Trade Republic review 2025: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Trade Republic is a European broker headquartered in Berlin, now with over 8 million users across various European countries.

Regulated by Germany’s BaFin and supervised by the Bundesbank, it combines a user-friendly app with low commissions, making it appealing to beginners and those seeking a more hands-off investing approach.

Below, we’ll analyze Trade Republic’s main characteristics in detail - from commissions and functionalities to pros and cons - to help you determine if this broker aligns with your investing goals.

Overview

Founded in 2015, Trade Republic aims to democratize access to financial markets. It focuses on simplicity and affordability, offering:

• Stocks and ETFs
• Bonds
• Derivatives
• Cryptocurrencies (with cold storage custody)

You can trade or invest with as little as €1 per order, and there’s a particularly strong emphasis on recurring “savings plans” for automatic investments.

Trade Republic offers two platforms: a mobile app (iOS and Android) and a web-based version easily accessible from any browser.

Upon exploring both, we found the interface to be straightforward compared to other competitors. You’ll quickly find a search bar (the easiest way to locate assets), along with your portfolio value and available cash. Monitoring portfolio performance over time is simple:

Key features of Trade Republic

• Simple platform: Trade Republic provides a minimalistic mobile app (iOS/Android) and a web version. Both are designed for ease of use, with basic charting tools, market notifications, and a straightforward portfolio overview.
• Low commission structure: You’ll typically pay a €1 transaction fee for each trade in stocks, ETFs, derivatives, bonds, or crypto. Savings plan orders (recurring investments) are free of this fee.
• Attractive interest rate: Earn 2.50% annual interest on uninvested cash (up to €50,000), credited monthly. Funds are protected up to €100,000 under the EU’s standard deposit guarantee scheme.
• Savings Plans: Automate investments in stocks, ETFs, bonds, or crypto with no per-trade fee. You can set the frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.), the exact date (2nd, 9th, 16th, or 23rd), and your payment method (direct debit or account balance).
• Debit card: Trade Republic offers a debit card - virtual or physical - enabling you to pay worldwide and even round up purchases to invest the spare change. You can also earn “Saveback” (up to 1% on card payments, capped at €15/month) if you invest at least €50/month via savings plans.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Automatic savings plans (ETFs, stocks, bonds, crypto)
• Daily interest on uninvested balances (2.50%/year)
• Fractional investing from just €1
• No mandatory minimum deposit
• Modern, user-friendly app
• Direct debit for savings plans
• Supervised by reputable German authorities (BaFin, Bundesbank)
• Full banking license - deposits covered by the EU’s deposit guarantee scheme (up to €100,000)

Cons

• €1 fixed fee per transaction (except on savings plans)
• No demo account
• EUR as the only base currency
• No direct access to US exchanges - some popular American stocks may not be listed (e.g., certain NASDAQ-only companies)
• Currency conversion fees may apply to income (dividends, etc.) in non-euro currencies
• Payment for Order Flow (PFOF) model

Interest on uninvested cash

With Trade Republic, any uninvested cash in your account earns 2.50% per year (up to €50,000 at the time of writing). Interest accrues daily and is paid monthly. You can withdraw your funds anytime without penalty.

Your cash is insured up to €100,000 under the EU’s standard deposit guarantee. According to the broker’s official deposit coverage statement:

“Your deposit is covered by a legal deposit guarantee scheme. In the event of insolvency of the credit institution, your deposits will be refunded up to an amount of €100,000.”

If you wish to explore other interest-bearing alternatives, see our article on the best EU brokers for earning interest.

Fees

Trade Republic is transparent about its costs. The only immediate fee is a €1 external settlement charge per transaction in stocks, ETFs, derivatives, bonds, or crypto. The company states this fee is entirely due to third-party costs. If an order executes in multiple partial fills on the same day, you still pay just €1 total.

• No withdrawal fees
• No custody fees
• No dividend or ETF distribution fees (though external taxes or currency conversion fees may apply)

Because your base currency is EUR, you’ll incur FX conversion fees for any income (e.g., dividends) received in other currencies. According to Trade Republic:

“Exchange rates for buy and sell conversions are based on external reference rates, with a premium or discount applied according to bid-ask spreads…”

For more details, see the Trade Republic pricing page:

Security and Regulation

Trade Republic is regulated by BaFin (Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) and also supervised by the Deutsche Bundesbank (as it holds a banking license).

