Flatex
★★★★★3.8/5
Strengths
- Many Trading Venues
- Options & Futures
- Tax-Simple for Austria
- Demo Account
Weaknesses
- Higher Order Fees
- Savings Plan Not Free
Best for
Austrian Investors
Go to Flatex →* Affiliate link · no extra cost for you
Broker Comparison 2026
Flatex vs. ING
Detailed comparison of all fees, features, and suitability — updated for 2026.
Flatex
vs
ING
Our Recommendation
Flatex is the better choice for Austrian Investors, while ING wins for Full-Service Bank Customers. Which one suits you depends on your strategy — the detailed comparison below shows every difference.
Numeric Comparison
| Metric | Flatex | ING | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order fee per trade | 5.90 € | 9.90 € | 4.00 € cheaper at Flatex |
| 10y savings plan cost @ €100/month | 708 € | 1.188 € | 480 € cheaper at Flatex |
| Available exchanges | 6 | 5 | +1 more at Flatex |
| BMInsider rating | 3.8/5 | 3.5/5 | +0.3 at Flatex |
Bottom line: a €100/month savings plan over 10 years costs 480 € less at Flatex.
ING
★★★★★3.5/5
Strengths
- Established Full-Service Bank
- Good Customer Service
- Integrated Current Account
- Free Custody Account
Weaknesses
- High Order Fees
- Savings Plan Not Free
Best for
Full-Service Bank Customers
Go to ING →* 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 | Flatex | ING | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees & Costs | |||
| Order Fee | 5.90€ + Börsengebühr | 4.90€ + 0.25% (min 9.90€) | Flatex |
| ETF Savings Plan Fee | 1.50€ | 1.75% | Tie |
| Account Fee | 0€/Year | 0€/Year | Tie |
| Minimum Deposit | 0€ | 0€ | Tie |
| Interest on Cash | 0% | 0% | Tie |
| Product Range | |||
| Stocks | Tie | ||
| ETFs | Tie | ||
| Crypto | Tie | ||
| Options | Flatex | ||
| CFDs | Tie | ||
| Fractional Shares | Tie | ||
| Number of Exchanges | Xetra, Frankfurt, Wien | Xetra, Frankfurt, Direkthandel | Flatex |
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile App | Tie | ||
| Desktop Platform | Tie | ||
| Demo Account | Flatex | ||
| Security & Regulation | |||
| Regulated by | BaFin / FMA | BaFin | Tie |
| Deposit Protection | 100.000€ | 100.000€ | Tie |
| Founded | 2006 | 1991 | Tie |
| Overall Rating | |||
| Rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | Flatex |
Which Broker for Whom?
Depending on your strategy and experience, one broker fits better. Here's how to decide:
For Beginners
Flatex
Low barriers, simple app, demo account and no hidden costs — perfect to get started.
More about Flatex →For Active Traders
Flatex
Low per-order fees, many trading venues and derivatives access — important if you trade regularly.
More about Flatex →For Long-Term Investors
Flatex
Free savings plans, interest on cash and no custody fee — what matters when you buy & hold.
More about Flatex →Detailed Assessment
Who is Flatex?
Flatex is especially popular in Austria as a tax-simple broker with access to many exchanges and derivatives.
Strengths in Detail
- Many Trading Venues
- Options & Futures
- Tax-Simple for Austria
- Demo Account
Weaknesses
- Higher Order Fees
- Savings Plan Not Free
- No Interest on Cash
- No Crypto
Who is Flatex worth it for?
Particularly suitable for: Austrian Investors, Options Trading, Many Exchanges.
Who is ING?
ING offers securities trading as part of its full banking service. For customers who want checking and brokerage under one roof.
Strengths in Detail
- Established Full-Service Bank
- Good Customer Service
- Integrated Current Account
- Free Custody Account
Weaknesses
- High Order Fees
- Savings Plan Not Free
- Limited Exchanges
Who is ING worth it for?
Particularly suitable for: Full-Service Bank Customers, Casual Investors, Savings Plan.
Flatex vs ING — depot-only specialist vs full bank with depot
Flatex (founded 1999, now part of flatexDEGIRO) and ING (formerly ING-DiBa, 9M+ German bank customers) sit at different ends of the German Direktbank-with-depot spectrum. Flatex is depot-only — full Eurex options, Wien direct access, all German Regional-Börsen, but no Girokonto. ING is full bank with bundled depot — Girokonto, Extra-Konto, mortgages, bundled with a more limited depot offering (no options, fewer venues).
The honest framing: these brokers attract different customers. Flatex serves users who already have a Girokonto elsewhere and want a low-cost specialist depot. ING serves users who want one bank for everything and accept the depot's limitations as part of the bundle.
When Flatex is the better pick
You trade options or futures. Flatex offers full Eurex retail access — DAX/Bund options and futures, single-stock options on European underlyings. ING does not offer options, futures, or CFDs at all. For occasional covered-call writers, only Flatex serves the use case.
You trade Wien stocks (OMV, Erste, Verbund) regularly. Flatex offers direct Wiener Börse access. ING does not route to Wien at all — Austrian stocks must be traded via Frankfurt's secondary listings with wider spreads.
You're an Austrian tax resident. Flatex Österreich is austriakonform — automatic Austrian KESt withholding. ING does not have an austriakonformer Austrian product. For AT residents, Flatex Austria is structurally superior.
You want lower per-order commissions on average orders. Flatex charges €5.90 + venue fees per order. ING charges €4.90 + 0.25 % with €9.90 minimum. For €1 500–€2 000 orders, Flatex is meaningfully cheaper. On a €1 500 order, Flatex costs ~€6.50 vs ING's €9.90.
