Holly Mckay
Holly MackayFounder and CEO
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Is Trading 212 good for investing?

Independent review by Boring Money

01 Jan 2025

Trading 212

Trading 212

Trading 212

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Investment expert's opinion

Trading 212 is popular and it's easy to see why. It's essentially free to use, and it's easy to navigate your way around. It looks visually appealing and their 'ready-made pies' appeal to people as a simple way to start. Has a broad range of shares and exchange traded funds. It's actually pleasurable to filter and browse investments on the app - not an easy thing to achieve! I log in the day after a large drop in tech stocks and the hot conversations are super interesting to read. My only niggle is around the long-term business model and owner motivations - there is never any free lunch anywhere!

Holly MackayHolly Mackay
Holly MackayFounder & CEO, Boring Money*

*This is the view of investment expert Holly Mackay based on her first-hand customer experience as a test account holder. This does not constitute regulated advice. You can read more about Holly's investments here.

Who is Trading 212?

Trading 212 is a fintech (financial technology) company which was originally established in Bulgaria under the name ‘Avus Capital’. It was registered in the UK in 2013 and has since moved its global headquarters there. Its main claim to fame is being the first zero-commission stock trading service in the UK and Europe. Today Trading 212’s mobile app has been downloaded more than 15 million times and the company as a whole has over 2.5m funded accounts and administers over £3.5 billion worth of assets. Trading 212 states its aim is to “democratise” investing with “free, smart and easy to use apps, enabling anyone to trade”.

Trading 212 won the following at Boring Money’s Best Buy Awards in 2025:

🏆 Best Buy ISA

🏆 Best for Low-Cost ISA

🏆 Best for Share Traders

🏆 Best App

🌟Value for Money

Who is Trading 212 good for?

Trading 212 is a good choice for people who want low fees and keen investors who take a real interest in it, thanks to the broad range of investments to choose from and the handy ‘pies’ which enable you to fully customise your portfolio. However, there could be more support for beginner investors and the lack of pension means it’s not suited to those looking to open a SIPP for their retirement savings. It may also not suit those who prefer investing via computers, as although desktop functionality exists, Trading 212 is very much a mobile-first provider.

Pros and cons

Still not quite sure if Trading 212 is right for you? We’ve broken down the main pros and cons of investing with Trading 212 in the table below. Take a look for a bird’s eye view of the key takeaways.

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Investments

Trading 212 customers can choose from a wide range of investments, including:

Accounts

Trading 212 offers three types of investment accounts – a Stocks & Shares ISA, a GIA account (Invest) and a CFD account. The CFD account is not suitable for the vast majority of investors, and we would suggest sticking to an ISA or a GIA account. The table below shows a breakdown of the key features of these two accounts. Other fees may apply. See fees and charges below.

Account type

ISA

Invest

Key features

Tax-free investing in shares and ETFs, extended hours trading, minimum £1 investment, 24/7 support, no commission or account fees.

Free investing, extended hours trading, minimum £1 investment, 24/7 support, no commission or account fees.

Trading 212 has a Stocks & Shares ISA, where you can invest up to £20,000 every year completely tax-free.

You can invest in a wide range of investments with a Trading 212 ISA, including shares, ETFs (exchange-traded funds), investment trusts and REITs. Users can use Trading 212’s innovative ‘pies’ to customise and diversify their portfolio at their discretion.

A pie is a collection of investments that creates a sub-portfolio, kind of like how a fund works, except without an official mandate. Users can create their own pies and invest in them automatically, or copy pies created by other Trading 212 investors who may provide updates on buying intention or explain their rationale via the app’s social platform.

With a Trading 212 Invest account, users get access to all the same investment options and features as the ISA. The key difference is that this account is not shielded from tax, so any gains or dividends received from investments in this could be liable for Capital Gains Tax (CGT).

If you’re yet to use up your £20,000 annual ISA allowance, it’s generally a good idea to go ahead and open a Stocks & Shares ISA instead of the Invest account.

If you’ve exceeded your annual allowance - or already contributed to a different Stocks & Shares ISA in the current tax-year - then Trading 212’s Invest account could be an option for you. There is also a minimum £1 investment.

