eToro
★★★★★3.9/5
Strengths
- 0€ Stock Trading
- Copy Trading
- Social Features
- Many Deposit Methods
- Demo Account
Weaknesses
- Spreads on CFDs
- $5 Withdrawal Fee
Best for
Social Trading
Go to eToro →* Affiliate link · no extra cost for you
Broker Comparison 2026
eToro vs. Trade Republic
Detailed comparison of all fees, features, and suitability — updated for 2026.
eToro
vs
Trade Republic
Our Recommendation
eToro is the better choice for Social Trading, while Trade Republic wins for Savings Plan Investors. Which one suits you depends on your strategy — the detailed comparison below shows every difference.
Numeric Comparison
| Metric | eToro | Trade Republic | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order fee per trade | 0.00 € | 1.00 € | 1.00 € cheaper at eToro |
| 10y savings plan cost @ €100/month | 0 € | 0 € | identical |
| Interest on €10,000 cash (1 year) | 4.55 % = 455 € | 3.25 % = 325 € | +130 € more at eToro / year |
| Free ETF savings plans | 0 | 2.200 | +2.200 more at Trade Republic |
| Available exchanges | 1 | 1 | identical |
| BMInsider rating | 3.9/5 | 4.3/5 | +0.4 at Trade Republic |
Bottom line: on €10,000 cash eToro earns about 1.300 € more interest over 10 years.
Trade Republic
★★★★★4.3/5
Strengths
- 1€ per Trade
- Free Savings Plans
- 3.25% Interest on Cash
- Easy-to-Use App
- Crypto Available
Weaknesses
- Only 1 Exchange (LS Exchange)
- No Options/Futures
Best for
Savings Plan Investors
Go to Trade Republic →* Affiliate link · no extra cost for you
Detailed Comparison
All fees, products, and platform features compared side-by-side. The "Winner" column shows which broker leads in each category.
| Feature | eToro | Trade Republic | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees & Costs | |||
| Order Fee | 0€ (Aktien) / Spread (CFDs & Krypto) | 1€ per Order | eToro |
| ETF Savings Plan Fee | - | 0€ | Trade Republic |
| Account Fee | 0€ + $5 Auszahlungsgebühr | 0€/Year | Tie |
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | 0€ | Tie |
| Interest on Cash | bis 4.55% (eToro Money) | 3.25% | eToro |
| Product Range | |||
| Stocks | Tie | ||
| ETFs | Tie | ||
| Crypto | Tie | ||
| Options | Tie | ||
| CFDs | Tie | ||
| Fractional Shares | Tie | ||
| Number of Exchanges | eToro-intern | LS Exchange | Tie |
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile App | Tie | ||
| Desktop Platform | Tie | ||
| Demo Account | eToro | ||
| Security & Regulation | |||
| Regulated by | CySEC / FCA | BaFin | Tie |
| Deposit Protection | €20.000 (ICF) | 100.000€ | Tie |
| Founded | 2007 | 2015 | Tie |
| Overall Rating | |||
| Rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | Trade Republic |
Which Broker for Whom?
Depending on your strategy and experience, one broker fits better. Here's how to decide:
For Beginners
eToro
Low barriers, simple app, demo account and no hidden costs — perfect to get started.
More about eToro →For Active Traders
eToro
Low per-order fees, many trading venues and derivatives access — important if you trade regularly.
More about eToro →For Long-Term Investors
Trade Republic
Free savings plans, interest on cash and no custody fee — what matters when you buy & hold.
More about Trade Republic →Detailed Assessment
Who is eToro?
eToro combines social trading with commission-free stock trading. Ideal for beginners who want to learn from experienced traders.
Strengths in Detail
- 0€ Stock Trading
- Copy Trading
- Social Features
- Many Deposit Methods
- Demo Account
Weaknesses
- Spreads on CFDs
- $5 Withdrawal Fee
- Only Traded on eToro Platform
- USD Conversion Fee
Who is eToro worth it for?
Particularly suitable for: Social Trading, Beginners, Copy Trading, Crypto.
Who is Trade Republic?
Trade Republic is a German neo-broker with extremely low fees (€1 per trade) and free ETF savings plans. Ideal for beginners and savings plan investors.
Strengths in Detail
- 1€ per Trade
- Free Savings Plans
- 3.25% Interest on Cash
- Easy-to-Use App
- Crypto Available
Weaknesses
- Only 1 Exchange (LS Exchange)
- No Options/Futures
- Limited Order Types
- No Desktop Client
Who is Trade Republic worth it for?
