Head to head

LYNX vs comdirect — which broker is better?

LYNX or comdirect? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.

Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.

LYNX

The friendliest front door to Interactive Brokers in the German-speaking market — and the most expensive one.

4.1

Group index 80/100Protection depends on your legal entity

AFMBaFinCBI+1

Stocks (per order): 0.14 %
Minimum deposit: None
FX conversion: 0.01 %

Visit broker Full review

comdirect

One of Germany's most complete online brokers — every product, every platform, and a price list to match.

3.9

Group index 93/100Protection depends on your legal entity

BaFinECB

Stocks (per order): €4.90 + 0.25 %
Minimum deposit: None
FX conversion: 1 %

Visit broker Full review

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.

The verdict in numbers

Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.

Overall LYNX takes it, 4.1 against 3.9 out of 5. LYNX is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €7.00 there against €17.40. comdirect scores 93 against 80 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. LYNX covers more ground with 11 of 14 asset classes against 10. On platform and app comdirect is ahead, 4.4 against 4.3 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.

Overall score

LYNX: 4.1 — Better
comdirect: 3.9

Costs

LYNX: €7.00 — Better
comdirect: €17.40

Group indexNo winner

LYNX: 80 of 100
comdirect: 93 of 100

Product range

LYNX: 11/14 — Better
comdirect: 10/14

Platform & app

LYNX: 4.3
comdirect: 4.4 — Better

Compare brokers side by side

Up to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.

Data as of: 30 Aug 2026

Best value in the row

LYNX · comdirect
Criterion	LYNX 4.1 Visit broker	comdirect 3.9 Visit broker

Overall score	4.1 — Better	3.9
Group index	80 of 100	93 of 100
Best for	German-speaking investors who want IBKR access without TWSOptions and futures tradersInvestors who value education and analysisGlobal stock pickers with larger order sizesPeople who want no minimum deposit	Investors who want one full-service accountEurex options and futures tradersActive traders needing a real deskAnyone prioritising deposit protectionClients who also want a German Girokonto

Regulation	AFMBaFinCBIFCA	BaFinECB
Top-tier licences	4 — Better	2
Investor protection	£85,000	€100,000 — Better
Listed group	No	Yes
Banking licence	No	Yes
Segregated client accounts	Yes	Yes
Negative balance protection	Yes	Yes
Audited financials	No	Yes
Disclosed regulatory actions	1	1
Founded	2006	1994
Headquarters	Amsterdam, NL	Quickborn, DE

Fees	3.4 — Better	2.9
Safety & regulation	4.0	4.6 — Better
Trading platform	4.5 — Better	4.4
Product range	4.5	4.6 — Better
Mobile app	4.1	4.3 — Better
Research	4.3 — Better	4.2
Customer support	4.5 — Better	2.4
Deposit & withdrawal	3.8	4.0 — Better
Account opening	4.3 — Better	4.0
Education	4.5 — Better	4.0

Reference order EUR 5,000	€7.00 — Better	€17.40
Minimum deposit	None	None
Stocks (per order)	0.14 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
US stocks	US$0.01/share — Better	€7.90 + 0.25 %
ETFs	0.14 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
Options	€2	€1.50 — Better
Futures	€1.50 — Better	€4.50
Crypto	Not offered	Not offered
Bonds (order)	0.2 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
Funds (order)	0.2 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
EUR/USD spread	n/a	n/a
Index CFD spread	n/a	n/a
FX conversion	0.005 % — Better	1 %
Inactivity fee	n/a	None
Custody fee	None	None
Withdrawal fee	€1	free — Better
Deposit fee	free	free
Overnight financing	n/a	n/a
Other fees	Custody / account fee: None for individual and joint accounts Minimum monthly activity fee: EUR 0.00 for individual and joint accounts; business accounts pay EUR 15.00 minus commissions generated, waived for the first three full calendar months Currency conversion: 0.005% of the converted value, minimum EUR 5.00 / USD 5.00 per conversion German withholding-tax certificate: EUR 30.00 per line for German shares; French Form 5000/5001 EUR 125.00 per line; Spanish shares EUR 50.00 per line Archived statements older than 7 years: EUR 20.00 for the first, EUR 5.00 for each additional LEI (business accounts): USD 60.00 application, USD 40.00 annual renewal +3	Custody fee (accounts opened from 15 July 2026): EUR 0.00 per month Custody fee (accounts opened up to 14 July 2026): EUR 1.95 per month (EUR 5.85 per quarter), waived with 2+ trades in the quarter, a Girokonto under the same customer number, or at least one savings plan execution in the quarter Venue fee: 0.0025% min EUR 2.50 at Xetra, Tradegate, gettex, LS Exchange, Quotrix, Stuttgart and Frankfurt Zertifikate AG; 0.005% min EUR 5 at the regional exchanges; none in LiveTrading Savings plan: 1.50% of the amount invested per execution for ETF, share and certificate plans Telephone, fax or letter order: EUR 14.90 surcharge Viel-Trader discount: 15% off commissions in the following half-year from 125 trades in the prior half-year; excludes venue fees, savings plans, promotions and Eurex +8

