⚡ DEGIRO in a nutshell
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€1 per trade + €1 connection fee per exchange. One of the cheapest traditional brokers in Europe. ETFs on the Core Selection list are completely free (one free trade per ETF per day).
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Owned by flatexDEGIRO — a German licensed bank. flatexDEGIRO Bank AG holds a full banking licence from BaFin, giving DEGIRO clients stronger regulatory backing than pure broker competitors.
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50+ exchanges in 30 countries. Access to stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, futures and warrants across major global exchanges. Broader market access than most neo-brokers.
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No inactivity fee. Unlike many competitors, DEGIRO charges no monthly or annual inactivity fee. Ideal for investors who trade infrequently.
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MiCAR-licensed CASP — crypto via ETFs & ETNs. flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch holds a MiCAR Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) licence, one of the first EU-regulated brokers to do so. Crypto exposure is through Bitcoin, Ethereum and other tracker products (ETNs/ETFs from VanEck, CoinShares, WisdomTree, 21Shares). No spot coin purchases or crypto wallet.
⚠️ What to watch out for
- ⚠ No ISA wrapper available for UK investors — gains are subject to CGT
- ⚠ FX conversion charged at 0.25% + €0.50 per trade on non-euro assets — adds up for US stock investors
- ⚠ Securities lending: by default DEGIRO lends your shares to third parties (opt out in settings if you prefer)
- ⚠ Annual connectivity fee of €2.50 per exchange for certain markets (US exchanges included in base)
WhichBrokr Category Ratings
Overview
DEGIRO was founded in 2013 in Amsterdam and quickly became one of Europe's most popular retail brokers thanks to its ultra-low fee structure. In 2021, DEGIRO merged with flatexDEGIRO Bank AG, a German bank regulated by BaFin, significantly strengthening its regulatory standing. Today DEGIRO operates in 18 European countries and offers access to over 50 exchanges worldwide.
The fee proposition is clear: €1 transaction fee plus a €1 exchange connectivity fee per trade on most markets. For ETFs on DEGIRO's "Core Selection" list (which includes popular iShares, Vanguard and Amundi ETFs), trading is completely free — one free trade per product per calendar day. This makes DEGIRO particularly attractive for passive investors building diversified ETF portfolios.
DEGIRO is not a CFD or forex broker — it offers only real securities. This is intentional: the platform targets long-term investors rather than active traders. The trade-off is a simpler, less feature-rich interface compared to platforms like xStation 5 or Interactive Brokers. There's no demo account, no advanced charting, and the mobile app is functional but basic.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- €1 per trade — among the cheapest in Europe for real stocks
- Core Selection ETFs completely free (one trade/day per ETF)
- No inactivity fee — ideal for occasional investors
- Backed by flatexDEGIRO Bank AG (BaFin banking licence)
- 50+ global exchanges — broad market access
- No minimum deposit
- Clean, straightforward interface — easy for beginners
- Options and futures available (rare among low-cost EU brokers)
❌ Cons
- 0.25% + €0.50 FX fee on non-EUR trades — expensive for US stock investors
- No spot crypto, CFDs or forex — crypto exposure via ETNs/ETFs only (no coin ownership)
- No ISA or SIPP for UK investors
- Interface is functional but lacks advanced charting and research tools
- Securities lending enabled by default — opt out manually in settings
- No demo account
- Customer support primarily email/chat — slower than phone-based alternatives
🔍 Broker Audit Report
A structured assessment across 5 pillars — regulation, tax/legal, costs, features and platform accessibility. Updated July 2026.
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1. Legal Entity & Capital Protection
Who holds your money and what protection you have
Licensed Entity
DEGIRO B.V. — Amsterdam, Netherlands (AFM/DNB regulated). Part of flatexDEGIRO Bank AG (BaFin full banking licence, Germany). Client assets are managed by DEGIRO B.V. as an investment firm.
Regulators
BaFin (Germany — banking licence via parent flatexDEGIRO Bank AG) · AFM (Netherlands — DEGIRO B.V.) · FCA (UK — DEGIRO B.V. UK) · MiCAR CASP (flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch — licensed Crypto Asset Service Provider under EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation)
Investor Compensation
Netherlands: DSI/Beleggerscompensatiestelsel covers up to €20,000 for investments. UK: FSCS covers up to £85,000. Client securities are held in a separate legal entity (SPV) — Stichting DEGIRO — outside DEGIRO's own balance sheet.
Securities Custody
Client securities are held by Stichting DEGIRO, a separate legal foundation. This legal structure means your shares are not an asset of DEGIRO B.V. and cannot be claimed by DEGIRO's creditors. Cash, however, is NOT protected by DGS unless held in a flatex bank account.
