Home › Trading 212 vs InvestEngine
Trading 212 and InvestEngine are the two UK platforms most often mentioned by new investors for their 0% platform fee structures. They look similar on the surface and behave very differently in practice. Here is the head-to-head.
Updated for the 2026/27 UK tax year. ISA allowance: £20,000.
Trading 212 is a broad commission-free broker offering stocks, ETFs, fractional shares, and cash interest. InvestEngine is an ETF specialist — ETFs only, no individual shares. The two platforms are often compared because they share the same headline feature: 0% platform fee on the ISA. What they're built for is different.
| Trading 212 | InvestEngine | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee (ISA) | 0% | 0% DIY / 0.25% managed |
| Dealing fees | £0 | £0 |
| FX fee (non-GBP) | 0.15% | N/A (ETFs only) |
| Investment range | 5,000+ stocks and ETFs | 700+ ETFs only |
| Fractional shares | Yes, from £1 | ETFs only |
| Minimum to open | £1 | £100 |
| Cash interest | Yes (variable) | Yes (variable) |
| Managed portfolios | No | Yes (0.25%) |
| SIPP available | No | No |
| Best for | Active stock and ETF picking | Passive ETF investing |
For a £20,000 portfolio held for 20 years in a global tracker ETF:
InvestEngine's slight cost edge on ETF-only investing matters over 20 years. On a £20,000 portfolio growing at 7%, a 0.1% annual cost difference compounds to roughly £1,000 over 20 years.
If you want to hold individual stocks — Apple, BP, Microsoft, Tesco — Trading 212 is the answer. InvestEngine doesn't offer single-stock investing.
If you want to build a 100% ETF-based portfolio (Vanguard, iShares, HSBC trackers), either works, but InvestEngine's ETF range is curated and the platform interface is optimised for ETF selection.
For a hybrid approach (some ETFs, some individual shares), Trading 212 wins.
InvestEngine offers managed portfolios — diversified ETF allocations across risk levels — for a 0.25% management fee. Cheaper than Nutmeg (0.45–0.75%) or Moneyfarm. For investors who don't want to construct their own portfolio, this is genuinely useful.
Trading 212 offers "Pies" — user-built portfolios with automatic rebalancing — but no platform-managed allocation service.
Trading 212 supports fractional share investing from £1. Useful for buying expensive shares (Booking Holdings, MercadoLibre) or systematically investing small monthly contributions across a basket.
InvestEngine doesn't offer fractional shares — but ETFs themselves are typically priced low enough that this matters less.
Trading 212 charges 0.15% FX on non-GBP investments. For investors building US-listed exposure (S&P 500 ETFs, US shares), this is a small but real cost on every buy and sell. UK-listed ETFs in GBP (HSBC FTSE All-World, Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap) avoid this entirely.
InvestEngine doesn't apply FX fees because ETFs are GBP-priced.
Both pay interest on uninvested cash balances. Trading 212 has historically been more aggressive on rates — useful if you keep significant cash in your account between investments. Always verify current rates on the provider site.
If you want to invest in individual stocks plus ETFs: Trading 212. Broader range, fractional shares, no platform fee.
If you want pure ETF investing with no platform fee: InvestEngine. Cleaner UX for ETF-only portfolios, optional managed allocation.
If you want both: open both. From April 2024 you can pay into multiple ISAs of the same type per tax year, provided the total stays within £20,000. Many investors do exactly this — InvestEngine for the ETF core, Trading 212 for individual share picks.
If neither suits, see our full Best Stocks & Shares ISA UK comparison covering AJ Bell and Hargreaves Lansdown.
Yes. Both are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Client funds are held in segregated accounts and protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 per platform.
It depends on what you invest in. For individual UK stocks, Trading 212 wins (no FX fee, no dealing fees). For US stocks, Trading 212 charges a 0.15% FX fee. For ETFs only, InvestEngine has no fees of its own — you pay only the underlying ETF management fee.
Yes. From April 2024 you can pay into more than one Stocks and Shares ISA in the same tax year, provided you stay within the £20,000 total allowance. Many investors split — using one platform for ETFs (InvestEngine) and another for individual shares (Trading 212).
Trading 212 if you want to explore individual share picking and learn-by-doing. InvestEngine if you want simple ETF-based portfolios without thinking about individual stocks. Both have clean apps.
Both offer Stocks and Shares ISAs. Trading 212 also offers a CFD account (for advanced traders — not part of this comparison) and a general investment account. InvestEngine offers ISA and general account.
Both pay interest on uninvested cash balances. The exact rate varies — Trading 212 has been more aggressive on cash interest historically. Verify current rates before deciding.
Both run digital-first support. Trading 212 has a larger user base and reputation for prompt in-app responses. InvestEngine's smaller scale means more personal handling at the cost of broader hours.
Trading 212, InvestEngine, AJ Bell and HL compared.
Open comparison →Head-to-head: fees, products, who each suits.
Read comparison →Risk, growth, time horizons.
Read comparison →Step-by-step guide for first-time investors.
Read guide →Everything a first-time UK investor needs to know.
Read guide →Project ISA growth across cash and stocks.
Open calculator →This is general information, not financial advice. Pennywise Finance is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Capital is at risk when investing — your investments can fall as well as rise, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. For decisions involving significant sums, consult an FCA-authorised adviser or the free MoneyHelper service.