Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212: which is better for UK investors?

Both Interactive Brokers and Trading 212 have millions of users. Both let you trade stocks and ETFs. Beyond that, they are pretty different products aimed at fairly different types of investor.

This is not a "winner" piece. Neither platform is strictly better. It depends what you are trying to do.

Fees

Trading 212 is genuinely commission-free for stocks and ETFs. No per-trade fees, no platform fees. They make money through the spread on currency conversions and by lending out shares (which you can opt out of). For small, frequent investments, this is hard to beat.

IBKR is not free but it is very cheap. The IBKR Lite plan (not available in the UK) is commission-free in the US, but UK users are on IBKR Pro, which charges around $1 per trade with a $1 minimum. At low trade volumes, this adds up. At high volumes or for larger trades, the difference per pound invested becomes negligible.

For someone investing a few hundred pounds a month, Trading 212's zero commissions are a meaningful advantage.

Available markets

Trading 212 covers major US and European exchanges well. For most UK retail investors buying global ETFs and large-cap stocks, the selection is more than enough.

IBKR covers 150+ markets across 33 countries. If you want to trade options, futures, bonds, forex, or access smaller international exchanges, IBKR is in a different league.

Fractional shares

Both platforms offer fractional shares, which is useful if you want to invest a fixed amount each month regardless of share price.

ISA availability

Trading 212 offers a Stocks and Shares ISA with no additional fee. This is a major selling point for UK investors who want to shelter gains from tax.

IBKR does not currently offer a UK ISA wrapper. If ISA investing is a priority, this is a significant gap.

Platform complexity

Trading 212 is designed to be approachable. The mobile app is polished and the web platform is clean. New investors do not feel overwhelmed.

IBKR's Trader Workstation is powerful and deeply customisable but genuinely complex. There is a learning curve. The mobile app is better, but IBKR is still clearly built for experienced traders.

Research and data

IBKR provides access to a serious amount of market data, news feeds, analyst reports, and screening tools, much of it free with an account.

Trading 212 is lighter on research. You get basic charts and some news integration. If you want deep data, you will need to go elsewhere.

Who suits which platform

Trading 212 is a great fit if you want a simple, cost-effective way to build a long-term portfolio in an ISA, especially if you are investing smaller amounts regularly.

IBKR is better if you want access to more markets, more sophisticated order types, or you trade at volumes where a per-trade fee becomes reasonable.

A lot of UK investors end up using both: an ISA on Trading 212 and a general account on IBKR.

Managing both accounts

One practical issue with using two platforms is keeping track of your combined portfolio. This is where DeskFi comes in. It connects to both Trading 212 and IBKR, so your full picture is in one place rather than spread across two apps.

Try DeskFi free and connect both accounts