Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Trading 212 vs Exness, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
When comparing Trading 212 and Exness, both platforms have made a name for themselves in the online trading world, with Trading 212 opening its doors in 2004 and Exness following in 2008. Neither company is publicly traded nor operates as a bank. On the regulatory front, both brokers hold two Tier-1 licenses, signifying a high level of trust. However, Exness surpasses Trading 212 in Tier-2 licenses, possessing three compared to Trading 212's none, hinting at greater regulatory diversity.
Delving into their trustworthiness, Trading 212 has a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 79, positioning it as an average-risk broker. Exness edges out with a slightly higher score of 81, falling into the trusted category. These scores reflect their regulatory status and reputations in the trading community, offering insights for those deciding which platform aligns best with their trading preferences and trust levels.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2004 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
For those considering Trading 212 for their online trading needs, it's important to note they offer two main account types: Invest for shares and CFD for contracts for difference. While the Invest account requires a minimal deposit of just 1 euro, the CFD account requires a 10 euro minimum deposit. The headlines often tout their zero-commission trading, but there is still a cost in the form of spreads, particularly in forex and CFD trading. In January 2024, the average spread on the popular EUR/USD currency pair was 1.9 pips, which is above the industry average. This places Trading 212 at a less favorable standing compared to leading competitors in the sector. For those evaluating this platform, it's noteworthy that Trading 212 holds a 4-star rating and secures the 43rd spot out of 62 in the Commissions and Fees category by ForexBrokers.com.
Exness, on the other hand, provides a wider range of options with its five main account types: two standard and three professional. Additionally, traders interested in social copy trading can choose from the Social Standard and Social Pro accounts, tailored for strategy sharing. The overall trading costs you'll incur depend on the selected account. For instance, the Zero Spread account charges a $0.05 per-trade commission while providing market execution, with high leverage and no stop-out restrictions. Similarly, the Raw account has a per-trade commission of up to $7 per round turn lot and emphasizes low spreads with market execution. Exness also achieves a 4-star rating for commissions and fees, holding the 35th rank among 62 brokers evaluated by ForexBrokers.com.
In summary, while both Trading 212 and Exness offer competitive trading conditions, their fee structures are distinct. Trading 212’s higher spreads in the CFD domain might deter some traders, despite their zero-commission claim. In contrast, Exness provides varied account options, balancing between commission-based and commission-free accounts designed to cater to different trading preferences. When choosing between these brokers, consider whether low spreads or flexible account types align more closely with your trading strategies and financial goals.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €10 | $10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.9 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.9 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When considering the range of investments available, Trading 212 and Exness both provide forex trading as a CFD or spot contract. However, Trading 212 stands out with an impressive offering of 8,025 tradeable symbols compared to Exness's 227. Specifically in forex trading, Trading 212 again takes the lead with 146 tradeable forex pairs, surpassing Exness’s 96 pairs. Furthermore, Trading 212 provides access to exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, allowing you to invest in shares like Apple and Vodafone. In contrast, Exness does not offer exchange-traded securities, focusing instead on forex and derivatives.
While both platforms allow trading in cryptocurrency derivatives rather than actual cryptocurrencies, Trading 212 does not offer copy trading, a feature that is available with Exness. Reviews by ForexBrokers.com reflect these differences in offering depth; Trading 212 receives a superior rating of five stars for its range of investments, while Exness earns a 3.5-star rating. Consequently, Trading 212 is ranked 15th out of 62 brokers in the Range of Investments category, whereas Exness is positioned at 55th, highlighting a significant variance in their offerings to potential investors.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8025 | 227 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 146 | 96 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing Trading 212 and Exness, both brokers stand out with their in-house developed platforms, offering seamless web-based trading experiences suitable for both beginners and savvy traders. Both provide simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts, an essential feature for those wanting to practice without risk. However, Exness goes a bit further by offering a Windows desktop trading platform, which Trading 212 lacks. This makes Exness potentially more versatile for those who prefer desktop applications.
