Finding a platform that best suits your investment needs can be challenging. Choosing one of the best trading platforms can help you optimize your trading/investment experience, simplify your daily tasks, and even save you time.
The best trading platforms offer other features highly valued by investors, such as placing orders quickly, easily, and at the best possible price, tracking a watchlist of instruments, sending alerts instantly on pre-specified events, and providing news streaming and updates.
In this article, we’ll present and compare the four best trading platforms in Europe that we identified based on our research.
Best Trading Platforms in Europe for 2023
- Interactive Brokers: Best overall trading platform in Europe
- eToro: Best for commission-free investing and social trading
- XTB: Best for CFD and Forex trading
- DEGIRO: Best for low-cost investing
76% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
77% of retail CFD account lose money.
Investing involves risk of loss.
Comparison of the Best Trading Platforms in Europe
| Broker | Minimum deposit | Products | US stock fees | Regulators |
| Interactive Brokers | €/$0 | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Forex, Commodities, Bonds and Funds. | Tiered plan: $0.0035 per share
(Min. $0.35; Max. 1% of trade value.) |
FINRA, SIPC, SEC, CFTC, IIROC, FCA, CBI, AFSL, SFC, SEBI, MAS, MNB |
| eToro | $50 (varies between countries) | Real Stocks, ETFs, Forex, Crypto, CFDs on Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos and Commodities. Social Trading, Copy Portfolios. | $0
(other fees apply) |
FCA, CySEC, ASIC |
| DEGIRO | €/$/£1 | Real Stocks, ETFs, Investment Funds, Futures, Leveraged Products, Bonds and Warrants. | €/£1
(+ €/£1 flat handling fee + connectivity fees) |
AFM and DNB |
| XTB | $0 | Real Stocks, ETFs, Forex and CFDs on Stocks, ETFs, Indices, cryptocurrencies and commodities. | €0
(Up to €100.000 in monthly volume transactions) |
FCA, KNF, CySEC and FSC |
#1 Interactive Brokers (IBKR GlobalTrader)
Interactive Brokers at a glance
The Trader Workstation (TWS) of Interactive Brokers leads the list of the top trading platforms in Europe. It caters to both beginners and professional investors looking for educational materials and an easy-to-use platform and advanced technical and fundamental trading tools, and for in-depth research. Investors in Europe can use Interactive Brokers’ web-based Client Portal trading platform, as well as the IBKR GlobalTrader Mobile app and the professional Trader Workstation platform.
The TWS platform is easy to use and includes many standard features such as watchlists, alerts, and real-time monitoring, in addition to advanced tools, such as the volatility lab, which is a brief overview of a stock’s past and future volatility parameters, as well as its industry peers and the broader market. In addition, it has advanced technical analysis tools with over 120 indicators and many other highly customizable features.
Best Trading Platforms in Europe – IBKR Web App
IBKR is a great option for retail investors interested in trading international stocks, ETFs, bonds, futures, options, and even penny stocks. It is ideal for beginners or professionals looking for a large number of instruments and a secure broker. Nearly all Europeans can open an account at IBKR.
On the downside, if you are new to investing, the platform might be a bit complicated with too many buttons and features. You can read our IBKR review and check IBKR’s website for more information.
Pros
- Low commissions on US stock trading
- No monthly inactivity fee
- The broadest product and markets range in the brokerage industry
- Demo account
- Excellent reputation (founded in 1978)
- Extensive research and Education tools
- Has a modern mobile trading app to trade Stocks, Options and ETFs, ideal for novice investors, IBKR GlobalTrader.
- Offers interest on uninvested cash balances
Cons
- Complicated and lengthy account opening process (but fully online)
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- Website is difficult to navigate
- Interactive Advisors (Robo-advisor feature) is only available for US customers
#2 eToro
eToro at a glance
Another exceptional trading platform in Europe is eToro, an international online broker with over 30 million users who trade stocks, forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies, CFDs, and ETFs. It is known for its social trading feature where you can copy the trades of other experienced traders. There are thousands of verified traders on eToro, and you can pick the best trader based on past Return on Investment (ROI), risk profile, or other factors.
The eToro platform gives users access to over 3,000 different financial instruments, including stocks and ETFs. Additionally, users can invest in ready-made investment portfolios (Smart Portfolios), a group of several assets or traders combined together based on a theme or strategy.
The web platform has an easy-to-use and intuitive interface that is beginner-friendly while offering advanced features for experienced traders. Among those features is one-click trading, which lets traders open a new position while using pre-determined parameters with just a click.
Additionally, it offers a stop loss feature that lets you keep a position open as long as the market price moves in the right direction. Another feature is the eToro Research Tab, powered by TipRanks, which helps you enhance your knowledge to make better-informed investment decisions.
Best Trading Platforms in Europe – eToro Dashboard Overview
Although the platform is attractive for beginners, it is not the ideal platform for day traders or experienced investors, as spreads are high for some products. Additionally, withdrawing money is somewhat expensive compared to other brokers ($5 per withdrawal request). For a full assessment, read our comprehensive eToro review and explore eToro’s website.
