⏱️ 22 min read · 4,269 words · Updated Jun 13, 2026

Understanding Trade Republic fees explained is essential for making informed decisions in today’s market.

You’ve seen the ads. Trade Republic makes investing look almost too easy. Open an app, tap a button, own a piece of Apple or a global ETF. But here’s the thing nobody in those slick marketing clips talks about: fees. Not the obvious ones, either.

“The ones that quietly nibble at your returns while you’re busy feeling like a Wall Street genius from your couch.”

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So let’s fix that. This is Trade Republic fees explained properly — every charge, every gotcha, and a few things that might actually surprise you. Because once you understand the real cost structure, you can decide whether this Broker deserves your money or whether you’d be better off somewhere else.

Throughout this guide, we’ll explore Trade Republic fees explained and how it directly impacts your financial future.

The Basics: What Trade Republic Charges You For – Trade Republic fees explained

Trade Republic operates as a German-based neobroker, regulated by BaFin, and available across several European markets including Germany, Austria, France, Spain, and Italy. Their pitch is simple: low-cost investing with a clean mobile interface. And honestly, on the surface, the fee structure looks almost too good to be true.

Here’s what they advertise. One euro per executed order for stocks, ETFs, and crypto. That’s it. No account management fees. No custody fees. No inactivity fees — well, hold that thought, because it’s more complicated than that. And free ETF savings plans on over 2,500 ETFs. For a lot of people starting out, that sounds like a dream.

But the one-euro-per-trade model is only part of the story. Trade Republic, like virtually every modern Broker, makes money through something called the spread. The spread is the difference between the buy price and the sell price of an asset at any given moment. When you buy a stock on Trade Republic, you’re not buying at the exact market price. You’re buying at a slightly marked-up price, and when you sell, you get slightly less than the market price. That gap is where Trade Republic earns a portion of its revenue, and it’s not something they shout about in bold letters.

The spread varies depending on the asset and market conditions. For highly liquid stocks like Apple or Microsoft, it might be negligible — a few cents per share. For less liquid assets or during volatile periods, it can widen. You won’t see a line item on your statement that says “spread cost.” It’s baked into the execution price, which makes it invisible unless you’re comparing Trade Republic’s quoted price against a real-time market feed.

“The one-euro-per-trade model is only part of the story. Trade Republic, like virtually every modern Broker, makes money through something called the spread.”

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That One-Euro Fee: When It Applies and When It Doesn’t – Trade Republic fees explained

Let’s get specific. The one-euro order fee applies to market orders, limit orders, and stop-limit orders executed on exchanges where Trade Republic routes your trade. This includes major European exchanges like Xetra, Euronext, and others. If you’re buying a German DAX stock or a popular US-listed ETF, you’ll pay one euro when the order fills.

But here’s where it gets interesting. ETF savings plans — and this is a big selling point — carry no execution fee at all. Zero. You can set up a monthly savings plan for a fraction of an ETF, and Trade Republic won’t charge you that one euro. This is genuinely one of the best features they offer, especially for people building long-term wealth through regular contributions. If you’re the type who invests 100 euros a month into a global index ETF, you’re not paying 12 euros a year in trading fees. That’s a real saving compared to brokers who charge per trade regardless.

However, the savings plan benefit has limits. Not every ETF is eligible. Trade Republic maintains a list of supported ETFs for savings plans, and while it’s extensive — over 2,500 funds — some niche or newer ETFs won’t be on it. You’ll need to check their app or website for the current list. Also, savings plans execute once per month, typically on a date you choose, and the execution happens at market price during a specific window. You don’t get to pick the exact moment, which means you might buy at a slightly higher or lower price than you’d prefer.

Another detail worth knowing: if you place a limit order and it doesn’t execute, you don’t pay the euro. The fee only triggers on filled orders. So if you’re patient and willing to set limits below the current market price, you can wait for a better entry without racking up charges on failed attempts. This is a small but meaningful advantage for cost-conscious traders.

The Spread: The Fee You Don’t See

I need to spend some time here because the spread is the single most misunderstood cost on Trade Republic. Most people see “one euro per trade” and think that’s their total cost. It’s not. The spread is an additional cost on every single transaction, and for some assets, it can be more significant than the flat fee.

