DEGIRO

30-second summary

⭐ InvestBeacon Rating: 8.5 / 10

✅ Best for: Investors looking for access to a wide range of global exchanges through a straightforward, no-frills investing platform.

🌍 Available in: Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

📈 Standout feature: Access to more than 50 global exchanges, making DEGIRO one of the broadest investing platforms available to European investors.

💰 Pricing: Transparent and competitive, particularly for investors using its Core ETF selection. No monthly account fees.

⚠️ Worth knowing: DEGIRO focuses almost exclusively on investing. No fractional shares, no recurring investments, no cashback, no banking services and few of the automation features found on newer investing apps.

A broker built for investors who value market access over modern features

Some brokers try to become your bank. Others try to become your social network. DEGIRO does neither.

For more than a decade, the platform has stayed focused on a single goal: giving investors direct access to financial markets without adding unnecessary extras.

No cashback programmes. No portfolio "Pies." No copy trading. No debit card. No financial super app. Just a brokerage account built around buying and holding investments.

That might sound boring compared to newer competitors — but for many long-term investors, that's exactly the appeal.

InvestBeacon Tested

We opened and tested a DEGIRO account ourselves to evaluate how it performs in day-to-day investing. Our testing covered the account opening experience, deposits and withdrawals, the desktop and mobile platforms, market search and navigation, ETF and stock investing, pricing transparency and overall usability.

Our conclusion? DEGIRO feels less like a fintech startup and more like a traditional investment broker. The platform doesn't try to impress you with animations, social feeds or investing challenges. Instead, it focuses on helping you access a very large selection of markets through a stable and straightforward interface.

A different philosophy from most modern brokers

Most brokers launched in recent years have expanded into banking, crypto, cashback cards, savings products or social investing. DEGIRO has largely ignored those trends. Instead, it has continued investing in what it has always done best: giving investors access to thousands of securities across dozens of global exchanges.

That makes it feel very different from platforms like Trading 212, Trade Republic or Lightyear. Whether that's a strength or a weakness depends entirely on what you're looking for.

Who is DEGIRO actually built for?

In our opinion, DEGIRO is best suited to investors who already know what they want to buy. It isn't the platform with the smoothest onboarding. It doesn't offer the most polished mobile experience. And it won't automate your investing journey.

Instead, it offers a simple brokerage account with access to one of the widest selections of exchanges available to European retail investors.

Where DEGIRO really stands out

After using several European brokers back-to-back, one thing becomes obvious. DEGIRO isn't trying to offer the most features — it's trying to offer one of the broadest investment universes available to retail investors.

Through a single account, investors can access more than 50 exchanges across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, including NYSE, NASDAQ, Xetra, Euronext Paris, Euronext Amsterdam, London Stock Exchange, SIX Swiss Exchange, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Stock Exchange and many more.

For investors who like exploring international markets, this level of access is difficult to match. Most beginner-focused brokers deliberately simplify the experience by offering a smaller catalogue of securities. DEGIRO takes the opposite approach.

Stocks, ETFs, bonds and more

Depending on your country of residence, DEGIRO provides access to stocks, ETFs, bonds, investment funds, options, futures and warrants. That immediately places it closer to Interactive Brokers than to platforms such as Lightyear or Trade Republic. It's clearly designed for investors who expect their investing needs to evolve over time.

That said, having access to more products doesn't automatically make a platform better. For many long-term investors, a diversified portfolio of ETFs and quality stocks will remain more than enough. The additional products simply provide flexibility if your strategy becomes more sophisticated in the future.

The investing experience

During our testing, we found DEGIRO easy enough to navigate. Searching for securities is straightforward. Placing an order is simple. Portfolio information is clearly organised.

But compared with platforms like Lightyear or Trading 212, the experience feels noticeably more traditional. There are fewer visual cues, less guidance and less onboarding. The platform assumes you already understand what you're looking for. For experienced investors, that's rarely a problem. For someone opening their very first brokerage account, it can feel less intuitive.

No unnecessary distractions

One thing we genuinely appreciated was how little noise there is. No social feeds. No trending stocks. No community posts. No attempts to keep you inside the app longer than necessary.

Once you've bought your investments, DEGIRO largely gets out of your way. Some investors may find that boring. We actually think it's refreshing. In a world where many financial apps compete for attention, DEGIRO still feels like software built for investing rather than engagement.

Is DEGIRO actually a low-cost broker?

For years, DEGIRO built its reputation on being one of Europe's cheapest brokers. That reputation was deserved. Today, however, the market looks very different. Platforms like Trading 212, Lightyear and Interactive Brokers have significantly increased the competition, particularly when it comes to ETF investing and US stocks.

After reviewing DEGIRO's pricing, we'd describe it as competitive and transparent — but no longer the clear price leader it once was. That doesn't make it expensive. It simply means pricing is no longer the main reason we'd choose DEGIRO.

Understanding DEGIRO's pricing

DEGIRO's pricing is relatively straightforward. There are no monthly subscription fees, no inactivity fees and no custody fees for holding your investments. Instead, costs mainly depend on the exchange you're trading on, the type of investment and currency conversion when applicable.

ETF investing

DEGIRO continues to offer attractive pricing for ETF investors. Many ETFs included in its Core ETF Selection can be purchased with no trading commission, subject to the platform's conditions and fair-use policy. For ETFs outside that selection, standard trading fees apply.