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2. Tax & Reporting
What DEGIRO does for you at tax time
Annual Tax Statement
DEGIRO provides an annual overview of your transactions, dividends received, and realized gains/losses. Available to download as PDF or CSV. Format varies by country entity.
Dividend Withholding
DEGIRO supports W-8BEN completion to reduce US dividend withholding from 30% to the treaty rate (typically 15% for EU residents). Ensure you complete this in your account settings.
Tax Wrappers
❌ No ISA ❌ No SIPP ❌ No PEA DEGIRO does not offer any tax-advantaged account wrappers. All gains and dividends are subject to tax in your country of residence.
Securities Lending Tax
If you enable securities lending, income received from lending is treated as ordinary income in most jurisdictions (not as capital gains). By default, securities lending is enabled — disable it in Profile → Security settings.
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3. Total Cost of Ownership
The full fee picture for a DEGIRO investor
Trading Fee
€1.00 transaction fee + €1.00 exchange connectivity fee per trade on most European exchanges. US stocks: $0.50 + $0.004/share (very competitive). Core Selection ETFs: €0 (one free trade per product per day).
FX Conversion
0.25% currency conversion + €0.50 flat fee per trade on non-EUR assets. On a €1,000 US stock purchase this adds approximately €3 (0.25% + €0.50). Lower than XTB's 0.5% but still significant for frequent traders.
Non-Trading Fees
Inactivity: None. Deposit: €0. Withdrawal: €0. Annual custody (shares): €0. Annual connectivity (some non-standard exchanges): €2.50/exchange/year. No account maintenance fee.
Real Cost Example
Buying €5,000 of VWCE (Core Selection ETF): €0 commission. Buying €5,000 of Apple (NASDAQ): $0.50 + $0.004/share ≈ ~$1–2 plus FX conversion of ~0.25% ≈ €13 total. Very competitive.
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4. Asset Catalogue
What you can invest in through DEGIRO
Stocks
Thousands of stocks across 50+ exchanges in 30+ countries. Includes Euronext, Xetra, LSE, NYSE, NASDAQ, Tokyo, Hong Kong and more.
ETFs
Wide selection of ETFs. Core Selection list (~200 popular ETFs from iShares, Vanguard, Amundi, Xtrackers) are free to trade (1 per day).
Options & Futures
✅ Yes Options and futures available on major exchanges — rare among low-cost European brokers. €0.75 per options contract (US).
Crypto ETFs / CFDs
⚠️ Partial Crypto ETFs and ETNs available (Bitcoin, Ethereum trackers from VanEck, CoinShares, WisdomTree, 21Shares). No spot crypto, no CFDs, no forex. For direct coin ownership use Coinbase or Kraken.
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5. Platform & User Experience
How the DEGIRO platform performs day-to-day
Web Platform
✅ Yes Clean, functional web platform. Order types include market, limit and stop orders. Portfolio view is clear. No advanced charting built in — use TradingView or similar externally.
Mobile App
✅ iOS + Android Well-designed mobile app with good portfolio view, order management and price alerts. Rated 4.3★ iOS / 4.1★ Android.
Customer Support
Email and in-app chat. Phone support available in select countries. Response times generally 24–48 hours for email. Not ideal for urgent trading issues.
Research & Analysis
⚠ Limited DEGIRO provides basic fundamental data and news feeds. No proprietary research. Users typically supplement with external tools (TradingView, Morningstar, etc.).
Fees 4.4 / 5
DEGIRO is one of the cheapest traditional brokers in Europe. Core Selection ETF trades are free, stock trades cost from €1, and there is no inactivity fee.
| Fee type | DEGIRO | Market Average |
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| EU stock trade | €1 + €1 exchange fee | €1.95–€9.95 |
| US stock trade | $0.50 + $0.004/share | $0–$4.95 |
| Core Selection ETF | €0 (1 free trade/day) | €0–€2 |
| FX conversion | 0.25% + €0.50/trade | 0.15–1.5% |
| Options (US) | €0.75/contract | $0.65–$1.50 |
| Inactivity fee | None | €5–€15/month |
| Withdrawal | Free | Free–€5 |
The FX conversion fee (0.25% + €0.50) applies on every buy and sell of non-EUR assets. Investors holding US stocks long-term pay this twice — once buying and once selling.
