Why choose DEGIRO
DEGIRO is an excellent choice for investors of all experience levels who want to build a long-term portfolio of global ETFs and stocks. I found the trading platforms easy to use, and liked that I could buy popular ETFs at virtually no cost once every month - a great feature if all you want to do is invest your monthly savings. DEGIRO isn’t of much use for short-term traders, though, as its platforms lack sophisticated charts and derivatives trading fees are high.
- One of the lowest fees on the market
- Regulated by top-tier authorities
- Easy-to-use web and mobile platform
Fees
- Low fund fees
- No inactivity fee
- Low stock and ETF fees
We compared DEGIRO's fees with two similar brokers we selected, Interactive Brokers and Saxo Bank. These competitors were selected based on objective factors like products offered, client profile, fee structure, etc. See a more detailed comparison of DEGIRO alternatives.
Low stock and ETF commission
DEGIRO US stock fees are about half of the industry average. US stock fees are calculated as follows: €2 per trade (€1 commission plus a €1 handling fee)
Broker | US stock |
---|---|
DEGIRO | $2.2 |
Interactive Brokers | $1.0 |
Saxo Bank | $1.6 |
DEGIRO charges a $1 commission and a $1 trade handling fee if you trade on US and Canadian stock exchanges.
There's a number of ETFs called ETF Core Selection, which can be traded commission-free once a month with only a €1 handling fee per transaction. Additional transactions for the same ETF product within the same month may also be commission-free, as long as they are the same type of transaction (i.e. buy or sell) as the first one, and the trade is at least $/€1,000.
Low margin rates
DEGIRO USD margin rate fees are lower than the industry average. USD margin rate fees are calculated as follows: Unallocated debit rate (USD) is 6.9%
Broker | USD margin rate |
---|---|
DEGIRO | 6.9% |
Interactive Brokers | 6.8% |
Saxo Bank | - |
Low options commission
DEGIRO US stock index options fees are about half of the industry average. US stock index options fees are calculated as follows: $0.75 per contract
Broker | US stock index options |
---|---|
DEGIRO | $7.5 |
Interactive Brokers | $6.5 |
Saxo Bank | $20.0 |
DEGIRO charges a connectivity fee of €5 per calendar month for using US stock index options markets. This fee will be charged for trading and holding positions on these markets, irrespective of the number and size of transactions.
Unlike some brokers, DEGIRO has a charge for the exercise/assignment/cash settlement of options, although it is only €1 per contract.
No inactivity fee, no withdrawal fee
There is no account fee, inactivity fee, withdrawal fee, deposit fee or custody fee (with the exception of a service fee for mutual funds, levied monthly).
Broker | Inactivity fee | Withdrawal fee |
---|---|---|
DEGIRO | $0 | |
Interactive Brokers | $0 | |
Saxo Bank | $0 |
On the downside, there is an unusual fee category called the "Exchange Connectivity Fee". This is charged for trading outside of your home market.
You will pay a maximum of €2.50 per calendar year for each stock exchange you used with the exception of your home market. For example, as a UK investor, you wouldn't have to pay for using the London Stock Exchange. However, an investor from Germany or France would need to pay €2.50 each year if they used the London Stock Exchange and another €2.50 for using the Stockholm Stock Exchange, etc. These charges will be applied if you carry out a transaction or hold a position on the specific exchange during the calendar year.
In addition, the connectivity fee for US options markets is €5 per exchange per calendar month, so this would add up to €60 per year if you were to trade on one of these markets every month. The same is true for US futures markets.
If your account currency differs from the currency of the asset you want to buy, DEGIRO charges a currency conversion fee of 0.25% of the transaction value (above the current spot rate).
Your account is by default set to "auto FX" meaning DEGIRO will simply do the conversion automatically when you buy or sell an asset. For example, if you have a GBP account and you sell a stock denominated in EUR, you won't end up with a EUR balance, because it will be automatically converted back to your base currency (GBP in this case).
It is possible to initiate a manual currency conversion but it costs more: €10 + 0.25% of the transaction value.
Other commissions and fees
Low mutual fund commission: trading mutual funds involves the following charges - €3.9 and 0.2% annual administration fee.
Low futures fees: US index futures fees are as follows - $0.75 per contract.
Low bond commission: EU government bonds come with the following charges - €3 (€2.00 fee + a €1 handling fee).
Broker | Mutual fund | US micro e-mini stock index futures |
---|---|---|
DEGIRO | $4.2 | $7.5 |
Interactive Brokers | $15.0 | $2.5 |
Saxo Bank | $0.0 | $30.0 |
Regulation
- Banking background
- Top-tier financial regulator
Deposit and withdrawal
- Free withdrawal
- No deposit fee
- Several account base currencies
Account opening
- Fast
- Fully digital
- No minimum deposit
Mobile app
- User-friendly
- Two-step (safer) login
- Touch/Face ID login
Web trading platform
- User-friendly
- Clear fee report
- Two-step (safer) login