Trade Republic routes orders through a market maker called Upvest and partners with other liquidity providers. They don’t send your order directly to a public exchange in every case. Instead, they often internalize the trade or route it through a partner who quotes a price. That quoted price includes a markup — the spread. For liquid large-cap stocks, this might be 0.1% to 0.3% of the trade value. For smaller or less traded instruments, it can be wider.

Let’s put that in concrete terms. Say you buy 500 euros worth of a US stock. The one-euro fee is 0.2% of your trade. But if the spread adds another 0.2%, your total cost is 0.4% — two euros on a 500-euro trade. For a buy-and-hold investor making a few trades a year, that’s manageable. For someone trading frequently, those spreads add up fast, and they’re never itemized on your statement.

This isn’t unique to Trade Republic. Most neobrokers — Scalable Capital, Trade Republic, eToro, Revolut — use similar models. But Trade Republic is particularly aggressive about marketing the one-euro fee as if it’s the only cost, which feels a bit misleading. You should factor in the spread when comparing brokers, especially if you’re trading larger amounts where even a small percentage matters.

Currency Conversion Costs: The Silent Killer for International Stocks

If you’re buying US stocks or ETFs on Trade Republic, you’re dealing with currency conversion. Your account is denominated in euros, but Apple trades in dollars. So every time you buy or sell a US-listed asset, Trade Republic converts your currency — and charges you for it.

The currency conversion fee is 0.25% of the transaction value. That’s on top of the one-euro order fee and the spread. So if you’re buying 1,000 euros worth of a US ETF, you pay one euro for the order, plus roughly 2.50 euros for the conversion, plus whatever the spread costs. Your total cost on that 1,000-euro trade could easily be five or six euros, which is 0.5% to 0.6% — not the “one euro” the marketing suggests.

And here’s the part that really gets people. You pay the conversion fee both ways. When you buy, euros become dollars. When you sell, dollars become euros again. So a round trip — buy and later sell — costs you 0.5% just in currency conversion alone. For frequent traders dealing in US markets, this is a serious drag on returns.

Some brokers offer multi-currency accounts or let you hold foreign currencies to avoid repeated conversion. Trade Republic doesn’t offer this. Every US trade means a conversion. If you’re primarily investing in European-listed ETFs denominated in euros, this isn’t an issue. But if your strategy involves US stocks or US-domiciled ETFs, you need to account for this cost.

One workaround that some people use: buy US-listed assets through a European-listed equivalent. For example, instead of buying Vanguard’s US-domiciled Total World ETF, buy the Ireland-domiciled version that trades in euros on Xetra. Same underlying exposure, no currency conversion fee. It’s not always possible for every asset, but when it is, it saves you real money over time.

Withdrawal and Transfer Fees

Moving money in and out of Trade Republic is mostly free, but there are edge cases you should know about. Deposits via bank transfer cost nothing. SEPA transfers in are free. You can also set up a direct debit or standing order to fund your account regularly, which is handy for dollar-cost averaging into savings plans.

Withdrawals to your linked bank account are also free, as long as you’re using SEPA transfers within the eurozone. But if you close your account and transfer your holdings to another broker — what’s called an outgoing transfer — Trade Republic charges a fee. This is where it gets specific and where people get caught off guard.

The outgoing transfer fee depends on the assets being moved. For stocks and ETFs, Trade Republic charges 50 euros per position being transferred. So if you hold 10 different ETFs and want to move everything to another broker, that’s 500 euros in transfer fees. That’s not a typo. Fifty euros per position. For someone with a diversified portfolio of 15 or 20 holdings, moving out could cost 750 to 1,000 euros.

This is, frankly, one of the most anti-consumer fee structures I’ve seen among European brokers. Most competitors charge a flat fee for outgoing transfers — often 25 to 50 euros total, regardless of how many positions you hold. Some don’t charge anything at all. Trade Republic’s per-position model means the more diversified you are, the more expensive it is to leave. It’s a lock-in mechanism dressed up as a transfer fee.

