Best European stock broker in 2024
I can tell you, finding the best European broker online in 2024 is an investment in itself!
After 7 years of investing for financial freedom, I narrowed down my options based on the following 2 main criteria:
- low (transaction) fees
- accessibility to European and US stock markets
And I can’t stress enough to new investors the importance of low fees. We really want our money to work for us and we can’t have any money “leakages” eating away our investment returns.
So what’s then the best European broker online?
To cut a long story short, I’m recommending one of the following 3 European online brokers to investors:
Interactive Brokers
Best for advanced investors
Invest like a professional with access to 135 markets. Advanced strategies possible, flexible reporting available. Zero monthly fees, low commissions.
DEGIRO
Best for beginners & many ETFs
My main broker for dividend investing. Now with zero commissions* on top Exchanges. Used by 2+ million investors from many European countries.
Investing involves risk of loss!
Trading212
Best for time-saving investors
Perfect for investors who see time as their biggest value. Fully automate your investments in a basket of stocks & ETFs. Zero commissions*
Capital at Risk!
* Other fees may apply! I.e. currency exchange costs and connectivity fees where applicable. This is also an execution-only service. Not investment advice or portfolio management. Automatic investing refers to executing scheduled deposits. You are responsible for all investment and rebalancing decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
I personally prefer Interactive Brokers for long-term European investors. Keeping your costs low is important when investing for the long term and IBKR is a very low-cost broker with a transparent cost structure. It has several banking licenses, also in Europe.
Secondly, I would choose DEGIRO. It’s an easy-to-use and low-cost platform that falls under the Dutch Investor Protection Scheme. To date, it has won 86 European awards, has ~2 million customers, and it is supported by a banking license via its parent company Flatex.
European UCITS ETFs are mostly considered to be a good starting point. ETFs are a curated basket of stocks that can be bought in one single order. There are many options out there ranging from a worldwide index or a particular theme-based ETF. As an example, you can become the owner of many iconic dividend aristocrats by buying the Fidelity Global Quality Income UCITS USD Inc ETF ($FGQI). DEGIRO offers a wide selection of ETFs and FGQI can be bought there.
Generally speaking, traditional banks are probably the most trusted. However, they often charge very high fees compared to their equivalent low-cost online brokers. Therefore, Interactive Brokers followed by DEGIRO seem to be the most trusted within the European dividend growth community,
Yes, Trading212 offers buying and selling of fractional shares in most European stock markets. Interactive Brokers introduced this as well not too long ago, but I don’t have experience with that.
No, DEGIRO doesn’t offer fractional shares and I’m not aware of any plans on this front.
My Final Thoughts about the Best European Brokers
- DEGIRO, stands out for its very user-friendly trading platform. Known for its low fees, access to many European and US stocks, and access to a wide selection of ETF’s.
- Interactive Brokers, is one of the most popular trading platforms for advanced investors. Especially after Interactive Brokers decided investors would no longer be charged a $10 fee to maintain a minimum balance in their trading accounts.
- Trading212 is, in my opinion, the best broker for low-budget investors and investors who want to save time. They allow you to buy fractional shares as low as 1 Euro. It also allows you to create your own basket of stocks (pie) and fully automate your investments* so that you do not need to put a lot of effort into it.
Having an account at one of these 3 brokers may just be your first step on your journey toward financial freedom 👌.
* “This is an execution-only service. Not investment advice or portfolio management. Automatic investing refers to executing scheduled deposits. You are responsible for all investment and rebalancing decisions.
If you decide to open an account at Interactive Brokers, DEGIRO or Trading212, could you click the link above? Those are affiliate links and if you open an account, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
Regarding Trading212: To get free fractional shares worth up to 100 EUR/GBP, you can open an account with Trading 212 through this link. Terms apply.