Best stock trading apps in Ireland in 2026

eToro was founded in 2007 and is now publicly listed on NASDAQ (ticker: ETOR) following its IPO in May 2025. With over 40 million users worldwide and access to more than 6,000 financial instruments – including stocks from 17 different stock exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, Euronext Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid, Zurich, and more) – eToro has become one of the most recognisable retail trading platforms globally.

For Irish investors, eToro operates through eToro (Europe) Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under licence 109/10 and passports its services into Ireland under EU MiFID rules. eToro also holds a MiCA licence (granted by CySEC in January 2025), allowing it to offer regulated crypto-asset trading and custody across the EEA – making it one of the first major platforms to be fully MiCA-compliant for Irish retail clients.

Key features for Irish investors:

• EUR local currency account available to Irish residents – deposit, hold, and fund trades of EUR-based assets directly in euros, with no FX conversion fees on EUR-denominated trades. SEPA bank transfers supported.
• 0% commission on real stock and ETF trades (non-CFD).
• Social and copy trading – eToro’s signature feature, allowing you to follow other investors and automatically copy strategies via CopyTrader™.
• Smart Portfolios for thematic exposure (e.g., AI, renewable energy, dividends).
• Fractional shares on US and selected European stocks, with a minimum trade size of just $10.
• Free demo account with $100,000 in virtual funds for testing strategies.
• eToro Visa debit card linked to the EUR account (currently available to Club members – Diamond, Platinum, and Platinum+ tiers in Ireland).

Costs to be aware of: a $5 flat withdrawal fee applies when withdrawing from the USD investment account; no withdrawal fees apply when using the EUR local currency account. There’s also a $10/month inactivity fee after 12 months of dormancy. FX conversion fees apply only when trading non-EUR-denominated assets (e.g., US stocks) from EUR funds, or when transferring between EUR and USD accounts.

Safety: client funds are held in segregated accounts, and Irish clients are covered by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund (ICF) up to €20,000 per client. Additionally, eToro provides free private insurance through Lloyd’s of London for up to €1 million, automatically activated for all account holders. For more on this topic, see our article about the safety of eToro.

eToro is well-suited to beginner and intermediate Irish investors who value an intuitive mobile experience, social trading features, and access to global markets – though more advanced traders may find the platform’s product range and fee structure less competitive than dedicated alternatives. Read our full eToro review for a deeper analysis.

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is one of the most established global brokers in the market, founded in 1978 and publicly listed on NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR). With over 45 years of history, the firm has navigated multiple financial crises while building a reputation for rigorous risk management, deep liquidity, and one of the broadest product ranges in the industry.

For Irish investors, IBKR operates through Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI). This is a meaningful distinction: while most brokers serving Ireland passport in from another EU regulator (typically CySEC), IBKR is directly authorised by the CBI, which provides a more direct line of regulatory oversight and supervision under Irish law.

Key features for Irish investors:

• Access to 150+ market centres in 33 countries, including Euronext Dublin (ISEQ), LSE, Euronext Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, NYSE, NASDAQ, and Asian exchanges – giving Irish investors genuinely global reach from a single account.
• Multi-currency accounts: hold and trade in EUR, USD, GBP, and 20+ other currencies natively, with FX conversion at just 0.03% – one of the lowest FX fees on the market and a major advantage given Irish investors often trade across currencies.
• Low trading commissions: from €1.25 per Euronext trade and US$0.0035 per US share (Tiered pricing), or US$1 minimum / 0.005% per share (Fixed pricing). No account opening fees, no maintenance fees, and no inactivity fees.
• Interest on uninvested cash: EUR balances earn competitive rates that track the ECB deposit rate, USD balances track the Fed funds rate. Currently among the best rates offered by any retail broker.
• Comprehensive product range: stocks, ETFs (including UCITS for Irish tax-efficiency), bonds, funds, options, futures, forex, and more.
• Annual tax reporting: IBKR provides annual statements that simplify Irish CGT and Deemed Disposal reporting, including the activity logs and transaction histories needed for Revenue filings.

