Low-Cost Online Brokers for 2023

After deciding to invest in the stock market, the first step is to decide which online broker to use. Aren’t they essentially doing all the same?

Well, unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are hundreds of online brokers in the market, and some of them operate with very little transparency and little to no government oversight. This can make or break your investment journey: a bad online broker with high fees and limited transparency can burn your profits easily.

In this article, we present some of the solutions available for beginners.

1# Degiro

Founded in 2013, Degiro is a low-cost brokerage firm that has become very popular due to its low rates! With almost 2 million users, the innovative platform has become widely known for its “do-it-yourself” philosophy in the sense that you have everything at your disposal to start investing on your own. It offers a wide range of financial assets to trade, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, futures contracts, warrants, investment funds, and some leveraged products (not quite the same as CFDs. More info here).

For instance, you can trade some stocks and ETFs for free (a €1.00 flat handling fee – external costs – still applies). You also have a list of 200 ETFs where you may trade once a month completely free with no minimum amount required. The web trading platform is basic, but it is efficient and straightforward to use. In a matter of minutes, you get used to it. The same applies to its mobile app. On the downside, there is an absence of any significant fundamental research, a €2.50 connectivity fee applies and pricing alerts are missing.

Regarding security, Degiro is the Dutch branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank AG (a German regulated bank). In the unlikely event that the segregated assets cannot be returned to clients, Degiro falls under the German Investor Compensation Scheme, which compensates any losses from non-returned assets up to 90% (with a maximum of €20,000), so do bear this in mind if you are planning to invest much larger volumes. Furthermore, any money deposited on a DEGIRO Cash Account with flatexDEGIRO Bank AG will be guaranteed up to an amount of €100,000 under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme.

Still any doubts? Go through our Degiro Review!

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

2# XTB

Founded in 2002, XTB presents itself as a market player with extensive worldwide experience, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The platform offers 0% commissions on stocks. However, its software is more oriented to CFDs and forex trading with competitive costs compared to its competitors.

XTB also offers other financial products such as commodities and cryptocurrencies. XTB charges high commissions on CFDs of cryptocurrencies but low costs for Forex. Besides, you will face an inactivity fee of 10 € / month after one year of non-trading and if you have not made any deposit in the last 90 days. Opening an account and transferring money is a quick and hassle-free process (demo account available).

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 81% of retail investors accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this broker. It is important to understand how CFDs work and the risks involved in trading, like losing all the invested capital.

3# Plus500

Founded in 2008, Plus500 is an online broker offering a wide range of financial products, including real shares and CFDs on forex, indices, shares, commodities, options, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. It is available in over 50 countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

There are two distinct account types:

• Plus500 CFD: It only focuses on CFD products;
• Plus500 Invest: Where you can trade stocks (real shares);

As a side note, Trade Sniper, a platform only available for US users and where you can trade Futures, is also part of the Plus500 group.

The web platform you will use is the WebTrader, Plus500’s proprietary platform, offering a stable trading experience and easy access from multiple devices, including a mobile app. All platforms are easy to use and responsive, and you can start testing the features by opening a demo account.

Their customer support is helpful and easy to assess through a chat that is always shown on the trading platform. Their spreads are low, and they offer accounts in sixteen currencies, including USD, EUR, and GBP. Still, they charge a 0.70% currency conversion fee and a $10 monthly fee following three months with no activity. On Plus500 Invest, they only charge a small commission per trade (US market: $0,006/share).

Finally, it is regulated by financial regulators like the FCA and CySec, meaning that Plus500 is appropriately supervised and that there is an investor protection scheme under the entity you open an account with. For instance, If you open an account as a European investor through Plus500CY Ltd, you are protected up to €20,000. Additionally, Plus500 provides negative balance protection for CFD trading on a per-account basis – only to retail clients from the European Union.

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

81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

4# eToro

Founded in 2006, eToro is a well-known worldwide fintech startup and the leader in the social trading field (follow other people’s trades), with over 13 million users worldwide. You can also invest in other products such as CFDs, ETFs, stocks, commodities, Forex, and cryptocurrencies through their platform which is intuitive and simple-to-use, making it a good choice for beginners, not to mention that they started offering commission-free stock and ETFs trading (some ETFs are not commission-free).

Opening an account and depositing is easy, and you can even try it out with virtual money. On the downside, withdrawing money is slow and spreads can be high for some products, like cryptocurrencies.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 81% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

5# Freedom24

Founded in 2008, Freedom Finance, the official company name of Freedom24, has already offered to its 400,000+ worldwide clients participation in 280+ IPOs, including 40,000+ trade stocks, 1,500+ ETFs, 1,000+ US Stock Options and 147,000+ bonds on the largest exchanges in Europe, Asia and the US.

Freedom24 trading platform can be accessed through PC and mobile App versions. Both trading platforms are adequate for executing trades. They are well designed and intuitive but lack customization options. You are provided with additional features such as “InvestIdeas” and “News”.

Freedom24 flagship product is clearly the IPO access to hundreds of companies awaiting their opportunity to trade on major stock exchanges (explore the upcoming IPOs!). There is excitement around this feature since it was only available for institutional investors.

In addition to the above, all Freedom24 clients have D-accounts – USD saving accounts at 3% per annum, which is higher than most European saving accounts (let´s be fair, we are comparing to EUR accounts that are at 0%). Besides, the customer service gives crystal clear answers to your doubts, so there is no need to go back and forth.

On the downside, it requires a minimum of $2,000 for IPOs participation, charges €7 per withdrawal and presents an above-average currency conversion fee.

Want to know more about Freedom24? Check our Freedom24 Review.

Which platform should you choose?

Some factors you should be aware of when choosing an online broker are the fees charged, if it is regulated by top-tier institutions such as the FCA in the UK, BaFin in Germany, CNVM in Spain, or AMF in France, the range of products it allows you to trade (not all platforms allow you to trade EU stocks, for instance), among other factors.

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

A reminder that the above should not be construed as investment advice and should be considered information only. Investors should do their own research and due diligence about the services and opportunities best suited for their risk, returns, and impact strategy.

Hope we helped, and leave your comments below.

Happy investments!