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Freetrade vs Trading 212

Which is better, Trading 212 or Freetrade? We compare them in detail below.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 64%-81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Freetrade and Trading 212 are two commission free trading platforms. Freetrade lets you buy individual UK and US stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Trading 212 allows you to trade over 3,100 instruments (not the musical type). These include cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities and currencies. Trading 212 allows its users to trade with leverage, which is a riskier type of investing. Freetrade does not offer leveraged trading so we are comparing the investing elements of each provider.

Find out how they compare when we look at them one feature at a time.

Best for 0% commission stocks

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Capital at risk. Other fees apply.
Copy picks from top traders
  • Commission-free stock trades
  • Receive dividend payments
  • Invest in fractional shares

Best for US shares

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Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
Try Plus free for 3 months
  • 0% commission on trades
  • Choose from 3000+ stocks
  • Real-time live pricing

Best for fractional shares

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Capital at risk. T&Cs apply.
Personalised market updates
  • Commission-free trading
  • Invest in fractional shares
  • Over 5,400 stocks & ETFs

Share dealing platform comparison

Table: sorted by promoted deals first
Name Product Finder score Min. initial deposit Price per trade Frequent trader rate Platform fees Offer Link
Finder Award
FREE TRADES
eToro Free Stocks
★★★★★
Finder score
$100
£0 on stocks
N/A
£0

Capital at risk. Other fees apply.

Platform details
XTB
★★★★★
Finder score
£0
£0
£0
£0
Earn up to 4.9% interest on uninvested cash. Tiered interest rate structure applies depending on value of existing assets.

Capital at risk

Platform details
Finder Award
OFFER
CMC Invest share dealing account
★★★★★
Finder score
£0
£0
N/A
£0
Earn up to £1,000 when you transfer a minimum of £25,000 into your CMC account, plus get your first 3 months free when you upgrade to Plus plan. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.

Capital at risk

Platform details
Hargreaves Lansdown Fund and Share Account
★★★★★
Finder score
£1
£11.95
£5.95
£0

Capital at risk

Platform details
InvestEngine
★★★★★
Finder score
£100
£0
N/A
0% - 0.25%
Get a Welcome Bonus of up to £50 when you invest at least £100 with InvestEngine. T&Cs apply.

Capital at risk

Platform details
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Freetrade vs Trading 212: Vital statistics

FreetradeTrading212
Finder score★★★★★★★★★★
Customer satisfaction survey★★★★★★★★★★
Stocks and shares ISA available?
FSCS protected?
Costs score★★★★★★★★★★
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money
More InfoMore Info

Freetrade’s free account doesn’t have an ISA, but you can invest in one with Freetrade Plus for £3 a month. Trading 212’s ISA is free.

In our 2021 customer satisfaction survey, Trading 212 customers found it to be a great platform that was easy to use and praised its low fees. Freetrade customers found it to be reliable and were happy with the low fees and quick transactions.

Both platforms are FSCS protected which means you’re covered for up to £85,000 of deposits if they were to go bust.

Round 1: Stock exchanges

FreetradeTrading212
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 mindCapital at riskCapital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money
More InfoMore Info

You can trade on the most stock exchanges with Trading 212. Freetrade doesn’t get you access to Canadian stocks, stocks on the Deutsche Börse or the Euronext.

Winner: Trading 212

Round 2: Financial instruments

FreetradeTrading212
Financial instruments score★★★★★★★★★★
Shares
ETFs
Bonds
Funds
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money
More InfoMore Info

Financial instruments are types of investment, such as shares, bonds, funds and ETFs. You can trade in shares and ETFs with both providers If you’re interested in funds or bonds, you’ll need a different provider – you can look at our comparison table below to compare providers.

Winner: Tie

Round 3: Fees

FreetradeTrading212
Costs score★★★★★★★★★★
Minimum deposit£1£1
Standard trading fee£0£0
Best trading fee£0£0
Foreign exchange fee0.59%0.15%
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money
More InfoMore Info

Both of these platforms are free, which means there aren’t any standard costs or charges for trades, this makes it pretty difficult to compare the costs.

While Trading 212 has virtually no charges for anything, other than a 0.15% foreign exchange fee and some restrictions on withdrawal and deposit amount. Freetrade does have a couple of charges, such as a spot rate and 0.45% foreign exchange fee if you choose to buy shares in other countries. There’s also a charge to use its stocks and shares individual savings account and a £5 charge if you need a same-day withdrawal.

This is still a tiny amount in fees compared to other stock trading platforms. You’d usually expect to spend upwards of £10 per transaction, which can minimise your potential returns. This is a good opportunity to try out share trading without spending a whole lot of money.

Winner: Trading 212

Round 4: Mobile and web features

FreetradeTrading212
Features rating★★★★★★★★★★
iPhone app
Android app
Desktop/web app
Notifications
Watch lists
Community or forums
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money
More InfoMore Info

Freetrade is mobile-app only. If you want desktop access then Trading 212 is a better bet for you. Both providers have an iPhone and Android app, notifications about share price changes, watch lists and some kind of community to share ideas.

Winner: Trading 212

Round 5: Learning resources

FreetradeTrading212
Resources rating★★★★★★★★★★
Guides
Videos and walkthroughs
Demo account
In-depth learning tools
Keep in mindCapital at riskCapital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money
More InfoMore Info

Trading 212 has the most learning resources available. It’s got a demo account and a whole section of its website dedicated to helping you learn how to invest – with videos, walkthroughs and guides. Freetrade does have some in depth resources to learn about investing, including collections of guides, such as the basics of investing, how to build a portfolio, and a handy glossary of terms.

Trading 212’s demo account lets you practise 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.
This is something that Freetrade does not offer – meaning you have to dive into the real thing straight away or use a demo account with a different provider first.

Winner: Trading 212

Overall winner: Is Freetrade better than Trading 212?

These are both great options for free trading. Trading 212 is a little bit more complicated than Freetrade is, but it does have the demo account that you can have a go with before getting started. There aren’t any pre-made portfolios available though, so if you’re not keen on creating your own, neither of these would be suitable for you.

Freetrade vs Trading 212: Reddit’s verdict

Reddit generally thinks that Trading 212 is the best of the two platforms due to it charging no commission and offering fractional shares. Most people thought it offered more stocks, and those that it doesn’t offer can be added quickly on your request.

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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