Asset classes (of 14)	11 — Better	10
Exchanges	100	n/a
Stocks	Yes	Yes
ETFs	Yes	Yes
Options	Yes	Yes
Futures	Yes	Yes
Forex	Yes	No
CFDs	Yes	Yes
Crypto	No	No
Bonds	Yes	Yes
Funds	Yes	Yes
Commodities	Yes	Yes
Indices	Yes	Yes
Warrants	Yes	Yes
Spread betting	No	No
Social trading	No	No

Platforms	LYNX+Trader Workstation (TWS)LYNX Trading AppInteractive Brokers APITWS Mosaic / Client Portal	comdirect web (Persönlicher Bereich)ProTradercomdirect Appcomdirect trading AppCFD Trader and CFD AppO&F-TraderREST APIstock3, TraderFox and Quant4you
Demo account	Yes	Yes
Fractional shares	Yes	Yes
Maximum leverage	1:30 · Pro 1:200	1:30
Account opening	Fully online, no minimum deposit; typically 1–3 business days	Fully online in a few minutes with identity verification and photoTAN activation; the Eurex O&F account is a separate paper application
Account types	EinzeldepotGemeinschaftsdepotFirmendepotMargin-Konto	comdirect DepotPure DepotJunior DepotZweit-DepotCFD-KontoO&F-Kontocominvest

Payment methods	Bank transferSEPA	Bank transferSEPA
Account currencies	EURUSDCHFGBPAUDCADJPYHKDSGDSEK+8	EUR
Deposit time	SEPA 1–2 business days; international wire 1–4 business days	SEPA credit transfer, typically same day to 1 business day; instant if transferred from a comdirect Girokonto
Withdrawal time	1–3 business days	1–2 business days to the reference account
Free withdrawals	1/month	n/a

Languages	GermanDutchEnglish	German
Channels	PhoneEmailTicket system	PhoneEmailLive chat
Availability	Monday to Thursday 08:00–20:00, Friday 08:00–18:00 CET; Interactive Brokers' English-language desk covers the remaining hours	24/7 by phone, e-mail and live chat; the CFD desk runs Mon–Fri 08:00–22:00, Sat 10:00–18:00 and Sun 12:00–20:00

Strengths and weaknesses side by side

Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.

LYNX

The friendliest front door to Interactive Brokers in the German-speaking market — and the most expensive one.

4.1

Pros

LYNX+ is a genuinely good browser platform, and having it alongside full Trader Workstation access means you can start simple and grow into the terminal
No minimum deposit and no custody or account fee for individual and joint accounts
Eurex options at EUR 2.00 per contract, Micro-DAX futures at EUR 0.99 and CME Micro E-minis at USD 2.50 — the derivatives schedule is competitive
Börse LYNX is one of the strongest free German-language education and analysis libraries any broker publishes, with a substantial webinar programme
German-language service desk on a free number Monday to Thursday until 20:00, rated 4.8 on Trustpilot from over 760 reviews
Trading since 2006 through a Dutch AFM-authorised entity with a BaFin-supervised German branch, and access to 100-plus exchanges in over 30 countries
Free outbound transfers if you leave, which is rarer in Germany than it should be

Cons

The most expensive of the German Interactive Brokers introducing brokers on equities: 0.14% with a EUR 5.80 Xetra minimum and a USD 5.00 minimum on US shares, against CapTrader's EUR 4.00 and USD 2.00
Currency conversion costs 0.005% with a EUR 5.00 minimum — two and a half times Interactive Brokers' own rate, and a permanent drag on any multi-currency portfolio
No Abgeltungsteuer is withheld, so German investors must declare everything through Anlage KAP; and a German withholding-tax certificate costs EUR 30.00 per line on top
Investor compensation is the Irish scheme's 90% of EUR 20,000 for EEA clients — thin next to the EUR 100,000 German deposit guarantee investors expect
Business accounts pay a EUR 15.00 monthly minimum activity fee whenever commissions fall short of that amount
The Stock Yield Enhancement Program hands LYNX a quarter of your securities-lending revenue, and there is no spot crypto despite the crypto-broker marketing

Best for

German-speaking investors who want IBKR access without TWSOptions and futures tradersInvestors who value education and analysisGlobal stock pickers with larger order sizesPeople who want no minimum deposit

comdirect

One of Germany's most complete online brokers — every product, every platform, and a price list to match.

