Smartbroker+
★★★★★4.0/5
Strengths
- 0€ Trades from €500
- Free Savings Plans
- Xetra Access
- Options Available
Weaknesses
- Relatively New
- App Still in Development
Best for
Free Trades
Go to Smartbroker+ →* Affiliate link · no extra cost for you
Broker Comparison 2026
Smartbroker+ vs. Trade Republic
Detailed comparison of all fees, features, and suitability — updated for 2026.
Smartbroker+
vs
Trade Republic
Our Recommendation
Smartbroker+ is the better choice for Free Trades, while Trade Republic wins for Beginners. Which one suits you depends on your strategy — the detailed comparison below shows every difference.
Numeric Comparison
| Metric | Smartbroker+ | Trade Republic | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order fee per trade | 0.00 € | 1.00 € | 1.00 € cheaper at Smartbroker+ |
| 10y savings plan cost @ €100/month | 0 € | 0 € | identical |
| Interest on €10,000 cash (1 year) | — | 3.25 % = 325 € | +325 € more at Trade Republic / year |
| Free ETF savings plans | 2.000 | 2.200 | +200 more at Trade Republic |
| Available exchanges | 3 | 1 | +2 more at Smartbroker+ |
| BMInsider rating | 4.0/5 | 4.3/5 | +0.3 at Trade Republic |
Bottom line: on €10,000 cash Trade Republic earns about 3.250 € 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
Beginners
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 | Smartbroker+ | Trade Republic | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees & Costs | |||
| Order Fee | 0€ (gettex, from 500€) / 4€ (Xetra) | 1€ per Order | Smartbroker+ |
| ETF Savings Plan Fee | 0€ | 0€ | Tie |
| Account Fee | 0€/Year | 0€/Year | Tie |
| Minimum Deposit | 0€ | 0€ | Tie |
| Interest on Cash | 0% | 3.25% | Trade Republic |
| Product Range | |||
| Stocks | Tie | ||
| ETFs | Tie | ||
| Crypto | Tie | ||
| Options | Smartbroker+ | ||
| CFDs | Tie | ||
| Fractional Shares | Tie | ||
| Number of Exchanges | gettex, Xetra, und weitere | LS Exchange | Smartbroker+ |
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile App | Tie | ||
| Desktop Platform | Tie | ||
| Demo Account | Tie | ||
| Security & Regulation | |||
| Regulated by | BaFin | BaFin | Tie |
| Deposit Protection | 100.000€ | 100.000€ | Tie |
| Founded | 2019 | 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
Smartbroker+
Low barriers, simple app, demo account and no hidden costs — perfect to get started.
More about Smartbroker+ →For Active Traders
Smartbroker+
Low per-order fees, many trading venues and derivatives access — important if you trade regularly.
More about Smartbroker+ →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 Smartbroker+?
Smartbroker+ offers free trades from €500 order volume and free Xetra access. A strong competitor to Trade Republic.
Strengths in Detail
- 0€ Trades from €500
- Free Savings Plans
- Xetra Access
- Options Available
Weaknesses
- Relatively New
- App Still in Development
- No Interest on Cash
Who is Smartbroker+ worth it for?
Particularly suitable for: Free Trades, Savings Plan Investors, Cost-Conscious Investors.
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.
Smartbroker+ vs Trade Republic — gettex zero-fee vs neo-broker flat-€1
Smartbroker+ is the BaFin-regulated 2019-vintage discount broker spun off from Wallstreet:Online — a hybrid offering that markets itself as "0 € trading from €500" via gettex while keeping Xetra access at €4 per order. Trade Republic is the 2015-vintage mobile-first neo-broker — €1 flat orders regardless of size, 3.25 % cash interest, single venue (LS Exchange).
The honest framing: Smartbroker+ is a Xetra-access broker disguised as a free broker. Trade Republic is a cash-yield account that also lets you buy stocks. They optimize for different things, and the choice depends mostly on whether you trade above or below the €500 threshold and whether you keep idle cash.
When Smartbroker+ is the better pick
You consistently trade orders above €500 on gettex. Smartbroker+ is genuinely free (0 €) for orders ≥ €500 routed to gettex. Trade Republic charges €1 regardless of size. For monthly buys at €1 000+ to gettex, Smartbroker+ saves €12/year per such recurring order — modest but real.
You want Xetra execution and accept €4 per order. Smartbroker+ routes to Xetra at €4. For mid-cap and small-cap German stocks where the Xetra-vs-LS spread can be 0.10–0.30 %, on a €5 000 order this saves €5–€15 per trade vs Trade Republic — net of the higher commission.
You want options trading on Eurex. Smartbroker+ provides Eurex access for retail options on DAX, Bund, and major European single-stocks. Trade Republic does not support options at all. For occasional covered-call writers, Smartbroker+ is one of the few discount brokers offering Eurex retail.
You want fractional shares + crypto + Eurex in one BaFin-regulated broker. Smartbroker+ combines fractional shares, ~30 cryptocurrencies, and Eurex options access in a single account. Trade Republic offers fractional and crypto but no options.
You want a desktop-friendly experience. Smartbroker+ runs a modern web client with usable charting, scanner, and alerts. Trade Republic is mobile-first with a stripped-down web interface.
When Trade Republic is the better pick
You trade below €500 per order. Smartbroker+ charges €4 on gettex below €500. Trade Republic charges €1 flat regardless of size. For €100–€499 orders, TR is 4× cheaper. Frequent small-order traders pay €36/year on TR vs €144/year on Smartbroker+ for equivalent activity.
