Detailed comparison of all fees, features, and suitability — updated for 2026.
Comdirect is the better choice for Full-Service Bank Customers, while Smartbroker+ wins for Free Trades. Which one suits you depends on your strategy — the detailed comparison below shows every difference.
| Metric | Comdirect | Smartbroker+ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order fee per trade | 9.90 € | 0.00 € | 9.90 € cheaper at Smartbroker+ |
| 10y savings plan cost @ €100/month | 1.188 € | 0 € | 1.188 € cheaper at Smartbroker+ |
| Free ETF savings plans | 150 | 2.000 | +1.850 more at Smartbroker+ |
| Available exchanges | 1 | 3 | +2 more at Smartbroker+ |
| BMInsider rating | 3.7/5 | 4.0/5 | +0.3 at Smartbroker+ |
All fees, products, and platform features compared side-by-side. The "Winner" column shows which broker leads in each category.
| Feature | Comdirect | Smartbroker+ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees & Costs | |||
| Order Fee | 4.90€ + 0.25% (min 9.90€) | 0€ (gettex, from 500€) / 4€ (Xetra) | Smartbroker+ |
| ETF Savings Plan Fee | 1.5% | 0€ | Smartbroker+ |
| Account Fee | 0€ (with activity) / 1.95€/Month otherwise | 0€/Year | Tie |
| Minimum Deposit | 0€ | 0€ | Tie |
| Interest on Cash | 0% | 0% | Tie |
| Product Range | |||
| Stocks | Tie | ||
| ETFs | Tie | ||
| Crypto | Smartbroker+ | ||
| Options | Tie | ||
| CFDs | Tie | ||
| Fractional Shares | Smartbroker+ | ||
| Number of Exchanges | Alle deutschen + internationale Börsen | gettex, Xetra, und weitere | Smartbroker+ |
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile App | Tie | ||
| Desktop Platform | Comdirect | ||
| Demo Account | Comdirect | ||
| Security & Regulation | |||
| Regulated by | BaFin | BaFin | Tie |
| Deposit Protection | 100.000€ | 100.000€ | Tie |
| Founded | 1994 | 2019 | Tie |
| Overall Rating | |||
| Rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | Smartbroker+ |
Depending on your strategy and experience, one broker fits better. Here's how to decide:
Low barriers, simple app, demo account and no hidden costs — perfect to get started.
More about Smartbroker+ →Low per-order fees, many trading venues and derivatives access — important if you trade regularly.
More about Smartbroker+ →Free savings plans, interest on cash and no custody fee — what matters when you buy & hold.
More about Smartbroker+ →Comdirect is a full-service bank with comprehensive securities offerings. For investors who want everything from one provider.
Particularly suitable for: Full-Service Bank Customers, Derivatives Trading, Experienced Investors.
Smartbroker+ offers free trades from €500 order volume and free Xetra access. A strong competitor to Trade Republic.
Particularly suitable for: Free Trades, Savings Plan Investors, Cost-Conscious Investors.
Comdirect (Commerzbank subsidiary, founded 1994) and Smartbroker+ (founded 2019, BaFin-regulated, spun off from Wallstreet:Online) bracket two generations of German depot brokers. Comdirect is the traditional Direktbank with bundled Girokonto and full retail Eurex options. Smartbroker+ is the 2019-vintage discount neo-broker with €0 trading on gettex above €500, free ETF savings plans, and surprisingly retail Eurex access.
The honest framing: Smartbroker+ is structurally cheaper for users who place orders ≥€500 on gettex. Comdirect is structurally better for users who want bundled banking, German telephone support, and broader Regional-Börsen routing.
You want bundled Girokonto + Tagesgeld + depot. Comdirect is a real Direktbank. Smartbroker+ is depot-only.
You want broad Regional-Börsen routing. Comdirect routes to Stuttgart, München, Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Tradegate, Quotrix, plus Wien direct, plus all major US/EU exchanges. Smartbroker+ routes primarily to gettex and Xetra with limited regional German venue access.
You value 24/7 German telephone support. Comdirect's call centre is 24/7 with experienced specialists. Smartbroker+ phone support has limited hours; the brand is younger and the support team smaller.
You want institutional-grade research integrated in the order ticket. Comdirect's Live-Trading-Plattform integrates Reuters, Morningstar, and analyst targets. Smartbroker+'s research is competent but more compact.
