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Head to head
finanzen.net ZERO or Scalable Capital? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
The purest zero-commission model in Germany, wrapped around the country's biggest finance portal - and served through a single trading venue.
Germany's most complete savings-plan platform, now running on its own banking licence - and quietly repricing itself.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall Scalable Capital takes it, 3.9 against 3.7 out of 5. finanzen.net ZERO is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €0.00 there against €1.99. Scalable Capital scores 88 against 81 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Scalable Capital covers more ground with 8 of 14 asset classes against 7. We rate platform and app at 3.9 out of 5 for both. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
Scalable CapitalScalable CapitalScalable CapitalScalable CapitalScalable CapitalUp to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 30 Aug 2026
| Criterion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 3.7 | 3.9 — Better |
| Group index | 81 of 100 | 88 of 100 |
| Best for | Cost-focused ETF and share investors in DACHMobile-first beginnersSavings-plan investors from EUR 1 a monthParents opening a junior accountReaders of finanzen.net who want research and dealing in one place | ETF savings plansFund investors in GermanyHigh-frequency retail traders on a flat rateConsolidating cash and investments |
| Regulation | BaFinBaFinBaFinBaFin | BaFinECBBundesbank |
| Top-tier licences | 4 — Better | 3 |
| Investor protection | €100,000 | €100,000 |
| Listed group | No | No |
| Banking licence | No | Yes |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | Yes | Yes |
| Audited financials | No | Yes |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | None | None |
| Founded | 2018 | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Karlsruhe, DE | Munich, DE |
| Fees | 4.7 — Better | 4.3 |
| Safety & regulation | 3.6 | 4.3 — Better |
| Trading platform | 3.2 | 3.6 — Better |
| Product range | 3.2 | 3.9 — Better |
| Mobile app | 4.5 — Better | 4.2 |
| Research | 3.6 — Better | 3.4 |
| Customer support | 2.2 | 2.8 — Better |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 3.4 | 3.7 — Better |
| Account opening | 4.0 | 4.4 — Better |
| Education | 3.2 | 3.4 — Better |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €0.00 — Better | €1.99 |
| Minimum deposit | None | None |
| Stocks (per order) | Free — Better | €1.99 |
| US stocks | Free — Better | €1.99 |
| ETFs | Free — Better | €1.99 |
| Options | Not offered | Not offered |
| Futures | Not offered | Not offered |
| Crypto | 1 % | in the spread |
| Bonds (order) | Not offered | €1.99 |
| Funds (order) | Free — Better | €1.99 |
| EUR/USD spread | n/a | n/a |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | n/a |
| FX conversion | n/a | n/a |
| Inactivity fee | None | None |
| Custody fee | None | None |
| Withdrawal fee | free | free |
| Deposit fee | free | SEPA transfers are free. An instant deposit - buying power for securities purchases credited against a SEPA direct debit that has not yet been value-dated - costs 0.99% of the amount on the FREE Broker and 0.69% on PRIME and PRIME+, charged on the first EUR 5,000 only: every euro above EUR 5,000 is free, so the charge is at most EUR 49.50 (FREE) or EUR 34.50 (PRIME, PRIME+). EUR 5,000 is a ceiling on the charged amount, not a minimum deposit. |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 7 | 8 — Better |
| Exchanges | 1 | 3 — Better |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | No | No |
| Futures | No | No |
| Forex | No | No |
| CFDs | No | No |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | No | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | Yes | Yes |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | No | No |
| Platforms | finanzen.net ZERO App (iOS / Android)Broker Cockpit on finanzen.netTraderFoxstock3finanzen.net zero Secure TAN | Scalable Capital web platformScalable Capital app |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum leverage | No CFDs, no forex, no margin trading and no short selling. Borrowing is available only as a Depotkredit against the portfolio at 3-month EURIBOR plus 3.00%… | No CFDs, no margin trading and no short selling. A securities-backed credit line (Scalable Kredit) is offered at a variable 4.75% p.a. |
| Account opening | Fully digital; requires a main residence in the EU and a self-declaration of investment experience; crypto and the securities loan are available only to residents of Germany | Roughly 10-15 minutes online with video or eID identification; the securities account is normally usable within one business day. No minimum deposit - a EUR 1 reference transfer verifies the bank link. |
| Account types | ZERO DepotKinderdepotAltersvorsorgedepot | FREE BrokerPRIME+ Broker |
| Payment methods | Bank transferSEPA | SEPABank transferSEPA Instant |
| Account currencies | EUR | EUR |
| Deposit time | SEPA credit transfer, typically 1 business day | 1-2 business days by SEPA; an instant deposit raises the balance available for securities purchases before the SEPA direct debit is value-dated, for 0.99% (FREE) or 0.69% (PRIME, PRIME+) of the first EUR 5,000 |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days to the registered reference account | 1-2 business days to the reference account; internal transfers between the clearing and Overnight accounts are real-time |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | n/a |
| Languages | German | GermanEnglishItalianSpanishFrenchDutch |
| Channels | Ticket systemEmail | EmailLive chatTicket system |
| Availability | German business hours; ticket system inside the login only - there is no published telephone hotline | Monday to Friday, business hours. No telephone line for broker clients. |
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
finanzen.net ZERO
The purest zero-commission model in Germany, wrapped around the country's biggest finance portal - and served through a single trading venue.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Scalable Capital
Germany's most complete savings-plan platform, now running on its own banking licence - and quietly repricing itself.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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