Platforms: IBKR offers a layered platform ecosystem to suit different experience levels. IBKR GlobalTrader is the beginner-friendly mobile app, simplifying global stock and ETF investing with fractional shares, multi-currency support, and a clean interface. IBKR Mobile and the web-based Client Portal serve intermediate users with broader functionality. For active and professional traders, Trader Workstation (TWS) offers institutional-grade tools, advanced order types, options analytics (OptionTrader, Probability Lab), and algorithmic trading.

Safety: client funds are held in segregated accounts, and Irish clients are protected by the Investor Compensation Company DAC (ICCL) up to 90% of net losses with a €20,000 maximum.

For Irish investors who value direct CBI regulation, low fees, broad global market access, and the ability to hold multiple currencies natively, Interactive Brokers is one of the strongest options on the market. The main limitation is the platform complexity – even GlobalTrader can feel overwhelming compared to simpler apps like Revolut or Trading 212 – so it tends to suit investors with at least a baseline level of experience or those willing to invest time in learning the platform.

For more details, read our full Interactive Brokers review.

Lightyear is one of the newer European brokers, founded in 2021 by former Wise employees and headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia. It launched in the UK in late 2021 and expanded into Ireland and most of Europe in summer 2022. Lightyear positions itself as a low-frills, transparent investing platform focused on stocks, ETFs, bonds, and money market funds – aimed at long-term, cost-conscious investors rather than active traders.

Product offering is deliberately limited compared to multi-asset brokers: over 6,000 stocks (mostly US-listed, with selected UK, EU, and Baltic shares), 350+ ETFs (primarily Vanguard and iShares – relevant for Irish investors seeking UCITS-compliant, accumulating funds for tax efficiency), and BlackRock money market funds. There are no CFDs, no options, no futures, no forex, and no crypto.

Key features for Irish investors:

• Multi-currency account with EUR, USD, and GBP balances, avoiding repeated FX conversions. FX fee of 0.35% when converting between currencies – higher than IBKR’s 0.03%, but lower than most traditional brokers.
• High interest on cash via Money Market Funds (Savings Vaults): as of early 2026, approximately 1.91% on EUR, 3.75% on USD, and 3.83% on GBP (variable, sourced from BlackRock MMFs). Note: since October 2025, users must actively invest in an MMF (via the Vaults feature) to earn interest – cash held outside MMFs no longer earns interest by default.
• Fractional shares on both US and selected EU-listed stocks and ETFs (around 100 US stocks fractionally tradeable, plus some European stocks/ETFs). For example, if Microsoft is trading at $300, you can invest just $30 and hold 10% of one share – useful for building positions on a small budget.
• Transparent fee structure: €1 per EU trade, £1 per UK trade, 0.10% on US stocks (min $0.10, max $1). No inactivity fees, no account opening fees, and no custody charges.
• Direct-to-exchange execution: Lightyear does not use Payment for Order Flow (PFOF), which is banned in the EU – orders are routed directly to exchanges for better execution transparency.

Safety: Lightyear Europe AS is authorised and regulated as an investment firm by the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (Finantsinspektsioon, FSA). Irish clients are covered by the Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund up to €20,000 per client. Worth noting that MMF holdings are not covered by deposit protection schemes (they’re investments, not deposits) – though BlackRock’s AAA-rated MMFs carry very low risk.

Promo offer: Lightyear offers a free fractional share worth up to €100 with the promo code INVESTINGINTHEWEB for new users.

Lightyear is well-suited to Irish long-term investors who want a clean, low-cost platform for buy-and-hold strategies with UCITS ETFs and global stocks, plus the ability to earn meaningful interest on uninvested cash. The main limitations are the narrower product range (no derivatives, no funds outside MMFs) and the relatively higher FX fee versus IBKR for cross-currency trades. For more details, check our Lightyear review.

DEGIRO launched in the Netherlands in 2013 and has grown into one of Europe’s largest discount brokers, with over 3 million clients across 15+ European countries, including Ireland. After merging with the German flatexDEGIRO Bank AG in 2021, DEGIRO operates with its own banking licence and has become a top choice for cost-conscious European investors looking for low fees and broad market access.

