What does investing €500 a month cost at four popular brokers?
The Strategic Newb
Updated:
Translated from the original; figures and sources have been preserved. Read the original →
Dutch examples: Where this article refers to Dutch broker rates, pension rules, taxes or AFM examples, it is explicitly about the Netherlands. A translation does not change that context. Conditions, availability and tax rules can be different in your country of residence.
You put every month €500 aside to invest. After a year you put in €6,000. But how much of that amount goes to your broker? And is the provider with the lowest order costs automatically the cheapest broker in Europe?
We compare four known names: DEGIRO, Trading 212, Trade Republic and Plus500. For a fair calculation we choose one purchase per month of a widely distributed, euro-listed ETF available from the respective broker. We assume an ordinary private investment account, bank transfer, 12 purchases in one year, no sale, no exchange of currency and no return. These are exemplary costs for a Dutch investor, no universal ranking for all countries or all ETFs.
Rates checked for 29 September 2026. Courses, spreads, ETF fund costs and country-specific conditions may change. Investing allows you to lose money; this is not personal investment advice.
The answer in 30 seconds
| Broker and route | Costs per purchase according to this scenario | Costs at 12 purchases | What you're buying |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trading 212 Invest, manual or AutoInvest | €0 trading commission | €0 trading commission | ETF, if available |
| Trade Republic, suitable ETF savings plan | €0 settlement fee | €0 settlement fee | ETF via savings plan |
| DEGIRO, Core Selection on Tradegate | €1 handling | €12 | ETF from the Core Selection on Tradegate |
| Trade Republic, twelve separate Best Price orders | €1 settlement fee | €12 | ETF via separate purchases with Best Price |
| Trade Republic, twelve separate Direct Price orders | €2 settlement fee | €24 | ETF bought through individual orders on a selected exchange |
| DEGIRO, other ETF at standard rate | Usually €2 plus €1 handling | €36 | ETF outside the Core Selection Condition |
| Plus500 | No comparable fixed annual rate set for this Dutch ETF scenario | Not comparable | Dutch website presents CFD trade; verify separately whether a real ETF is available via Plus500 Invest in your country |
The amounts in the table are only explicit broker costs for the purchase. The price differences between the bid and offer price (spread), the running costs of the ETF (TER), any transaction fees and selling costs are missing. As a result, two outcomes of €0 are not a guarantee for exactly the same total cost. DEGIRO rates 2026 · Trading 212 Invest costs · Trade Republic rates · Plus500 Nederland.
How the comparison is calculated
The calculation is simple: 12 months × €500 = €6,000 insert. One ETF purchase per month means twelve orders. If you pay €1 per order, the annual order costs are €12; at €3 per order they are €36. This is 0.2% and 0.6% respectively of the annual deposit of €6,000. Those percentages are only a way to describe the broker's costs; they are not an annual cost ratio of the portfolio.
We do not compare one ETF price at all platforms: the same ISIN can be traded on different exchanges with different spreads. For your own choice check the ISIN, stock exchange, trading currency, spread and TER. A low commission can be compensated by a less favourable execution at the time you buy.
Trading 212: €0 commission, but pay attention to deposits and currency
Trading 212 charges no trading commission or custody fee on its Invest account. Twelve euro-denominated orders for an available ETF therefore result in €0 in Trading 212 trading commission. You can place individual orders or build a portfolio using Pies and AutoInvest. Source: Trading 212
The bank-transfer assumptionmatters. Trading 212 says bank transfers are free. Card payments and certain fast deposit methods incur a0.7% fee after a cumulative free allowance of €2,000. In this example, depositing the first €2,000 free by card and then another €4,000 through a chargeable method would cost €28. Free bank transfers avoid that fee. Source: Trading 212 deposit terms
Buying an ETF in another currency incurs a 0.15% FX fee when conversion takes place. This example uses a euro-listed ETF without conversion. Pies use the primary account currency, so reinvested dividends may also trigger conversion. Trading 212 multi-currency · Pies and currency
Trade Republic: €0 via a savings plan, €12 or €24 with separate orders
A suitable ETF savings plan at Trade Republic is executed without the usual settlement fee per single order. Twelve monthly deposits of €500 costs in this example €0 to the fixed broker fee.If you buy the same ETF with a separate order every month, Trade Republic charges€1 per Best Price transaction, or €12 per year. If you choose a exchange via Direct Price itself, you will find €2 per transaction, or €24 per year. Spread, ETF costs and possible third party costs may still apply. Source: Trade Republic.
The savings plan is therefore practical if you want to buy the same ETF every month. Check in advance that your chosen ETF is available for a savings plan and how the execution takes place. You have less control over the exact moment of purchase in an automatic version than with your own limit order.