Within your account, you have two distinct asset types:

1. Cash Deposits: Your cash is held in EU banks such as Solarisbank, Citibank, J.P. Morgan SE, or Deutsche Bank. Since these institutions are EU-based, they follow national and European regulations guaranteeing deposit protection up to €100,000 per client.
2. Investments (Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, etc.): These are fully segregated from Trade Republic’s own assets, held via HSBC Germany and deposited at Clearstream in Frankfurt. You remain the legal owner of your securities. If Trade Republic were to go insolvent, you could transfer your holdings to another broker. In addition, investment assets are covered by the German Investor Compensation Scheme, which offers protection up to €20,000 (covering 90% of assets not returned). This typically applies in cases of fraud or severe misconduct.

Lastly, Trade Republic does not engage in securities lending programs (unlike some other brokers). While often controlled, securities lending can introduce additional risk.

(Want more details? Check out our in-depth article on Trade Republic’s safety.)

Markets and Financial Products

Trade Republic provides access to five main product categories:

• Stocks (over 9,000)
• ETFs (over 2,000)
• Bonds (over 500)
• Cryptocurrencies (50+)
• Derivatives (Knockouts, Warrants, and Factor Certificates—10,000+)

All these assets are traded in euros (EUR).

Stocks

Many large-cap American stocks (such as Apple) are available via XETRA, Germany’s main electronic trading venue, where the shares are euro-denominated. In practical terms, if you buy Apple in EUR rather than USD, it should yield similar returns once currency conversion is factored in, but the euro listing sometimes has lower liquidity, which may lead to wider bid-ask spreads.

Important: If a company is only listed on US exchanges (e.g., some NYSE or NASDAQ exclusives), you might not find it on Trade Republic. For broader international coverage, including direct access to US markets, consider a broker like Interactive Brokers.

Fractional Shares are also possible on a selection of equities and ETFs, though you can only buy them via Market Orders on the electronic exchange Lang & Schwarz (LSX).

Bonds

You can invest in both corporate and government bonds from as little as €1. Interest payments are proportionate to the fraction of the bond you hold. Whole bonds trade on LSX, while fractional portions are traded with Trade Republic as the counterparty.

Cryptocurrencies

You are buying actual crypto assets (not CFDs/derivatives). Trading is available 24/7, including weekends and holidays. Trade Republic claims that each cryptocurrency is stored in a cold wallet (offline), securing them from cyber threats. As with stocks and ETFs, crypto holdings are segregated via Trade Republic Custody GmbH.

Important: You currently cannot send or receive crypto to/from external wallets—only buy or sell within the Trade Republic ecosystem.

Derivatives

These are financial instruments whose value depends on an underlying asset (stocks, commodities, bonds, etc.). Trade Republic allows trading in three categories:

Warrants

Similar to options, granting you the right (but not obligation) to buy/sell an underlying asset at a specific price before a set date.

• Knock-Outs: A type of option that expires automatically if the underlying reaches a certain price. They have capped gains but often lower premiums.
• Factor Certificates (Factors): Products that replicate an asset’s price movements but with built-in leverage (amplifying potential gains and losses). Unlike warrants and knock-outs, they don’t have an expiration date. However, they’re generally unsuitable for holding longer than a day.
  

Caution: Leveraged derivatives are high-risk and more suited to experienced traders.

Automatic Savings Plans

Trade Republic also offers automatic savings plans (over 4,900 assets) for stocks, ETFs, bonds, and crypto - commission-free (no €1 external fee). This is one of the most cost-effective ways to invest regularly.

Plans execute on the 2nd, 9th, 16th, or 23rd of each month (assuming XETRA is open). You can configure:

• Payment method: Direct debit or use available cash in your account
• Frequency: Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly

Trade Republic Debit Card

Trade Republic gives you the option to use a debit card. You can request a physical card (€5 one-time fee for “Classic” or €50 for “Mirror” version) or opt for a virtual one. Perks include:

• 1% “Saveback” on card payments, automatically invested in your savings plan (up to €15/month, applied to monthly spend up to €1,500; you must invest at least €50/month in a savings plan to qualify)
• Round-up investments: Automatically invest your spare change from each card purchase
• No monthly fees
• Free ATM withdrawals worldwide on amounts under €100

Final verdict: is it worth it?

For long-term investing in stocks, ETFs, and even crypto - especially via automated savings plans - Trade Republic stands out with low fees, a user-friendly interface, and the bonus of earning interest on idle cash. Backed by reputable German regulators and deposit protection, it offers strong reassurance on security.

However, if you need direct access to US exchanges, advanced trading tools, or wider global market coverage, you might want to consider other European brokers. Still, for straightforward, low-cost investing with a reliable safety net, Trade Republic remains a top contender in 2025 - particularly for EU residents seeking simplicity and cost efficiency.