Trade Republic vs Scalable Capital: fees, plans and tax compared
Both charge €0 per ETF savings plan and withhold German tax. Pick Trade Republic if you live outside Scalable's six countries or want real crypto; pick Scalable Capital if you trade often with PRIME+ or want robo-advice.
| If you want… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Monthly ETF savings plan | Either Both charge €0 per execution from €1, plus spreads. |
| Living outside Scalable's six countries | Trade Republic Trade Republic serves 18 European countries, including Belgium and Ireland. Scalable serves Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain. |
| Frequent orders of €250 or more | Scalable Capital PRIME+ (€4.99 a month) makes EIX orders from €250 free of order fees, cheaper than €1 a trade from five orders a month. |
| Real crypto you can withdraw | Trade Republic About 50 coins you can move to your own wallet. Scalable only offers crypto ETPs with a 0.69% to 0.99% surcharge. |
| Interest on uninvested cash | Scalable Capital 2.60% variable on the Overnight account against 2.5% at Trade Republic in Germany. Both have no cap. |
| Managed portfolio (robo-advice) | Scalable Capital Scalable Wealth costs 0.75% a year up to €100,000. We found no comparable product at Trade Republic. |
| Feature | Trade Republic | Scalable Capital |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Licensed: BaFin (Germany), with ECB/SSM supervision | Licensed: BaFin (Germany), with ECB/SSM supervision and the Deutsche Bundesbank |
| Account fee | €0 | FREE: €0; PRIME+: €4.99 per month; the price list also lists PRIME at €2.99 per month billed yearly (€35.88) |
| EU stock trade | €1 per order with Best Price (Trade Republic as counterparty); €2 with Direct Price on a chosen exchange such as Xetra or Euronext; plus third-party costs and spreads | FREE: €0.99 per order on European Investor Exchange (EIX). PRIME+: €0 from €250 on EIX, else €0.99. Xetra and gettex: €1.99. Plus spreads and product costs |
| US stock trade | €1 per order with Best Price; €2 with Direct Price on NYSE or Nasdaq; plus third-party costs and spreads | Same tariff as EU stocks; orders run on German venues (EIX, gettex, Xetra) in EUR |
| ETF savings plan | €0 per execution (stocks, ETFs, crypto), from €1 | €0 per execution, from €1 |
| Currency fee | – | Foreign-currency transactions are converted at the buy/sell rate plus a surcharge; the surcharge is not quantified |
| Investor protection | Securities are client property held in custody, not deposits; EdB investor compensation covers 90% of claims from securities business up to €20,000 if a bank cannot return securities | Securities are client property (co-ownership via Clearstream or equivalent abroad); EdB investor compensation covers 90% of securities-business claims up to €20,000 |
| Founded | 2015 | 2014 |
Facts checked 23 October 2026 against each provider's official fee and licence pages.
Trade Republic vs Scalable Capital is a close call: both are German neobrokers with full banking licences, both charge €0 per ETF savings plan execution, and both withhold German tax for you. The deciding factors are where you live, how often you trade and what else you want from the app. Trade Republic covers more countries and offers real crypto; Scalable Capital is cheaper for frequent orders with PRIME+ and offers robo-advice.
We compared both on fees, savings plans, interest, products, tax and protection, using official pages checked on 23 October 2026. Investing involves risk: the value of your investments can fall, and you can get back less than you put in.
Scalable Capital and Trade Republic at a glance
Scalable Capital and Trade Republic differ less on price than on what they cover. Here are the differences that matter most for European investors:
- Availability: Trade Republic serves 18 European countries; Scalable Capital only Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain.
- Order fees: €1 (Best Price) or €2 (Direct Price) at Trade Republic; €0.99 on EIX or €1.99 on Xetra and gettex at Scalable FREE, and €0 from €250 on EIX with PRIME+.
- Crypto: about 50 real coins at Trade Republic; only crypto ETPs at Scalable.
- Interest: 2.5% (Germany) or 2.50% (Dutch branch) at Trade Republic; 2.60% at Scalable.
