Best Online Brokers Germany

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Comparison: Best Online Brokers Germany

best online broker Germany

Last update: 16 August 2022

With the current low interest rates, investing into stocks and ETFs becomes more and more popular, also among foreigners living in Germany. In the past it used to be rather tricky to get access to the stock market. Opening a broker account in Germany was complicated and fees were high. In the recent years this has changed dramatically.  New players like Trade Republic have emerged, leading to lower fees and a more convenient trading experience.

In this article we are going to give you an overview of the best online brokers in Germany for trading stocks, ETFs and more. We will have a look at both new discount trading platforms and broker accounts of traditional banks. And you will learn more about the fee structure and the tradable assets (e.g. stocks, ETFs, options, etc.). Find your best online broker in Germany now!

Top 3 – Best Online Brokers Germany

Trade Republic
1.00 €fee per trade
  • Trading app available in English & German
  • Trade stocks, ETFs & cryptocurrencies
  • Free savings plans for 4,000 stocks & ETFs
  • Long trading hours 07:30 - 23:00h
Scalable
0.99 €fee per trade (starting from)
  • Trading app available in English & German
  • Free savings plans for more than 1,900 ETFs
  • Trade stocks, funds, ETFs and cryptocurrencies
Smartbroker
0.00 €fee per trade (starting from)
  • Trading fees starting at 0 EUR/trade
  • Large amount of tradable stocks & ETFs
  • Free savings plans for approx. 300 ETFs

Detailed Overview – Best Discount Trading Platforms

Trade Republic

broker account germany trade republicTrade Republic is the new kid on the block among the best online brokers in Germany. With the launch of their trading app in May 2019, they revolutionized the broker market in Germany. It was for the first time that trading was possible conveniently from your mobile at low fees. Whereas traditional banks easily charge 10-20 EUR per trade, Trade Republic only charges 1 EUR. And that’s the only fee you’re paying! There are no account maintenance or deposit fees. With trade republic you can invest in more than 8,500 stocks and ETFs. Furthermore you can set up savings plans for 4,000 stocks and ETFs that are completely free of charge. Like this, you can easily put money aside and invest it into the stock market. Additionally you can also trade cryptocurrencies, options and certificates (for the advanced traders amongst us 😎). The Trade Republic app is very intuitive and allows you to trade easily from your mobile phone. Another big advantage is the user interface that is available both in English and German. All in all definitely one of the best trading apps and one of the best trading platform in Germany!

  Trading app available in English & German
  Trade from your smartphone more than 8,500 stocks and ETFs
  Trading fee only 1 EUR per trade
  
Free savings plans for more than 4,000 stocks and ETFs
  Long trading hours from 07:30 till 23:00h
   Open your account easily from your smartphone via VideoChat

Open your Trade Republic Account!


Scalable Broker

Scalable CapitalHistorically a robo-advisor, Scalable now also offers a free online brokerage account. Trading fees are starting at 0.99 EUR per trade, depending on which exchange you are trading on. Furthermore Scalable offers a flat fee model that allows you to trade without any trade fees by paying a monthly fixed fee (Prime Broker for 35.88 EUR/year or Prime Broker Flex for 4.99 EUR/month). Scalable offers more than 1,900 free ETF savings plans (no order fees) and you can invest in over 6,000 shares worldwide, more than 2,000 funds and more than 10 cryptocurrencies. You can trade both via app or browser and English and German are supported. 

  Trading app & website available in English & German
  Trading fees starting at 0.99 EUR per trade
  
Free savings plans for more than 1,900 ETFs
  Trading via app or browser
  Open your account easily from your smartphone via VideoChat

Open your Scalable Account!


Smartbroker

smartbroker trading app germanyIn 2019 the German stock market portal wallstreet:online launched the trading platform Smartbroker. Similarly to Trade Republic, they also offer trading at very low fees. However their pricing structure is a bit more complex… You can trade all kinds of stocks, investment funds, ETFs options etc. starting at 0 EUR (if you use the gettex trading system). If you use other trading systems such as Lang & Schwarz or Xetra, the price can go up to 4 EUR per trade, which is still a very good price compared to traditional brokers. Smartbroker also offers almost 300 free ETF savings plans (no order fees).  A minor drawback is the fact that trading is only possible through their website, as they do not have an app (yet). To wrap it up, Smartbroker is a great alternative to known online brokers in Germany as they offer a competitive pricing and a big selection of stocks and ETFs. 

