Chapter 03 · Start investing

Which broker fits you?

8 brokers compared on cost, ease of use, safety and choice. Enter your own amounts and the ranking recalculates.

* Based on your monthly amount and portfolio; ranking uses the public method below. Data checked 2026-11-06.

1. 1

   Scalable Capital

   Free investment plans plus interest on cash

   ETF trade

   Free (via savings plan)

   Account / custody fee

   €0 (FREE); PRIME+ €4.99/mo optional

   Minimum deposit

   €0

   Fractional shares

   Yes

   Auto-invest

   Yes

   App rating iOS / Android

   4.6 / 4.4

   Protection

   German bank (Scalable Capital Bank GmbH) · statutory EU compensation scheme

   Interest on cash

   2.60% (Overnight account, variable)

   €0estimated cost per year*fees €0 · exit €0 · missed interest €0

   Cost10.0

   Ease of use9.0

   Safety10.0

   Choice8.0

   Overall9.5
   • Investment plans free from €1, with fractions
   • PRIME ETF buys from €250 free
   • Kids account available

   • Trades via own exchange/gettex/Xetra, not Euronext Amsterdam
   • Small one-off orders and sales cost €0.99

   Visit Scalable Capital →Checked 2026-11-06

2. 2

   Trade Republic

   Free automatic monthly ETF plans

   ETF trade

   Free (via savings plan; one-off order €1)

   Account / custody fee

   €0

   Minimum deposit

   €0

   Fractional shares

   Yes

   Auto-invest

   Yes

   App rating iOS / Android

   4.7 / 4.1

   Protection

   BaFin · Dutch branch · statutory EU compensation scheme

   Interest on cash

   Variable, linked to ECB rate (check app)

   €6estimated cost per year*fees €0 · exit €0 · missed interest €6

   Cost6.2

   Ease of use8.8

   Safety10.0

   Choice6.0

   Overall7.7
   • Savings plans free from €10, with fractions
   • Free currency conversion per price list
   • Dutch IBAN with interest on cash

   • Execution via own venue: part of the cost sits in the spread
   • 1% fee on card deposits after the first

   Visit Trade Republic →Checked 2026-11-06

3. 3

   Meesman

   Hands-off world index investing

   ETF trade

   €0

   Account / custody fee

   No service fee; fund cost 0.4%/yr (in the price)

   Minimum deposit

   —

   Fractional shares

   Yes

   Auto-invest

   Yes

   App rating iOS / Android

   4.2 / 3.8

   Protection

   Investments sit outside Meesman's bankruptcy estate

   Interest on cash

   —

   €52estimated cost per year*fees €52 · exit €0 · missed interest €0

   Cost1.6

   Ease of use8.0

   Safety10.0

   Choice10.0

   Overall6.2
   • Very simple: one world index fund
   • Pension, kids and partner accounts
   • No service or account fee

   • Fund cost 0.4% a year, higher than cheap ETFs
   • 0.2% transaction cost on every deposit

   Visit Meesman →Checked 2026-11-06

4. 4

   BUX

   App-first beginners, incl. ABN AMRO clients

   ETF trade

   Free (via investment plan)

   Account / custody fee

   Basic: 0.20%/yr service fee; Plus €2.99/mo

   Minimum deposit

   €0

   Fractional shares

   Yes

   Auto-invest

   Yes

   App rating iOS / Android

   4.5 / 4.3

   Protection

   AFM licence · ABN AMRO subsidiary

   Interest on cash

   Basic 0%; Plus 1.75% up to €100,000

   €46estimated cost per year*fees €20 · exit €0 · missed interest €26

   Cost1.8

   Ease of use8.8

   Safety10.0

   Choice6.0

   Overall5.9
   • Free periodic investment plans with fractions
   • Part of ABN AMRO
   • Simple app

   • Free Basic plan charges a 0.20% yearly service fee
   • 0.75% FX markup on Basic

