crown in this showdown,
Winner: Trading 212
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.
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