Freedom24

30-second summary

⭐ InvestBeacon Rating: 8.5 / 10

✅ Best for: Investors looking for more than just stocks and ETFs — with access to options, bonds, IPOs, structured products and professional market research.

💰 Fees: Competitive in some areas, but not a low-cost broker. Trading fees, card deposit fees and the €7 withdrawal fee make it less attractive for cost-conscious investors.

📈 Standout feature: One of the broadest investment ecosystems available to European retail investors — combining traditional investing with products most brokers simply don't offer.

🏦 Safety: Operated by a CySEC-regulated investment firm and backed by Freedom Holding Corp., a company listed on the NASDAQ, providing an additional layer of corporate transparency.

⚠️ Worth knowing: Freedom24 isn't the platform we'd pick purely for low-cost ETF investing. Its biggest strengths appear once your investing needs extend beyond the basics.

A broker built around access, not limitation

Most investing platforms are built around one idea: making investing simpler. Freedom24 takes a different approach. Instead of limiting what you can invest in, it gives you access to more — more markets, more investment products, more research, and more opportunities to explore different parts of the financial markets as your experience grows.

That makes Freedom24 fundamentally different from platforms like Lightyear or Trade Republic. It isn't trying to become the simplest investing app. It's trying to become a platform you won't quickly outgrow.

InvestBeacon Tested

We spent time using Freedom24 ourselves to understand where it genuinely stands out — and where it doesn't. During testing we evaluated the account opening process, the desktop and mobile experience, funding and withdrawals, ETF and stock investing, options and bond availability, research tools and Investment Ideas, and overall day-to-day usability.

Our biggest takeaway? Freedom24 isn't perfect. The desktop platform feels functional rather than modern. The fee structure isn't among the lowest in Europe. But once you start exploring what the platform actually offers, it becomes clear why many investors continue using it long after moving beyond beginner investing.

What makes Freedom24 different?

Every broker we've reviewed has one defining strength. Trading 212 focuses on automation. Lightyear focuses on simplicity. eToro focuses on community. Interactive Brokers focuses on professional execution. Freedom24 focuses on access — to a much broader investing ecosystem than you'll find on most beginner-oriented platforms: stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, structured products, IPO opportunities in eligible markets and professional market research, all in one place.

Who is Freedom24 built for?

After testing the platform ourselves, we think Freedom24 sits somewhere between beginner investing apps and professional brokerage platforms. It's approachable enough for someone building their first long-term portfolio, while still offering tools and products that remain relevant as your investing experience grows. That's an unusual combination.

If your entire strategy is buying one global ETF every month, Freedom24 probably isn't the most cost-effective choice. But if you're curious about learning more about financial markets over time — and want access to more than just stocks and ETFs — it becomes a much more compelling platform.

Why investors choose Freedom24

Beyond ETFs: where Freedom24 really stands out

Most European brokers today are designed around the same idea: buy stocks, buy ETFs, maybe buy crypto. Freedom24 goes a step further. It's one of the few retail brokers in Europe that gives eligible investors access to products usually associated with larger brokerage firms or private banks. That doesn't mean everyone should use those products — but having access to them as your investing knowledge grows is a genuine advantage.

IPO access

One of Freedom24's most recognisable features is its IPO offering. Depending on your country of residence and the specific offering, eligible clients may be able to participate in selected initial public offerings directly through the platform.

It's important to understand what this means. Freedom24 doesn't guarantee access to every IPO, nor does participating guarantee positive returns. IPO investing can be highly volatile and allocations are often limited. But compared with most retail brokers that don't offer IPO access at all, Freedom24 gives investors the opportunity to participate in selected offerings when available — a feature very few European brokers currently provide.

Professional Investment Ideas

This was one of the features we ended up spending the most time exploring. Freedom24 publishes Investment Ideas prepared by professional analysts. These aren't simply lists of stocks — most include a detailed investment thesis, potential catalysts, valuation analysis, risks to consider, a target price and supporting financial data. Would we blindly follow every idea? Of course not. But as a research resource, we found them genuinely useful. For investors who enjoy understanding *why* an opportunity may exist — not just *what* to buy — they add meaningful value.

Options trading

Freedom24 also provides access to US-listed options. This isn't a feature most long-term ETF investors will ever use. But for investors who already understand how options work, it's another area where the platform stands out — pricing is competitive compared with many European brokers. Options are complex financial instruments and aren't suitable for every investor; if you're still building your first long-term portfolio, this is probably a feature to learn about, not necessarily to use immediately.

Structured products

Another feature that sets Freedom24 apart is access to structured products for eligible investors — extremely uncommon among modern retail investing apps. Structured products combine traditional investments with derivatives to create specific risk and return profiles. They're designed for more experienced investors with clearly defined objectives. Most beginner investors will never need them. But the fact they're available illustrates what Freedom24 is trying to become: not just another ETF platform, but a broader investment platform capable of supporting investors as their knowledge evolves.

One platform that grows with you

This is probably the biggest conclusion we reached after testing Freedom24. Many investing apps are designed for your first year as an investor. Freedom24 feels like a platform designed for the years that follow.

