Best stock brokers in Ireland in 2026 (tested and compared)

One of the top trading platforms in Ireland is eToro, a publicly traded social investing platform with more than 40 million registered users. The company listed on NASDAQ in May 2025 (ticker: ETOR). eToro is best known for its social trading feature, which lets you copy the trades of other investors. You can choose who to follow from thousands of verified Popular Investors based on past returns, risk score, asset allocation and other criteria.

The platform gives access to more than 6,000 stocks (real shares, not CFDs, when you buy without leverage), ETFs, cryptocurrencies, commodities and indices. You can also invest in Smart Portfolios, ready-made thematic portfolios built around themes such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy or dividend stocks. New users can also get a free asset when they meet the deposit conditions.

On eToro, ETFs have no commission and stocks cost $1 or $2 per trade, depending on the exchange (other fees apply). Irish residents can hold a EUR account, so euro deposits and EUR-denominated assets avoid currency conversion. eToro also pays interest on cash balances, with a rate that depends on your eToro Club tier. Account opening is quick, and you can practise with a $100,000 virtual demo account before using real money.

On the downside, spreads can be relatively high on some products (particularly forex and crypto), and a $5 fee applies to withdrawals from the USD account. There is no inactivity fee. Irish clients are served by eToro (Europe) Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and passported across the European Economic Area (EEA). Client funds are covered up to €20,000 by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund (ICF). Within the wider group, eToro is also regulated by the FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia) and the FSRA (Abu Dhabi).

If you want to learn more, check out our eToro review.

Another exceptional trading platform in Ireland is Interactive Brokers. Founded in 1978 and listed on NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR), it joined the S&P 500 in August 2025. The broker has come through several financial crises thanks to strict risk management, and at the end of September 2026 it had 5.58 million client accounts with access to 170 markets in 40 countries.

Interactive Brokers offers a very wide range of products (stocks, options, mutual funds, ETFs, futures, bonds, forex and crypto), order routing through IB SmartRouting, and comprehensive technical and fundamental research tools. Irish residents are served by Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), which means they are covered by the Irish investor compensation scheme.

Beginners and intermediate investors can learn through IBKR Campus, although the platform has a steep learning curve. Customer service gives clear and detailed answers.

On the downside, the fee structure is more complex than on simpler apps, registration is more thorough (though fully online), and trading is not commission-free. However, with currency conversion at 0.002% (minimum $2), tight spreads, the Stock Yield Enhancement Program (SYEP) and tiered interest on cash balances above the first 10,000 in USD or equivalent, Interactive Brokers’ clients often achieve significant savings compared to most brokers, especially active traders and larger portfolios.

Interactive Brokers offers several mobile and desktop platforms:

• IBKR GlobalTrader: a simple mobile app for beginners, redesigned in December 2025, with fractional shares and automatic currency conversion.
• IBKR Mobile: the full-featured app with advanced order types, real-time data, options chains and multi-currency portfolio views.
• Trader Workstation (TWS): the professional desktop platform with advanced analytics, algorithmic order types and customisable workspaces.

Want to know more about Interactive Brokers? Check our Interactive Brokers review.

Founded in 2008, Plus500 is an online broker that specialises in CFDs (contracts for difference) on forex, indices, shares, commodities, options, ETFs and cryptocurrencies. With CFDs you speculate on price movements with leverage and never own the underlying asset. Plus500 is available in 65 countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: PLUS) as a FTSE 250 constituent.

The proprietary WebTrader platform is stable and easy to use on desktop and mobile, and you can test every feature with a free, unlimited demo account. Customer support is available 24/7 through in-platform chat.

Plus500 does not charge commissions: its main costs are the spread and overnight funding on positions held open. You should also consider a currency conversion fee of up to 0.7% and an inactivity fee of up to $10 a month after three months without logging in. Negative balance protection applies to retail clients, so you cannot lose more than your account balance.

Plus500 holds 17 licences, including the FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), ASIC (Australia) and MAS (Singapore). Irish clients are served by Plus500CY Ltd (CySEC licence 250/14), passported across the EEA, with client funds covered up to €20,000 by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund (ICF).

Want to know more about Plus500? Check our Plus500 review.

Founded in 2013, DEGIRO is a low-cost European broker that became very popular thanks to its pricing. With more than 2.6 million customers in 15 European countries (including Ireland), it follows a “do-it-yourself” approach that gives investors what they need to manage their own portfolios. DEGIRO offers stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, futures, warrants, investment funds and leveraged products (similar to, but not the same as, CFDs: more details here). New Irish users can claim a DEGIRO welcome bonus through our referral link.

Key cost considerations:

• Core Selection ETFs: more than 1,000 ETFs with no commission, only a €1 handling fee per order.
• Euronext Dublin: €2 commission plus the €1 handling fee.
• US stocks: €1 commission plus the €1 handling fee.
• Other main European exchanges: €3.90 plus the €1 handling fee on exchanges such as Xetra and Euronext Amsterdam.
• Connectivity fee: up to €2.50 a year for each foreign exchange you trade on.
• Currency conversion: 0.25% with AutoFX on trades in other currencies.

The web and mobile platforms are deliberately minimalist, with a short learning curve. On the downside, the lack of in-depth fundamental research, of price alerts and of advanced charting may frustrate more experienced traders.