DEGIRO is supervised by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) as the primary regulator (since it operates under flatexDEGIRO Bank AG’s German banking licence), with additional oversight from the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets (AFM) and De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) for its Netherlands operations. For Irish investors, this means a robust EU regulatory framework even though DEGIRO doesn’t operate under direct Central Bank of Ireland supervision.

Key features for Irish investors:

• Access to 50+ global exchanges, including Euronext Dublin (ISEQ), Euronext Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, NYSE, NASDAQ, plus Asian markets (Tokyo, Hong Kong) and Australia.
• Low trading fees: €3 per trade on Euronext Dublin and Amsterdam, €4.90 on Frankfurt, and US stocks at €1 commission + €1 handling fee. Free ETFs through the Core Selection list (first monthly trade free per ETF), which includes a number of UCITS-compliant ETFs popular with Irish investors.
• FX conversion at 0.25% above spot when trading non-EUR-denominated assets – higher than IBKR (0.03%) but lower than most traditional brokers.
• No custody fees, no inactivity fees, no withdrawal fees – just an annual Exchange Connectivity Fee of €2.50 per non-home exchange (capped at 0.25% of portfolio value); Euronext Dublin is exempt from this fee for Irish clients.
• Broad product range: stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, futures, and leveraged products. No CFDs, no forex, and no fractional shares.

Safety: as a German-licensed bank, flatexDEGIRO Bank AG provides €100,000 cash deposit protection under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme – meaningfully higher than the standard €20,000 investor compensation. Securities held in custody are additionally covered by the German Investor Compensation Scheme up to €20,000. For Irish clients, this dual protection is one of the stronger safety frameworks available on the market.

Important to note: DEGIRO does not generate Irish-specific tax reports, so Irish investors need to track their own CGT calculations, Deemed Disposal events, and dividend income for Revenue filings. This is a meaningful operational burden compared to brokers like Interactive Brokers, which produce more comprehensive annual statements.

DEGIRO is well-suited to cost-conscious Irish investors who want low trading fees on European stocks and ETFs, value access to a wide range of global exchanges, and are comfortable handling their own tax reporting. The main limitations are the lack of fractional shares, no interest on uninvested cash (a real drawback in 2026 versus Lightyear, Trade Republic, or IBKR), and the manual tax reporting workload. Check out our DEGIRO review to learn more.

Saxo Bank is a Danish investment bank founded in 1992 by Kim Fournais, with headquarters in Copenhagen. As of 2026, Saxo serves over 1.3 million clients globally, manages more than €100 billion in client assets, and offers access to over 70,000 financial instruments across global markets. In March 2025, Swiss private bank J. Safra Sarasin acquired a majority stake in the Saxo Bank Group, further strengthening its institutional backing.

For Irish investors, Saxo is regulated by multiple top-tier authorities, including the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet) as primary regulator under EU MiFID, with additional oversight from the FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), MAS (Singapore), and FINMA (Switzerland). Client funds are held in segregated accounts and Irish clients are covered by the Danish Guarantee Fund up to €20,000 for securities and up to €100,000 for cash deposits.

Key features for Irish investors:

• No minimum deposit to open a Saxo account in Ireland (Classic tier) – the original $2,000 minimum has been removed across most EU jurisdictions.
• Three account tiers: Classic (€0 minimum, standard pricing), Platinum (€200,000 minimum, ~30% lower fees), and VIP (€1M+ minimum, lowest fees + dedicated relationship manager).
• Broad product range: stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds (commission-free), forex, options, futures, CFDs, and commodities – across 50+ exchanges including Euronext Dublin, Euronext Amsterdam, Frankfurt, NYSE, NASDAQ, and Asian markets.
• Fees (Classic tier): 0.08% on US stocks (min $1), €3 on Euronext trades, 0.10% on UK stocks (min £3), $2 per options contract, $3 per futures contract. 0.15% annual custody fee on stock, ETF, and bond holdings (capped per account).
• FX conversion at 0.25% – higher than IBKR (0.03%) but lower than most traditional banks.
• Multi-currency account: hold balances in EUR, USD, GBP, and other major currencies natively, reducing FX conversion costs for cross-currency trades.
• No deposit fees, no withdrawal fees, no inactivity fees.

