DEGIRO review

Our verdict

Our verdict

DEGIRO is a popular platform used by 2.5 million investors across the UK and Europe - and for good reason.

When reviewing DEGIRO, we found it to be one of the cheapest providers for buying international shares. It’s not a commission-free platform, but the fees are competitive, and the low foreign exchange (FX) fee of just 0.25% beats many other share dealing accounts. Also, the platform has no minimum deposit, unlike several of its rivals.

We really liked that DEGIRO has a decent range of investments. Plenty of asset types are available to trade and you can access more than 50 stock exchanges from 30 countries. The major drawbacks with DEGIRO are the lack of protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and no opportunity to use a stocks and shares ISA or a self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

Pros

• Access to over 50 exchanges
• Excellent mobile app for trading on the move
• Competitive commissions and no minimum deposit
• Low FX fee
• Plenty of asset types

Cons

• Complex fee structure
• No tax-efficient accounts
• The platform isn’t intuitive
• Minimal trading tools and educational resources
• No FSCS protection

★★★★★

User survey

★★★★★

Finder score

DEGIRO is a popular online broker that lets you trade shares, options, futures, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and other types of investments. DEGIRO was founded in 2013 in the Netherlands and has since spread across 18 European countries, including the UK.

DEGIRO’s international reach means it offers a highly competitive commissions structure and full access to the worldwide marketplace.

Read on to find out more about DEGIRO in our review and whether it might be the right share dealing platform for you.

What does DEGIRO do?

DEGIRO provides traders with an award-winning platform with somewhat complex but impressively low fees. DEGIRO also offers access to a truly global marketplace of investments. DEGIRO is able to use its international reach to offer investors access to further flung markets (e.g. Australia and Japan) along with those closer to home like the UK, Europe, and the US.

Here’s a rundown of DEGIRO’s key benefits:

• Trade with low commissions
• Global market access
• Competitive FX fees
• Invest using the app or desktop platform
• Open an account for free with no minimum deposit

What products does DEGIRO have?

This is where DEGIRO can be limiting. DEGIRO doesn’t let you access any tax-efficient accounts like a stocks and shares ISA or a self-invested personal pension (SIPP). You can only invest in a general investment account (GIA).

This means that you can’t get any kind of tax relief from your investments. Any profit you make over £3,000 in each tax year is subject to tax. Also, any dividends you recieve over the first £1,000 may be subject to dividend tax.

If the lack of ISA is a dealbreaker for you, then consider comparing some of the best stocks and shares ISAs available.

What features does DEGIRO have?

Some features of DEGIRO include:

• Face ID and Touch ID login as well as 2-factor authentication
• Access stock-specific news
• Carry out combination orders
• Access fundamental analysis tools
• Analysts’ views on stocks
• Real-time quotes
• Safe deposits and withdrawals

DEGIRO fees

DEGIRO has a whole sheet of fees that it charges – which is a bit much if you ask us. We highlight the main ones below, but if you need to know about a specific fee or charge, then you’ll need to check out the DEGIRO website.

There is a “DEGIRO Exchange Connectivity Fee” if you want to access stock exchanges other than the London Stock Exchange (LSE). This fee is charged as € 2.50 (max 0.25% of your account value) per calendar year per exchange.

We’ve listed the fees for stocks and leveraged products and the fees for ETFs below. There’s also an additional foreign exchange (FX) fee of 0.25% when buying international shares.

Fees for stocks and shares

The fees depend on the stock exchange you want to access. For most stocks, there’s a commission to pay and then also a flat handling fee (don’t forget about the 0.25% FX fee if you need to change currency).

DEGIRO ETF fees

All ETFs worldwide cost €2.00 + €1 (EUR handling fee). The exception is the free ETFs, which are, you guessed it – free. There are terms and conditions to these though, you can check them out on DEGIRO’s website.

What can I invest in with DEGIRO?

There are plenty of investing options to suit all investing style. The only missing option here are contracts for difference (CFDs), which is something we don’t really advocate dabbling with anyway (unless you’re highly experienced).

Is DEGIRO safe?

DEGIRO is a multi-award-winning online stock broker and is well known in the world of trading. It’s regulated and supervised by The Netherlands Authority for Financial Markets (AFM) and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB). Unfortunately, it’s no longer regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.

The only downside with DEGIRO is that because it’s European, the company isn’t a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). So, you don’t get the same £85,000 deposit protection as you would with other platforms.

You do get some protection. In the event something happens to DEGIRO, you’re protected by the German Investor Compensation Scheme, which compensates up to 90% of any losses (with a €20,000 limit) should DEGIRO go bust.

As with any investment or trading opportunity, your capital is always at risk.

DEGIRO: Reddit users’ verdict

Most Reddit users favoured DEGIRO due to its very competitive fees and agreed that they were unlikely to find a similar product for less. Some of the main drawbacks included the customer service and sheer number of different fees. Many Reddit users started off with DEGIRO, then moved to a more comprehensive broker when they felt they were more of an experienced trader.

DEGIRO customer reviews

Customers who took part in Finder’s 2023 customer satisfaction survey were very positive about DEGIRO, with many highlighting its “great” customer service and competitive rates.

One customer said: “DEGIRO does all it needs to and more”

DEGIRO scored of 4.5 out of 5 for customer satisfaction. 77% of customers would recommend the brand to a friend.

Get started by visiting Degiro and opening an account. Still not sure? Compare other share trading platforms with our best trading apps 2023 shortlist.

Frequently asked questions

• Is DEGIRO good for beginners?

  We wouldn’t say that DEGIRO is good for beginners – it’s quite complicated and advanced and could put you off. It’s definitely more for advanced traders with some experience.

  You could try a provider that has a simple charging structure or is zero commission).

• What if DEGIRO goes bust?

  Your assets are segregated and kept seperate to DEGIRO’s so you should be able to recover everything should something happen to DEGIRO. However, if DEGIRO fails to protect assets or there is a problem with fraud, up to €20,000 is protected by the German Investor Compensation Scheme.

Written by

George Sweeney, DipFA

Deputy editor

George is a deputy editor at Finder. He has previously written for The Motley Fool UK, Nasdaq, Freetrade, Investing in the Web, MoneyMagpie, Online Mortgage Advisor, Wealth, and Compare Forex Brokers. He's focused on making personal finance and investing engaging for everyone. To do this he draws from previous work and his Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA), sharing what he’s learnt. When he’s not geeking out about money, you’ll find him playing sports and staying active. See full bio

George's expertise

George has written 191 Finder guides across topics including:

• Investing
• Personal finance
• Tax
• Pensions
• Mortgages