   Visit BUX →Checked 2026-11-06

5. 5

   Saxo

   Full platform with joint and kids accounts

   ETF trade

   €2

   Account / custody fee

   0.01%/mo service fee, refunded as trading credit

   Minimum deposit

   €0

   Fractional shares

   No

   Auto-invest

   Yes

   App rating iOS / Android

   3.6 / 3.9

   Protection

   Saxo Bank A/S (Danish FSA, AFM/DNB) · Danish fund up to €20,000

   Interest on cash

   Only at higher tiers

   €50estimated cost per year*fees €24 · exit €0 · missed interest €26

   Cost1.7

   Ease of use7.5

   Safety10.0

   Choice6.0

   Overall5.6
   • 0.08% with €2 minimum on Euronext
   • Joint, kids and business accounts
   • No minimum deposit

   • Service fee only returned as trading credit
   • Lower app ratings than newer apps

   Visit Saxo →Checked 2026-11-06

6. 6

   DEGIRO

   Cheap DIY ETF and stock buying

   ETF trade

   €1

   Account / custody fee

   €0; exchange connection max €2.50/yr (Euronext free)

   Minimum deposit

   €0

   Fractional shares

   No

   Auto-invest

   No

   App rating iOS / Android

   4.5 / 4.4

   Protection

   BaFin/AFM · securities in separate entity · German scheme up to €20,000

   Interest on cash

   —

   €38estimated cost per year*fees €12 · exit €0 · missed interest €26

   Cost2.1

   Ease of use8.9

   Safety10.0

   Choice2.0

   Overall5.4
   • €1 per order on Kernselectie ETFs
   • No custody fee; Euronext Amsterdam connection free
   • Lijfrente account for pension saving

   • No fractional shares and no automatic investment plan
   • 0.25% FX fee on non-euro investments

   Visit DEGIRO →Checked 2026-11-06

7. 7

   Interactive Brokers

   Experienced investors wanting global access

   ETF trade

   €3

   Account / custody fee

   €0

   Minimum deposit

   €0

   Fractional shares

   Yes

   Auto-invest

   No

   App rating iOS / Android

   4.3 / 4.4

   Protection

   Central Bank of Ireland · Irish scheme up to €20,000

   Interest on cash

   ≈1.94% above €10,000 (variable)

   €62estimated cost per year*fees €36 · exit €0 · missed interest €26

   Cost1.4

   Ease of use8.8

   Safety10.0

   Choice4.0

   Overall5.4
   • Very low FX costs
   • Access to exchanges worldwide
   • Fractional shares

   • Complex for beginners
   • Minimum €3 per European order

   Visit Interactive Brokers →Checked 2026-11-06

8. 8

   LYNX

   Active traders wanting Dutch service

   ETF trade

   €6

   Account / custody fee

   €5/mo minimum less commissions paid (below €100,000)

   Minimum deposit

   —

   Fractional shares

   No

   Auto-invest

   No

   App rating iOS / Android

   4.5 / 2.9

   Protection

   AFM/DNB · custody at Interactive Brokers Ireland, Irish scheme up to €20,000

   Interest on cash

   —

   €98estimated cost per year*fees €72 · exit €0 · missed interest €26

   Cost0.9

   Ease of use7.3

   Safety10.0

   Choice2.0

   Overall4.6
   • Access to 100+ exchanges
   • Dutch-language service
   • Free account transfer

   • Minimum €6 per European order: costly for small monthly buys
   • Monthly minimum commission below €100,000

   Visit LYNX →Checked 2026-11-06

How we score

Cost (40%): estimated all-in yearly cost for your monthly investment, portfolio and cash — trade and account fees, plus the transfer-out fee spread over 10 years (where published), plus the interest you miss on cash compared with the best-paying broker (unpublished rates count as 0%) — relative to the cheapest. Ease of use (20%): average App Store and Google Play rating. Safety (25%): regulator (5), legally segregated client assets (3), investor-protection scheme or bankruptcy-remote custody (2). Choice (15%): account types and features such as automatic investing, fractional shares and kids or retirement accounts. FX costs, spreads and ETF expense ratios are not included (for Meesman, which only offers its own funds, the fund cost is included).

Trade Republic: ≈2%, linked to the ECB rate (last officially confirmed July 2025). Interactive Brokers pays no interest on the first €10,000; BUX Basic and Saxo (Bronze) 0%. Meesman holds no cash: deposits are invested directly.

Not advice. Fees change; always confirm current pricing with the broker. Sources per broker are listed in our open data. Links may be affiliate links; that never affects the calculation.