Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Trading 212 vs CMC Invest, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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 CMC Invest 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 CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
12 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
36 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
120 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £1 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 per year.
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 eager to diversify their portfolios, both Trading 212 and CMC Invest present compelling options. Trading 212 offers an extensive suite of investment opportunities including shares, ETFs, CFDs, and investment trusts, earning a 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. However, it does not venture into crypto trading, spread betting, funds, or bonds. In investment choices, Trading 212 holds the 16th spot among 21 brokers, making it a solid option for those primarily interested in share and ETF trading.
On the other hand, CMC Invest matches Trading 212 with share, ETF, and investment trust trading and also provides the option to invest in funds. Like Trading 212, it does not offer crypto trading, spread betting, or bonds. Rated equally with 4.5 stars for investment options by UK.StockBrokers.com, CMC Invest secures a marginally higher ranking, sitting at 14th out of 21 brokers. This slight edge could make CMC Invest an attractive choice for investors who also value fund accessibility in their trading repertoire.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | ||
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Trading 212 and CMC Invest both cater to traders in the UK, but they offer different experiences when it comes to trading tools. Trading 212 stands out with its ability to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts, offering deep insights for strategic trading. CMC Invest lacks these features, making Trading 212 a choice for those who value detailed charting functionalities. Additionally, Trading 212 boasts an impressive suite of 27 drawing tools and 106 technical indicators, enabling comprehensive technical analysis, while CMC Invest does not offer any drawing tools or technical indicators. Both platforms provide real-time market data and the capability to create alerts for stock price updates, ensuring up-to-date information at your fingertips.
For traders seeking interactive and customizable charting experiences, Trading 212 allows users to add notes to charts, which is a helpful feature for keeping track of trading insights and strategies. CMC Invest does not provide this feature, which may limit traders who want to record their observations directly on charts. Trading 212 also offers a browser-based trading platform, giving flexibility to trade from any device with internet access. While details about CMC Invest’s browser-based platform and certain overlay capabilities for other elements like indexes and stocks are not specified, Trading 212’s offerings make it a strong contender for traders looking for comprehensive charting and analysis tools in an online broker.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 27 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays |
When comparing Trading 212 and CMC Invest for UK investors looking into retirement accounts, both online brokers offer ISA accounts, making them suitable options for tax-efficient investing. However, for those interested in a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) account, CMC Invest is the broker to consider as they provide this option, whereas Trading 212 does not. This distinction makes CMC Invest a preferred choice for individuals aiming to expand their retirement savings plan through a SIPP account, in addition to their ISA offerings.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors seeking a mobile trading platform, both Trading 212 and CMC Invest offer reliable apps for iPhone and Android users. Trading 212 stands out with a top-rated 5-star score from UK.StockBrokers.com for its app, ranking it third among 21 brokers. In comparison, CMC Invest holds a respectable 4.5-star rating, placing it 11th. Both apps are accessible and provide useful tools for managing investments on the go, but Trading 212's higher ranking might appeal more to those prioritizing app efficiency and user experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK seeking educational resources from online brokers, Trading 212 and CMC Invest both offer solid options worth considering. With both platforms providing education on share trading and funds, new investors are well-supported. Notably, CMC Invest extends its educational offering to cover retirement topics—a feature Trading 212 does not include. Although neither broker offers live or on-demand educational webinars, both are commended by UK.StockBrokers.com, receiving a rating of four out of five stars for beginner education. Interestingly, while Trading 212 is ranked 13th and CMC Invest 15th out of 21 brokers for beginner education, they remain close contenders in their educational offerings.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | ||
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing Trading 212 and CMC Invest in terms of market research features, UK investors will find distinct differences. Trading 212 and CMC Invest both provide research on shares and ETFs, ensuring comprehensive insights for these assets. However, only CMC Invest offers detailed research reports for funds, giving its users an additional edge in understanding fund opportunities. For those interested in CFDs, Trading 212 stands out with dedicated research options, unlike CMC Invest, which lacks this feature. On the other hand, neither platform offers research on bonds. Additionally, Trading 212 allows users to view their portfolio allocation by asset class, a feature not available with CMC Invest. In summary, while both platforms cover core research areas, each has unique strengths that cater to different investment research needs.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | ||
| Research - Funds | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Trading 212 or CMC Invest? 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 offers commission-free share dealing and is a great option for those looking to simply execute share or ETF trades. Novice investors or those looking for more diversification through mutual funds may find better options elsewhere.
| Feature |
Trading 212
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CMC Invest
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Investment Choices |
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| Mobile App |
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When comparing online brokers Trading 212 and CMC Invest, it's noteworthy that Trading 212 offers crypto trading options, while CMC Invest does not provide crypto trading services.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
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| Review | Trading 212 Review | CMC Invest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | ||
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | ||
| Funds | Yes | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | |||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | |||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services |
| Trading Fees | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £120 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | 0 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | 0 | £0 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | £0 |
| Broker Screenshots | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | ||
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 27 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | |||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | |||
| Charting - Index Overlays |
| Research | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | ||
| Research - Funds | Yes | ||
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | |||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes |
| Education | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars | |||
| Client Webinars (Archived) |
| Overall Summary | Trading 212 | CMC Invest | |
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| Review | Trading 212 Review | CMC Invest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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