In terms of additional features, Exness has the upper hand with its offering of MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, popular platforms that provide advanced functionalities for traders seeking in-depth tools. It also supports copy trading, a feature missing from Trading 212's offerings. Chart enthusiasts might appreciate Exness's 87 drawing tools compared to Trading 212's 20, and its more comprehensive watch lists with seven columns instead of five. Despite the differences, both brokers are similarly rated with four stars for their trading platforms and tools, though Trading 212 ranks slightly higher at #20 compared to Exness's #26 according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 54 | 107 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 87 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps of Trading 212 and Exness, both offer iPhone and Android apps that ensure you have access from any mobile device. Both platforms support stock and forex price alerts, and allow traders to draw trendlines and explore multiple time frames on their charts. Where Trading 212 stands out is in its extensive offering of 104 technical studies for charting, compared to Exness's 35, and its ability to automatically save drawings, which Exness does not. Additionally, Trading 212 provides watchlist symbol syncing, meaning your custom lists will automatically update in real time whether you're on your mobile device or online account, an option not available with Exness.
When it comes to stock and forex trading on-the-go, both apps score an impressive 4 stars out of 5. However, Trading 212 ranks higher at #17 in ForexBrokers.com's Mobile Trading Apps category, compared to Exness, which places at #26 among 62 brokers. With both platforms offering real-time quotes in watchlists, traders can stay updated and responsive to market changes, but Trading 212's additional technical features and convenience with syncing make it a compelling choice for those seeking a more integrated trading experience.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 35 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, Trading 212 and Exness each have their unique strengths and offerings for traders. Trading 212 provides forex news from reputable sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, ensuring traders stay informed with the latest industry insights. They also offer a sentiment-based trading tool that displays the ratio of long to short positions across various currency pairs and other instruments. Additionally, Trading 212 includes an economic calendar designed to track current and upcoming global economic events, helping traders make more informed decisions. However, Trading 212 does not offer daily market commentary, or tools from Autochartist and Trading Central, which may limit the depth of research available for technical analysis enthusiasts.
On the other hand, Exness stands out with its daily market commentary, providing users with comprehensive updates on market trends. Exness also supplies forex news from high-profile sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, similar to Trading 212. Like its counterpart, Exness features both a sentiment-based trading tool and an economic calendar. A notable advantage for Exness users is the inclusion of tools from Trading Central, offering technical analysis services that Trading 212 lacks. Despite these differences, both platforms have received equal ratings of 3.5 stars for their research capabilities, with Trading 212 ranked #46 and Exness ranked slightly higher at #41 by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to catering to beginners, Trading 212 and Exness both offer educational resources with at least ten pieces focused on forex or CFDs. However, Trading 212 stands out by providing monthly educational webinars and a searchable archive of previously recorded webinars, while Exness lacks the live monthly webinar feature but still offers an archive of past sessions. Both platforms offer numerous beginner-focused videos, though Trading 212 also includes advanced video content tailored for more experienced traders, a feature Exness does not provide. Additionally, both brokers supply an investor dictionary with definitions for over 50 investing terms, supporting new traders in understanding key concepts.
In terms of overall educational value, both Trading 212 and Exness receive a rating of 3.5 stars. Despite this, Trading 212 has a higher ranking in the Education category by ForexBrokers.com, positioned at #20 compared to Exness's #47 out of 62 brokers. This suggests that while the two are comparable in several educational aspects, Trading 212's additional resources, such as interactive webinars and advanced videos, might provide beginners with a more comprehensive learning experience.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Trading 212 is better than Exness. Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #31, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #43.
Best known for its mobile trading app, Trading 212 offers an easy-to-use trading platform suite for CFD and share trading, as well as a large variety of forex pairs. However, despite its well-designed platform and wide range of symbols, its lack of advanced trading tools and flat research offerings hamper Trading 212’s bid to be considered a top broker.
| Feature |
Trading 212
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 79 | 81 |
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Both Trading 212 and Exness do not provide the option to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do offer opportunities to invest in cryptocurrency derivatives.
Trading 212 offers ACH, SEPA, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire options for deposits and withdrawals, while Exness provides options for Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires, but does not support ACH, SEPA, or PayPal.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Trading 212 | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 79 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trading 212 Review | Exness Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Trading 212 | Exness | |
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| Regulation | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 79 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 2004 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Investments | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8025 | 227 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 146 | 96 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.9 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.9 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | €10 | $10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 5 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 54 | 107 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 20 | 87 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 35 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Trading 212 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Trading 212 Review | Exness Review |
| Overall | Trading 212 | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 79 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Trading 212 Review | Exness Review |
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