My honest opinion: if you think there’s any chance you’ll want to switch brokers in the next few years, factor this into your decision. That 50-euro-per-position fee can wipe out months of savings from their otherwise low trading costs. It’s the kind of thing that makes you stay even when you’d rather go, and that’s by design.

The Inactivity Fee Situation

Trade Republic doesn’t charge a traditional inactivity fee. There’s no monthly or quarterly charge for having an account with a balance and not trading. That’s genuinely good, and it’s worth acknowledging. Some older brokers still charge custody fees or maintenance fees just for holding your assets with them, and Trade Republic doesn’t do that.

But there’s a nuance. If your account has a balance below 100 euros and you haven’t placed any trades or savings plan orders for an extended period, Trade Republic may classify it as dormant. The specific terms around dormancy aren’t always clearly communicated, and the handling can vary. In practice, most active users won’t encounter this, but if you opened an account, deposited a small amount, and forgot about it, you might want to check in periodically.

Also, if you hold fractional shares and your positions are worth very small amounts, there’s no fee for holding them, but selling fractional positions can sometimes be less liquid. Trade Republic allows fractional trading, which is great for investing small amounts in expensive stocks. But the spread on fractional trades can be proportionally wider, and the one-euro fee represents a higher percentage of a small fractional trade. Buying 10 euros of a fractional share and paying one euro in fees is a 10% cost. That’s brutal.

So while there’s no explicit inactivity fee, the structure of their other fees can penalize small or infrequent traders in ways that feel similar. If you’re investing tiny amounts sporadically, the math doesn’t work in your favor. Trade Republic is designed for people who invest regularly and in meaningful amounts. If that’s not you, the fee structure starts to look less attractive.

How Trade Republic Makes Money: The Full Picture

Understanding where Trade Republic earns its revenue helps you understand why certain fees exist and others don’t. They’re not a charity. They’re a business. And their revenue model has several streams beyond what you directly pay.

First, the one-euro order fee. This is the most visible, but it’s not their biggest earner. Second, the spread on trades, which they share with their liquidity partners. Third, the currency conversion fee on international trades. Fourth, interest on uninvested cash sitting in your account. Trade Republic pays you a modest interest rate on cash balances — currently around 2% to 3% depending on the market and your country — but they earn more than that by lending out or investing that cash themselves. The difference is their margin.

Fifth, and this is the one most people don’t think about: payment for order flow. Trade Republic, like many neobrokers, receives compensation from market makers for routing orders to them. This is legal and regulated in Europe, but it means your order isn’t always executed at the best possible price. The market maker profits from the spread, shares some of that profit with Trade Republic, and you get a price that’s slightly worse than the theoretical best. This isn’t unique to Trade Republic — it’s industry standard — but it’s worth knowing that “free” or “cheap” trades aren’t really free. You’re paying through slightly worse execution.

The combination of these revenue streams means Trade Republic can afford to offer zero-fee savings plans and low per-trade costs. They’re making money on the back end, through spreads, currency conversion, cash interest margins, and order flow arrangements. It’s not sinister. It’s just business. But you should understand it so you can make informed decisions about when and how you trade.

Comparing Trade Republic Fees to Other Brokers

Let’s put Trade Republic in context. How do their fees actually stack up against the competition? I’ve put together a comparison that covers the most relevant cost categories for a typical European investor.

A few things jump out from this comparison. Trade Republic and Scalable Capital are nearly identical on most fee categories. They’re direct competitors targeting the same audience, and their pricing reflects that. Interactive Brokers, particularly on the IBKR Lite tier, offers zero-commission trading with tighter spreads because they provide more direct market access. But IBKR’s interface is more complex, and it’s less appealing if you want a simple mobile-first experience.

DEGIRO has historically been the budget option, but their fee structure has gotten more complicated over the years. The outgoing transfer fee is much lower than Trade Republic’s, which is a significant advantage if you ever want to move your portfolio. And for investors who primarily trade European-listed assets, DEGIRO’s exchange fees can be competitive.

The real differentiator isn’t the one-euro order fee. Everyone charges roughly that, or less. It’s the outgoing transfer fee and the currency conversion cost. If you’re a long-term buy-and-hold investor who doesn’t plan to move brokers, Trade Republic’s transfer fee is irrelevant. But if you value flexibility, that 50-euro-per-position charge is a genuine drawback.

