Head to head

tastytrade vs Consorsbank — which broker is better?

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

tastytrade

An options-specialist US broker: USD 1 per contract to open, closing commission-free — built by people who trade premium for a living.

4.2

Group index 82/100Protection depends on your legal entity

FINRASECNFA

Stocks (per order): Free
Minimum deposit: None
5,000 order: €0

Visit broker Full review

Consorsbank

Free ETF savings plans, a real derivatives desk and free professional software — behind a tiered price list that rewards activity.

3.9

Group index 93/100Protection depends on your legal entity

BaFinACPRECB

Stocks (per order): €4.95 + 0.25 %
Minimum deposit: None
FX conversion: 0.26 %

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 tastytrade takes it, 4.2 against 3.9 out of 5. tastytrade is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €0.00 there against €17.45. Consorsbank scores 93 against 82 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Both cover 9 of 14 asset classes. On platform and app tastytrade is ahead, 4.6 against 4.2 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.

Overall score

tastytrade: 4.2 — Better
Consorsbank: 3.9

Costs

tastytrade: €0.00 — Better
Consorsbank: €17.45

Group indexNo winner

tastytrade: 82 of 100
Consorsbank: 93 of 100

Product rangeTie

tastytrade: 9/14
Consorsbank: 9/14

Platform & app

tastytrade: 4.6 — Better
Consorsbank: 4.2

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

tastytrade · Consorsbank
Criterion	tastytrade 4.2 Visit broker	Consorsbank 3.9 Visit broker

Overall score	4.2 — Better	3.9
Group index	82 of 100	93 of 100
Best for	Options premium sellersHigh-volume multi-leg tradersSmall-account futures tradersActive US derivatives traders	ETF savings plan investorsEurex and US derivatives tradersActive traders chasing tier discountsMulti-currency portfoliosInvestors who want free professional software

Regulation	FINRASECNFA	BaFinACPRECB
Top-tier licences	3	3
Investor protection	US$500,000	€3,000,000 — Better
Listed group	Yes	Yes
Banking licence	No	Yes
Segregated client accounts	Yes	Yes
Negative balance protection	No	No
Audited financials	Yes	Yes
Disclosed regulatory actions	1	1
Founded	2015	1994
Headquarters	Chicago, IL, US	Nürnberg, DE

Fees	4.6 — Better	3.4
Safety & regulation	4.2	4.5 — Better
Trading platform	4.6 — Better	4.3
Product range	3.6	4.5 — Better
Mobile app	4.5 — Better	4.0
Research	3.8	4.0 — Better
Customer support	3.8 — Better	2.6
Deposit & withdrawal	3.8	4.0 — Better
Account opening	4.3 — Better	3.9
Education	4.4 — Better	3.5