You want a long-established Direktbank brand. Comdirect has 30 years of operational history and Commerzbank parent. Smartbroker+ is younger; the parent (Wallstreet:Online AG) is also relatively young as a financial-services entity.
You consistently trade orders ≥€500 on gettex. Smartbroker+ charges €0 commission on gettex orders ≥€500. Comdirect charges €4.90 + 0.25 % with €9.90 minimum. For monthly buys at €1 000+ on gettex, Smartbroker+ saves ~€120/year per recurring order.
You want fee-free ETF savings plans on hundreds of ETFs from €1. Smartbroker+ offers €0 savings plans on a broad ETF catalog. Comdirect savings plans cost 1.5 % per execution outside the action-promo ETFs (a smaller, quarterly-rotating list).
You want native crypto + fractional shares + Eurex options in one BaFin-regulated broker. Smartbroker+ supports all three. Comdirect offers fractional shares and Eurex options but no native spot crypto.
You want a more modern web + app interface. Smartbroker+'s digital experience is meaningfully more polished than Comdirect's older WebFiliale.
You want a younger, more focused depot product. Smartbroker+ is a depot-first broker without banking cross-sells. The user experience is more focused.
Germany — both steuereinfach. Comdirect and Smartbroker+ both withhold 25 % KESt + 5.5 % Soli + optional Kirchensteuer at source. Both apply Sparerpauschbetrag automatically.
Austria — Comdirect Austria has historical austriakonform status; Smartbroker+ does not. Comdirect Austria existed as austriakonformer Broker until 2022. Smartbroker+ has never had an austriakonform Austrian product.
Vorabpauschale 2026: Both apply Vorabpauschale automatically on January 2 by debiting the cash account.
Quellensteuer on US dividends: Both file W-8BEN; the standard 15 % US withholding is creditable against German KESt automatically.
Eurex-options tax handling: Both support Eurex options; the controversial €20 000 Verlustverrechnungstopf cap on Termingeschäft applies to both. Comdirect's options interface and tax statements are more mature; Smartbroker+'s options are functional but newer.
Profile: 1 monthly ETF savings plan at €100, 6 manual one-off purchases per year at €600 each (above gettex-free threshold), average €5 000 idle EUR cash buffer.
| Item | Comdirect | Smartbroker+ |
|---|---|---|
| 120× savings-plan execution | €180 (1.5 % per execution) | €0 |
| 60× manual orders €600 (gettex) | €594 (€9.90 each) | €0 (above €500 threshold) |
| Venue fees | €60 (€1 each) | €60 (gettex spread) |
| Cash interest (€5 k × 10 y on Tagesgeld) | €500 (1.0 % avg) | €0 |
| Net 10-year cost | €334 | €60 |
Smartbroker+ comes out €274 ahead over 10 years for this profile, almost entirely from the gettex commission-free advantage. Comdirect's bundled Tagesgeld interest helps but does not close the gap.
The Comdirect case becomes competitive at orders below €500 (where Smartbroker+ has no commission-free tier — gettex requires ≥€500), or for users who place very few manual orders per year (where Comdirect's bundled banking adds non-economic value).
Pick: Smartbroker+. €0 commission on ≥€500 gettex orders is genuinely free. Comdirect's €9.90 minimum is structurally too expensive at this trading pattern.
Pick: Trade Republic or Scalable Free, not these two. Smartbroker+'s €500 gettex threshold disqualifies it for sub-€500 buys; Comdirect's €9.90 minimum is punitive at this scale.
Pick: Keep Comdirect for banking, open Smartbroker+ for active trading. Dual-broker setups are common; the migration is operationally trivial.
Pick: Comdirect (or upgrade to Flatex / IBKR for serious volume). Both Comdirect and Smartbroker+ support Eurex; Comdirect's options interface and tax statements are more mature for active options traders.
Pick: Smartbroker+. Native crypto + traditional brokerage + fractional shares in one account. Comdirect lacks native crypto.
Answers to the most common questions about Comdirect vs Smartbroker+.
For order fees, Smartbroker+ leads at 0€ (gettex, ab 500€) / 4€ (Xetra), while Comdirect 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.
Comdirect is regulated by BaFin, Smartbroker+ by BaFin. Both fall under EU oversight. Deposit protection: Comdirect 100.000€, Smartbroker+ 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.
Smartbroker+ 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. Comdirect: 100.000€, Smartbroker+: 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.
Sign up with the broker that fits your strategy. Both are regulated and offer a demo account to test risk-free.
