For monthly investing in EUR-denominated ETFs, Trade Republic is cheaper on explicit fees: savings plan executions are free, while IBKR states that standard Fixed commissions apply to Recurring Investments, which works out at 0.05% with a EUR 1.25 minimum on fractional orders. For one-off trades, Trade Republic charges a EUR 1 settlement fee (EUR 2 with Direct Price), and IBKR’s Fixed plan charges 0.05% with a EUR 3 minimum on whole-share orders in markets such as Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, plus EUR 0.75 per execution on Euronext ETFs. On currency conversion, IBKR publishes its price and Trade Republic does not: Trade Republic builds FX into the price when it executes as counterparty, so the two cannot be compared on a published figure.

IBKR has Recurring Investments: you set an amount, a start date and an interval, and the order executes soon after market open on the scheduled date using fractional shares. Only stocks and ETFs that IBKR offers in fractions are eligible, so check each ETF before you rely on it. IBKR states that standard Fixed commissions apply, which is 0.05% with a EUR 1.25 minimum on fractional orders. Trade Republic savings plans are free per execution, from EUR 10 to EUR 10,000, weekly, twice monthly, monthly or quarterly, for ETFs, stocks, ELTIFs, and crypto in the 11 countries where Trade Republic offers it.

IBKR offers two routes. A manual currency conversion order costs 0.20 basis points (0.002%) at the entry tier with a USD 2.00 minimum per order, so a conversion of up to about USD 100,000 costs USD 2.00. Automatic conversion, which IBKR states applies to buy orders in cash accounts, adds about 0.03% to the exchange rate, so the manual route is cheaper above roughly USD 6,667. Trade Republic states that currency conversion is part of the price it sets when it executes as counterparty and publishes no separate figure for it. For foreign dividends it publishes fixed margins, such as 0.0014 for USD. Because Trade Republic’s purchase FX is unpublished, there is no like-for-like figure to compare.

Trade Republic is simpler to start with: one app, free savings plans from EUR 10, fractional one-off buys from EUR 1, a Visa debit card and a current account. IBKR offers more markets, currencies and platforms, and more settings to learn before a first order. One path is to start with a Trade Republic savings plan into one broad UCITS ETF and add IBKR later if you need multi-currency accounts, larger currency conversions at a published price, or markets Trade Republic does not offer.

IBKR pays nothing on the first EUR 10,000 of EUR cash, and accounts with a net asset value below USD 100,000 receive a proportionally lower rate on the rest. Trade Republic sets its rate by country, pays monthly, and pays only once interest is activated in the app; cash blocked by pending orders or card settlement earns nothing. On the rates we read in September 2026, Trade Republic’s advertised rates in Germany and Spain were above IBKR’s EUR rate. The dated figures are in the cash interest section of this page; both rates change, so check each broker’s current rate.

They protect cash differently. Trade Republic holds client cash in trust accounts at partner banks, where each bank’s deposit guarantee covers up to EUR 100,000 per depositor per bank; cash above your Partner Amount is invested in money market funds, which deposit guarantees do not cover. IBKR states it is not a bank, so no deposit guarantee applies. Interactive Brokers Ireland, which serves all EU and EEA clients, is a member of the Irish Investor Compensation Scheme: 90% of the loss, up to EUR 20,000, for private individuals, and only if the firm fails. Trade Republic keeps client securities separate from its own holdings, with domestic securities held at Clearstream Banking AG.

Yes. One split is free Trade Republic savings plans for monthly contributions into EUR-denominated UCITS ETFs, and IBKR for larger currency conversions, multi-currency holdings or markets outside Trade Republic’s 30 exchanges. The cost is two apps and two sets of annual tax documents to handle.

There is no fixed threshold. Signs it may be worth adding IBKR: you convert large sums between currencies and want a published price, you want to hold cash in several currencies, or you need markets or products Trade Republic does not offer. Trade Republic’s price list charges no fee for an outgoing securities transfer, though third parties may charge. IBKR states that fractional shares cannot be transferred in or out, so fractional positions have to be sold and moved as cash, and Trade Republic states that ELTIFs cannot be transferred either. Adding IBKR does not require closing Trade Republic.