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Trading 212 vs Barclays 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

April 19, 2023

Is Trading 212 better than Barclays? After scoring the best share dealing accounts across 46 different variables, our analysis finds that Trading 212 is better than Barclays. Trading 212 offers low-cost trading without lots of bells and whistles. Though tools, research and investments are limited, its user-friendliness and pricing may be an attractive option for the beginner trader.

Select Brokers

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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAJ Bell
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBarclays
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxDEGIRO
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFineco Bank
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFreetrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHalifax
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHargreaves Lansdown
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIG
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Investor
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxLloyds Bank
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212

Compare

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Overall Rating Trading 212 Barclays
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 2.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 2/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars N/A
Education 3/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Review Trading 212 Review
Winner check_circle
Investments Trading 212 Barclays
ISA info Yes Yes
SIPP info No Yes
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info Yes No
Funds info No Yes
ETFs info Yes Yes
Bonds - Corporate info No Yes
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info No Yes
Investment Trusts info No Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info No No
Advisor Services info No Yes
Trading Fees Trading 212 Barclays
Minimum Deposit info £1.0 £0.0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month info 0 £6
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month info 0 £6
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month info 0 £6
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £60
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £102
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £246
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £750
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) info N/A £59
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.2% (minimum £48)
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.2%
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.2%
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.2%
Bonds - Corporate - Fee info N/A £6
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee info N/A £6
ETFs - Fee info 0 £6
Investment Trusts - Fee info N/A £3
Telephone Dealing Fee info N/A £25
Platforms & Tools Trading 212 Barclays
Web Platform info Yes Yes
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 54 68
Charting - Drawing Tools info 25 16
Charting - Notes info Yes Yes
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Stock Overlays info No No
Charting - Index Overlays info No No
Research Trading 212 Barclays
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - CFDs info No No
Research - Funds info No Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info No Yes
Research - ETFs info No Yes
Research - Bonds info No Yes
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes Yes
Education Trading 212 Barclays
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info No Yes
Education (Retirement) info No Yes
Client Webinars info No Yes
Client Webinars (Archived) info No Yes
Overall Summary Trading 212 Barclays
Overall Rating info 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 2.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 2/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars N/A
Education 3/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Review Trading 212 Review
Winner check_circle
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Comparing online share dealing platforms side by side is no small task. For our 2022 review of U.K. brokers, nearly 600 data points were collected over a 10-week period and used to score each broker. Let’s compare Trading 212 and Barclays.

Trading 212 vs Barclays Comparison

For our 2022 Review, we assessed the best trading platforms in the UK for online share dealing. Let's compare Trading 212 vs Barclays.

Is Trading 212 a good broker?

Trading 212 offers low-cost trading without lots of bells and whistles. Though tools, research and investments are limited, its user-friendliness and pricing may be an attractive option for the beginner trader.

Is Barclays a good broker?

Barclays Smart Investor offers average share dealing commissions (£6 per trade) alongside a good selection of research tools and education. However, there is no dedicated mobile app for share dealing, and the trading tools offered are just average.

Which broker is less expensive?

Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, Trading 212 offers better pricing than Barclays for share dealing.

Assuming a £30,000 portfolio size, here are the total annual costs for share dealing with both brokers, given different monthly activity scenarios.

5 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £60 per year.

12 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £102 per year.

36 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £246 per year.

120 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £750 per year.

3 fund trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £1.0 per year, while Barclays would cost £0.0 per year.

How do Trading 212 and Barclays compare in terms of minimum deposits required?

Trading 212 requires a minimum deposit of £1.0, while Barclays requires a minimum deposit of £0.0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 Trading 212 charges annual custody fees of £0 (Other Fees Apply), while Barclays charges annual custody fees of 0.2% (minimum £48).

Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?

Trading 212 offers investors access to ISA, Share Trading, CFD Trading and ETFs, while Barclays offers investors access to ISA, SIPP, Share Trading, Funds, ETFs, Bonds - Corporate, Bonds - Government (Gilts), Investment Trusts and Advisor Services. Neither have Spread Betting and Crypto Trading. Investing encompasses a wide variety of asset classes, so finding a broker that offers every investment type you are interested in is important.

Do Trading 212 and Barclays offer ISA or SIPP accounts?

Self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) and individual savings accounts (ISAs) are tax-advantaged savings accounts that are an important tool for many individual investors. You can read more about how these accounts operate at Gov.UK: Click here for SIPP information and here for ISA information. Our analysis finds that Trading 212 offers traders access to ISA accounts, while Barclays offers traders access to SIPP and ISA accounts.

Do Trading 212 and Barclays offer cryptocurrency?

In our analysis of top brokers for share dealing in the U.K., we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum, which is still a somewhat rare offering amongst major U.K. brokers. Our review finds that neither Trading 212 and Barclays offer crypto investing.

Which broker offers better research?

Our testing concluded that Trading 212 is better for research than Barclays. Trading 212 offers more research options, including research reports, articles, and analyst ratings.

Which trading platform is better?

To compare the trading platforms of both Trading 212 and Barclays, we tested each broker's website, trading platform, trading tools and stock trading app. All features compared, our analysis finds that Trading 212 offers a better share dealing platform and Trading 212 offers a better stock app for mobile trading.

Do Trading 212 and Barclays offer educational resources?

Educational offerings are of particular importance to those who are newer to investing, and we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials in our analysis. Our research finds that Trading 212 offers traders access to Education (Share Trading), while Barclays offers access to Client Webinars, Client Webinars (Archived), Education (Share Trading), Education (Funds) and Education (Retirement).

Overall winner: Trading 212

Read Next: Best UK Trading Platforms 2022


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