Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Trading 212 vs Barclays, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
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.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
For UK investors comparing account investment choices, Trading 212 and Barclays both let you trade shares, ETFs and investment trusts. Trading 212 also offers CFD trading, while Barclays does not. In this area, Trading 212 is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com and is ranked #10 out of 21 brokers for investment choices.
Barclays has the wider range for more traditional investing needs, with funds, corporate bonds, gilts and advisory services available, while Trading 212 does not offer these. Barclays is rated 5 out of 5 stars for investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com, showing it has a stronger overall selection for investors who want more than just shares and ETFs.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Comparing Trading 212 and Barclays for trading tools in the UK: both offer a browser-based platform and let you set price alerts. Neither broker shows corporate events like earnings, splits, or dividends on charts, and neither supports index or stock overlays. A key difference is data speed—Trading 212 provides real-time market data, while Barclays does not.
For charting, Trading 212’s exact counts of drawing tools and technical indicators are not specified, whereas Barclays lists 0 for both. Trading 212 does let you add notes to charts; Barclays does not. In practice, Trading 212 suits simple chart annotations and live pricing, while Barclays is better for basic monitoring and alerts without advanced chart work.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
When comparing online broker Trading 212 and Barclays for retirement accounts in the UK, it's important to consider the types of accounts each offers. Trading 212 provides Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), making it a viable option for those looking to invest tax-efficiently. Barclays also offers ISAs and additionally provides Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), giving investors an edge with more comprehensive retirement planning options. While Trading 212 keeps it simple with its ISA offerings, Barclays supports a broader range of retirement investment choices, appealing to those who are looking for both immediate savings and long-term retirement planning.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Trading 212 vs Barclays: both offer iPhone and Android apps in the UK, but UK.StockBrokers.com rates Trading 212’s mobile app at 5 stars and ranks it 3rd out of 21 brokers for Mobile Apps, while Barclays’ app holds 2.5 stars and no listed ranking. If you’re choosing a trading app for iOS or Android, Trading 212 leads on independent ratings, whereas Barclays offers the basics on both platforms without a current ranking.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginner investors comparing education, Trading 212 and Barclays both offer no client webinars or on-demand replays, but each provides guidance on share trading. Barclays adds learning on funds and retirement, while Trading 212 does not cover those topics. UK.StockBrokers.com rates both at 4.5 out of 5 for beginner education; Trading 212 ranks 10th of 21 brokers, while Barclays has no published rank. If you want broader long-term investing education (funds and retirement), Barclays has the edge; for share trading basics, either works.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing Trading 212 and Barclays for market research features, UK investors should consider their differing offerings. Trading 212 allows users to view portfolio allocation by asset class and provides research for shares, ETFs, but lacks reports for funds and bonds. Conversely, Barclays offers comprehensive research across all these categories, including funds and bonds, in addition to showing portfolio allocation by asset class. This makes Barclays a more suitable option for those seeking extensive market insights and detailed reports across a wider range of investment types.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Trading 212 or Barclays? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Trading 212 to be a better trading platform overall.
Trading 212 is a popular investing platform best known for its commission-free trading, easy-to-use mobile app, and support for low-cost investing in stocks and ETFs.
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Barclays
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While Trading 212 provides an option for crypto trading, Barclays does not offer crypto trading services.
We reviewed and compared over 20 of the top U.K. brokerage firms to create our list of the best U.K. investment platforms for beginner investors.
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Barclays Smart Investor is an investment platform offered by Barclays Bank that offers a wide range of investments and accounts. Non-Barclays customers may find it complicated to open an account. Barclays is good value whether you are a beginner investor or have a large portfolio as its fees are, overall, very low.
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Robinhood is great for trading US stocks and for beginners who want to learn the basics without worrying about small trades being swallowed up by hefty fees.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
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| Review | Trading 212 Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | No | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds | No | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | £6 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £0 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £0 | £850 and up | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | £6 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £0 | £6 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
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| Platforms & Tools | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | ||
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | ||
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | No | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | Trading 212 | Barclays | |
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| Review | Trading 212 Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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