Reference order EUR 5,000	€0.00 — Better	€17.45
Minimum deposit	None	None
Stocks (per order)	Free — Better	€4.95 + 0.25 %
US stocks	Free — Better	€4.95 + 0.25 %
ETFs	Free — Better	€4.95 + 0.25 %
Options	US$1	€12.25 + 0.5 %
Futures	US$1 — Better	€6
Crypto	1 %	Not offered
Bonds (order)	US$25	€4.95 + 0.25 % — Better
Funds (order)	Not offered	€4.95 + 0.25 %
EUR/USD spread	n/a	n/a
Index CFD spread	n/a	n/a
FX conversion	n/a	0.26 %
Inactivity fee	None	None
Custody fee	None	None
Withdrawal fee	free	free
Deposit fee	free	free
Overnight financing	n/a	n/a
Other fees	Inactivity fee: None Annual IRA maintenance: Free IRA closing fee: USD 60 Options exercise / assignment: USD 5 Outgoing ACAT transfer: USD 75 Margin rate (debit under USD 25,000): 11.00% p.a. +4	Depot and cash account: EUR 0.00 — securities depot, Verrechnungskonto, additional sub-accounts and depot transfers are all free ETF savings plans: 0% of the rate on 1,700+ ETFs, permanently, from EUR 10 a month Share and certificate savings plans: 1.50% of the rate per execution; more than 5,000 shares and 100 certificates available Currency conversion: Bloomberg BFIX mid rate plus or minus a published absolute margin per currency: USD 0.0030, GBP 0.0020, CHF 0.0030, CAD 0.0060, AUD 0.0250, SEK/NOK 0.0240, JPY 0.3600. On EUR/USD in the 1.10–1.20 range the USD 0.0030 margin is roughly 0.25%–0.27%; we record 0.26% as the working figure. The price page lists these absolute margins for 'all other transaction types' (section 3.4), while its general rules (section 3.1) refer securities-trade conversions to the section 3.3 margins of 0.30% for G10 and 0.60% for non-G10 currencies; the page leaves open which margin applies to a securities trade Foreign exchange venue fees: London EUR 34, Paris EUR 36, Zurich EUR 41, Amsterdam EUR 42, Vienna, Milan, Brussels and Helsinki EUR 56, Madrid EUR 59, Lisbon EUR 64, Stockholm EUR 65, Oslo EUR 69, Tokyo EUR 72, Sydney EUR 101, Singapore EUR 121, Hong Kong EUR 124, Wellington EUR 136 — per order, on top of commission Wertpapierkredit: 7.55% p.a. nominal (7.77% effective) on an approved credit line; 13.90% nominal (14.64% effective) on tolerated overdrafts; both rates variable, as at 16 September 2026 +8

Asset classes (of 14)	9	9
Exchanges	n/a	34
Stocks	Yes	Yes
ETFs	Yes	Yes
Options	Yes	Yes
Futures	Yes	Yes
Forex	No	No
CFDs	No	No
Crypto	Yes	No
Bonds	Yes	Yes
Funds	No	Yes
Commodities	Yes	Yes
Indices	Yes	Yes
Warrants	Yes	Yes
Spread betting	No	No
Social trading	No	No

Platforms	tastytrade desktoptastytrade webtastytrade mobile (iOS / Android)TradingView integrationOpen API	Consorsbank Online-Brokerage (web)ActiveTraderActiveTrader ProConsorsbank Pro AppConsorsbank AppTrading API
Demo account	Yes	No
Fractional shares	Yes	Yes
Maximum leverage	US Regulation T margin: 2:1 overnight and 4:1 intraday on marginable equities for pattern day traders.	Consorsbank does not offer CFDs, so no ESMA retail leverage cap applies. Leverage comes from a Wertpapierkredit against the portfolio at 7.55% p.a.
Account opening	Same day for US residents; 1–3 business days for international applicants	Online application with identity verification, then access credentials sent by post — a day or two slower than app-first competitors
Account types	Cash accountMargin accountPortfolio marginTraditional / Roth / SEP IRAInternational individual or joint	WertpapierdepotJunior-DepotMargin-KontoFremdwährungskontoTagesgeld- und Festgeldkonto

Payment methods	Bank transferChequeCrypto	Bank transferSEPASEPA Instant
Account currencies	USD	EURUSDGBPCHFCADAUDJPYSEKNOKSGD+2
Deposit time	ACH same day to 1 business day; wire same day	SEPA credit transfer within one business day; SEPA instant transfers execute around the clock within roughly 10 seconds
Withdrawal time	1–3 business days	1 business day for SEPA transfers instructed before the 16:30 cut-off
Free withdrawals	n/a	n/a

Languages	English	German
Channels	PhoneEmailLive chat	PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system
Availability	Mon–Fri, extended US market hours; 24/5 trade desk for futures	Betreuungsteam by phone, contact form and live chat; Consorsbank does not publish fixed service hours on its public pages

Strengths and weaknesses side by side

Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.

tastytrade

An options-specialist US broker: USD 1 per contract to open, closing commission-free — built by people who trade premium for a living.