- Extras: Trade Republic has its own IBAN, a payment card and salary payments; Scalable has robo-advice and securities-backed credit.
For beginners with €50 to €500 a month, either works. If you live in Belgium or Ireland, only Trade Republic is an option.
What are Scalable Capital and Trade Republic?
Both are now banks supervised by BaFin and the ECB, and they compete for the same customers: ETF savers who want low flat fees.
Scalable Capital
Scalable Capital is a Munich-based bank, founded in 2014, that became a fully licensed CRR credit institution on 10 September 2025. Its broker comes in two main plans: FREE, with no monthly fee, and PRIME+ at €4.99 a month, which removes order fees from €250 on EIX. The September 2026 price list also shows PRIME at €2.99 a month billed yearly (€35.88), though the Dutch website only lists FREE and PRIME+.
Scalable also offers a robo advisor, Scalable Wealth, at 0.75% a year up to €100,000 (0.69% above that and 0.49% above €500,000). It’s available to residents of Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain. More in our Scalable Capital review.
Trade Republic
Trade Republic is a Berlin-based bank, founded in 2015, that became a fully licensed CRR credit institution on 5 December 2023. It reported more than 10 million customers and over €150 billion in assets in July 2026, across 18 European markets.
Manual orders cost €1 with Best Price, where Trade Republic is the counterparty, or €2 with Direct Price on one of 30 exchanges. You also get your own IBAN (Dutch or Belgian through the local branches, German elsewhere), salary and bill payments, and a payment card. More in our Trade Republic review.
Scalable Capital vs Trade Republic: fees and order costs
For occasional investors, the two cost almost the same: €0 savings plans and about €1 per manual order. Scalable becomes cheaper once you place five or more orders of €250 or more a month with PRIME+.
| Example | Trade Republic | Scalable Capital |
|---|---|---|
| €100 a month into one ETF, 12 months | €0 + spread | €0 + spread |
| One €1,000 ETF order | €1 (Best Price) or €2 (Direct Price) + spread | FREE: €0 for selected Amundi, iShares, Vanguard and Xtrackers ETFs on EIX, otherwise €0.99 (EIX) or €1.99 (Xetra, gettex) |
| €1,000 of a US stock | €1 + spread; FX fee not published | €0.99 on EIX, traded in euros, + spread |
| 8 orders of €500 a month for a year (96 orders) | 96 × €1 = €96 | FREE: 96 × €0.99 = €95.04; PRIME+: 12 × €4.99 = €59.88 |
| €1,000 into Bitcoin | €1 + spread | ETP only: €0.99 order + 0.99% surcharge (€9.90) = €10.89 on FREE |
| €1,000 instant deposit | No instant-deposit fee published; you fund by SEPA transfer to your own IBAN | FREE: 0.99% = €9.90; PRIME+: 0.69% = €6.90; standard SEPA free |
How we worked it out: published price lists on 23 October 2026, no price changes, spreads and fund costs excluded because neither broker publishes its spreads. On a US stock, Scalable trades on German venues in euros, so there’s no currency conversion on the purchase itself; its surcharge on foreign-currency transactions such as US dividends isn’t quantified. Trade Republic doesn’t publish its FX fee on its website.
Neither lists an account fee on the basic plan, a custody fee or an inactivity fee. Scalable lists a €9.99 AGM admission ticket and €24.99 for a change of depository; Trade Republic charges €1 for card ATM withdrawals under €100.
When PRIME+ is worth it
PRIME+ costs €59.88 a year. Against Trade Republic’s €1 per trade, it pays off from five orders a month of €250 or more on EIX; against Scalable FREE’s €0.99, from six. If you only run savings plans, you don’t need it: plans cost €0 on FREE too.
Savings plans and fractional investing
On savings plans, Trade Republic and Scalable Capital are a tie: both charge €0 per execution and both start at €1. Both use fractional shares, so a fixed amount such as €100 is invested in full.
