Is flatex free?
flatex 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 flatex 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).
flatex fees
Overview of flatex fees and charges
When it comes to brokerage fees, flatex is a mixed bag. To see how they may affect you, first you need to figure out your approach to trading - i.e. whether you are more of a buy-and-hold investor or if you want to trade frequently; or what type of assets and in what volumes you'll want to trade. Alternatively, use our questionnaire to help you tell whether flatex fees are beneficial for you. Continue reading about flatex fees and charges to see if this is the right broker for you, or if a similar broker like Comdirect or DEGIRO might suit you better.
Here's a high-level overview of flatex's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Low | €5.9 + 0.00218% per order |
| EURUSD fee | High | The fees are built into the spread, 1 pip is the average spread cost during peak trading hours. |
| US mutual fund fees | Low | €5.9 per trade flat fee |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
flatex fees
flatex 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 flatex fees with its closest competitors, Comdirect and DEGIRO.
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flatex fees
flatex trading fees
flatex's trading fees are mixed, which means that some asset classes come with high trading fees - be sure to check these carefully.
Let's break down trading fees according to the different asset classes available at flatex.
Trading fees
flatex's trading fees are average.
Stock fees and ETF fees
flatex has low stock trading fees.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $7.1 | $15.5 | $0.7 |
| UK stock | - | $15.5 | $2.8 |
| German stock | $7.1 | $11.9 | $5.8 |
Forex fees
flatex's forex fees are high.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD benchmark fee | $17.2 | $18.9 | - |
| EURGBP benchmark fee | $22.1 | $22.1 | - |
Fund fees
flatex fund fees are low.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $7.1 | $20.0 | $11.1 |
| EU mutual fund | $6.5 | $20.0 | $10.3 |
Bond fees
flatex has low bond fees.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $7.1 | $34.5 | - |
| EU government bond | $7.1 | $30.9 | $11.0 |
Margin rates
flatex margin rates are high.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD margin rate | - | - | 1.3% |
| EUR margin rate | 7.9% | 4.0% | 0.8% |
flatex fees
flatex non-trading fees
When it comes to non-trading fees, flatex is a rather cheap broker.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at flatex that are not related to buying or selling assets. This can be a withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee or account fee.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | No | No |
| Account fee | No | No | No |
flatex fees
flatex deposit fee
Usually, brokers don't charge anything for deposits, and flatex is no different.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | Yes |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
flatex fees
flatex withdrawal fee
flatex generally doesn't charge a withdrawal fee.
| flatex | Comdirect | DEGIRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | Yes |
| Withdrawal fee for bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $0 |
flatex fees
flatex inactivity fee
flatex 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).
