Scalable Capital vs Trade Republic.
Scalable Capital or Trade Republic for a monthly index buy? The same pattern priced through both price sheets, the protection behind each, who does your tax paperwork, and what leaving costs — side by side, verified, verdict-free.
Every figure verified against the brokers’ own price sheets: July 2026. Fee schedules reprice mid-year — if that date looks old, check the price sheet before acting.
The same buy, both bills
| Measure | Scalable Capital | Trade Republic |
|---|---|---|
| The bill this year | €0 | €0 |
| Twenty years of it | ≈ €0 | ≈ €0 |
The example pattern — €300 a month, no pot, a euro-listed fund. Your pattern is different: run yours through The Broker Bill
Where they differ
| Dimension | Scalable Capital | Trade Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Available in | 6 countries, on its published list | 18 countries, on its published list |
| The cash | Cash sits at Scalable Capital Bank and partner banks — €100,000 statutory deposit guarantee per client per bank; on the free tier it can also sit in money market funds, which are fund units, not a guaranteed deposit. | Cash is distributed among partner banks (Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan, HSBC among them) — €100,000 guarantee per bank; amounts beyond that can sit in liquidity funds, where no deposit guarantee applies. |
| Does your taxes in | Germany | Germany, Italy, Spain |
| The exit | Transfer out free (plus any third-party costs); savings-plan fractions can't travel — they're sold and credited. | Outbound in-kind transfers supported (the receiving broker's form starts it); no fee published — ask before you fund. |
Where they match
- The monthly buy €0 · savings plan
- Recurring €0/yr
- Conversion — · euro funds only
- Savings plan automatic · fractions
- Protection German EdB — 90% up to €20,000 (securities shortfalls; segregation first)
The honest notes
Scalable Capital
Munich's answer, and since late 2025 a full bank with an ECB licence. Savings plans are free from one euro, fractions ride along inside them, and there's no CFD wing anywhere on the platform — rare on this list. The catches are reach and structure: it serves only six countries, it withholds tax for Germans only, and the free tier's economics lean on a subscription upsell and a trading venue it co-owns. One more thing that belongs in the open: the most-cited ETF comparison site in Europe is its subsidiary — worth remembering wherever you see its name recommended.
Scalable Capital — the fine print
Scalable Capital Bank GmbH, Munich — ECB-authorised bank, supervised by BaFin
Savings plan, free, from €1 — every ETF, both tiers. Manual orders €0.99 on EIX/gettex under €250 (gettex moves to €1.99 from September 2026).
Free savings plans from €1, every ETF; fractions ride along inside plans only — a manual order buys whole units.
Cash sits at Scalable Capital Bank and partner banks — €100,000 statutory deposit guarantee per client per bank; on the free tier it can also sit in money market funds, which are fund units, not a guaranteed deposit.
Withholds tax for clients taxable in Germany only; everywhere else the paperwork is yours — its own requirements page says so.
Transfer out free (plus any third-party costs); savings-plan fractions can't travel — they're sold and credited.
Trade Republic
A German bank inside an app, and the smoothest version of this site's pattern where it operates: savings plans execute free, fractions from a euro, and idle cash earns the central bank's rate. In its biggest markets it also does the tax paperwork natively — the rare app where April doesn't arrive with homework. The caveats: euro-only, app-first, and its whole execution model was rebuilt days after the PFOF ban — manual orders now carry a small settlement fee, and the repricing may not be finished. Available in seventeen-ish countries; the list moves.
Trade Republic — the fine print
Trade Republic Bank GmbH, Berlin — German bank, BaFin + Deutsche Bundesbank
Savings plan — free execution (a €1 settlement fee applies when you sell); manual orders €1 best-price / €2 on a chosen exchange, since July 2026.
The core product: free savings plans from €1, fractional; change, pause or cancel free.
Cash is distributed among partner banks (Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan, HSBC among them) — €100,000 guarantee per bank; amounts beyond that can sit in liquidity funds, where no deposit guarantee applies.
Withholds natively in Germany, Italy and Spain; France gets the fee-free PEA; elsewhere you file from its annual report.
Outbound in-kind transfers supported (the receiving broker's form starts it); no fee published — ask before you fund.
No affiliate links — no broker pays me, and none of them knows it's on this page. The order is arithmetic, not sponsorship.
Education, not advice. Fee schedules change and brokers reprice — check the current price sheet before you open anything. Which broker suits you also depends on your country and your tax situation; I'm not a licensed adviser, happily.
Bring me a challenge.
The Exit Audit, then ninety minutes: a straight verdict, real alternatives with their pros and cons, and your first move. If you want someone to nod along, I’m the wrong person to pay.
Ninety minutes, online, €600 — the Exit Audit included.