The differences are small. Trade Republic offers savings plans in stocks, ETFs and real crypto. Scalable offers ETF savings plans, plus crypto ETP plans with the 0.69% to 0.99% surcharge; its fractional savings plans run on EIX. Selling isn’t part of a savings plan at either: you pay the normal order fee when you sell.
Savings plan costs over time
At €100 a month, both cost €0 in order fees over 12 months, against €12 at a broker charging €1 per manual order. The real cost at both is the spread on each purchase and the ETF’s annual running costs, which neither broker controls.
Products: what Scalable Capital offers vs Trade Republic
Both offer stocks, ETFs and bonds; they differ on crypto and extras. Neither offers exchange-traded options, futures or CFDs.
- Crypto: Trade Republic offers about 50 real coins, transferable to external wallets and available for staking, mostly held in cold storage with BitGo Europe. Scalable Capital offers only exchange traded products (crypto ETPs) and no direct crypto custody.
- Derivatives: Trade Republic offers securitised derivatives from partner issuers.
- Private markets: Trade Republic offers ELTIFs from €1.
- Robo-advice: Scalable Wealth, at 0.75% a year on up to €100,000.
- Credit: Scalable offers securities-backed credit up to €250,000 at 3.75% with PRIME+ or 4.75% without (variable).
If you want crypto you can actually withdraw, Trade Republic is the only choice of the two. If you want a managed portfolio, it’s Scalable.
Interest rates on uninvested cash
Scalable Capital pays slightly more: 2.60% variable on its Overnight account, against 2.5% at Trade Republic in Germany and 2.50% at its Dutch branch. On €10,000 held for a year, that’s €260 against €250 before tax. Both rates have no cap and can change at any time.
Where the cash sits matters too. Trade Republic holds client cash in trust accounts at partner banks such as Deutsche Bank, HSBC Continental Europe and Société Générale, covered up to €100,000 per partner bank; in Germany and Belgium part of it may go into money market funds, which have no deposit guarantee. Scalable holds deposits at Scalable Capital Bank (covered up to €100,000 via EdB) and trust cash at partner banks; PRIME+ spreads cash across up to five banks, and without PRIME+ cash may also sit in money market funds. Scalable’s broker clearing account pays 0%.
Trading venues and execution
Trade Republic now gives you more exchanges to choose from; Scalable keeps it to three German venues. That’s a change from a year ago.
Since 2 July 2026, Trade Republic offers Best Price execution, where it is the counterparty, for €1, and Direct Price orders on 30 exchanges for €2. The switch followed the end of payment for order flow via LS Exchange under the EU ban from 30 June 2026. Its subsidiary Trade Republic Business III GmbH received BaFin authorisation to run its own trading venue (an MTF) on 23 January 2026.
Scalable routes orders to the European Investor Exchange (EIX) in Hanover, the gettex exchange and Xetra. You pick the trading venue, and US stocks trade there in euros. If direct access to a stock exchange such as NYSE or Euronext matters to you, Trade Republic’s Direct Price is the way.
Stop loss and other order types
We haven’t verified which order types, such as stop loss or take profit orders, each app offers, so we don’t compare them here. Check in the app before you rely on one. Keep in mind that a stop loss order can’t protect you if a price gaps down overnight, and we wouldn’t pick either app for active trading.
Banking, funding and tax
Trade Republic is closer to a full bank account; Scalable is a broker with a savings account. Both handle German tax for you.
- Funding: Trade Republic takes SEPA transfers to your own IBAN, and other deposit methods weren’t confirmed on official pages. Scalable takes free SEPA transfers and direct debits; instant deposits cost 0.99% (FREE) or 0.69% (PRIME+) on the first €5,000.
- Germany: both withhold Abgeltungsteuer; Scalable also issues a tax certificate.
- Netherlands: neither withholds Dutch tax. Trade Republic’s Dutch branch gives you pre-filled tax return data; Scalable gives you a free tax report prepared by KPMG.
- Belgium: only Trade Republic is available, and its Belgian branch withholds TOB, roerende voorheffing and the Reynders tax since 15 September 2026.
