Both are FCA-regulated and FSCS-protected. The real difference is fees, account types and how each platform feels to use. Verified against each provider’s published charges.
Fees verified July 2026. Capital at risk. Information, not financial advice.
Cost-conscious DIY investors who want to keep every fee at zero.
Portfolios above roughly £60k where a flat fee beats percentage charges.
Tick what you need. No account, no email. The answer is on this page.
Tick what you need above and we'll tell you which of the two covers it.
Account availability verified July 2026. Capital at risk. Information, not financial advice.
Reviewers consistently rate the app as easy to use and good value, and many mention the competitive interest paid on uninvested cash.
The most common criticisms are slow identity verification for new accounts and support that can take time to respond.
Read Trading 212 reviews on TrustpilotLong-standing customers value the flat fee and the breadth of investments.
The 1.5% headline FX fee and occasional platform outages are the recurring complaints.
Read Interactive Investor reviews on Trustpilot| Fee | Trading 212 | Interactive Investor |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | £0 | Core £5.99/month (up to £100k); Plus £14.99/month (no limit); Premium £39.99/month |
| Share dealing | £0 commission | £3.99 per trade (£2.99 on Premium) |
| Fund dealing | ETFs only, £0 commission | £3.99 per trade (£2.99 on Premium) |
| FX fee | 0.15% | 1.5% on the first £25k, tiered lower above |
| Stocks & Shares ISA | Free | Included in the monthly plan |
| SIPP | Free | Included in the monthly plan |
| Withdrawals | Free | Free |
| Minimum to start | £1 | No minimum (£25/month for regular investing) |
A 0.25% yearly fee gap sounds small. On £50,000 over 20 years it is about £5,900 (illustrative). Add your ISA and pension balances to Delphina yourself and see what your charges cost by retirement and whether you're on track.
See what my fees costIllustrative: £50,000, 5% a year growth before charges, 0.25% vs 0.50% a year in charges, no further contributions. Not a recommendation of Trading 212 or Interactive Investor. Delphina is guidance, not financial advice.
Trading 212 built its name on removing fees. There is no platform fee, no dealing commission and no account charge on its ISA or SIPP. The only cost most investors pay is a 0.15% currency conversion fee when buying shares priced in dollars or euros.
The trade-off is scope. You can hold shares and ETFs but not traditional funds, and support is app-based. For an investor who wants a global tracker ETF inside an ISA at close to zero cost, it is very hard to beat on price.
Interactive Investor charges a flat monthly subscription instead of a percentage. On a £200,000 portfolio, £5.99 a month is a fraction of what percentage-fee platforms charge, which is why ii keeps winning larger DIY investors.
The equation flips for small pots: £71.88 a year on £10,000 is 0.7%, more than almost any rival. Work out your portfolio size first, then decide.
On £50,000 in shares and ETFs in an ISA, Trading 212 charges £0 a year and Interactive Investor's Core plan charges £71.88 (£5.99 a month). Core covers portfolios up to £100,000 in our data. Above that, the Plus plan is £179.88 a year.
Trading costs differ too. Trading 212 charges no commission on shares and ETFs. ii charges £3.99 a trade on Core and Plus, and £2.99 on Premium. Plus includes one free trade a month and Premium includes 10. Regular investing is free at ii, so twelve monthly purchases through it cost nothing, while twelve one-off trades on Core would cost £47.88.
The cost Trading 212 does charge is FX: 0.15% on trades in currencies other than sterling. Buying £1,000 of US shares costs £1.50 in FX.
Trading 212 sells shares and ETFs but no funds (OEICs and unit trusts). ii deals in both shares and funds. At ii the SIPP is included in the plan price, so holding an ISA and a SIPP does not add a second plan fee.
Trading 212 tends to suit people building a portfolio of shares and ETFs who want no platform fee and a flexible ISA. ii tends to suit people who hold funds as well as shares, want a Junior ISA, or want one fixed monthly fee that covers both an ISA and a SIPP.
If you have seen ii quoted at £4.99 a month or with a quarterly fee, that is out of date: ii changed its plans in February 2026.
It depends on what you hold and how often you trade. Trading 212's platform fee is £0, against core £5.99/month (up to £100k); Plus £14.99/month (no limit); Premium £39.99/month at Interactive Investor. On dealing, Trading 212 charges £0 commission for shares and eTFs only, £0 commission for funds, while Interactive Investor charges £3.99 per trade (£2.99 on Premium) for shares and £3.99 per trade (£2.99 on Premium) for funds. Fees verified July 2026.
Trading 212 is best for cost-conscious DIY investors who want to keep every fee at zero. Interactive Investor is best for portfolios above roughly £60k where a flat fee beats percentage charges. Both are FCA regulated and covered by the FSCS.
On Trading 212's ISA: Free. On Interactive Investor's ISA: Included in the monthly plan. Trading 212 offers a flexible ISA and Interactive Investor does not. Minimums are £1 at Trading 212 and No minimum (£25/month for regular investing) at Interactive Investor.
Trading 212 offers a SIPP (free). Interactive Investor offers a SIPP (included in the monthly plan).
Trading 212 scores 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot (Excellent) from tens of thousands of reviews. Interactive Investor scores 4.6 out of 5 (Excellent) from over 28,000 reviews. The most common criticisms are slow identity verification for new accounts and support that can take time to respond. The 1.5% headline FX fee and occasional platform outages are the recurring complaints.
Yes. UK platforms accept ISA and SIPP transfers in, and you start the transfer with the receiving provider rather than the one you are leaving. Trading 212 charges free on withdrawals and Interactive Investor charges free. Transfer as cash and you are out of the market while it settles; transfer in specie and you keep your holdings but it takes longer.
Trading 212 or Interactive Investor, the account is the easy part. What decides when you can retire is how much goes in and for how long. Delphina works that out from what you already hold and what you pay in each month.
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