Fees and charges

The cost of investing with Trading 212 is very low. This is the only provider in the market that offers free share dealing in an ISA, with no dealing or custody charges. The only unavoidable fee is the foreign exchange (forex) fee, which applies to non-UK investments; however, even this is among the cheapest on the market.

Fee type

Amount

Trading commission

FREE

Custody fee

FREE

Forex fee

0.15%

Deposits via bank transfer

FREE

Deposits via Cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay

FREE up to £2,000, then 0.7%

Withdrawals

FREE

See how much it would cost you

Use the handy calculator below to calculate the cost of an account. Just select which type of account you want to use, type in the amount you want to invest and - hey presto! - our calculator will give you an estimate of how much it costs. Please note estimated fees are calculated excluding promotional offers.

Step 1. Select account type.

Step 2. Enter the amount you are looking to invest.

Estimated fees:

£0.00

All Inclusive

This cost represents the total amount you will pay. It is based on a typical account and will be a very good guide, but may differ depending on the investment option you pick.

The boring disclaimer bit

This is a free resource for our readers. We’ve tried really hard to ensure that these calculations are correct and can promise you there’s no monkey business or favouritism going on. But please don’t rely on these calculations without double checking yourself. If you do think you have seen an error please contact community@boringmoney.co.uk and help us to make this better. More information on the assumptions we've used to calculate these investment fees can be found here.

Customer reviews

Trading 212 is appreciated for its 0% trading commission, live prices, and free fractional shares. Users find the app easy to use and value the 5% interest on uninvested funds in Stocks and Shares ISAs. The platform offers various investment options, including cash savings ISAs and stocks ISAs.

However, some users feel that customer service needs improvement, and the app's stock chart graph could be more user-friendly. There are also suggestions for better educational resources and faster customer support. Overall, Trading 212 is seen as a reliable platform, but there is room for improvement in customer support and app features.

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Trading 212 logo

Your opinion matters!

Leave a review for Trading 212

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29 June 2025

Pies feature is great, with ready-made pies consisting of ETFs for those who don’t want to build their own portfolio. Easy to link your bank account, with fast bank transfers. It’s very quick and easy to deposit and invest. As long an investor doesn’t catch the ‘kid in a sweet shop’ bug whilst playing about on this platform, they should be absolutely fine!

Read More >
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28 May 2025

They've managed to lose my funds during an ISA transfer, their chat team are no use, they won't speak to me on the phone so I'm still trying to trace my money

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29 November 2024

Low fees, easy to buy and sell on the app

Most asked questions

Is Trading 212 safe?

Trading 212 is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). If a fund fails due to fraud or mismanagement, you may be eligible for compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The FSCS protection is capped at £85,000 per person, per fund manager (not per individual fund). However, if your investments lose value due to normal market conditions or your investment choices, this is part of the normal risk of investing and is not covered by FSCS compensation.

Is Trading 212 FCA regulated?

Yes. Trading 212 UK Ltd. is registered in England and Wales, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

How does Trading 212 make money?

Despite being free for many customers, Trading 212 is able to make money in a number of different ways. One source of income is from the spread between the ‘ask’ - the lowest price a seller is willing to sell an investment for - and the ‘bid’ - the highest price a buyer is willing to pay. This spread is generated on CFD accounts, not the ISA or Invest accounts which Trading 212 states have no mark-up. Other generators of income include interest on cash and share lending. Trading 212’s co-founder Ivan Ashminov said in a 2020 interview that the long-term goal for the company is to offer premium features which will help to complement their existing revenue model.

Can you buy penny stocks on Trading 212?

Yes, you can buy penny stocks on Trading 212. Penny stocks are shares traded at less than £1. They typically belong to smaller companies with a market cap of less than £100 million and are considered high risk investments due to their illiquidity and propensity for volatility.

Can you trade forex on Trading 212?

Yes, you can trade forex on Trading 212, although this feature is only available with the CFD account.

Visit the Trading 212 website for more information

Glossary

Not 100% sure you understand something we’ve written in this review?

Discover jargon-free definitions of the most common words and technical terms used in the world of investing.

Risk warning

As is always the case with investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your portfolio can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in the future.

All information in this review correct as at 01/02/2025.

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