Trading 212 vs eToro: UK 2026 Comparison

Trading 212 and eToro are two of the UK's most popular commission-free investing apps, and both now offer a Stocks and Shares ISA. They look similar on the headline - free stock trades - but the small print and the feature sets pull them in different directions. This comparison breaks down the real costs, what each does best, and who should pick which.

Both platforms charge zero commission on real stock and ETF trades, so the difference is in the edges. Trading 212 charges no platform fee, no ISA fee and no inactivity fee; its only charge is a 0.15% FX fee when you buy a share priced in a currency other than sterling. eToro is also commission-free on stocks, but its Stocks and Shares ISA (powered by Moneyfarm) carries a custody fee capped at £45 a year, and its currency-conversion cost has historically been around 0.50-0.70% - far higher than Trading 212's - unless you use eToro's newer GBP account or a premium membership tier.

One cost is identical on both: Stamp Duty of 0.5% on UK-listed shares is a government tax, not a platform charge. The tax-free ISA allowance (the amount you can pay into a Stocks and Shares ISA each tax year) is also the same wherever you invest.

For a hands-on UK ISA investor, Trading 212 is the lower-friction option. There's nothing to pay to hold the account, the 0.15% FX fee is among the cheapest available, and you can take money out without penalty. eToro's £45-a-year ISA custody cap is easy to overlook but counts against smaller pots, and its conversion costs only match Trading 212's if you deliberately run a GBP account.

If you mostly buy UK-listed shares and rarely withdraw, the gap narrows - but Trading 212 still edges it on transparency, with fewer conditions attached to the headline 'free'.

eToro's standout feature is social investing. CopyTrader lets you automatically mirror the trades of other eToro users, and the platform leans into community, crypto and CFD trading. That breadth is genuinely useful if copying experienced investors or trading crypto alongside shares is what you came for - but it also adds complexity and risk that a long-term ISA investor doesn't need.

Trading 212 is narrower and calmer by design. Its Invest and ISA products focus on straightforward commission-free shares and ETFs, with auto-investing 'Pies' that let you set target allocations and drip-feed them. For buy-and-hold investing inside an ISA, that focus is a strength rather than a limitation.

Related: if you want a long-term fund platform rather than a trading app, see our Vanguard vs InvestEngine comparison.