Best Online Brokers in Italy in 2026 (compared)

You already know that starting investing is a significant milestone in your financial life, but now you may wonder, “Where should I open my investment account?”. The search for an online broker can be daunting!

Through cost-benefit analysis, we’ve compiled several online brokers as our top picks for the best brokers in Italy. We’ve listed the following factors that investors should always consider: fees, investment platforms, the range of markets and instruments available, regulation and education resources.

These are our suggestions for the best investing apps in Italy:

1. eToro: Best for commission-free ETF investing and social trading
2. Interactive Brokers: Best broker overall
3. XTB: Best for Forex and CFD trading
4. Pepperstone: Best demo account, Forex and CFDs
5. Freedom24: Best for investment in bonds
6. DEGIRO: Best for low-cost investing
7. Trading 212: Best for commission-free ETFs (Other fees may apply. See terms and fees)
8. Scalable Capital: Best for automatic tax handling (regime amministrato)

Online brokers to avoid ❌

Prioritize safety: safe beats cheap! Remember that investing is a long-term game, so it’s best to choose a provider that you can trust as years go by. Make sure that it is allowed to operate in your country.

Check our list of investment platforms, and filter by “Not approved” to check the list of platforms that we do not recommend.

If you’re still unsure about a specific platform, feel free to reach out to us, we’re happy to help!

Founded in 2002 in Warsaw and publicly listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ticker: XTB), XTB is a major European broker with more than 2.8 million clients at the end of June 2026. Italian clients are served by XTB S.A., supervised by the KNF (Poland), and the group also has entities regulated by the FCA (UK) and CySEC (Cyprus). The platform offers 0% commission on real stocks and ETFs up to €100,000 of monthly turnover (0.2% above, with a €10 minimum), with strong pricing on forex and CFDs as well.

You can invest through xStation 5 and xStation Mobile in a wide range of products including stocks, ETFs (including UCITS-compliant ETFs suitable for Italian investors), forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrency CFDs. XTB also offers Investment Plans for systematic long-term investing and pays interest on uninvested cash.

For beginners, XTB provides a demo account and the XTB Trading Academy, an extensive Italian-language educational hub. For intermediate and advanced investors, xStation 5 delivers a strong set of technical and fundamental tools.

On the downside, XTB charges a €10 monthly inactivity fee after one year without trading and no deposit in the past 90 days, a 0.5% currency conversion fee, and CFDs on cryptocurrencies carry relatively high spreads (forex spreads, by contrast, are competitive). Italian residents also need to handle their own tax reporting via the regime dichiarativo and quadro RW, since XTB does not act as an Italian sostituto d’imposta.

Still have doubts? Read our XTB review.

Pepperstone, founded in 2010 in Melbourne, has positioned itself as one of the largest forex and CFD brokers globally, serving more than 830,000 traders worldwide. It has earned multiple industry awards, notably the “Best MT4 and MT5 Broker” award for 2026 from us.

Pepperstone operates under strict regulation from top-tier authorities including the FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), BaFin (Germany), ASIC (Australia), DFSA (Dubai), CMA (Kenya), and others. Italian clients are served by Pepperstone EU Limited, regulated by CySEC (licence 388/20) and passported into Italy under MiFID II. According to Pepperstone, 72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. The broker offers multiple platforms including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradingView integration, with advanced charting and automated trading.

In Italy and across the EU/UK, retail leverage is capped at 30:1 on major forex pairs (and lower on other assets) in line with ESMA rules.

On the downside, Pepperstone focuses on CFDs and forex: no real stocks, real ETFs, or direct crypto ownership, and it offers no interest on uninvested cash balances, unlike some competitors.

Pepperstone is best for Italian traders focused on forex and CFDs.

You can read our in-depth Pepperstone review here.

Freedom24, part of Freedom Holding Corp (NASDAQ: FRHC), has emerged as a cost-effective brokerage option for Italian retail investors compared with traditional Italian brokerage firms. The platform provides access to a diverse range of global financial products including 40,000 stocks, 3,600+ ETFs (from Vanguard, iShares, Invesco and others), more than 147,000 bonds, US and European options, and futures.

Freedom24 also offers the Bonds Showcase, a selection of bonds rated B+ and above, and many of its bonds can be bought from denominations of $1,000. This makes bond investing significantly more accessible for Italian investors seeking to complement equity exposure with fixed income.

The web and mobile platforms are intuitive and straightforward, complemented by InvestIdeas (market analysis from Freedom24 analysts) and Freedom Academy (educational content). New users can also benefit from a signup promotion of up to 20 gift stocks.

Freedom24 offers two main pricing plans with no monthly fee: Smart, at €0.02 per share plus €2 per order on US and EU stocks and ETFs, and All Inclusive, at 0.5% plus €0.012 per share plus €1.20 per order. On the downside, Freedom24 charges a €7 withdrawal fee and does not offer cryptocurrencies.

Freedom Finance Europe Ltd is regulated by CySEC (licence 275/15) and passported into Italy under MiFID II (with CONSOB oversight), providing MiFID II-level investor protection to Italian clients. In the unlikely event that segregated assets cannot be returned, Freedom24 is covered by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund (ICF), which protects non-returned investments up to €20,000. Parent Freedom Holding Corp is NASDAQ-listed and subject to SEC reporting, PCAOB audit oversight, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, providing an additional layer of transparency. As with other non-Italian brokers, Italian residents need to declare foreign holdings via the regime dichiarativo and quadro RW.

Want to learn more? Check our Freedom24 review or visit Freedom24 directly.