You might start by buying a global ETF. Later, you may become interested in bonds. Then options. Then reading professional equity research. Freedom24 allows that progression without forcing you to change brokers as your investing knowledge expands. We think that's one of its biggest long-term strengths.

Platform experience — mobile vs desktop

After spending time with the platform, one thing became very clear: Freedom24 isn't designed to impress you with animations or flashy features. Instead, it encourages you to spend more time understanding your investments. Compared with brokers like Trading 212 or Lightyear, the interface feels more traditional — more information, more menus, more research, more products to explore. At first, that can feel slightly overwhelming. After a few days, it starts to make sense.

For most retail investors who primarily invest from their phone, that's actually good news.

Research that adds real value

Many brokers include a basic news feed and call it "research." Freedom24 goes much further. Throughout the platform you'll find Investment Ideas written by professional analysts, company research, market commentary, earnings updates, valuation insights and economic news. We particularly liked that this content is integrated directly into the investing experience — instead of constantly switching between financial news websites and your broker, much of the information is already available in one place.

Safety and regulation

When choosing a broker, platform quality matters — but safety matters even more. Freedom24 operates in Europe through Freedom Finance Europe Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under the MiFID II framework. Client assets are held in accordance with European regulatory requirements, including asset segregation, meaning client investments are kept separate from the company's own assets.

Another point we consider important is transparency. Freedom24 is part of Freedom Holding Corp., a company listed on the NASDAQ in the United States. That means the parent company publishes regular financial reports and is subject to the reporting and governance requirements that come with being a publicly listed company. While no regulation eliminates investment risk, we believe this level of transparency is a meaningful strength.

Funding your account

Funding a Freedom24 account is straightforward. SEPA bank transfers are supported and remain the most cost-effective way to deposit funds. Card deposits are also available in many regions but come with a relatively high fee — for that reason, most long-term investors will prefer funding via bank transfer.

Withdrawals are reliable, but this is another area where Freedom24 falls behind several competitors. The platform currently charges a €7 withdrawal fee, which is higher than we'd like to see — especially when many competing brokers process withdrawals without an additional charge. It's unlikely to matter if you withdraw funds only occasionally, but it's still a cost worth understanding before opening an account.

What we'd like to see improved

Freedom24 vs the competition

Freedom24 vs Interactive Brokers

Both brokers appeal to investors who eventually move beyond basic ETF investing — the difference is complexity. Interactive Brokers remains the benchmark for pricing, execution quality and professional trading tools. Freedom24 is considerably easier to navigate and integrates research and educational content in a much more approachable way. If your priority is institutional-grade execution at the lowest possible cost, Interactive Brokers still leads. If you want a platform that's easier to grow into while still offering access to more advanced investment opportunities, Freedom24 becomes a compelling alternative.

Freedom24 vs Trading 212

These platforms target different priorities. Trading 212 focuses on simplicity — fractional shares, AutoInvest, Pies, zero-commission investing. Freedom24 focuses on breadth — more products, more research, more market access. If you're building a straightforward ETF portfolio, Trading 212 remains one of our favourite choices. If you expect your investing strategy to become more sophisticated over time, Freedom24 offers considerably more room to grow.

Freedom24 vs Lightyear

Lightyear delivers one of the cleanest investing experiences we've tested. Freedom24 offers one of the broadest. Lightyear wins on user experience; Freedom24 wins on product variety. If your priority is simplicity, we'd lean towards Lightyear. If your priority is exploring different areas of the financial markets over time, Freedom24 has the advantage.

Freedom24 vs Saxo

This is perhaps the closest comparison. Both brokers focus on investors looking for more than basic ETF investing, both provide access to multiple asset classes, and both offer professional research. The difference lies in positioning. Saxo feels like a premium investment bank; Freedom24 feels like a growth-focused brokerage platform. Saxo offers a more polished interface; Freedom24 offers unique features such as Investment Ideas, competitive options pricing and access to selected IPOs and structured products for eligible investors. Neither platform is objectively better — it depends on which experience you're looking for.

If we had to describe Freedom24 in one sentence...

Freedom24 is a broker that grows with you, offering access to investment opportunities that many retail platforms simply don't provide.

Final verdict

Freedom24 isn't trying to become another low-cost investing app. It's trying to become a platform that continues to serve investors as their interests expand beyond traditional stock and ETF investing. After testing the platform ourselves, we think that's exactly where it delivers the most value.

The product selection is excellent. The ETF universe is extensive. The research is genuinely useful. Features such as Investment Ideas, access to selected IPOs, structured products for eligible investors and competitive options pricing make it stand out from most retail-focused brokers.

That doesn't mean it's without drawbacks. Trading fees are higher than several competitors, card deposits are expensive, and the €7 withdrawal fee is difficult to justify in today's market. The mobile experience is enjoyable, but the desktop platform still feels less polished than some premium alternatives.

Even so, we don't think investors choose Freedom24 because it's the cheapest. They choose it because it offers opportunities that many other brokers simply don't. If your investing journey is likely to grow beyond buying a handful of ETFs, Freedom24 is one of the few European platforms that can continue supporting you without forcing you to switch brokers later.

Should you open a Freedom24 account?