For more on German tax, see our best brokers in Germany; for Dutch box 3, see the best brokers in the Netherlands.
Account safety and investor protection
Both are German banks with full banking licences, so your protection is very similar. Securities are client property: German securities at Scalable sit in collective custody at Clearstream with you as co-owner, and Trade Republic holds custody securities at domestic and international depositories. If a bank can’t return securities, the EdB scheme pays 90% of claims up to €20,000.
The track records differ. Trade Republic halted purchases of GameStop and other meme stocks in January 2021, and a 2025 consumer lawsuit over its interest and deposit-protection advertising ended in a settlement with a €5,500 penalty. Scalable had a data incident in October 2020 that hit more than 33,000 customers; a Munich court awarded one customer €2,500 in damages in 2021 (not final). For crypto, Trade Republic notified BaFin under MiCA for custody and execution in April 2025; Scalable’s MiCA notification (March 2026) covers advice on crypto-assets only. No compensation scheme covers market losses at either broker.
Customer support: chat, phone and e-mail
Trade Republic offers phone and live chat in the app, 24/7, with complaints by e-mail or post. Scalable Capital offers a support form in the app and on its website, a help centre in six languages (German, English, Spanish, French, Italian and Dutch), a Dutch phone number and an e-mail address for non-clients.
We haven’t tested either support team, so we don’t rate response times. What you can rely on is what each publishes: Trade Republic promises round-the-clock contact, and Scalable a multilingual help centre.
Availability by country
Trade Republic is available in 18 European countries for residents with local tax liability, with local branches in the Netherlands and Belgium; Irish customers are served by the German head office. Scalable Capital is available in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain only. Neither accepts UK residents.
Check that you’re eligible before you open an account, because both decide by where you live.
Which broker should you choose?
For a typical European ETF investor, either is a good choice, and your country often decides it for you.
Choose Trade Republic if you live in Belgium, Ireland or another country Scalable doesn’t serve, you want real crypto, or you want banking features such as your own IBAN, salary payments and a card.
Choose Scalable Capital if you place many orders of €250 or more (PRIME+), you want a managed portfolio, you want to choose between EIX, gettex and Xetra, or you prefer a slightly higher interest rate.
Look elsewhere if you need exchange-traded options or futures, or want to see spreads before you trade. DEGIRO and Interactive Brokers cover those; see DEGIRO vs Trade Republic and our best ETF brokers in Europe. Our ranking method is on the methodology page.
Questions people ask
Which is better, Scalable Capital or Trade Republic?
For a simple monthly ETF plan they're equal: both charge €0 per execution and withhold German tax. Scalable Capital is better if you place many orders of €250 or more (PRIME+) or want robo-advice; Trade Republic is better if you live outside Scalable's six countries or want real crypto.
Is Scalable Capital better than Trade Republic for savings plans?
Not on cost: both charge €0 per savings plan execution from €1, with fractional shares. The differences are elsewhere, such as Scalable's choice of Xetra and gettex for one-off orders and Trade Republic's crypto savings plans in real coins.
Can I transfer my investments from Trade Republic to Scalable Capital?
Yes, you can usually move securities between brokers instead of selling them. Scalable's price list shows €0 for a securities transfer plus third-party costs; we haven't verified Trade Republic's transfer terms, so check them in its app first.
Which broker pays higher interest, Trade Republic or Scalable Capital?
On 23 October 2026, Scalable Capital paid 2.60% on its Overnight account and Trade Republic 2.5% in Germany, both variable and with no cap. On €10,000 for a year that's €260 against €250 before tax, and rates can change at any time.
How do I contact Trade Republic by e-mail?
Trade Republic's everyday support runs through phone and live chat in the app, 24/7. Email or post is for complaints. We don't publish contact addresses we haven't verified, so use the details shown in your app.
Is Trade Republic or Scalable Capital safer?
Both are German banks supervised by BaFin and the ECB, and both hold your securities as client property. If securities can't be returned, the EdB scheme pays 90% up to €20,000. Neither protects you against market losses.