The best way of addressing the question is to assess the two sides' purposes and objectives and then assessing whether these objectives were achieved. The Americans sought to prevent the impressment of sailors from American ships, at least that was the pretext for the war. They also sought the freedom to trade with France despite Britain's embargo on that trade. They also sought to invade Canada, whether to annex it or force Britain to concede US demands is debatable. Britain sought to defend Canada, maintain it's blockade and maintain it's right to impress British seamen wherever they might be. They launched raids on Washington and New Orleans to divert the US from Canada, and to force US withdrawal from hostilities. With the Treaty of Ghent that ended the war, the US renounced any claims to Canada, Britain had already ceased to impress seamen on US ships asv the current war against Buonaparte had ended and the Navy was being demobilised and seamen were being paid off, and, the blockade had ended for the same reason. The result was that things went back to the way they were, with Britain not accepting US demands on the freedom of the seas or freedom from impressment, but de facto accepting the situation, for now. Did Britain or the US achieve their objectives?

It depends on who you ask. American historians tend to say the U.S. won because the British retreated. From the British perspective, they accomplished their objective of preventing anyone from trading with Napoleonic France.They took Washington D.C. and burnt it down. The retreat came only when other issues within the empire required attention. A Canadian historian would say Canada won because they successfully defended their borders against America. There's no real winner here. However, It can be argued that America came out of the war with the 'best' result. The sense of independence that America gained from winning a second war of independence an removed the major allies native Americans had in Europe, allowing for a rapid consolidation of land.