DEGIRO review 2025: is it worth it for European investors?
DEGIRO is a European broker with over 3 million users spread across multiple European countries. It stands out by offering access to a wide range of markets and financial products through a simple yet functional platform.
DEGIRO is particularly suited for those looking to invest long-term in stocks and ETFs at reduced commissions - especially when compared to the fees typically charged by traditional banks. On the downside, it does not offer any interest on uninvested cash balances, nor does it provide direct access to cryptos or forex, and there are cheaper alternatives available in certain cases.
Investors benefit from a compensation scheme that covers any loss of assets that cannot be returned, up to 90% (with a maximum of €20,000) per client (in the event of broker insolvency).
In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the main features of DEGIRO, including its fees, functionality, advantages, and limitations, to help you decide if it’s the right broker for you.
Overview
Launched in 2013, DEGIRO was among the first “low-cost” brokers to enter various European markets. The company provides a range of investment options: stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, futures, leveraged products, bonds, options, and warrants.
Operating under the slogan “Everyone’s an investor, baby,” DEGIRO presents itself as one of the pioneers in offering retail investors - people like you and me - access to a variety of assets at lower costs.
In addition to transaction fees, DEGIRO earns revenue by allowing you to leverage your portfolio (through the margin loan interest) and by lending out your shares to other investors for short selling—always with strict risk management procedures. Lending shares significantly helps DEGIRO reduce its costs, though it does add a small (but real) extra layer of risk for you as an investor.
DEGIRO’s interface is quite intuitive, making it a good fit for beginner and intermediate investors. However, if advanced fundamental or technical analysis tools are a priority for you, DEGIRO might not be the best option. For more advanced features, brokers such as Interactive Brokers might be more suitable.
Highlights
Pros and cons
Pros
- Popular Core ETF List (only external handling fees apply)
- User-Friendly Web and Mobile App
- Wide Variety of Investment Options
- Educational Materials: Investor’s Academy
- Overall Low Commission Structure
- Banking License
- No Account Opening, Inactivity, or Withdrawal Fees
Cons
- 0.25% Currency Conversion Fee
- €1 Fixed Handling Fee
- €2.50 Connectivity Fee per Exchange per Year
- No Forex, CFD, or Cryptocurrency Trading
- Mediocre Customer Support
- No Interest on Uninvested Cash
- No Fractional Shares or Fractional ETFs
Account types
DEGIRO offers four account types: Basic, Active, Trader, and Day Trader.
When you first sign up, you’re automatically given a Basic account. You can later upgrade to Active, Trader, or Day Trader, but you’ll first need to answer a few questions to ensure you have the knowledge required for the additional level of risk (DEGIRO is legally obliged to do this).
- Basic Account: You get access to low fees and can trade almost all financial instruments. What’s missing? You cannot trade options, futures, sell short (“short selling”), or use margin lending for leverage.
- Active, Trader, and Day Trader Accounts: These allow you full access to the assets restricted in the Basic account. The only difference between Active and Trader is the level of leverage permitted: up to 50% and 100% of your portfolio value, respectively.
- Day Trader: Allows more frequent trading during market hours (with specific limits and conditions that apply between 8:00 and 21:30 CET). This account type can only be activated upon request and does not appear under “trading settings” by default.
For most beginner and long-term investors, the Basic account is more than sufficient.
Trading Platform
DEGIRO provides a trading platform for both mobile devices and desktop browsers. Below is an overview of the web version.
One of DEGIRO’s biggest strengths is how easy it is to find what you’re looking for. Once you log in, here’s what you’ll typically see:
The platform also gives you a quick overview of what’s happening in the markets: performance of major stock indices, key headlines, an economic calendar (earnings, dividends, etc.), the latest news, and videos. Scroll down to see all that information.
The “Search Products” section is useful if you want to explore all financial instruments available on the platform.
Markets and Products
DEGIRO offers stocks, ETFs, bonds, leveraged products, funds, options, futures, and warrants. However, DEGIRO does not allow the purchase of fractional shares of these assets.
Stocks
You can trade shares from over 50 international exchanges in 30 different countries, including NASDAQ, NYSE, London, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam.
ETFs (Trackers)
You have access to thousands of ETFs, which can be filtered by type (ETF, ETN, ETC, Crypto Tracker), exchange, issuer, region, benchmark, asset allocation, and TER (Total Expense Ratio).
Bonds
You can choose from sovereign (government) and corporate (company) bonds on the secondary market, from various countries.
Mutual Funds
In the mutual fund section, you can filter by fee types and issuer.
Options
The range of options available is relatively extensive, covering markets such as CBOE, CME, Eurex, and NYMEX. You can filter by underlying asset, strike price, month, and year. With a BASIC account you are unable to trade in Options.
Futures
For futures, the offering is more limited. You won’t find an extensive list of alternatives, so if you’re specifically interested in trading futures, it may be worth looking into a more specialized platform. With a BASIC account you are unable to trade in Futures.
Cryptocurrencies and Commodities
For these two asset classes, you’ll need to rely on the main search bar, as there isn’t a dedicated category in “Search Products.”
Cryptocurrencies: If you search “Bitcoin,” you’ll find several trackers replicating the price of Bitcoin. DEGIRO does not currently offer direct purchase of cryptocurrencies, only indirect exposure via ETPs (e.g., ETNs). According to their 2024 Annual Report, DEGIRO intends to offer direct crypto trading for certain European markets in 2025.
Commodities: For “gold,” for example, below you can find an ETC replicating the price of gold.
No interest on uninvested cash
Unlike some other brokers, DEGIRO does not pay any interest on the cash held in your account. Whether it’s in euros, pounds, or another currency, you won’t earn interest on those uninvested balances.
