Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Swissquote 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.
Swissquote and Trading 212 are popular online brokers, each offering unique features to investors. Established in 1996, Swissquote stands out as a publicly traded bank with a solid presence, boasting a perfect Trust Score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. With a total of five Tier-1 licenses and an additional Tier-2 license, Swissquote is highly regarded for its reliability and trustworthiness in the trading community.
Trading 212, launched in 2004, is distinct in that it is not publicly listed nor a banking institution. It carries a Trust Score of 79, placing it in the average risk category. Trading 212 holds two Tier-1 licenses but lacks Tier-2 licenses, which are used for comprehensive trust evaluations by ForexBrokers.com. While both brokers have their strengths, Swissquote generally offers a higher level of trust and security for investors, as suggested by its regulatory standings.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2004 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
When comparing Swissquote to Trading 212 in terms of commissions and fees, there's a notable distinction in their offerings. Swissquote, a reputable Swiss banking entity, charges a premium for its accounts. It offers multiple account types across its U.K., Switzerland, and Luxembourg entities, with varying deposit requirements and spreads. Swissquote U.K. offers lower trading costs with accounts such as the Elite, where active traders benefit from spreads starting at 0.6 pips and a $5 commission per round-turn trade. The Swiss entity, however, is on the higher end, with spreads from 1.1 pips in Prime accounts, making them less competitive. Swissquote is rated 3.5 stars out of five for commissions and fees and is ranked 52nd out of 62 brokers.
Conversely, Trading 212 provides a straightforward approach with two main accounts: the Invest and the CFD account. Focusing on the CFD account, which has a nominal minimum deposit of 10 euros, Trading 212 promotes zero-commission trading but compensates with spreads, averaging 1.9 pips for the EUR/USD pair as of January 2024. While this is higher than the industry norm, the ease of entry and transparent pricing still attracts many traders. Trading 212 scores higher with a 4-star rating for commissions and fees, placing it at 43rd out of 62 brokers considered by ForexBrokers.com.
In summary, while Swissquote offers a sense of security and prestige at a higher cost, it might not appeal to traders seeking the lowest fees. Trading 212, although not always the cheapest due to its above-average spreads, provides a more accessible entry point with its zero-commission model. These factors make Trading 212 slightly more appealing in the realm of fee structures for casual and new traders looking to minimize upfront investment.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | €10 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | 1.9 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.9 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | 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 Swissquote and Trading 212 for their range of investments, both brokers facilitate forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts. Swissquote provides access to 472 tradeable symbols, comprising 80 forex pairs. In contrast, Trading 212 boasts a significantly larger selection with 8025 tradeable symbols and 146 forex pairs. Both platforms allow clients to invest in U.S. and international exchange-traded securities, such as Apple and Vodafone shares. Swissquote holds an edge with the provision of copy trading services, while Trading 212 does not offer this feature.
Swissquote provides its users the option to purchase actual cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas Trading 212 only offers derivatives. Both platforms are rated five stars for their range of investments by ForexBrokers.com. However, Swissquote is ranked #2 among 62 brokers in this category, showcasing its strong positioning in the market. Trading 212, while also highly rated, ranks #15, indicating that it may not offer the same level of investment variety and features to accommodate all traders.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 8025 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 146 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | 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 looking at trading platforms and tools, both Swissquote and Trading 212 cater to traders by offering proprietary platforms developed in-house, making them unique in their approach. Swissquote stands out by providing a Windows-based desktop platform, while Trading 212 does not. Both brokers offer web-based platforms that allow you to trade directly from your browser. Swissquote offers a broader selection of features for advanced traders, including access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, which Trading 212 does not provide. This gives Swissquote a distinct advantage for those who prefer these popular platforms.