4.2

Pros

Equity options are USD 1 per contract to open, USD 0 to close and capped at USD 10 per leg — large multi-leg orders scale for free
Futures at USD 1.00 per contract per side and micro futures at USD 0.75, with options on micro futures also USD 0.75
No inactivity fee, no annual IRA maintenance fee and free ACH deposits and withdrawals
Desktop, web and mobile all support full multi-leg order entry, rolling and curve analysis — the mobile app is not a stripped-down afterthought
tastylive produces roughly eight hours of live options programming every trading day, plus a searchable research archive on strategy mechanics
Stocks, ETFs and fractional shares trade commission-free, and Treasury bills carry no transaction fee
Accepts clients from around 50 countries directly onto the US entity, including most of the EU, Switzerland, the UK and Singapore

Cons

FINRA censured and fined tastytrade USD 850,000 in 2026 for failing to run adequate best-execution reviews on equity orders routed to five payment-for-order-flow market makers between 2020 and 2023
Margin interest starts at 11.00% on debits under USD 25,000 — materially more expensive than the cheapest US brokers
USD-only accounts with no multi-currency balances, so non-US clients pay their own bank's FX spread on every deposit and withdrawal
Product range stops at US-listed instruments: no foreign exchanges, no mutual funds, no corporate or municipal bonds, no spot forex
Crypto costs 1.00% per side (0.75% for BTC and ETH) and is held at Zero Hash, outside SIPC protection
Broad-based index options such as SPX are excluded from the USD 10 commission cap and carry an additional exchange proprietary index fee

Best for

Options premium sellersHigh-volume multi-leg tradersSmall-account futures tradersActive US derivatives traders

Consorsbank

Free ETF savings plans, a real derivatives desk and free professional software — behind a tiered price list that rewards activity.

3.9

Pros

All ETF savings plans run at 0% of the savings rate on more than 1,700 ETFs, permanently — the partners cover the fee, replacing the old 1.50% charge
The deepest derivatives access of any German retail bank: Eurex options and futures with volume rebates down to EUR 2.00 per contract, plus CME, CBOT and OCC options and futures on a dedicated Margin account
ActiveTrader professional software and the Trading API are both free, with real-time monitoring, one-click ordering and Iceberg orders on Xetra in the Pro version
Free depot, free Verrechnungskonto, free sub-accounts and free depot transfers, with no inactivity fee
Transparent, published FX conversion margins — Bloomberg BFIX plus USD 0.0030, GBP 0.0020, CHF 0.0030 — roughly 0.26% on the dollar (0.30% if the price page's percentage margin applies to securities trades), better than flatex's 0.35% and more transparent than comdirect, which publishes no percentage at all
Free foreign-currency sub-accounts in eleven currencies plus EUR, so US or Swiss proceeds do not have to be converted back at a spread
Backed by BNP Paribas S.A. under ECB, BaFin, ACPR and AMF supervision, with the voluntary BdB fund protecting private individuals up to EUR 3 million
From the second partial execution only the percentage commission applies — base fee and venue cost drop away, which materially cuts the cost of large orders that fill in pieces

Cons

The tiered pricing starts unremarkable and Consorsbank does not publish the volume thresholds for Silver, Gold and Platinum status on its public price pages, so a new customer cannot calculate what they will actually pay next year
Direct foreign exchange access is priced punitively: EUR 34 for London, EUR 41 for Zurich, EUR 72 for Tokyo, EUR 121 for Singapore and EUR 136 for Wellington in venue costs per order, plus a EUR 21 USA Smart Order fee and EUR 69 for Canada
Customer service scores 1.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot across 300 reviews, with reviewers reporting online-banking failures that blocked access to accounts and depots for weeks, and slow, unhelpful responses
Share, certificate and ETC savings plans still cost 1.50% of the rate, so only the ETF plans are genuinely free once the twelve-month new-customer promotion expires
ActiveTrader Pro costs up to EUR 119 a month for standard-status customers, and US derivatives market data adds EUR 5–29 a month — the professional tooling is only free once you are already trading heavily
No CFDs, no spot forex and no spot crypto, and the Tagesgeld pays 1.00% p.a. outside promotional periods

Best for

ETF savings plan investorsEurex and US derivatives tradersActive traders chasing tier discountsMulti-currency portfoliosInvestors who want free professional software

Open an account with either

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

Visit broker: tastytrade Visit broker: Consorsbank

More comparisons

Alternatives people weigh up alongside these two.