If your strategy relies on recurring monthly investments, it's worth remembering that DEGIRO does not currently offer automatic investment plans. Every purchase must be placed manually.

Stock trading fees

Stock trading costs depend on the exchange you're using. For example, buying a US-listed stock generally costs less than trading on some European exchanges. Because pricing varies by market, we always recommend checking the latest fee schedule before placing larger trades. The good news is that DEGIRO is transparent about these costs — no complicated subscription tiers or hidden premium plans.

Currency conversion (FX)

This is one area where DEGIRO is no longer among the strongest options. If you buy investments denominated in a different currency, DEGIRO applies an AutoFX conversion fee of 0.25% by default.

While that's perfectly reasonable, it's no longer market-leading. Interactive Brokers offers significantly lower FX costs, Trading 212 is generally more competitive for many retail investors, and Lightyear allows investors to deposit supported currencies directly into their account.

FX costs may seem small on a single transaction. But over years of regular investing, they can become one of the largest hidden costs in an international portfolio.

Deposits and withdrawals

DEGIRO keeps funding simple. Accounts are funded via bank transfer, which aligns with its more traditional brokerage approach. The downside is that it lacks many of the instant payment options offered by newer competitors — no Apple Pay, Google Pay, debit card deposits, PayPal or digital wallets. Withdrawals back to your verified bank account are straightforward and don't incur a separate withdrawal fee.

Is DEGIRO safe?

Yes. Safety has always been one of DEGIRO's strongest points. DEGIRO is part of flatexDEGIRO Bank AG, a publicly listed financial institution on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. European clients invest through a regulated broker operating under European financial regulations.

Client assets are held separately from the company's own assets, helping protect investors if the broker were ever to experience financial difficulties. Eligible clients are also covered by the applicable investor protection schemes under European regulation.

Where DEGIRO has fallen behind

This is probably our biggest takeaway after testing the platform. The broker itself remains solid. The investing experience remains reliable. But innovation has slowed.

Over the last few years, competitors have introduced fractional shares, recurring investments, multi-currency accounts, interest on uninvested cash, modern portfolio automation and beginner-focused investing experiences. DEGIRO has largely stayed the same. Some investors will see that consistency as a strength. Others will see it as falling behind.

DEGIRO vs the competition

DEGIRO vs Interactive Brokers

Both platforms offer exceptional market access. Interactive Brokers offers institutional-grade execution, professional trading tools and some of the lowest FX costs available. DEGIRO takes a simpler approach — you lose some flexibility, but you also avoid much of the complexity that comes with IBKR. If you need every advanced feature available, Interactive Brokers still leads. If you want broad market access through a more straightforward platform, DEGIRO remains an attractive alternative.

DEGIRO vs Trading 212

These two brokers couldn't feel more different. Trading 212 focuses on making investing approachable — fractional shares, Pies, AutoInvest, a modern interface, recurring investing. DEGIRO focuses almost exclusively on market access. If you're building your very first long-term portfolio, we'd generally lean towards Trading 212. If you already know what you want to buy and value choice over convenience, DEGIRO has the advantage.

DEGIRO vs Lightyear

Lightyear is designed to make investing feel effortless. DEGIRO is designed to give investors more choice. Lightyear wins on user experience; DEGIRO wins on investment selection. If your portfolio consists of a handful of ETFs and stocks, Lightyear will probably feel more enjoyable. If you want broader market access and more flexibility over time, DEGIRO is likely the stronger fit.

DEGIRO vs Trade Republic

Trade Republic has evolved into much more than an investing platform — it offers banking services, interest on cash, a debit card and recurring investment plans. DEGIRO deliberately stays focused on investing. Neither strategy is objectively better. It depends on whether you want an all-in-one financial app or a dedicated brokerage account.

What DEGIRO is actually like after a year

Some brokers become more impressive the longer you use them. Others become more frustrating. DEGIRO is neither. After spending time with the platform, you stop noticing it — and strangely, that's one of its biggest strengths.

There are no constant notifications, no attempts to encourage more trading, no rewards programme trying to keep you engaged. You log in, review your portfolio, place an order if needed, and close the app. That experience won't excite everyone. But if your goal is simply to build wealth over many years, it can actually be refreshing.

InvestBeacon Tested — what surprised us

We expected pricing to be DEGIRO's biggest advantage. Surprisingly, it wasn't. What impressed us more was the platform's discipline. It doesn't try to become a bank. It doesn't try to become a social network. It doesn't try to keep you engaged with notifications or trending assets. It simply provides access to global markets through a stable, straightforward brokerage platform. Ironically, that simplicity may be exactly why many experienced investors continue to use it today.

If we had to describe DEGIRO in one sentence...

A broker built for investors who value market access over modern extras.

That's ultimately what defines the platform. It doesn't try to be everything. It focuses on being a broker. And for many investors, that's enough.

Final verdict

DEGIRO has changed less than almost any major European broker over the past few years. Whether that's a strength or a weakness depends entirely on what you're looking for.

If you're looking for the most polished interface, beginner-friendly automation or the lowest possible costs across every product, there are stronger alternatives today. But DEGIRO still does several things exceptionally well — it offers access to one of the broadest ranges of global exchanges available to European retail investors, its pricing remains transparent, and its platform is stable and focused.

For investors who value breadth, reliability and a more traditional brokerage experience, that focus remains its biggest strength.

Should you open a DEGIRO account?