You hold idle cash. Trade Republic pays 3.25 % p.a. on EUR cash up to €50 k. Smartbroker+ pays 0 % on the cash account. On a €15 k buffer, that is ~€487/year for free at TR — Smartbroker+ has no equivalent product.
You want fee-free ETF savings plans on hundreds of ETFs from €1. Trade Republic offers €0 savings plans on >2 000 ETFs from €1 minimum. Smartbroker+ also offers free ETF savings plans, but the catalog is smaller and the minimum is €1 (matching TR). For the savings-plan use case, both are competitive — TR has the broader catalog.
You want a polished mobile experience. Trade Republic's app is the gold standard for retail mobile-broker UX — clean order flow, great chart interactions, instant onboarding. Smartbroker+'s app is functional but less polished.
You want native Visa Debit cashback. Trade Republic offers a 1 % cashback Visa Debit. Smartbroker+ does not have a payment card.
Taxes — DACH specifics
Germany — both steuereinfach. Smartbroker+ and Trade Republic both withhold 25 % KESt + 5.5 % Soli (= 26.375 % effective) plus optional Kirchensteuer at source. Both apply Sparerpauschbetrag automatically once Freistellungsauftrag is filed. Loss carry-forward is per-broker.
Austria — neither austriakonform. Both Smartbroker+ and Trade Republic require self-reporting via Anlage E1kv on FinanzOnline for Austrian residents.
Vorabpauschale 2026: Smartbroker+ applies the Vorabpauschale automatically on January 2 by debiting the cash account. Trade Republic does the same. 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: A unique Smartbroker+ consideration. Eurex options gains and losses are subject to the controversial €20 000 Verlustverrechnungstopf cap (Termingeschäft losses are limited to €20 k offset against Termingeschäft gains, after which they carry forward year-to-year). Trade Republic does not offer options, so this consideration does not apply. For active options traders, Smartbroker+'s tax statements need careful review.
Cost example — €15 000 portfolio over 10 years
Profile: 1 monthly ETF savings plan at €100, 6 manual one-off purchases per year at €600 each (above the €500 gettex-free threshold), average €5 000 idle cash buffer.
| Item | Smartbroker+ | Trade Republic |
|---|---|---|
| 120× savings plan execution | €0 | €0 |
| 60× manual orders €600 (gettex) | €0 (above €500 threshold) | €60 (€1 each) |
| Venue fees / spread | ~€60 (gettex spread) | ~€60 (LS spread) |
| Cash interest (€5 k × 10 y × rate) | €0 | +€1 625 (3.25 %) |
| Net 10-year cost | €60 | −€1 505 |
Trade Republic still leads net by €1 565 over 10 years — entirely because of the cash-interest gap. Smartbroker+ has commission-parity here (both are essentially zero), but Trade Republic's idle-cash yield is 3.25 % p.a. that Smartbroker+ cannot match.
The Smartbroker+ case becomes economically advantageous only if (a) you keep almost no idle cash (always fully invested), in which case the 0 % interest does not matter, AND (b) you trade large gettex-free orders frequently, in which case Smartbroker+'s commission-free execution beats TR's €1 flat. For pure cash-light active trading at €500+ per order, Smartbroker+ is genuinely the cheaper option.
The Eurex-options access on Smartbroker+ is a structural feature that has no TR equivalent — for anyone needing options on European underlyings, the comparison shifts to "Smartbroker+ vs IBKR vs Flatex" rather than vs Trade Republic.
Verdict by investor profile
Beginner with €25–€100/month savings plan
Pick: Trade Republic. Both are free for savings plans, but TR has the broader catalog, better app, and 3.25 % cash interest on emergency reserves. Smartbroker+ adds nothing at this scale.
Active investor with €1 000+ orders to gettex
Pick: Smartbroker+. The €0 commission on gettex orders ≥ €500 is genuinely free vs TR's €1. If your order pattern is 6+ such buys per month, Smartbroker+ saves €70+/year. Combine with TR as a secondary cash-yield account.
Eurex options trader (occasional)
Pick: Smartbroker+ (or upgrade to Flatex / IBKR). Trade Republic does not support options. Smartbroker+ is the cheapest German retail option for occasional Eurex strategies. For more than 5 contracts per week, IBKR overtakes on cost and execution depth.
Cash-heavy saver
Pick: Trade Republic. 3.25 % on idle EUR cash dominates Smartbroker+'s 0 % regardless of execution-cost differences.
Dual-broker setup (the realistic answer)
Pick: Trade Republic primary, Smartbroker+ secondary for Xetra/Eurex. TR for the savings plan + cash buffer. Smartbroker+ for big gettex/Xetra orders + Eurex options when needed. This combination delivers the lowest net-cost setup available to retail in Germany.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about Smartbroker+ vs Trade Republic.
For order fees, Smartbroker+ leads at 0€ (gettex, ab 500€) / 4€ (Xetra), while Trade Republic charges 1€ pro Order. Note: with CFD brokers, spreads add hidden cost — the lower nominal price isn't always cheaper overall.
Smartbroker+ is regulated by BaFin, Trade Republic by BaFin. Both fall under EU oversight. Deposit protection: Smartbroker+ 100.000€, 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.
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. Smartbroker+: 100.000€, Trade Republic: 100.000€. Securities are held in segregated accounts and protected in case of broker insolvency.
Trade Republic leads on cash interest at 3.25%. 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.