Pros
- Commission-free stock and ETF trading (other fees apply)
- Social Trading and other innovative products
- Wide variety of financial products
- Slick, modern, and easy for anyone to use
- Top tier regulators
Cons
- Limited disclosed financial information
- Withdraw and inactivity fees
- Spread, overnight, inactivity, and currency conversion fees higher than average
- Only one currency account (USD) - a currency conversion fee is applied if you deposit in a different currency
- Doesn’t offer bonds, futures, or options
#3 XTB
XTB at a glance
Founded in 2002, XTB is a major player in the brokerage industry with extensive worldwide experience, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – plus other relevant regulatory bodies – and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
You can invest through xStation 5 and xStation Mobile in different investment products, such as stocks, ETFs, and CFDs on stocks, Forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies (this product offering may vary slightly from country to country). It offers 0% commission on stocks and ETFs, but only in some European countries*. International investors only get a 0% commission on stock and ETF CFDs.
Best Trading Platforms in Europe – XTB xStation 5
Opening an account and transferring money is a quick and hassle-free process. For beginners, it presents a demo account where you can trade as if it were real money to help you feel the investment platform firsthand, and you get access to educational tools. For intermediate and advanced investors, you will find plenty of technical and fundamental tools to help you better assess your investment decisions.
On the downside, you will face an inactivity fee of €10/month after one year of non-trading, and if you have not deposited in the last 90 days, it charges high commissions on CFDs of cryptocurrencies but low costs for Forex. XTB is not available in the United States and Australia.
Want to know more about XTB? Check our XTB Review and visit XTB’s website.
*The Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain.
Pros
- Free stocks trading (only applicable to some countries)
- Customizable trading platform (charts and workspace)
- Low Forex Spreads
- Demo account
- No minimum account deposit
- Valuable education materials
- Top-tier Regulators
Cons
- Complex trading platform for a beginner
- High Stock CFD spreads
- Limited product portfolio
- Withdrawal fees for transfers below $100
- Inactivity fee (€10/monthly after 1+ year with no activity plus no deposit in the last 90 days)
#4 DEGIRO
DEGIRO at a glance
DEGIRO joins the list as the best trading platform in Europe for low-cost investing. It is a perfect pick if you want to minimize your trading costs, as it does not charge any fees for maintenance, inactivity, deposits, or withdrawals while offering €/£1 commission per trade on US stocks (plus external fees) and several popular ETFs. Furthermore, the platform gives access to over 30 exchanges around the world.
DEGIRO was founded in 2008 and provides services to over 2.5 million European clients. In addition to stocks and ETFs, DEGIRO’s products include mutual funds, bonds, futures, and options, warrants, with the ability to trade on pre-market and after-hours trading.
DEGIRO’s web trading platform has a modern design and is highly intuitive, and the company is continuously updating it and adding new features based on clients’ feedback. For instance, you can create a favourites list and check the latest news about your portfolio.
Best Trading Platforms in Europe – DEGIRO Desktop Trading Platform
On the downside DEGIRO does not offer forex trading and they charge €/£2.50 annually, per exchange as a connectivity fee. For further details you can read our DEGIRO review and check DEGIRO’s website.
Pros
- List of commission-free ETFs available
- User-friendly web and mobile app
- Wide range of investment options
- Education material: Investor’s Academy and Investing with DEGIRO
- Low overall commission structure
- No account opening, inactivity, or withdrawal fee
Cons
- 0.25% currency conversion fee (charged if you deposit or invest in a different currency than your base currency)
- €/£1 flat handling fee (charged in most transactions)
- €/£2.50 of connectivity fee (paid annually), per exchange where you’re invested
- Does not offer Forex, CFDs, and Cryptos
- No demo account
- Little research
- Low-quality customer support
The bottom line
To summarize here’s the list of “Best trading platforms in Europe”:
| #1 | Interactive BrokersBest overall trading platform in Europe |
| #2 | eToroBest for commission-free investing and social trading |
| #3 | XTBBest for CFD and Forex trading |
| #4 | DEGIROBest for low-cost trading |
Trading platforms in Europe are evolving and constantly growing, and choosing the best depends on your trading objectives and behavior. We compared the best trading platforms in Europe by focusing on those that offer access to a large selection of instruments and markets, offer competitive pricing, and have attractive trading tools.
Whether a new investor or a seasoned professional, we hope this article helped answer a few of your concerns. When choosing a trading platform, we recommend opening a demo account and testing the features before making the final decision. Please let us know in the comments section if you have any feedback.
Other FAQs
Which trading platform is best for Europeans?
Interactive Brokers is the best overall trading platform in Europe. Still, other brokers are best when it comes to certain features and pricing, such as, eToro (best for social trading), DEGIRO (best for low-cost trading), and XTB (best for forex and CFD trading).
Which is the best mobile trading app in Europe?
IBKR, eToro, XTB, and DEGIRO have all attractive mobile trading apps, you can check our article “Best Mobile Trading Apps In Europe For 2023 (Ranked And Reviewed)” for further insights.
What is the minimum balance to start trading in Europe?
Many brokers do not have any minimum balance requirement, so you can start trading with as low as $/€/£ 1.
Toni is a Fintech Analyst with over 8 years of experience in the financial industry where he worked as a financial control analyst at a regional bank and later conducted independent investment research analysis.
