Home › Compare › Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212
Interactive Brokers vs Trading 212 for US stocks
Both give you real share ownership, so the decision comes down to cost, country eligibility and platform.
Pick Interactive Brokers if real share ownership from almost any country. Pick Trading 212 if european investors.
The default answer for a non-US investor who wants to actually own US shares rather than a derivative of them.
Visit Interactive BrokersThe FX conversion charge, not commission, is where the cost of a US trade actually sits.
Visit Trading 212Side by side
| Interactive Brokers | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|
| What you hold | The share | The share |
| US stock access | Full US listed market (NYSE, Nasdaq, AMEX) plus 150+ global markets | US listed stocks and ETFs plus share CFDs |
| Minimum deposit | None | $1 |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Published pricing | IBKR Lite offers $0 commission on US listed stocks and ETFs for eligible clients; IBKR Pro is tiered/fixed per-share pricing. | No commission on real stock investing; an FX conversion fee applies to non-base-currency trades. |
| Platforms | Trader Workstation, IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, Client Portal, API | Trading 212 web, Trading 212 mobile |
| Extended hours | Pre-market and after-hours routing available | Not offered on real-stock orders |
| Regulation | SEC SIPC member, FCA 208159, CBI C423427 | FCA 609146, CySEC 398/21 |
| Founded | 1978 | 2004 |
Where each one wins
Interactive Brokers
- Real share ownership from almost any country
- Multi-currency accounts
- Options, futures and international listings in one account
- The desktop platform is dense and unforgiving for first-timers
- Data subscriptions are billed separately
Trading 212
- European investors
- Auto-invest pies
- Very small starting amounts
- FX conversion cost is the real fee on US stocks
- Not available in the US
Frequently asked questions
Interactive Brokers or Trading 212 — which is better for US stocks?
Both give you real share ownership, so the decision comes down to cost, country eligibility and platform. Interactive Brokers: real share ownership from almost any country. Trading 212: european investors.
Which is cheaper?
Interactive Brokers: IBKR Lite offers $0 commission on US listed stocks and ETFs for eligible clients; IBKR Pro is tiered/fixed per-share pricing. Trading 212: No commission on real stock investing; an FX conversion fee applies to non-base-currency trades. Both figures are restated from each broker's own pricing page; for small non-USD accounts, currency conversion usually costs more than commission does.
Which is better regulated?
Interactive Brokers is authorised by SEC, FCA, CBI; Trading 212 by FCA, CySEC. What matters is which entity holds your account, since that determines your compensation scheme and leverage limits.
Reviewed August 2026. Figures restated from each broker's published pages.