Particularly suitable for: Beginners, Savings Plan Investors, Mobile-First.
eToro vs Trade Republic — social trading platform vs DACH neo-broker
eToro is the Israeli/UK-regulated 2007-vintage social-trading broker — €0 stock commission, native CFDs and crypto, the famous CopyTrader feature, 35M+ users globally, but EUR-deposits silently converted to USD with FX-spread cost on every trade. Trade Republic is the 2015 Berlin BaFin-regulated neo-broker — €1 flat orders, 3.25 % EUR cash interest, no CFDs, steuereinfach for German residents, and a single execution venue (LS Exchange).
The honest framing: these brokers serve fundamentally different intents. eToro is a global retail-trading platform optimized for casual stock-picking + crypto + copy-trading. Trade Republic is a German tax-optimized buy-and-hold investing utility. Most of the time, the comparison is not "which is better" — it is "which fits how you actually want to trade".
When eToro is the better pick
You want CopyTrader / social trading. eToro's CopyTrader lets you replicate the trades of selected investors automatically with proportional capital. Trade Republic offers nothing comparable. For users wanting passive exposure to active traders, eToro is the structurally appropriate choice.
You want CFDs. eToro offers CFDs on stocks, indices, commodities, and FX — leveraged exposure with daily-financing cost. Trade Republic does not offer CFDs. For traders who want short positions or leverage on equities, eToro is one of the few mainstream options.
You want a deeper crypto offering. eToro supports 80+ cryptocurrencies natively with internal wallet management. Trade Republic offers ~50 coins. For active crypto investors, eToro is broader.
You want a clean €0-stock-commission product without DACH-tax complexity to worry about. If you are an EU resident outside Germany/Austria where the steuereinfach distinction matters less, eToro's €0 commission is genuinely free for stock orders (offset by FX spread, see below).
You value social features and a global community. eToro's news feed, follower counts, and trader portfolios make it more of a "fintech-social-network" than a brokerage. Some users genuinely value this — TR is a pure utility with none of it.
When Trade Republic is the better pick
You are a German tax resident wanting steuereinfach. Trade Republic withholds 26.375 % KESt + Soli at source automatically. eToro is not a German tax-simple broker — every realized gain, dividend, and interest payment must be self-reported via Anlage KAP, with manual handling of US W-8BEN and FX gains/losses. For anyone valuing automatic tax handling, this single dimension closes the comparison.
You want EUR-only operations without FX overhead. eToro converts every EUR deposit to USD internally and charges 0.5 % conversion on the way in plus 0.5 % on the way out. On a €10 000 deposit + sale, that is €100 in invisible FX costs. Trade Republic operates fully in EUR — no FX cost on EUR deposits used for European stocks/ETFs.
You hold idle cash. Trade Republic pays 3.25 % p.a. on EUR cash up to €50 k. eToro pays 4.55 % on USD cash but only after a $5 000 minimum balance — and the implicit USD/EUR FX risk on idle cash often eats the apparent advantage.
You want EU-deposit-protection at €100 000. Trade Republic deposits are protected by the German EdB up to €100 000 per customer. eToro deposits are protected by Cyprus's ICF (Investor Compensation Fund) at only €20 000 — a 5× lower cap. For balances above €20 000, the deposit-protection differential is material.
You want fee-free ETF savings plans on >2 000 ETFs from €1. Trade Republic offers €0 savings plans from €1 minimum. eToro does not have a comparable savings-plan feature; recurring buys must be done manually.
Taxes — Germany & Austria specifics
Germany — Trade Republic is steuereinfach, eToro is not. Trade Republic withholds 25 % KESt + 5.5 % Soli + optional Kirchensteuer at source. eToro acts as a foreign broker for German tax purposes — annual statement only, manual Anlage KAP filing required. eToro's reporting is in USD, requiring EUR conversion for Anlage KAP at trade-day rates. For DIY tax filers using software like Smartsteuer, this adds significant friction.
Austria — neither austriakonform. Both eToro and Trade Republic require self-reporting via Anlage E1kv. Both issue annual statements. eToro's USD-denominated reporting adds an extra layer of currency translation for Austrian tax filing.
Vorabpauschale 2026: Trade Republic applies the Vorabpauschale automatically on January 2. eToro does not handle Vorabpauschale at all — for accumulating ETFs held in eToro, the German tax filer must calculate Vorabpauschale themselves using the ETF's basis values. This is genuinely difficult and a frequent source of incorrect filings.