  No limitation on tradable stocks and ETFs
  Trading fees starting at 0 EUR per trade
  
Free savings plans for almost 300 ETFs
  Open your account easily from your smartphone via VideoChat

 Trading only via website (no app)
 Trading website is only available in German

Open your Smartbroker Account!


Detailed Overview – Best Traditional Broker Accounts

comdirect

comdirect broker account germany comdirect is a direct bank that is present on the German market since the 1990’s. With comdirect, which is a brand of Commerzbank, you can trade all kinds of stocks and ETFs via their website as well as via their app on your mobile phone. Trading fees start at 3.90 EUR per trade for the first 12 months (after that trading fees start at 9.90 EUR/trade). For the first three years you do not pay an account maintenance fee (after that 1.95 EUR/month). Savings plans on stocks, ETFs and certificates cost 0.25% of the order value. One of the major advantages of comdirect is the vast availability of all kinds of stocks, ETFs and certificates that can be traded via their intuitive mobile app, which makes it one of the best online broker in Germany.

  No limitation on tradable stocks and ETFs
  Low trading fees for the first year (3.90 EUR/trade)
  Open your account easily from your smartphone via VideoChat

 Increase in fees after a certain time (e.g. account maintenance fee)
 Trading website and app only available in German

Open your comdirect Broker Account!


ING

trading platform ing germanyBeing on the German market since more than 20 years, ING is a well-established provider for broker accounts. The ING broker account is free of charge (i.e. no account maintenance fees) and the trading fees are with 4.90 EUR/trade + 0.25% of the order value comparably low. ING offers access to pretty much all kinds of tradable stocks, ETFs and so on. Fees for savings plans are starting at 1 EUR per transaction. Trading is possible both via their web platform as well as via the mobile app. ING is therefore one of the best traditional online broker accounts in Germany as they offer a large amount of tradable stocks & ETFs at competitive prices.

  No limitation on tradable stocks and ETFs
  Low trading fees (4.90 EUR/trade + 0.25%)
  
No account maintenance fees
  Savings plans starting at 1 EUR
  Open your account easily from your smartphone via VideoChat

 Trading website and app only available in German
 

Open your ING Broker Account!


Commerzbank

commerzbank online brokerage accountCommerzbank is one of the biggest German private banks and they also offer a free online brokerage account. With the Commerzbank DirektDepo trading is possible on all national and international stock exchanges and a wide range of tradable assets (e.g. stocks, ETFs, certificates or bonds) is available. You can trade trade via browser or app and there are no depository fees if you trade at least once per quarter (otherwise 0.175% p.a., min. 4.95 EUR per quarter). Order fees of 0.25% of the price or nominal value apply and in addition a flat rate of 4.90 EUR (total minimum 9.90 EUR). The Commerzbank DirektDepot supports savings plans from as little as 25 EUR and the interface is available in both English and German.

  Trading app & website available in English & German
  Trading on all national & international stock exchanges
  Wide range of tradable assets
  No depositary fees if you trade at least once per month
  Savings plans starting at 25 EUR
  Open your account easily online via VideoChat

Open your Commerzbank Broker Account!


Which financial products can you trade with an online broker?

You want to trade successfully and profitably in the long term? Then you’ve probably asked yourself which financial product is the safest way to do that with an online broker in Germany. After all, there is a real jungle of them…

There are for example…

  • Stocks,
  • FOREX (currencies),
  • CFD’s and ETF’s,
  • Swaps
  • Cryptocurrencies
  • Futures or
  • options,

…to name just a few of the best known. Maybe you already have a business bank account, that allow you to trade online.

best financial products for trading
Fees online brokers Germany

At a glance: Possible costs when trading with an online broker in Germany

In the following, you will find a clear overview of all possible costs and fees that can be incurred when trading shares with an online broker in Germany. This gives you the ideal opportunity to calculate all costs incurred and to participate successfully in stock trading accordingly with one of the best online stock broker in Germany.

Costs for securities account management

Many online brokers in Germany or best brokerage account in Germany charge monthly fees for maintaining and using a trading account. Other providers make the securities account available free of charge for regular use. Here it is worthwhile to take a look at the account conditions of the respective broker.

Commission for order placement

In most cases, a fee is due for the placement of an order in the form of a commission charged by the participating bank. The commission is based on the investment amount, but often there are minimum and maximum limits.

The broker’s order fees

If no free trading is offered, the online broker usually also charges a fee for order placement. This can be even higher over the phone than when placing the order online.

The fees at the stock exchange

The exchange involved also usually charges fees for placing an order. This fee can vary from exchange to exchange, in Frankfurt at least 2.52 euros per transaction are due.