Platforms: in 2025, Saxo consolidated its platform offering. SaxoTrader is now the unified web and mobile platform (replacing the previous SaxoTraderGO/SaxoTraderPRO distinction), with features that scale from beginner to advanced use – including multi-window charting, options analytics, and advanced order types. SaxoInvestor is the simpler companion platform aimed at long-term passive investors who prefer a clean, low-friction experience. Both platforms support biometric login, two-step authentication, and TradingView integration.

Saxo is well-suited to intermediate and advanced Irish investors who value broad product access (especially across global markets and asset classes), strong regulatory protection, and the option to scale into a Platinum or VIP relationship over time. The main downsides are the 0.15% custody fee (which adds up on larger balances and isn’t charged by IBKR or DEGIRO), higher per-trade fees than the cheapest discount brokers, and the fact that Saxo doesn’t generate Irish-specific tax reports – leaving CGT and Deemed Disposal calculations to the investor or their accountant.

For a deeper dive, check our Saxo review.

XTB is a Polish global investment firm founded in 2002 and publicly listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ticker: XTB) since 2016. With over 1.36 million clients across 13+ countries and a market capitalisation of €2.5B+, XTB has evolved from a pure forex/CFD broker into a multi-asset investment platform now offering real stocks, ETFs, fractional shares, and automated investment plans alongside its traditional CFD offering.

For Irish investors, XTB operates through XTB Limited (CY), authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under licence 169/12, passporting its services into Ireland under EU MiFID rules. XTB is also regulated by the FCA (UK), KNF (Poland), BaFin (Germany), and AMF (France) – one of the most heavily regulated brokers in Europe.

Key features for Irish investors:

• Real stocks and ETFs: invest in physical shares (not just CFDs) across 6,000+ stocks and 1,400+ ETFs from 16 major global exchanges, including LSE, NYSE, NASDAQ, Euronext Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Madrid. Many UCITS-compliant ETFs are available – relevant for Irish investors managing Deemed Disposal.
• 0% commission on real stock and ETF trades up to €100,000 monthly trading volume; above this, a 0.2% commission applies (minimum €10).
• Fractional shares from €10: invest in expensive stocks like Apple, Microsoft, or NVIDIA with as little as €10 – genuine fractional ownership, not CFD-based.
• Automated Investment Plans: schedule recurring purchases of selected ETFs to build a portfolio passively, useful for long-term Irish investors.
• Interest on uninvested cash: XTB pays competitive rates on cash balances (varies by currency and EU jurisdiction; currently around 1-3% on EUR for retail clients).
• CFDs on stocks, indices, forex, commodities, and crypto remain available for active traders who want leveraged exposure – though CFDs are complex instruments and 69-83% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading them with XTB.
• No minimum deposit; demo account available indefinitely (not just one month as in the original article).

Platform: XTB’s award-winning xStation 5 proprietary platform (web, desktop, and mobile) won “Best in Class” honours at ForexBrokers.com’s 2026 Annual Awards across Overall, Ease of Use, and Beginner categories. It includes advanced charting, technical analysis tools, integrated market research, news feeds, and educational resources. The mobile app is widely regarded as one of the cleanest trading apps available.

Safety: client funds are segregated, and Irish clients are covered by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund (ICF) up to €20,000 per client. As a Warsaw Stock Exchange-listed company, XTB also offers high institutional transparency through regular financial disclosures.

XTB is well-suited to Irish investors looking for a hybrid platform that combines commission-free real stock and ETF investing with the option to trade CFDs and forex if desired. The platform genuinely covers beginners (via fractional shares, Investment Plans, and educational content) through to active traders. Main limitations: no MetaTrader support (xStation 5 only), the €100k monthly volume cap for 0% commission, and a 0.5% FX conversion fee on trades in foreign currencies, which can add up for Irish investors trading US stocks from EUR funds. For a deeper analysis, check our XTB review.