What you need to know
Trading 212 is a London-headquartered fintech broker founded in 2004, regulated by the FCA for UK clients (with FSCS protection) and by CySEC for EU clients. It won the 2026 award for best Stocks & Shares ISA thanks to its combination of zero platform fee and zero dealing commission, and has more recently extended the same fee-free approach to a SIPP — making it one of the most cost-effective mainstream platforms for UK investors who haven't maxed out other tax wrappers.
- £0 commission on stock and ETF trades — genuinely free, no hidden per-trade fee
- Stocks & Shares ISA and SIPP both with no platform charge and no dealing fee
- Only a 0.15% FX fee on non-GBP trades (e.g. US stocks), among the lowest of any UK broker
- Pies and AutoInvest: build a custom weighted portfolio and automate recurring investments with one-click rebalancing
- Fractional shares from £1, making expensive stocks accessible with small amounts
- Cash ISA available at a variable rate, held alongside the Stocks & Shares ISA within the same annual allowance
Strengths
- Genuinely £0 commission and £0 platform fee across Invest, ISA and SIPP accounts
- One of the lowest FX fees of any UK broker at 0.15%
- Pies and AutoInvest for automated, weighted regular investing
- Fractional shares from £1
- Strong Trustpilot rating (4.6/5) from a large volume of reviews
Limitations
- No access to investment funds (unit trusts or OEICs), only stocks and ETFs
- No Junior ISA and no Lifetime ISA, unlike Hargreaves Lansdown
- Support is chat-based only, no telephone line, with capacity issues during volatile markets
- FSCS protection is £85,000 for UK clients, but EU clients fall under the lower CySEC/ICF protection of €20,000
Fees in detail
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Stock/ETF trade | £0 commission |
| Stocks & Shares ISA platform fee | £0 |
| SIPP platform fee | £0 |
| FX fee (non-GBP trades) | 0.15% |
| Inactivity fee | £0, none |
| Deposit by bank transfer | £0 |
Regular investing plan
Trading 212's AutoInvest (or "Pie") feature lets you build a custom portfolio of stocks and ETFs with preset percentage allocations, then invest with a single click, or set up recurring investments that automatically rebalance to your target weights. For a beginner investor who wants to invest a fixed amount each month across a small number of index ETFs, this is genuinely useful and not commonly available at zero cost elsewhere in the UK market.
Safety and regulation
Trading 212 UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Eligible deposits are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 per person, per authorised firm. Investments are ring-fenced in your name, held separately from the firm's own assets, so they remain yours if the firm fails, with FSCS cover of up to £85,000 for any shortfall. EU clients are served by the CySEC-regulated entity, with €20,000 ICF protection instead.
Customer support
Trading 212 scores 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot (Excellent) from tens of thousands of reviews, with users praising the app's ease of use and the competitive interest paid on uninvested cash. The most common criticisms relate to slower identity verification for new accounts and support response times that can lag during busy periods.
Frequently asked questions
How to open an account
- Download the Trading 212 app or go to the official website
- Register with your email address and personal details
- Complete identity verification as required by FCA regulation
- Deposit funds by bank transfer or card (free by bank transfer)
- Search for a stock or ETF and place your first order, or set up a Pie for automated investing