3.9

Pros

The broadest product range of the three German incumbents: shares, ETFs, funds, bonds, certificates, warrants, CFDs and direct Eurex options and futures in one depot
Excellent platform stack — ProTrader for real-time multi-monitor trading, O&F-Trader with a margin simulator, CFD Trader with a free demo, plus a documented REST API and stock3, TraderFox and Quant4you integrations
Cash sits behind Commerzbank AG: statutory EdB cover of EUR 100,000 plus the voluntary BdB Einlagensicherungsfonds protecting private individuals up to EUR 3 million, with direct ECB supervision as a significant institution
Custody is now free for depots opened from 15 July 2026, and the second depot has always been free
Cheap Eurex derivatives pricing: EUR 1.50 per single-stock option contract and EUR 1.50 for the MicroDAX future, each with a EUR 9.90 execution minimum
Fully tax-simple for German residents — automatic Abgeltungsteuer withholding, Freistellungsauftrag, loss-offset pots and free annual tax certificates
A EUR 1.00 Pure Depot exists for investors who only need gettex and savings plans, and a 15% Viel-Trader discount rewards 125+ trades per half-year

Cons

Standard commissions are among the highest in the market: EUR 4.90 plus 0.25% of order value, minimum EUR 9.90 and maximum EUR 59.90, plus a EUR 2.50 venue fee — roughly four times what flatex charges on a EUR 10,000 order
Savings plans cost 1.50% of the amount invested per execution. On a EUR 500 monthly ETF plan that is EUR 7.50 a month, or EUR 90 a year, where Consorsbank and flatex both charge zero
Customer service is the standout failure: 1.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot across 4,117 reviews, dominated by complaints about extremely long telephone hold times and unhelpful responses, despite the advertised 24/7 desk
The advertised EUR 3.90 per trade applies only to new depot customers for 36 months, after which the full tariff returns — the headline number is not the price you end up paying
The cheap Pure Depot is heavily restricted: gettex only, no off-exchange trading, no derivatives, no IPOs, no ProTrader, no securities credit, no joint or second depot
No spot cryptocurrency and no wallet — exposure is limited to crypto certificates and ETNs, and foreign trades settle at Commerzbank reference rates rather than a published percentage markup; comdirect's own cost disclosure estimates the conversion at 1%

Best for

Investors who want one full-service accountEurex options and futures tradersActive traders needing a real deskAnyone prioritising deposit protectionClients who also want a German Girokonto

Open an account with either

A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.

Visit broker: LYNX Visit broker: comdirect

More comparisons

Alternatives people weigh up alongside these two.

LYNX vs comdirect — which broker is better?

LYNX or comdirect? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.

The verdict in numbers

Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.

LYNX · comdirect
Criterion	LYNX 4.1 Visit broker	comdirect 3.9 Visit broker

Overall score	4.1 — Better	3.9
Group index	80 of 100	93 of 100
Best for	German-speaking investors who want IBKR access without TWSOptions and futures tradersInvestors who value education and analysisGlobal stock pickers with larger order sizesPeople who want no minimum deposit	Investors who want one full-service accountEurex options and futures tradersActive traders needing a real deskAnyone prioritising deposit protectionClients who also want a German Girokonto

Regulation	AFMBaFinCBIFCA	BaFinECB
Top-tier licences	4 — Better	2
Investor protection	£85,000	€100,000 — Better
Listed group	No	Yes
Banking licence	No	Yes
Segregated client accounts	Yes	Yes
Negative balance protection	Yes	Yes
Audited financials	No	Yes
Disclosed regulatory actions	1	1
Founded	2006	1994
Headquarters	Amsterdam, NL	Quickborn, DE

Fees	3.4 — Better	2.9
Safety & regulation	4.0	4.6 — Better
Trading platform	4.5 — Better	4.4
Product range	4.5	4.6 — Better
Mobile app	4.1	4.3 — Better
Research	4.3 — Better	4.2
Customer support	4.5 — Better	2.4
Deposit & withdrawal	3.8	4.0 — Better
Account opening	4.3 — Better	4.0
Education	4.5 — Better	4.0