The verdict in numbers

Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.

tastytrade · Consorsbank
Criterion	tastytrade 4.2 Visit broker	Consorsbank 3.9 Visit broker

Overall score	4.2 — Better	3.9
Group index	82 of 100	93 of 100
Best for	Options premium sellersHigh-volume multi-leg tradersSmall-account futures tradersActive US derivatives traders	ETF savings plan investorsEurex and US derivatives tradersActive traders chasing tier discountsMulti-currency portfoliosInvestors who want free professional software

Regulation	FINRASECNFA	BaFinACPRECB
Top-tier licences	3	3
Investor protection	US$500,000	€3,000,000 — Better
Listed group	Yes	Yes
Banking licence	No	Yes
Segregated client accounts	Yes	Yes
Negative balance protection	No	No
Audited financials	Yes	Yes
Disclosed regulatory actions	1	1
Founded	2015	1994
Headquarters	Chicago, IL, US	Nürnberg, DE

Fees	4.6 — Better	3.4
Safety & regulation	4.2	4.5 — Better
Trading platform	4.6 — Better	4.3
Product range	3.6	4.5 — Better
Mobile app	4.5 — Better	4.0
Research	3.8	4.0 — Better
Customer support	3.8 — Better	2.6
Deposit & withdrawal	3.8	4.0 — Better
Account opening	4.3 — Better	3.9
Education	4.4 — Better	3.5

Reference order EUR 5,000	€0.00 — Better	€17.45
Minimum deposit	None	None
Stocks (per order)	Free — Better	€4.95 + 0.25 %
US stocks	Free — Better	€4.95 + 0.25 %
ETFs	Free — Better	€4.95 + 0.25 %
Options	US$1	€12.25 + 0.5 %
Futures	US$1 — Better	€6
Crypto	1 %	Not offered
Bonds (order)	US$25	€4.95 + 0.25 % — Better
Funds (order)	Not offered	€4.95 + 0.25 %
EUR/USD spread	n/a	n/a
Index CFD spread	n/a	n/a
FX conversion	n/a	0.26 %
Inactivity fee	None	None
Custody fee	None	None
Withdrawal fee	free	free
Deposit fee	free	free
Overnight financing	n/a	n/a
Other fees	Inactivity fee: None Annual IRA maintenance: Free IRA closing fee: USD 60 Options exercise / assignment: USD 5 Outgoing ACAT transfer: USD 75 Margin rate (debit under USD 25,000): 11.00% p.a. +4	Depot and cash account: EUR 0.00 — securities depot, Verrechnungskonto, additional sub-accounts and depot transfers are all free ETF savings plans: 0% of the rate on 1,700+ ETFs, permanently, from EUR 10 a month Share and certificate savings plans: 1.50% of the rate per execution; more than 5,000 shares and 100 certificates available Currency conversion: Bloomberg BFIX mid rate plus or minus a published absolute margin per currency: USD 0.0030, GBP 0.0020, CHF 0.0030, CAD 0.0060, AUD 0.0250, SEK/NOK 0.0240, JPY 0.3600. On EUR/USD in the 1.10–1.20 range the USD 0.0030 margin is roughly 0.25%–0.27%; we record 0.26% as the working figure. The price page lists these absolute margins for 'all other transaction types' (section 3.4), while its general rules (section 3.1) refer securities-trade conversions to the section 3.3 margins of 0.30% for G10 and 0.60% for non-G10 currencies; the page leaves open which margin applies to a securities trade Foreign exchange venue fees: London EUR 34, Paris EUR 36, Zurich EUR 41, Amsterdam EUR 42, Vienna, Milan, Brussels and Helsinki EUR 56, Madrid EUR 59, Lisbon EUR 64, Stockholm EUR 65, Oslo EUR 69, Tokyo EUR 72, Sydney EUR 101, Singapore EUR 121, Hong Kong EUR 124, Wellington EUR 136 — per order, on top of commission Wertpapierkredit: 7.55% p.a. nominal (7.77% effective) on an approved credit line; 13.90% nominal (14.64% effective) on tolerated overdrafts; both rates variable, as at 16 September 2026 +8

