Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of HFM vs Trading 212, 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.
HFM, established in 2010, and Trading 212, founded in 2004, are both reputable online brokers, although neither is publicly traded or a banking institution. In terms of regulatory credentials, both companies hold two prestigious Tier-1 licenses, indicating a high level of trust. However, HFM stands out with an additional three Tier-2 licenses, while Trading 212 holds none in that category.
When considering overall trustworthiness, HFM earns a Trust Score of 86 out of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the "trusted" category. Trading 212, with a score of 79, is classified as having an "average risk." Both brokers offer a solid foundation of trust, but HFM's higher Trust Score and additional Tier-2 licenses may make it a preferable choice for risk-averse traders.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2004 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of online brokers HFM and Trading 212, traders will find some differences worth noting. HFM's trading costs are slightly above the industry average, with the standard trading account offering a typical spread of 1.2 pips. However, it's important to mention that this is not based on an average spread over a specific time period. For those opting for the Zero account, the effective spread is lowered to 0.7 pips after adding the commission, again without average data provided. Overall, HFM scores a 4-star rating for commissions and fees and ranks #31 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
On the other hand, Trading 212 advertises zero-commission trading for its two account types: the Invest account for shares and the CFD account for CFDs and forex. This analysis focuses on the CFD account, where trading does involve paying a spread. Notably, Trading 212 has begun sharing its average spread data, marking a positive step toward transparency. For January 2024, the average spread for the EUR/USD pair was reported at 1.9 pips, which is higher than the industry average, positioning the broker less favorably among top CFD and forex brokers. Trading 212 also receives a 4-star rating for commissions and fees but is ranked #43 out of 62 brokers in this category.
In summary, while both brokers receive similar star ratings in the commissions and fees category, HFM ranks higher than Trading 212. HFM offers a more competitive account option for low spreads, although neither broker emerges as a clear leader in terms of providing the most cost-effective trading experience.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 1.9 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing HFM and Trading 212 for their range of available investments, both brokers offer forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts. However, Trading 212 presents a significantly wider selection with 8,025 tradeable symbols, including 146 forex pairs, compared to HFM’s 500 tradeable symbols and 102 forex pairs. Additionally, Trading 212 allows clients access to exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international markets, enabling purchase of stocks like Apple and Vodafone, while HFM does not provide this service. Both brokers support trading in cryptocurrency derivatives but not actual cryptocurrencies, though HFM offers the advantage of copy trading for those looking for social trading options.
In terms of ratings and rankings, Trading 212 edges ahead with a 5-star rating for its range of investments, and it is ranked 15th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Meanwhile, HFM holds a 4-star rating and is ranked 36th in the same category. This suggests that while both platforms have valuable offerings, Trading 212 provides a more diverse investment portfolio, which may appeal to traders looking for broad access to various financial instruments.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 8025 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 146 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| 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.
Both HFM and Trading 212 provide competitive trading platforms and tools, each catering to different user preferences. HFM offers comprehensive options with a proprietary platform and supports Windows-based desktop trading, which is ideal for traders who value flexibility and robust in-house technology. It provides popular third-party platforms like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) for those seeking familiar industry standards. Additionally, HFM supports features such as simulated trading with demo accounts, and copy trading options, which can be beneficial for new traders learning the ropes. On the other hand, Trading 212 shines with its in-house proprietary platform, accessible via web browsers, making it a great choice for traders who prefer a streamlined, web-based experience. Both brokers excel in offering the ability to trade directly from stock charts, enhancing the overall trading experience.