Both Swissquote and Trading 212 offer simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts, which is ideal for beginners learning the ropes of trading. However, when it comes to charting capabilities and customization, Swissquote offers more with 75 drawing tools compared to Trading 212's 20. Additionally, Swissquote's watchlist functionality is more extensive with 11 columns, whereas Trading 212 offers 5. Swissquote's commitment to providing a comprehensive toolset is reflected in its higher rating of 4.5 stars, compared to Trading 212's 4-star rating. This comprehensive approach places Swissquote at a more favorable ranking of #11 in the Trading Platforms and Tools category, while Trading 212 ranks at #21.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
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) | 86 | 54 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 5 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Swissquote and Trading 212 both offer impressive mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android devices, catering to users who wish to trade on the go. Both platforms provide essential features like stock and forex price alerts, the ability to draw trendlines, view multiple time frames on charts, and create watchlists with real-time quotes. Where these apps diverge, however, is in charting capabilities. Swissquote offers 30 technical studies for its mobile app charting, while Trading 212 provides a more extensive selection with 104 studies. Additionally, Trading 212 ensures a seamless experience by offering watchlist symbol syncing, allowing your mobile app and online account to stay consistent. Unfortunately, Swissquote does not include this synchronization feature.
When it comes to app ratings, Swissquote edges out slightly ahead with a 4.5-star rating compared to Trading 212’s 4-star rating. This is reflected in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where Swissquote stands at #10 out of 62 brokers in the Mobile Trading Apps category, while Trading 212 ranks at #17. Choosing between these two platforms will depend largely on what features you value most, but both offer strong mobile trading capabilities that can meet the needs of both novice and experienced traders.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
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.
When comparing Swissquote and Trading 212 for market research tools, Swissquote stands out with daily market commentary and forex news from high-quality sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. They also provide clients access to Autochartist, a well-known technical analysis tool, enhancing their research offerings. Although both brokers provide an economic calendar, Trading 212 does not supply the detailed market insights available from Swissquote's daily commentaries.
Swissquote scores slightly higher overall, receiving 4 stars for research compared to Trading 212's 3.5 stars. This is reflected in ForexBrokers.com's rankings, where Swissquote holds the 16th spot out of 62 brokers, while Trading 212 ranks 46th. While Trading 212 offers a sentiment-based trading tool to gauge market trends, Swissquote's combination of news sources and technical tools make it a more comprehensive choice for traders seeking in-depth market analysis.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
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 | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational offerings for beginners from Swissquote and Trading 212, both online brokers are strong contenders in providing valuable resources for learning forex and CFDs. Each company offers a minimum of ten educational materials, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, specifically focused on forex and CFDs. This ensures that beginners have ample content to get started with their trading education. Both Swissquote and Trading 212 also host monthly online educational webinars, along with maintaining a searchable archive of past sessions. This setup allows learners to access and review content at their convenience, enhancing the learning experience.
In addition to materials for beginners, both brokers offer at least ten advanced educational videos for seasoned traders, along with a comprehensive investor dictionary featuring over fifty investing terms. While Swissquote is rated with 4 stars for education and is ranked 21st by ForexBrokers.com, Trading 212 is closely behind with a 3.5-star rating and a 20th place ranking. This makes both platforms nearly equal in terms of educational value, though Swissquote slightly edges out Trading 212 in user ratings. Regardless of the choice, beginner traders are sure to find a wealth of informative resources to support their trading journey with either broker.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
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 Swissquote is better than Trading 212. Swissquote finished with an overall rank of #11, while Trading 212 finished with an overall rank of #31.
Traders choose Swissquote for its quality research and vast multi-asset offering – as long as they are willing to pay a premium to have their brokerage account held with a Swiss bank.
| Feature |
Swissquote
|
Trading 212
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 79 |
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Swissquote allows users to purchase actual cryptocurrencies and offers cryptocurrency derivatives, whereas Trading 212 specializes only in cryptocurrency derivatives, without the option for buying actual cryptocurrencies.
Both Swissquote and Trading 212 provide options for ACH or SEPA transfers, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires for depositing or withdrawing account funds, with the key difference being that Swissquote also supports Skrill, whereas Trading 212 does not.
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 | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 79 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
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| Regulation | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 79 | |
| Year Founded | 1996 | 2004 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | 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) | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 472 | 8025 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 80 | 146 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | 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 | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | N/A | 1.9 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.9 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1000 | €10 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Swissquote | 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 | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 5 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 86 | 54 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 75 | 20 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Swissquote | 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 | Swissquote | 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 | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Swissquote | 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 | Swissquote | 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 | Swissquote Review | Trading 212 Review |
| Overall | Swissquote | Trading 212 | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 79 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Swissquote Review | Trading 212 Review |
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