Reference order EUR 5,000	€7.00 — Better	€17.40
Minimum deposit	None	None
Stocks (per order)	0.14 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
US stocks	US$0.01/share — Better	€7.90 + 0.25 %
ETFs	0.14 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
Options	€2	€1.50 — Better
Futures	€1.50 — Better	€4.50
Crypto	Not offered	Not offered
Bonds (order)	0.2 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
Funds (order)	0.2 % — Better	€4.90 + 0.25 %
EUR/USD spread	n/a	n/a
Index CFD spread	n/a	n/a
FX conversion	0.005 % — Better	1 %
Inactivity fee	n/a	None
Custody fee	None	None
Withdrawal fee	€1	free — Better
Deposit fee	free	free
Overnight financing	n/a	n/a
Other fees	Custody / account fee: None for individual and joint accounts Minimum monthly activity fee: EUR 0.00 for individual and joint accounts; business accounts pay EUR 15.00 minus commissions generated, waived for the first three full calendar months Currency conversion: 0.005% of the converted value, minimum EUR 5.00 / USD 5.00 per conversion German withholding-tax certificate: EUR 30.00 per line for German shares; French Form 5000/5001 EUR 125.00 per line; Spanish shares EUR 50.00 per line Archived statements older than 7 years: EUR 20.00 for the first, EUR 5.00 for each additional LEI (business accounts): USD 60.00 application, USD 40.00 annual renewal +3	Custody fee (accounts opened from 15 July 2026): EUR 0.00 per month Custody fee (accounts opened up to 14 July 2026): EUR 1.95 per month (EUR 5.85 per quarter), waived with 2+ trades in the quarter, a Girokonto under the same customer number, or at least one savings plan execution in the quarter Venue fee: 0.0025% min EUR 2.50 at Xetra, Tradegate, gettex, LS Exchange, Quotrix, Stuttgart and Frankfurt Zertifikate AG; 0.005% min EUR 5 at the regional exchanges; none in LiveTrading Savings plan: 1.50% of the amount invested per execution for ETF, share and certificate plans Telephone, fax or letter order: EUR 14.90 surcharge Viel-Trader discount: 15% off commissions in the following half-year from 125 trades in the prior half-year; excludes venue fees, savings plans, promotions and Eurex +8

Asset classes (of 14)	11 — Better	10
Exchanges	100	n/a
Stocks	Yes	Yes
ETFs	Yes	Yes
Options	Yes	Yes
Futures	Yes	Yes
Forex	Yes	No
CFDs	Yes	Yes
Crypto	No	No
Bonds	Yes	Yes
Funds	Yes	Yes
Commodities	Yes	Yes
Indices	Yes	Yes
Warrants	Yes	Yes
Spread betting	No	No
Social trading	No	No

Platforms	LYNX+Trader Workstation (TWS)LYNX Trading AppInteractive Brokers APITWS Mosaic / Client Portal	comdirect web (Persönlicher Bereich)ProTradercomdirect Appcomdirect trading AppCFD Trader and CFD AppO&F-TraderREST APIstock3, TraderFox and Quant4you
Demo account	Yes	Yes
Fractional shares	Yes	Yes
Maximum leverage	1:30 · Pro 1:200	1:30
Account opening	Fully online, no minimum deposit; typically 1–3 business days	Fully online in a few minutes with identity verification and photoTAN activation; the Eurex O&F account is a separate paper application
Account types	EinzeldepotGemeinschaftsdepotFirmendepotMargin-Konto	comdirect DepotPure DepotJunior DepotZweit-DepotCFD-KontoO&F-Kontocominvest

Payment methods	Bank transferSEPA	Bank transferSEPA
Account currencies	EURUSDCHFGBPAUDCADJPYHKDSGDSEK+8	EUR
Deposit time	SEPA 1–2 business days; international wire 1–4 business days	SEPA credit transfer, typically same day to 1 business day; instant if transferred from a comdirect Girokonto
Withdrawal time	1–3 business days	1–2 business days to the reference account
Free withdrawals	1/month	n/a

Languages	GermanDutchEnglish	German
Channels	PhoneEmailTicket system	PhoneEmailLive chat
Availability	Monday to Thursday 08:00–20:00, Friday 08:00–18:00 CET; Interactive Brokers' English-language desk covers the remaining hours	24/7 by phone, e-mail and live chat; the CFD desk runs Mon–Fri 08:00–22:00, Sat 10:00–18:00 and Sun 12:00–20:00

Criterion

4.1

3.9

Overall score

4.1

3.9

Group index

80 of 100

93 of 100

Best for

Investors who want one full-service accountEurex options and futures tradersActive traders needing a real deskAnyone prioritising deposit protectionClients who also want a German Girokonto