In terms of safety, DEGIRO is a brand of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE, a German bank supervised by BaFin and the Deutsche Bundesbank, and Irish clients are served from the EU under the same licence. Your securities are held separately from the bank’s own assets. If they could not be returned, the German investor compensation scheme (EdW) covers 90% of the loss up to €20,000.

Cash held with flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is additionally protected up to €100,000 under the German deposit guarantee scheme.

Still have doubts? Go through our DEGIRO review.

Launched in 1992, Saxo is one of the most established names in European brokerage. In March 2026, Swiss private bank J. Safra Sarasin became its majority owner, with about 71% of the shares, and in July 2026 it agreed to buy the remaining stake. Saxo holds an A- credit rating from S&P, served 1.7 million clients with €153 billion in client assets at the end of June 2026, and offers more than 70,000 instruments through SaxoTraderGO (web and mobile) and SaxoTraderPRO (desktop).

The product range includes stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds, options, futures, CFDs, forex and commodities, for both cash and margin trading. Saxo also provides advanced research tools for long-term investors and active traders. Direct cryptocurrency trading is not offered, only crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs).

Saxo account tiers:

• Classic: no minimum deposit, standard pricing and 24/5 support.
• Platinum: from €200,000, with lower trading fees and priority support.
• VIP: from €1,000,000, with the best pricing and access to trading experts.

Pricing varies by account tier and instrument. For example, a US stock order costs 0.08% of the trade value (minimum $1) on Classic, with lower rates on Platinum and VIP. Accounts holding stocks, ETFs or bonds pay an annual custody fee of 0.15% on Classic, 0.12% on Platinum and 0.09% on VIP, which drops to 0% if you opt into Saxo’s securities lending programme.

Prices can vary by country of residence, so check the trade ticket for the exact cost before placing an order.

Saxo Bank A/S is a Danish bank supervised by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet), and Irish clients are served from Denmark under EU passporting. Saxo is a member of the Danish Guarantee Fund, which covers cash deposits up to €100,000 and securities up to €20,000 per client if the bank fails.

Would you like to know more about Saxo? Check out our Saxo review.

Founded in 2004 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and now headquartered in London, Trading 212 is a fintech that made investing simple through its mobile and web app. It reports more than 5 million funded accounts and offers more than 13,000 stocks and ETFs. New users can get a free fractional share worth up to €100 with the code IITW (terms apply).

With Trading 212 you can invest in real stocks and ETFs with no commission (other fees may apply, see terms and fees), buy fractional shares from €1 and automate your investing with Pies & AutoInvest, which lets you build a portfolio and schedule recurring deposits. A 0.15% FX fee applies when converting funds. Other fees may apply.

Uninvested cash in EUR, GBP and USD can earn interest, with variable rates that follow central bank rates. Account opening is quick and fully digital. The minimum deposit is €1 by card and €10 by bank transfer, deposits by bank transfer are free, and there are no withdrawal fees.

On the downside, the product range has gaps: there are no bonds, options or futures, and the research tools are basic compared with brokers like Interactive Brokers or Saxo.

In terms of safety, Trading 212 is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). EU clients are served by Trading 212 Markets Ltd (CySEC) or, for new clients in some countries, by Trading 212 EU GmbH (BaFin). The entity that holds your account determines which investor protection scheme applies, so check it in the terms when you sign up.

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

Lightyear is a European investment platform founded by former Wise employees and headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia. It operates through two regulated entities: Lightyear Europe AS, authorised by the Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority (EFSA, licence 4.1-1/31), and Lightyear UK Ltd, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Irish clients are served by Lightyear Europe AS, with client assets covered up to €20,000 by the Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund. US securities are additionally covered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) up to $500,000.

Earning on cash: to earn a return on your euros, you can use Lightyear Savings, which invests in money market funds. For Irish clients, EUR Savings invests in the BlackRock ICS Euro Liquidity Fund, with a yield that is variable, shown net of Lightyear’s 0.10% annual fee and follows ECB rates. Savings is an investment product, not a deposit: your capital is at risk and money market funds are not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme.

Lightyear’s fee structure is simple:

• ETFs: no Lightyear execution fees (fund manager fees apply).
• Stocks: €1 per trade on EU stocks, £1 on UK stocks and 0.1% on US stocks (minimum $0.10, maximum $1).
• Currency conversion: 0.35%, which you can reduce by holding EUR, GBP and USD in the multi-currency account.
• Savings: 0.10% annual Lightyear fee on money market funds, plus fund manager fees (the quoted yield is net of these).
• Crypto: available to Irish clients, with a 0.45% fee per transaction.
• No inactivity or custody fees.

The app suits beginners and intermediate investors who want to build long-term, diversified portfolios with fractional shares. It offers more than 6,000 stocks and ETFs from the US, UK and European markets, including UCITS ETFs from providers such as iShares, Vanguard, Invesco, Amundi and Xtrackers.

Lightyear also offers a free share worth up to €100 with the promo code INVESTINGINTHEWEB.

There are, however, some gaps to be aware of: Lightyear does not offer options, futures, forex, CFDs, bonds or mutual funds, and there is no demo account.