Quellensteuer on US dividends: Trade Republic credits the standard 15 % US withholding against German KESt automatically. eToro withholds 30 % (default for non-US persons without W-8BEN) or 15 % (with W-8BEN), but does not auto-credit — you claim it yourself in Anlage KAP.
CFD tax handling: CFD gains/losses on eToro fall under the Termingeschäft category in Germany, subject to the controversial €20 000 Verlustverrechnungstopf cap. Trade Republic does not offer CFDs, so this consideration does not apply.
Cost example — €10 000 portfolio over 5 years
Profile: €10 000 initial deposit, €100 monthly buy of EUR-listed ETF over 5 years (= €6 000), 12 manual one-off purchases per year at €500 each, average €5 000 idle cash buffer.
| Item | eToro | Trade Republic |
|---|---|---|
| EUR→USD FX on deposit (€10k + €6k + €30k buys) | €230 (0.5 % spread) | €0 |
| 60× savings-plan equivalent (manual) | €0 (€0 commission) | €0 |
| 60× manual orders €500 | €0 (€0 commission) | €60 (€1 each) |
| USD→EUR withdrawal at end | €80 (0.5 % spread + €5 fee) | €0 |
| Cash interest (€5 k × 5 y × rate) | +€812 (4.55 % USD, FX-adjusted) | +€812 (3.25 % EUR) |
| Tax-handling cost (Steuerberater) | ~€1 000 (5 yrs × €200) | €0 |
| Net 5-year cost | €498 | −€752 |
The €1 250 difference is significant — and largely explained by the embedded FX costs and tax-handling burden on eToro. If you DIY-file your taxes (no Steuerberater fee), the gap shrinks to ~€250 in favor of TR. If you actively use CopyTrader or CFDs, eToro provides services TR simply doesn't — the comparison becomes "feature value vs cost".
Verdict by investor profile
Beginner with €25–€100/month savings plan
Pick: Trade Republic. Steuereinfach, EUR-native, 3.25 % cash, free savings plans on >2 000 ETFs. eToro adds FX overhead and tax complexity for no benefit at this scale.
Active stock-picker buying US stocks
Pick: Trade Republic if German-tax-resident. The €1 commission is real but offset by FX-spread savings + steuereinfach handling. Use eToro only if you specifically want CopyTrader exposure or social features.
CFD trader or leveraged investor
Pick: eToro (or upgrade to IBKR for tighter spreads). Trade Republic does not offer CFDs. If short-selling or leveraged exposure is part of your strategy, eToro is structurally relevant — but check the daily-financing rates carefully against IBKR.
CopyTrader user
Pick: eToro. No alternative. CopyTrader is eToro's signature feature; for users who want algorithmic exposure to specific traders' portfolios, this is the only retail-accessible option of its kind.
Cash-heavy saver
Pick: Trade Republic. EUR-native 3.25 % on idle cash dominates eToro's USD-denominated yield once you account for FX risk and EUR conversion costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about eToro vs Trade Republic.
For order fees, eToro leads at 0€ (Aktien) / Spread (CFDs & Krypto), while Trade Republic charges 1€ pro Order. Note: with CFD brokers, spreads add hidden cost — the lower nominal price isn't always cheaper overall.
eToro is regulated by CySEC / FCA, Trade Republic by BaFin. Both fall under EU oversight. Deposit protection: eToro €20.000 (ICF), Trade Republic 100.000€.
For German/Austrian customers, language, BaFin regulation and tax-simple status often matter most. Check the 'Regulated by' and 'Languages' rows — DACH-focused brokers usually have the edge.
Trade Republic offers free ETF savings plans from 1€. If a savings plan matters to you, that's a clear edge.
Both are covered under their home regulator's deposit protection. eToro: €20.000 (ICF), Trade Republic: 100.000€. Securities are held in segregated accounts and protected in case of broker insolvency.
eToro leads on cash interest at 4.55%. Watch the conditions — some brokers require a paid plan or cap the amount.
Both offer native mobile apps with good app-store ratings. Which is better depends on your needs — try both with a demo account if available.
A second broker makes sense when one offers features the other lacks (e.g. options, crypto, more exchanges). A full switch is only worth it if the cost difference or missing features are significant.
Ready to Get Started?
Sign up with the broker that fits your strategy. Both are regulated and offer a demo account to test risk-free.