Founded in 2013, DEGIRO is a low-cost brokerage that has become widely popular across Europe due to its competitive fees. Its “do-it-yourself” platform gives Italian investors direct access to a broad set of assets including stocks, ETFs, bonds (including Italian BTP and BOT government bonds via Borsa Italiana), options, futures, warrants, investment funds, and some leveraged products (not identical to CFDs. More info here).

DEGIRO’s Core Selection ETFs carry no commission, only a €1 handling fee, when executed on Tradegate. Stocks on Borsa Italiana (Euronext Milan) and US stocks cost €1 plus the €1 handling fee. The web and mobile platforms are clean and easy to use. On the downside, there is limited fundamental research, and a connectivity fee of 0.25% of your account value, capped at €2.50 per year, applies to each foreign exchange you trade on (Euronext Milan is exempt).

On the regulatory side, DEGIRO operates as the Dutch branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE, a German credit institution supervised by BaFin and the Deutsche Bundesbank, with conduct-of-business oversight in the Netherlands from AFM and passporting into Italy under MiFID II. Client assets are covered by the German Investor Compensation Scheme (EdW) up to 90% of losses, capped at €20,000, worth keeping in mind if you plan to invest much larger volumes. Cash deposits with flatexDEGIRO Bank SE are additionally guaranteed up to €100,000 under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme.

Italian tax note: DEGIRO does not act as an Italian sostituto d’imposta, so gains, dividends, and foreign holdings must be reported via the regime dichiarativo and quadro RW.

Still have doubts? Read our DEGIRO review.

Founded in 2004 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and now headquartered in London, Trading 212 is a fintech that aims to democratise the investment process through a simple mobile-first application. It has had more than 5 million funded accounts and offers more than 13,000 stocks and ETFs. Sponsored Link. To get a free fractional share worth up to €100, you can open an account with Trading 212 using our promo code IITW. Terms apply.

On Trading 212, Italian investors will find stock and ETF investing with no commission (other fees may apply, see terms and fees), fractional shares from €1, and the Pies and AutoInvest feature. Trading 212 also pays interest on uninvested cash (2.50% on EUR for Trading 212 Markets Ltd clients as of 29 September 2026, variable). Opening an account is fully online. On the downside, the product range still lacks bonds and options, and Trading 212 charges a 0.15% FX fee when buying assets in a currency different from your base account.

Italian residents are served by Trading 212 Markets Ltd, regulated by CySEC (licence 398/21) and passported into Italy under MiFID II, with investor compensation of up to €20,000 through the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund. Crypto Account is provided by Trading 212 Markets Ltd. As with other non-Italian brokers, Trading 212 does not act as an Italian sostituto d’imposta, so gains, dividends, and foreign holdings need to be declared via the regime dichiarativo and quadro RW.

If you want to learn more, check our Trading 212 review.

Founded in 2014, Scalable Capital is a German investment platform with more than 1 million clients, where you can invest in shares, ETFs, funds, crypto ETPs and derivatives, one-off or through savings plans. Its robo-advisor (Scalable Wealth) is not currently available in Italy.

Its main advantage for Italian investors is tax handling. Since 1 September 2026, Scalable operates through an Italian branch with an Italian IBAN and acts as sostituto d’imposta: you can choose the regime amministrato, in which Scalable calculates and pays the tax on your gains and dividends for you, instead of declaring everything yourself. Older accounts are being migrated, and the regime applies from the date it is activated.

There are two plans. With FREE (€0 a month), each order costs €0.99, while orders from €250 in partner ETFs are free. With PRIME+ (€4.99 a month), orders from €250 are free and smaller orders cost €0.99. Uninvested cash earns variable interest (2.60% as of September 2026).

Scalable Capital is authorised by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and supervised by the Deutsche Bundesbank. Securities are held separately from Scalable’s own assets, and investor compensation covers 90% of the claim, up to €20,000.

How investments with foreign brokers are taxed in Italy

Most brokers on this list are based outside Italy and work under the regime dichiarativo: they send you an annual report, and you declare your income yourself in the dichiarazione dei redditi. The main rules in 2026 are:

• 26% on capital gains, dividends and interest from shares, ETFs and corporate bonds;
• 12.5% on interest and gains from Italian government bonds (BTP, BOT) and white-list government bonds;
• 33% on crypto-asset gains realised from 1 January 2026;
• IVAFE: a wealth tax of 0.2% a year on financial products held abroad, and €34.20 a year for each foreign account with an average balance above €5,000, declared in the quadro RW;
• ETF gains and losses: gains on ETFs are taxed as redditi di capitale, so they cannot be offset against previous capital losses (minusvalenze), while losses on ETFs can offset other capital gains.

If you prefer not to handle this yourself, choose a broker that acts as sostituto d’imposta, like Scalable Capital on this list, which calculates and withholds the tax for you. Always confirm the details with the Agenzia delle Entrate or an Italian tax adviser.

Which platform should you choose?

The main factors to weigh when choosing an online broker are the fees, whether it is regulated by a top-tier authority, the range of products it offers (including Borsa Italiana stocks and Italian government bonds), and whether it handles your Italian taxes for you.

The best online broker in your specific case will depend on your profile, preference, and objectives. Explore the websites above and decide for yourself!

Other resources

• Check our Youtube channel! You will find step-by-step guides of how to invest in the S&P 500 on different brokers, as well as other educational videos about investing and investment platforms.
• Explore our tools: Check our comparison tool, reviews, BrokerMatch, brokers that offer the highest interest rates, signup bonuses, and others.

Other FAQs about brokers in Italy