Safety & Regulation 4.2 / 5
DEGIRO benefits from strong regulatory oversight via its parent flatexDEGIRO Bank AG, which holds a full BaFin banking licence.
| Parent company | flatexDEGIRO Bank AG — listed on Frankfurt Stock Exchange |
| Regulator | BaFin (DE), AFM (NL), FCA (UK) |
| Crypto regulation | MiCAR CASP licence — flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch is a licensed Crypto Asset Service Provider under EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR Art. 66) |
| UK client protection | £85,000 (FSCS) |
| EU client protection | €20,000 (investor compensation) |
| Securities custody | Stichting DEGIRO (separate legal foundation — off-balance-sheet) |
| Securities lending | Enabled by default — disable in settings |
| Operating since | 2013 |
| Negative balance protection | Yes — no leverage products |
Products & Asset Catalogue 4.1 / 5
DEGIRO offers broad market access across 50+ exchanges — well suited to international stock investors. Crypto exposure is available via Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs and ETNs; no spot crypto trading, no CFDs, no forex.
| Stocks | Thousands across 50+ global exchanges |
| ETFs | Wide selection — Core Selection list (~200 ETFs) free |
| Bonds | ✅ Available (government and corporate) |
| Options | ✅ Available (major exchanges) |
| Futures | ✅ Available (major exchanges) |
| Crypto ETFs & ETNs | ✅ Available — Bitcoin, Ethereum and other crypto trackers (VanEck, CoinShares, WisdomTree, 21Shares). No spot trading or coin custody. See DEGIRO's crypto offering ↗ |
| CFDs / Forex | ❌ Not available |
| Fractional shares | ❌ Not available |
What investors say about DEGIRO
👍 What investors praise
38%
Low trading fees
€1/trade + Core Selection ETFs free — one of cheapest brokers in Europe
26%
No inactivity fee
No monthly or annual charge; ideal for long-term, occasional investors
21%
Wide market access
50+ global exchanges; excellent for international portfolio diversification
15%
Regulatory safety
BaFin-backed bank and Stichting DEGIRO custody structure inspire confidence
👎 Common complaints
37%
FX conversion fee
0.25% + €0.50 per non-EUR trade — catches US stock investors off-guard
29%
Securities lending default
Enrolled automatically without clear opt-in; many users unaware
21%
Customer support slow
Email-primary contact; long waits and unhelpful first replies on complex issues
13%
Basic platform tools
No advanced charting, no news feed, no demo account — traders use TradingView separately
ⓘ Percentages reflect share of mentions across 24,000+ Trustpilot reviews and Reddit r/eupersonalfinance threads analysed in Aug 2026. This is user-reported sentiment, separate from our editorial findings above.
Verdict
WhichBrokr's Take
DEGIRO remains one of the best value traditional brokers in Europe for buy-and-hold investors. The Core Selection ETF free trading, low stock commissions and absence of inactivity fees make it particularly compelling for passive investors building diversified portfolios. The flatexDEGIRO Bank AG banking licence and Stichting DEGIRO custody structure provide meaningful safety.
The main limitations are the FX conversion fee on non-EUR assets (0.25% + €0.50 per trade), the lack of spot crypto trading and CFD capabilities (crypto exposure is only via ETFs/ETNs), and an interface that, while clear, lacks the analytical depth of xStation 5 or Interactive Brokers. The absence of any tax wrappers (ISA, SIPP, PEA) means all gains are taxable.
Best for: European buy-and-hold investors, ETF-focused passive investors and those wanting low-cost access to global stock markets — including indirect crypto exposure via regulated ETNs. Not ideal for: Active traders wanting analytics tools, crypto traders wanting spot access or coin custody, or UK investors wanting ISA/SIPP wrappers.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Is DEGIRO safe? | Yes — DEGIRO is part of flatexDEGIRO Bank AG (BaFin regulated). Client securities are held in Stichting DEGIRO, a separate legal foundation. UK clients are protected by FSCS up to £85,000. |
| Does DEGIRO charge a custody fee? | No — DEGIRO does not charge an annual custody or account maintenance fee. |
| Are DEGIRO's Core Selection ETFs really free? | Yes — one free trade per ETF per calendar day. Outside that limit, standard fees apply (€1 + €1). |
| Does DEGIRO offer crypto? | Yes, indirectly — DEGIRO offers crypto ETFs and ETNs (Bitcoin, Ethereum and other crypto trackers from VanEck, CoinShares, WisdomTree and 21Shares). You do not own the actual coins; these are regulated exchange-traded products. See DEGIRO's crypto page ↗. For spot crypto trading or coin custody, use Coinbase, Kraken or Bitstamp. |
| What is securities lending at DEGIRO? | DEGIRO lends your shares to third parties (typically short sellers) and shares any income with you. It adds counterparty risk. Disable it in Profile → Security settings if you prefer not to participate. |
| Can I open an ISA with DEGIRO? | No — DEGIRO does not offer ISAs, SIPPs or other tax-advantaged wrappers. |
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€1 per trade · Core Selection ETFs free · No inactivity fee · 50+ exchanges
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