When it comes to charting tools, HFM provides 30 drawing tools, while Trading 212 offers 20. Both brokers allow trading from charts, facilitating a smoother trading process. HFM offers more columns for watchlists compared to Trading 212, offering greater customization and tracking capabilities for users. Despite both earning four-star ratings for their trading platforms and tools, Trading 212 manages a higher rank at #20 compared to HFM’s #42 in ForexBrokers.com’s category-specific ranking. This comparison highlights that while both HFM and Trading 212 have strong offerings, the choice largely depends on individual preferences regarding trading platforms and ease of access.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 54 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 5 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading, both HFM and Trading 212 offer well-rated apps for iPhone and Android devices, allowing traders the flexibility to engage in trading activities on the go. Both platforms provide essential features like stock and forex price alerts and the ability to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames on charts. Notably, Trading 212 stands out with its comprehensive offering of 104 technical studies for charting, significantly surpassing HFM, which provides 30. Additionally, Trading 212 offers seamless watchlist symbol syncing between its mobile app and the client's online account, a feature not available with HFM's app.
While both apps have garnered a solid 4-star rating, the rankings by ForexBrokers.com vary, with Trading 212 positioned at #17 and HFM at #39 out of 62 brokers for mobile trading apps. Both apps allow users to create watchlists with real-time quotes and automatically save chart drawings, enhancing user experience. These similarities make both platforms viable options, but Trading 212's additional features may offer a more integrated and detailed trading experience for those who require advanced charting capabilities and seamless account synchronization.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 104 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
HFM and Trading 212 both serve traders with various market research tools, though there are notable differences between the two. HFM offers daily market commentary and exclusive technical analysis tools from Autochartist, which Trading 212 does not provide. Both platforms supply forex news from renowned sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, and also feature sentiment-based trading tools, highlighting the ratio of long or short positions in various markets. Each broker offers an economic calendar to keep traders informed about pertinent global news events.
In terms of research capabilities, HFM scores higher with a four-star rating and is ranked 20th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com for its research offerings. Trading 212 receives a slightly lower rating of 3.5 stars and falls to 46th place in the same ranking. Neither broker includes resources from TipRanks or Acuity Trading, nor offers Trading Central's analysis tools. Overall, HFM appears to provide a more comprehensive research experience compared to Trading 212.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| 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 offering educational resources for beginners, both HFM and Trading 212 provide ample materials to help newcomers understand forex and CFDs. Each broker offers more than 10 educational pieces, including articles and videos, dedicated to teaching the basics of forex and CFDs. Additionally, both platforms host online client webinars at least once a month, supplementing their educational offerings with a searchable archive of past webinars. This ensures that learning doesn't stop at live sessions; users can revisit content to reinforce their understanding long after the webinars have concluded.
For those starting their trading journey, HFM and Trading 212 both offer at least 10 beginner-friendly videos on trading topics. They also provide resources for more advanced traders, with a similar number of educational videos tailored for experienced traders. Moreover, each broker has an investor dictionary containing definitions for over 50 investing terms, providing a helpful reference for learners. Despite the educational similarities, HFM is rated 4 stars for education, slightly ahead of Trading 212's 3.5 stars, though the latter is ranked higher in the ForexBrokers.com education category. HFM comes in at #37, while Trading 212 stands at #20 out of 62 brokers.
| Feature |
HFM
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| 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 HFM is better than Trading 212. HFM finished with an overall rank of #30, while Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #31.
Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, a proprietary HF mobile app, and a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average.
| Feature |
HFM
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Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 79 |
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Both HFM and Trading 212 do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they each provide the option to invest in cryptocurrency derivatives.
HFM and Trading 212 offer Visa, Mastercard, and bank wire options for fund deposits and withdrawals, but differ in providing transfer services: Trading 212 supports ACH, SEPA, and PayPal, whereas HFM offers Skrill.
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 | HFM | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 79 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | HFM | Trading 212 | |
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| Regulation | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 86 | 79 | |
| Year Founded | 2010 | 2004 | |
| 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 | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 500 | 8025 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 102 | 146 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| 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 | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.2 | 1.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.7 | 1.9 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | €10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 5 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 15 | 54 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 30 | 20 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 104 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | HFM | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HFM Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Overall | HFM | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 86 | 79 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | HFM Review | Trading 212 Review |
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