Fees and commissions
ETF Fees
DEGIRO does not charge a direct execution fee for ETFs included in its “Popular Core Selection.” However, there is a catch: when you place an order, you’ll see a €1 “handling fee,” which does not go to DEGIRO itself but covers external costs tied to trade execution (for example, clearing and settlement fees, contract fees, regulatory fees, and so on).
For ETFs not in the “Popular Core Selection,” the fee is €2 per order plus the €1 handling fee.
Stock Fees
For stocks (for instance in many European countries, the U.S., and Canada), the fee is usually €1 per order plus a €1 handling fee, totaling €2 per order. For certain European exchanges, it can be €3.90 + €1 handling fee. For markets like Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, or Singapore, the transaction fee goes up to €5 per order plus the €1 handling fee.
Additional Fees
Some fees depend on the type of asset (stock, ETF, etc.) and the relevant exchange (NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, etc.):
Connectivity Fee: €2.50 annually per foreign exchange (stocks and ETFs). This is applied once you invest in products listed on a foreign exchange. For options, it can be €5 per month.
0.25% Currency Conversion: If you have euros but want to buy/sell an asset priced in another currency (e.g., USD), you’ll pay this fee. However, if you decide to maintain a sub-account in that currency, you only pay this conversion fee once when converting from your base currency and another time if you convert back to your base currency for withdrawal.
Example:
- Deposit in EUR.
- Buy an asset in USD → pay 0.25%.
- Sell the asset and hold USD in your account.
- Buy another USD asset later → no additional currency conversion fee.
- Withdraw back to EUR → pay 0.25% again.
Security and regulation
FlatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, operating under the DEGIRO brand, is a Dutch subsidiary of flatexDEGIRO Bank AG. The flatexDEGIRO Bank AG entity is regulated in Germany and supervised by BaFin (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht).
Additionally, FlatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch (DEGIRO) is supervised by the DNB (De Nederlandsche Bank) and the AFM (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) in the Netherlands.
DEGIRO segregates client assets into separate entities, ensuring protection in the event of DEGIRO’s insolvency.
In the unlikely scenario that segregated assets cannot be returned to clients, DEGIRO is covered by the German Investor Compensation Scheme, which compensates up to 90% of non-returned assets, capped at €20,000.
Furthermore, any cash held in a DEGIRO cash account with flatexDEGIRO Bank AG is protected up to €100,000 under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
You can find more information about this compensation scheme on BaFin’s website in English, under “Deposit protection and investor compensation.”
How Does the German Compensation Scheme Work?
For example, if you hold €30,000 in assets and DEGIRO only manages to return €10,000 (a highly unlikely scenario), you would be compensated for 90% of the remaining €20,000, meaning €18,000. This would leave you with a loss of €2,000.
However, this scenario is considered very unlikely because:
- Segregated Assets: DEGIRO does not hold your assets on its own balance sheet. Instead, they are placed in an independent legal entity (often a Special Purpose Vehicle, SPV).
- Fraud Risk: If the assets aren’t returned, it would likely involve fraud, which can happen at any broker (though it’s rare).
- Creditor Claims: Even if DEGIRO owes money to creditors, they cannot claim your segregated assets.
Essentially, your assets remain yours. In a worst-case scenario of broker insolvency, transferring your holdings to another broker might take several weeks, months, or even years, depending on the insolvency process, but you wouldn’t automatically lose your assets.
Opening an account
Opening a DEGIRO account is relatively quick, often taking under 10 minutes. Once you click “Become a Client” on the homepage, you’ll be guided through the following steps:
- Personal Details
- Identification
- Experience & Knowledge
Validation can take up to 24 hours.
Customer support
Customer support is one of the weaker points of DEGIRO when compared to some competing platforms that offer faster, more efficient service or 24/7 availability.
- Email Support: For general, technical, or account-related inquiries. Responses can take 1–3 business days, depending on complexity and volume.
- Phone Line: Available on business days during office hours. The exact number depends on your country (DEGIRO typically provides local language support in each market).
- Online Help Center: A comprehensive knowledge base with FAQs, step-by-step guides, and explanations about products, fees, and platform features.
Limitations
- No Live Chat: Many competitor brokers now offer this feature.
- No Weekend or Out-of-Hours Support.
- Potential Delays in Email: Which can be frustrating if you have urgent issues (e.g., technical problems or questions about open orders).
Final verdict: Is DEGIRO worth it?
If you’re looking for a straightforward, reliable broker with competitive fees for stock and ETF investing, DEGIRO remains one of the best options in Europe. It’s especially appealing for long-term investors wanting to build a diversified portfolio at lower transaction costs compared to traditional banks.
DEGIRO offers a broad range of financial instruments, access to over 50 international exchanges, and no fees for account opening, inactivity, or withdrawals - features that make it particularly attractive for both beginners and intermediate investors.
Still, you should be aware of certain drawbacks:
- No Interest on Uninvested Cash: This can matter if you prefer earning interest on idle funds, especially in a higher interest-rate environment.
- Customer Support: The lack of live chat and sometimes slow response times can be a downside.
- 0.25% Currency Conversion: While transparent, it can add up if you frequently trade assets priced in another currency.
- Limited Asset Classes: No direct crypto, Forex, or CFD trading (only indirect exposure via trackers or ETNs).
From a security and regulatory standpoint, DEGIRO stands on solid ground: assets are segregated in an independent entity (SPV), there’s compensation of up to €20,000 for non-returned assets, and cash deposits are covered up to €100,000 by the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme.
Overall, DEGIRO continues to be a reference among “low-cost” brokers in Europe and offers an excellent entry point to the world of investing for many. If your priority is low-cost access to stocks and ETFs with a user-friendly platform, it’s definitely worth considering as your main brokerage account.