“The real differentiator isn’t the one-euro order fee. It’s the outgoing transfer fee and the currency conversion cost. If you value flexibility, that 50-euro-per-position charge is a genuine drawback.”

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Who Should Use Trade Republic (and Who Shouldn’t)

After going through every fee category, here’s my take. Trade Republic is a solid choice for a specific type of investor: someone who wants to build a long-term portfolio of ETFs through regular savings plans, primarily in European-listed funds, and who doesn’t plan to switch brokers frequently. For that person, the zero-fee savings plans, clean interface, and low trading costs make a lot of sense.

But if you’re an active trader, someone who frequently buys and sells individual stocks, the spread costs and one-euro-per-trade model will eat into your returns. If you’re heavily invested in US markets, the 0.25% currency conversion fee on every trade is a persistent drag. And if you think you might want to move to another broker in the future, the outgoing transfer fee is a serious financial penalty for having a diversified portfolio.

There’s also the question of what you’re comparing against. If your alternative is a traditional bank broker charging 10 to 25 euros per trade, Trade Republic is a massive upgrade. But if you’re comparing against other neobrokers or low-cost international brokers, the differences are smaller than you might expect, and Trade Republic’s transfer fee makes it one of the more expensive options for anyone who values portability.

I’ll say something that might be unpopular: for most people starting out with small amounts, the specific broker matters less than the habit of investing regularly. Whether you pay one euro or zero per trade, whether the spread is 0.1% or 0.3%, the difference over a year of monthly 100-euro investments is maybe 10 to 20 euros. That’s not nothing, but it’s not the difference between financial success and failure. The act of consistently investing matters more than shaving a few basis points off your costs. That said, once your portfolio grows to 10,000 euros or more, the fee structure starts to matter more, and it’s worth being deliberate about where you keep your money.

Hidden Costs and Edge Cases Most People Miss

Beyond the standard fee schedule, there are a few edge cases that catch people off guard. Corporate actions, for example. If a stock you hold splits, merges, or undergoes some other corporate event, Trade Republic handles it automatically, but the timing and execution might not always be optimal. You don’t pay a direct fee, but the price at which the corporate action is processed might differ slightly from what you’d get on a different platform.

Then there’s the cost of not having certain features. Trade Republic doesn’t offer options trading, futures, or margin accounts. If you want those, you’ll need another broker, which means maintaining multiple accounts and potentially paying fees on both. For most retail investors, this isn’t relevant. But if your strategy evolves beyond basic stock and ETF investing, you’ll outgrow Trade Republic’s feature set.

Tax reporting is another area where Trade Republic does a decent job — they provide a tax report for German users, and similar documentation is available in other supported countries. But if you’re a tax resident in a country where Trade Republic doesn’t provide localized tax reports, you might need to calculate your own capital gains, which is an indirect cost in terms of time and potential accountant fees.

One more thing that doesn’t show up as a fee but functions like one: the limited research and analysis tools. Trade Republic provides basic price charts and some fundamental data, but it’s nowhere near what you’d get on Interactive Brokers, TradingView, or even Scalable Capital’s more developed platform. If you rely on technical analysis or detailed fundamental research, you’ll end up paying for a separate service, which is an indirect cost of choosing a minimalist broker.

How to Minimize Your Costs on Trade Republic

If you’ve decided Trade Republic is right for you, here are some practical ways to keep your costs as low as possible. First, use ETF savings plans whenever you can. The zero-execution-fee structure is genuinely one of the best deals in European retail investing. Set up automatic monthly contributions and let compounding do its work without the drag of per-trade fees.

Second, minimize currency conversion by choosing European-listed equivalents of US ETFs. An Ireland-domiciled ETF that tracks the S&P 500 and trades in euros on Xetra gives you the same exposure as the US version without the 0.25% conversion fee. This alone can save you hundreds of euros over a decade of regular investing.

Third, avoid trading small amounts. The one-euro fee on a 50-euro trade is 2%. On a 500-euro trade, it’s 0.2%. Batch your investments when possible. Instead of buying every week, buy once a month with a larger amount. You’ll get a better price on the spread too, since larger orders tend to get better execution.