Regulation

AFMBaFinCBIFCA

BaFinECB

Top-tier licences

Investor protection

£85,000

€100,000

Listed group

Banking licence

Segregated client accounts

Negative balance protection

Audited financials

Disclosed regulatory actions

Founded

2006

1994

Headquarters

Amsterdam, NL

Quickborn, DE

Fees

3.4

2.9

Safety & regulation

4.0

4.6

Trading platform

4.5

4.4

Product range

4.5

4.6

Mobile app

4.1

4.3

Research

4.3

4.2

Customer support

4.5

2.4

Deposit & withdrawal

3.8

4.0

Account opening

4.3

4.0

Education

4.5

4.0

Reference order EUR 5,000

€7.00

€17.40

Minimum deposit

None

Stocks (per order)

0.14 %

€4.90 + 0.25 %

US stocks

US$0.01/share

€7.90 + 0.25 %

ETFs

0.14 %

€4.90 + 0.25 %

Options

€2

€1.50

Futures

€1.50

€4.50

Crypto

Not offered

Bonds (order)

0.2 %

€4.90 + 0.25 %

Funds (order)

0.2 %

€4.90 + 0.25 %

EUR/USD spread

n/a

Index CFD spread

n/a

FX conversion

0.005 %

1 %

Inactivity fee

n/a

None

Custody fee

None

Withdrawal fee

€1

free

Deposit fee

free

Overnight financing

n/a

Other fees

Custody / account fee: None for individual and joint accounts
Minimum monthly activity fee: EUR 0.00 for individual and joint accounts; business accounts pay EUR 15.00 minus commissions generated, waived for the first three full calendar months
Currency conversion: 0.005% of the converted value, minimum EUR 5.00 / USD 5.00 per conversion
German withholding-tax certificate: EUR 30.00 per line for German shares; French Form 5000/5001 EUR 125.00 per line; Spanish shares EUR 50.00 per line
Archived statements older than 7 years: EUR 20.00 for the first, EUR 5.00 for each additional
LEI (business accounts): USD 60.00 application, USD 40.00 annual renewal
+3

Custody fee (accounts opened from 15 July 2026): EUR 0.00 per month
Custody fee (accounts opened up to 14 July 2026): EUR 1.95 per month (EUR 5.85 per quarter), waived with 2+ trades in the quarter, a Girokonto under the same customer number, or at least one savings plan execution in the quarter
Venue fee: 0.0025% min EUR 2.50 at Xetra, Tradegate, gettex, LS Exchange, Quotrix, Stuttgart and Frankfurt Zertifikate AG; 0.005% min EUR 5 at the regional exchanges; none in LiveTrading
Savings plan: 1.50% of the amount invested per execution for ETF, share and certificate plans
Telephone, fax or letter order: EUR 14.90 surcharge
Viel-Trader discount: 15% off commissions in the following half-year from 125 trades in the prior half-year; excludes venue fees, savings plans, promotions and Eurex
+8

Asset classes (of 14)

Exchanges

100

n/a

Stocks

ETFs

Options

Futures

Forex

CFDs

Crypto

Bonds

Funds

Commodities

Indices

Warrants

Spread betting

Social trading

Platforms

LYNX+Trader Workstation (TWS)LYNX Trading AppInteractive Brokers APITWS Mosaic / Client Portal

comdirect web (Persönlicher Bereich)ProTradercomdirect Appcomdirect trading AppCFD Trader and CFD AppO&F-TraderREST APIstock3, TraderFox and Quant4you

Demo account

Fractional shares

Maximum leverage

1:30 · Pro 1:200

1:30

Account opening

Fully online, no minimum deposit; typically 1–3 business days

Fully online in a few minutes with identity verification and photoTAN activation; the Eurex O&F account is a separate paper application

Account types

EinzeldepotGemeinschaftsdepotFirmendepotMargin-Konto

comdirect DepotPure DepotJunior DepotZweit-DepotCFD-KontoO&F-Kontocominvest

Payment methods

Bank transferSEPA

Account currencies

EURUSDCHFGBPAUDCADJPYHKDSGDSEK+8

EUR

Deposit time

SEPA 1–2 business days; international wire 1–4 business days

SEPA credit transfer, typically same day to 1 business day; instant if transferred from a comdirect Girokonto

Withdrawal time

1–3 business days

1–2 business days to the reference account

Free withdrawals

1/month

n/a

Languages

GermanDutchEnglish

German

Channels

PhoneEmailTicket system

PhoneEmailLive chat

Availability

Monday to Thursday 08:00–20:00, Friday 08:00–18:00 CET; Interactive Brokers' English-language desk covers the remaining hours

24/7 by phone, e-mail and live chat; the CFD desk runs Mon–Fri 08:00–22:00, Sat 10:00–18:00 and Sun 12:00–20:00