Asset classes (of 14)	9	9
Exchanges	n/a	34
Stocks	Yes	Yes
ETFs	Yes	Yes
Options	Yes	Yes
Futures	Yes	Yes
Forex	No	No
CFDs	No	No
Crypto	Yes	No
Bonds	Yes	Yes
Funds	No	Yes
Commodities	Yes	Yes
Indices	Yes	Yes
Warrants	Yes	Yes
Spread betting	No	No
Social trading	No	No

Platforms	tastytrade desktoptastytrade webtastytrade mobile (iOS / Android)TradingView integrationOpen API	Consorsbank Online-Brokerage (web)ActiveTraderActiveTrader ProConsorsbank Pro AppConsorsbank AppTrading API
Demo account	Yes	No
Fractional shares	Yes	Yes
Maximum leverage	US Regulation T margin: 2:1 overnight and 4:1 intraday on marginable equities for pattern day traders.	Consorsbank does not offer CFDs, so no ESMA retail leverage cap applies. Leverage comes from a Wertpapierkredit against the portfolio at 7.55% p.a.
Account opening	Same day for US residents; 1–3 business days for international applicants	Online application with identity verification, then access credentials sent by post — a day or two slower than app-first competitors
Account types	Cash accountMargin accountPortfolio marginTraditional / Roth / SEP IRAInternational individual or joint	WertpapierdepotJunior-DepotMargin-KontoFremdwährungskontoTagesgeld- und Festgeldkonto

Payment methods	Bank transferChequeCrypto	Bank transferSEPASEPA Instant
Account currencies	USD	EURUSDGBPCHFCADAUDJPYSEKNOKSGD+2
Deposit time	ACH same day to 1 business day; wire same day	SEPA credit transfer within one business day; SEPA instant transfers execute around the clock within roughly 10 seconds
Withdrawal time	1–3 business days	1 business day for SEPA transfers instructed before the 16:30 cut-off
Free withdrawals	n/a	n/a

Languages	English	German
Channels	PhoneEmailLive chat	PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system
Availability	Mon–Fri, extended US market hours; 24/5 trade desk for futures	Betreuungsteam by phone, contact form and live chat; Consorsbank does not publish fixed service hours on its public pages

Criterion

4.2

3.9

Overall score

4.2

3.9

Group index

82 of 100

93 of 100

Best for

Options premium sellersHigh-volume multi-leg tradersSmall-account futures tradersActive US derivatives traders

ETF savings plan investorsEurex and US derivatives tradersActive traders chasing tier discountsMulti-currency portfoliosInvestors who want free professional software

Regulation

FINRASECNFA

BaFinACPRECB

Top-tier licences

Investor protection

US$500,000

€3,000,000

Listed group

Banking licence

Segregated client accounts

Negative balance protection

Audited financials

Disclosed regulatory actions

Founded

2015

1994

Headquarters

Chicago, IL, US

Nürnberg, DE

Fees

4.6

3.4

Safety & regulation

4.2

4.5

Trading platform

4.6

4.3

Product range

3.6

4.5

Mobile app

4.5

4.0

Research

3.8

4.0

Customer support

3.8

2.6

Deposit & withdrawal

3.8

4.0

Account opening

4.3

3.9

Education

4.4

3.5

Reference order EUR 5,000

€0.00

€17.45

Minimum deposit

None

Stocks (per order)

Free

€4.95 + 0.25 %

US stocks

Free

€4.95 + 0.25 %

ETFs

Free

€4.95 + 0.25 %

Options

US$1

€12.25 + 0.5 %

Futures

US$1

€6

Crypto

1 %

Not offered

Bonds (order)

US$25

€4.95 + 0.25 %

Funds (order)