Fourth, think carefully before opening a savings plan on a fund you might want to move later. If you accumulate fractional positions in 15 different ETFs and then decide to transfer to another broker, you’re looking at 750 euros in transfer fees. Keeping your portfolio concentrated in fewer holdings reduces this risk, though it also reduces diversification. It’s a trade-off you need to weigh based on your own situation.

Fifth, keep an eye on the interest rate Trade Republic pays on uninvested cash. It changes over time based on European Central Bank rates and their own business decisions. If the rate drops significantly, it might be worth moving excess cash to a dedicated savings account or money market fund elsewhere. The convenience of keeping cash in your brokerage account has an opportunity cost if the interest rate is uncompetitive.

The Bigger Picture: Are Trade Republic’s Fees Fair?

This is where I’ll take a position that might not be popular in every corner of the internet. Trade Republic’s fees are fair for what they offer, but they’re not the bargain they’re made out to be. The marketing emphasizes the one-euro trade and the free savings plans, and those are genuinely good features. But the spread costs, currency conversion fees, and especially the outgoing transfer fee mean the total cost of ownership is higher than the headline numbers suggest.

Compare this to the US market, where brokers like Fidelity, Schwab, and Interactive Brokers offer zero-commission trading on stocks and ETFs with no spread markup on many orders, no currency conversion issues (since everything is in dollars), and free outgoing transfers. European investors don’t have access to all of these options due to regulatory restrictions, but the comparison highlights that Trade Republic’s pricing isn’t as revolutionary as it seems. It’s competitive within the European neobroker space, which has historically been more expensive than the US market.

The real question isn’t whether Trade Republic’s fees are low in absolute terms. It’s whether they’re low relative to the value you receive. For a simple, mobile-first ETF savings plan experience, the answer is mostly yes. For anything more complex, the answer gets murkier. And the transfer fee structure is, in my view, genuinely hostile to consumers. There’s no good reason to charge 50 euros per position when competitors charge a flat fee or nothing at all. It’s a deliberate friction designed to keep you from leaving, and that’s not something I’m willing to overlook just because the app is pretty.

But here’s the counterpoint, and I’ll be fair: Trade Republic has done more to democratize investing in Germany and parts of Europe than almost any other company in the last decade. They’ve brought millions of people into the market who previously found traditional brokers intimidating or expensive. The savings plan feature alone has changed how an entire generation thinks about investing. That matters, and it’s worth something. A slightly higher fee structure is a reasonable trade-off for accessibility and simplicity, as long as you understand what you’re paying.

FAQ

Does Trade Republic charge account fees? – Trade Republic fees explained

No. Trade Republic does not charge any account management fees, custody fees, or monthly maintenance fees. Your account is free to open and free to maintain, regardless of your balance or activity level.

How much does Trade Republic charge per trade? – Trade Republic fees explained

The base execution fee is one euro per order for stocks, ETFs, and crypto. This fee applies when your order is filled. Unfilled limit orders cost nothing. However, this is not your total cost per trade. You also pay the spread (the difference between buy and sell prices) and, for non-euro assets, a 0.25% currency conversion fee.

Are ETF savings plans really free on Trade Republic?

Yes, ETF savings plans on Trade Republic carry no execution fee. You can set up automatic monthly investments in over 2,500 supported ETFs without paying the one-euro order fee. The spread still applies, but there’s no additional charge for the savings plan execution itself.

What is the outgoing transfer fee on Trade Republic?

Trade Republic charges 50 euros per position for outgoing transfers to another broker. If you hold 10 ETFs and want to move your entire portfolio, the total transfer fee would be 500 euros. This is significantly higher than most competitors, who typically charge a flat fee or a lower per-position amount.

Does Trade Republic charge an inactivity fee?

There is no explicit inactivity fee. You won’t be charged for simply holding assets in your account without trading. However, accounts with very low balances and no activity over extended periods may be classified as dormant, and the handling of such accounts can vary.

How does Trade Republic make money if trades are so cheap?

Trade Republic earns revenue from multiple

Sources

• Trade Republic Fee Schedule
• BaFin Broker Registration Database
• European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) Investor Guidance