Trading 212 vs CMC Invest 2023

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.

CMC Invest offers commission-free trading of U.K.-listed shares and U.S. equities via a mobile app only. Though a newer entrant to the U.K. share dealing market and currently somewhat limited, it’s powered by global contender CMC Markets, making it likely that its offerings will expand.

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, CMC Invest offers better pricing than Trading 212 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 per year.

12 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 per year.

36 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 per year.

120 trades per year - Trading 212 would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 per year.

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

Trading 212 requires a minimum deposit of £1.0, while CMC Invest 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 CMC Invest charges annual custody fees of 0.

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

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 Both Trading 212 and CMC Invest offer ISA accounts. Neither have SIPP.

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 CMC Invest offer crypto investing.

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

To compare the trading platforms of both Trading 212 and CMC Invest, 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.

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 both Trading 212 and CMC Invest offer Education (Share Trading). Neither have Client Webinars, Client Webinars (Archived), Education (Funds) and Education (Retirement).