Not offered

€4.95 + 0.25 %

EUR/USD spread

n/a

Index CFD spread

n/a

FX conversion

n/a

0.26 %

Inactivity fee

None

Custody fee

None

Withdrawal fee

free

Deposit fee

free

Overnight financing

n/a

Other fees

Inactivity fee: None
Annual IRA maintenance: Free
IRA closing fee: USD 60
Options exercise / assignment: USD 5
Outgoing ACAT transfer: USD 75
Margin rate (debit under USD 25,000): 11.00% p.a.
+4

Depot and cash account: EUR 0.00 — securities depot, Verrechnungskonto, additional sub-accounts and depot transfers are all free
ETF savings plans: 0% of the rate on 1,700+ ETFs, permanently, from EUR 10 a month
Share and certificate savings plans: 1.50% of the rate per execution; more than 5,000 shares and 100 certificates available
Currency conversion: Bloomberg BFIX mid rate plus or minus a published absolute margin per currency: USD 0.0030, GBP 0.0020, CHF 0.0030, CAD 0.0060, AUD 0.0250, SEK/NOK 0.0240, JPY 0.3600. On EUR/USD in the 1.10–1.20 range the USD 0.0030 margin is roughly 0.25%–0.27%; we record 0.26% as the working figure. The price page lists these absolute margins for 'all other transaction types' (section 3.4), while its general rules (section 3.1) refer securities-trade conversions to the section 3.3 margins of 0.30% for G10 and 0.60% for non-G10 currencies; the page leaves open which margin applies to a securities trade
Foreign exchange venue fees: London EUR 34, Paris EUR 36, Zurich EUR 41, Amsterdam EUR 42, Vienna, Milan, Brussels and Helsinki EUR 56, Madrid EUR 59, Lisbon EUR 64, Stockholm EUR 65, Oslo EUR 69, Tokyo EUR 72, Sydney EUR 101, Singapore EUR 121, Hong Kong EUR 124, Wellington EUR 136 — per order, on top of commission
Wertpapierkredit: 7.55% p.a. nominal (7.77% effective) on an approved credit line; 13.90% nominal (14.64% effective) on tolerated overdrafts; both rates variable, as at 16 September 2026
+8

Asset classes (of 14)

Exchanges

n/a

Stocks

ETFs

Options

Futures

Forex

CFDs

Crypto

Bonds

Funds

Commodities

Indices

Warrants

Spread betting

Social trading

Platforms

tastytrade desktoptastytrade webtastytrade mobile (iOS / Android)TradingView integrationOpen API

Consorsbank Online-Brokerage (web)ActiveTraderActiveTrader ProConsorsbank Pro AppConsorsbank AppTrading API

Demo account

Fractional shares

Maximum leverage

US Regulation T margin: 2:1 overnight and 4:1 intraday on marginable equities for pattern day traders.

Consorsbank does not offer CFDs, so no ESMA retail leverage cap applies. Leverage comes from a Wertpapierkredit against the portfolio at 7.55% p.a.

Account opening

Same day for US residents; 1–3 business days for international applicants

Online application with identity verification, then access credentials sent by post — a day or two slower than app-first competitors

Account types

Cash accountMargin accountPortfolio marginTraditional / Roth / SEP IRAInternational individual or joint

WertpapierdepotJunior-DepotMargin-KontoFremdwährungskontoTagesgeld- und Festgeldkonto

Payment methods

Bank transferChequeCrypto

Bank transferSEPASEPA Instant

Account currencies

USD

EURUSDGBPCHFCADAUDJPYSEKNOKSGD+2

Deposit time

ACH same day to 1 business day; wire same day

SEPA credit transfer within one business day; SEPA instant transfers execute around the clock within roughly 10 seconds

Withdrawal time

1–3 business days

1 business day for SEPA transfers instructed before the 16:30 cut-off

Free withdrawals

n/a

Languages

English

German

Channels

PhoneEmailLive chat

PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system

Availability

Mon–Fri, extended US market hours; 24/5 trade desk for futures

Betreuungsteam by phone, contact form and live chat; Consorsbank does not publish fixed service hours on its public pages