Is Comdirect free?
Comdirect does charge a commission for real stock trading on US markets, so in this sense it is not a free-to-trade broker. However, it might still be a reasonable choice for some of you, as there are many other aspects other than commissions that are important when you choose a broker. If you wish to stick with Comdirect though, then you will find the fees they charge below. Alternatively, you could check our article detailing the best zero commission brokers and how their apps scored in our test.
We should note that the payment-for-order-flow model, which is used by some zero-commission brokers to generate income (rather than relying on commissions), could potentially create a conflict of interest between you and your broker. This could result in trade execution (like routing your orders to specific market makers) that might be unfavorable for you under certain market conditions, especially when using market orders (as opposed to limit orders, which seem to be less affected).
Comdirect fees
Overview of Comdirect fees and charges
Comdirect's fees are considered high. This is because of high fees across multiple fee types. It's important to be aware of this and to decide whether other advantages of Comdirect can still make it a good choice for you. Such features may include its research tools, education section or the general user experience you get on its trading platforms.
Here's a high-level overview of Comdirect's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | High | 0.25% of trade value + €7.9 (min. €12.9, max. €62.9) |
| EURUSD fee | High | The fees are built into the spread, 2 pips is the average spread cost during peak trading hours. |
| US mutual fund fees | High | 0-5% of trade value, charged only for buying |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee in the first 3 years after account opening, then €1.95 per month if you don't meet certain criteria |
Comdirect fees
Comdirect fees explained
Online brokerages in general charge much lower brokerage fees than traditional brokerages do - this is largely because online brokerages' businesses can be much better scaled: from a purely technical standpoint, it doesn't make that much of a difference for them if they have 100 or 5,000 clients.
This is not to say, however, that they don't charge any fees at all. They make money by charging you various rates for various actions or events. Usually you need to keep an eye on the following three types of fees:
- Trading fees - these are brokerage fees that you pay when you actually carry out a trade, like buying an Apple share or an ETF. What you pay is either a commission, a spread or a financing rate. Some brokers apply all of these.
- A commission is either fixed or based on the traded volume.
- A spread is the difference between the buy price and the sell price.
- A financing rate or overnight rate is charged when you hold your leveraged positions for more than one day.
- Non-trading fees. These are usually related to some operations you carry out in your account, such as depositing money, withdrawing money, or not trading for an extended period.
We compare Comdirect fees with its closest competitors, flatex and DEGIRO.
Comdirect fees
Comdirect trading fees
We consider Comdirect's trading fees high, as they exceed those of most competitors.
Let's break down trading fees according to the different asset classes available at Comdirect.
Trading fees
Comdirect's trading fees are high.
Stock fees and ETF fees
Comdirect has high stock trading fees.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $13.8 | $6.3 | $2.1 |
| UK stock | $13.8 | - | $3.4 |
| German stock | $10.6 | $6.3 | $5.2 |
Forex fees
Comdirect's forex fees are high.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD benchmark fee | $26.4 | $24.5 | - |
| EURGBP benchmark fee | $23.3 | $23.3 | - |
Fund fees
Comdirect fund fees are high.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $20.0 | $6.3 | $4.2 |
| EU mutual fund | $20.0 | $6.5 | $10.3 |
Bond fees
Comdirect has average bond fees.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $33.5 | $6.3 | - |
| EU government bond | $30.2 | $6.3 | $3.2 |
Options fees
Comdirect's options fees are high.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock options | - | - | - |
| US stock index options | - | - | $7.5 |
| UK stock index options | - | - | - |
| German stock index options | $48.2 | - | $9.6 |
Futures fees
Comdirect's futures fees are high.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US micro e-mini stock index futures | - | - | $7.5 |
| UK stock index futures | - | - | - |
| German e-mini stock index futures | $48.2 | - | $8.0 |
Currency conversion fee
Comdirect will charge a Currency Conversion Fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different to the currency of your account. The fee is charged as the following: 1.0% mark-up.
Margin rates
Comdirect margin rates are average.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD margin rate | - | - | 5.9% |
| EUR margin rate | 7.4% | 5.9% | 5.9% |
Comdirect fees
Comdirect non-trading fees
Some of Comdirect's non-trading fees are average.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at Comdirect that are not related to buying or selling assets. This can be a withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee or account fee.
| Comdirect | flatex | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | No | No |
| Account fee | No | No | No |
Comdirect fees
Comdirect deposit fee
Comdirect fees
Comdirect withdrawal fee
Comdirect fees
Comdirect inactivity fee
Comdirect does not apply an inactivity fee, which is great because your account won't be charged even if you do not trade for an extended period (like several months or years).
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