Beginners in trading – the most common mistakes

Especially the stop marks help the beginner to avoid two common mistakes in trading with a stock trading platform in Germany: Exiting profitable positions too quickly and closing losing positions too late.

Many traders want to secure the profits they have made as quickly as possible. Psychology is also the reason why beginners often close losing positions too late.

Investors hope for a recovery soon, even if company figures and the market environment speak against it.

Emotions can play a major role here. However, emotions should be left out of the equation entirely. Instead, the facts at hand should always have the upper hand.

mistakes in trading with an online broker in Germany
How to start trading

How do I start online trading in Germany?

Open a demo account now and practice your trading strategy with a paper trading account without risking real money. This can be very useful in fine-tuning your investment strategy and testing whether an idea you are pursuing is developing as expected. Then, when you are confident enough in your abilities, switch to a live online stock broker account and invest real money.

8 important factors to consider when choosing the best online brokers Germany

One of the most important decisions to make if you want to speculate in the stock market has nothing to do with stocks, bonds or mutual funds. The crucial decision is choosing the best online broker in Germany. The problem: there are countless companies offering online brokerage accounts and services on the Internet. So how do you find out which one ist the best german online broker?

Full-service broker

When starting out in online trading in Germany, you should consider a full-service broker. They are often best for beginners who still need to build knowledge and confidence in the markets, as they help clients with investment and divestment decisions. Later on, on the way to becoming a sophisticated investor, you can still switch to a discount broker where you can invest and trade money completely on your own.

Alternative trading offers flexibility

Although the internet is now firmly entrenched in most people’s everyday lives, we are not always near an internet-enabled device. So, one should check what other options the broker offers for placing trades. Other options may include phone trades or fax orders, among others. Word to the wise: one should make sure to know the prices for these alternatives among the best German online brokers, as they often differ from those of online trading.

Obtain info and experience

Information about the online broker itself and the experiences of people are hugely important. What do other users say about the online broker in Germany? Just like before buying a stock, the more information you gather in advance, the less likely you are to be disappointed later.

Cheap is not always good

The adage “you get what you pay for” should always be present when choosing your best online broker in Germany. As with anything you buy, the price can be an indication of quality. So, one should not open an account with a broker simply because it offers the lowest custody costs. In addition, one should know the order costs. The prices for this vary often between 0 and 40 euros per order. The small print should also be read carefully because it is often regulated here which services are charged at which prices. In many cases, there are higher fees for limited orders, options, and for trades over the phone with a broker.

Pay attention to the minimum deposit

Some of the best online brokers Germany require a minimum deposit into the account. You should therefore inform yourself thoroughly beforehand whether there is such a “compulsory deposit” and if so, how high it is. You should not make a minimum deposit that is too high unless you can easily raise the required amount.

The product selection is important

When choosing a broker, most people probably think first and foremost about buying stocks. However, one should also keep in mind that there are many investment alternatives, that are not offered by every broker. These include CFDs, municipal bonds, futures, options, and even gold/silver certificates. Some brokerages also offer other financial services such as accounts and credit cards.

Customer service matters

There is nothing more annoying than waiting in a queue or loop to get help. Before opening an account, it is advisable to make a test call to the customer service department at the broker of choice to test how knowledgeable the staff there is and how long it takes to get an answer to the question asked.

Return on balance with the broker

Often you have some unused money on the deposit account. Some online brokers offer interest in this, while others do not offer a cent for this. The conditions should be quickly found out with a phone call or e-mail. Such a question is good, for example, to find out whether the customer service is any good!


Summary – Best Online Brokers Germany

online broker germany how to choose

So wether you are looking for a best broker Germany, best trading platform Germany, best ETF broker Germany or a stock broker Germany, this companies offer the best service for you. Opening a brokerage account Germany is not difficult. But before signing up for a broker, make sure you know your priorities. Are you trading frequently and most of the time from your mobile? Then one of the above mentioned discount trading platforms is your choice as trading fees are low and you can conveniently trade from your mobile.

In contrast, are you trading not that often but with higher amounts? Then you should go for traditional stock brokers in Germany, like the best online brokers in Germany, they offer a large selection of tradable assets at reasonable trading fees. Or you looking for one of the best bank accounts in Germany? No problem, we got you covered!


 

Disclaimer: This article reflects my personal opinion about the above mentioned online broker providers and their offered policies. I am not giving online broker advice nor am I working for the above mentioned companies. However the article contains affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission if you use those links.

2 Comments. Leave new

  • Hi,
    I am a foreign national come to Germany with a student visa and I would like to trade in Forex. Can you please guide me how can I do So?

    Reply

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