DEGIRO: €12 with Core Selection, often €36 outside
At DEGIRO, a qualifying Core Selection ETF on Tradegate costs €1 in handling per order. Twelve purchases total €12. The Tradegate condition matters: the same ETF on another exchange does not automatically qualify for this fee. Core Selection · DEGIRO explanation
For ETFs outside of that specific Core Selection condition, the Dutch tariff overview shows as a rule €2 plus €1 handling per order. For twelve purchases, this is €36. DEGIRO can also charge connection costs for certain exchanges; according to the tariff document, the exception applies, inter alia, to the ETF-Core Selection. Fund costs, any currency and spread costs remain possible. DEGIRO tariff overview 2026.
For a person who puts only €500 in one ETF monthly, fixed order costs are relatively visible. DEGIRO can still fit if you also want to use specific stock exchanges, other securities or a separate Dutch pension account. That pension account has a other cost structure and is not part of the above calculation. DEGIRO pension account.
Why is there no €0, €12 or €36 figure for Plus500?
Plus500’s Dutch homepage presents CFD trading. An ETF CFD is a contract that tracks the price; you do not own the underlying ETF. Costs can include the spread and, depending on the position, other trading and financing costs. Plus500 describes the spread as its main CFD charge. Plus500 Nederland · cost information
Plus500 also offers a separate Invest servicefor actual securities in parts of Europe. However, the Dutch information checked does not sufficiently confirm availability, the ETF range or applicable fees for a Dutch account to publish a reliable cost figure. Assigning a fixed “ETF savings-plan cost” to a CFD product would make this comparison inaccurate. First confirm that your account offersPlus500 Invest and that you are buying an actual ETF. Plus500 product information · geographical roll-out
The costs you also pay at €0 commission
ETF fund costs.Suppose your ETF has a TER of0.20% per year. In the case of 12 deposits of €500 that take place approximately at the beginning of the month and without exchange rate changes, the average amount invested during the first year is roughly €3,250. The estimated TER pressure is then about €6.50 in year one (€3,250 × 0.20%), incorporated into the value of the fund. That is an illustration, not an exact amount on a broker's statement; daily price movements and the method of calculating the fund make a difference. In subsequent years, this continuous fund cost is calculated over a larger invested value.
Spread. If you pay more for an ETF than the price at which you can immediately sell, there is an implicit commercial cost in the bid–ask spread. It changes by stock exchange, liquidity and timing. At DEGIRO you have to look specifically at the Tradegate quotation for the €1-Kernselectieorder; at another exchange the combination of spread and order costs may be different.
Currency, tax and sales. A euro quotation is the assumption for this comparison. Foreign shares or otherwise quoted ETF may incur currency costs. Local transaction fees depend on your country and product. Sell later, then order and currency costs can occur again. A fair multi-annual comparison takes those exit costs.
Which broker is the cheapest for €500 per month?
For twelve purchases of a suitable euro-ETFshare Trading 212 Invest and a Trade Republic savings plan the lowestexplicit purchase fee of €0in our scenario. DEGIRO follows with€12 via an appropriate Core Selection-ETF on Tradegate. Those using twelve separate Trade Republic orders via Best Price also pay €12; via Direct Price that will be €24. A DEGIRO-ETF at the mentioned standard rate costs €36. No reasonable comparable amount has been established for Plus500.
The title Europe's cheapest broker does not therefore have an answer that applies to every investor and every country. First determine which ETF you want, whether you buy automatically or manually, and at which exchange the order is executed. Then compare the full purchase price and the current fund costs. The cheapest broker's commission is only one part of the total cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is investing €500 per month enough to start?
Yes, if the amount fits within your budget and you keep a financial buffer. A wide spread ETF can be built with a monthly contribution, but the value can decrease. Also check whether your chosen ETF for €500 can be purchased or whether fractions are available.
What does investing €500 a month in an ETF cost at DEGIRO?
With twelve qualifying Core Selection Orders on Tradegate, the handling is €12 per year. For an ETF under the standard rate mentioned, the calculation example is €36 per year. Spreads, TER and other possible costs are added.
Is Trade Republic free for ETFs?
The implementation of a suitable ETF savings plan has no fixed settlement fee. In case of individual purchases, €1 per Best Price order or €2 per Direct Price order with a self-chosen exchange. Spreads, external costs and ETF fund costs can still apply.
Is Trading 212 completely free?
No. Trading 212 Invest does not charge a trading commission or custody fee, but a currency conversion costs 0.15%. Certain deposit methods are subject to a fee of 0.7% after the cumulative free limit. Also an ETF itself often has running costs.
Why don't you compare Plus500 to the same amount?
The CFD service shown to Dutch visitors is not the same as an ordinary ETF purchase. Without confirmed conditions for an appropriate real ETF on Plus500 Invest a fixed annual amount would be misleading.
Sources and editorial check
This calculation uses the official DEGIRO rates per 1 January 2026, the Core Selection Conditions, Trading 212 Invest costs, Deposit fees, Trade Republic prices and Dutch Plus500 page. Rates may change; please check your provider's cost statement before ordering.