You want all German Regional-Börsen routing. Flatex routes to Stuttgart, München, Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Tradegate, Quotrix. ING routes primarily to Xetra, Frankfurt, Direkthandel — fewer regional German options for mid-cap fills.
When ING is the better pick
You want a Girokonto + Tagesgeld + depot at the same bank. ING is universally regarded as the most polished consumer banking experience among German Direktbanks — clean app, instant payments, Visa Debit with worldwide ATM access, the well-known Extra-Konto for savings. Flatex offers no Girokonto.
You want the unconditionally free Girokonto. ING's Girokonto Direkt is permanently free with no minimum-deposit requirement. Flatex has no Girokonto at all.
You want savings plans starting at €1/month. ING offers savings plans from €1 minimum. Flatex savings plans cost €1.50 per execution outside the partner-program ETFs and have a €25 minimum per plan. For micro-savers, ING is structurally simpler.
You want a more polished modern banking app. ING's mobile app is consistently rated higher than Flatex's WebFiliale-equivalent app in user reviews. The user flow for transferring money or buying ETFs is smoother and faster.
You're a casual investor with 1–4 manual orders per year. Both charge similar fees on small orders, but ING's overall banking experience compensates for the depot's modest functionality. For users who hold mostly ETFs and rarely trade individually, ING's bundle is the simpler answer.
Taxes — DACH specifics
Germany — both steuereinfach. Flatex and ING both withhold 25 % KESt + 5.5 % Soli + optional Kirchensteuer at source. Both apply Sparerpauschbetrag automatically once Freistellungsauftrag is filed. Loss carry-forward is per-broker.
Austria — Flatex Austria is austriakonform; ING is not. Flatex Österreich actively withholds Austrian 27.5 % KESt at source. ING does not have an Austrian product — Austrian residents using ING.de must self-report via Anlage E1kv on FinanzOnline. For Austrian investors, Flatex Austria offers a meaningful operational advantage.
Vorabpauschale 2026: Both apply Vorabpauschale automatically on January 2 by debiting the Verrechnungskonto. Both expect ~0.5–1 % of accumulating ETF position value in cash at year-end.
Quellensteuer on US dividends: Both file W-8BEN; the standard 15 % US withholding is creditable against German KESt automatically.
Eurex-options tax handling: Flatex supports Eurex options; the controversial €20 000 Verlustverrechnungstopf cap on Termingeschäft applies. ING does not offer options, so this consideration does not apply to ING customers.
Reporting niceness: Both issue paper-style Steuerbescheinigungen acceptable to traditional Steuerberater. ING's documents are slightly cleaner for simple ETF-only portfolios; Flatex's are slightly more detailed for complex options-included scenarios.
Cost example — €15 000 portfolio over 10 years
Profile: 1 monthly ETF savings plan at €100, 4 manual one-off purchases per year at €1 500 each, average €5 000 idle cash buffer.
| Item | Flatex | ING |
|---|---|---|
| 120× savings-plan execution | €180 (€1.50 each) | €210 (1.75 % per execution) |
| 40× manual orders €1 500 | €260 (€5.90 + €0.65 venue avg) | €396 (€9.90 minimum each) |
| Venue fees on top | included above | €80 (€2 each) |
| Depot fee (assume waived/active) | €0 | €0 |
| Cash interest (€5 k × 10 y on Extra-Konto) | €0 (no Tagesgeld) | €875 (1.75 %) |
| Net 10-year cost | €440 | −€189 |
ING comes out ~€629 ahead over 10 years, almost entirely because of the Extra-Konto interest (€875 vs Flatex's €0 on cash). Strip that out (user keeps cash elsewhere) and Flatex wins by ~€246 on commissions alone. The choice depends on whether you actively use ING's Extra-Konto.
For German tax residents specifically, the choice often comes down to the Eurex-options use case: if you trade options at all, Flatex wins by default since ING does not offer them. For everyone else who values bundled banking, ING is the simpler bundle.
Verdict by investor profile
German tax resident with bundled-banking preference
Pick: ING. The Girokonto + Extra-Konto bundle is competitive; the depot is good enough for ETF-only investing.
Austrian tax resident
Pick: Flatex Austria. Austriakonformer status alone justifies the choice. ING is not a meaningful option for AT residents.
Active mid-cap investor with 4+ orders/month
Pick: Flatex. Lower per-order commission, full Regional-Börsen routing, and Wien direct access make Flatex the structural fit. ING's €9.90 minimum is too expensive at this volume.
Eurex options trader (occasional)
Pick: Flatex. ING does not offer options. For Eurex-Termingeschäft access, Flatex is the only choice between these two.
First-time investor
Pick: Neither — use Trade Republic or Scalable. Both Flatex and ING are too expensive for small contributions. Save these for users with specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about Flatex vs ING.
For order fees, Flatex leads at 5.90€ + Börsengebühr, while ING charges 4.90€ + 0.25% (min 9.90€). Note: with CFD brokers, spreads add hidden cost — the lower nominal price isn't always cheaper overall.
Flatex is regulated by BaFin / FMA, ING by BaFin. Both fall under EU oversight. Deposit protection: Flatex 100.000€, ING 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.
Neither Flatex nor ING offers free ETF savings plans. If recurring investing matters, check a savings-plan-focused broker.
Both are covered under their home regulator's deposit protection. Flatex: 100.000€, ING: 100.000€. Securities are held in segregated accounts and protected in case of broker insolvency.
Neither broker pays meaningful interest on uninvested cash. Look elsewhere if cash yield matters.
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.