Head to head

TradeStation vs Consorsbank — which broker is better?

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

TradeStation

The systematic trader's terminal — elite backtesting and automation, priced for people who use it hard.

4,0

Group index 94/100Protection depends on your legal entity

FINRASECNFA+2

Stocks (per order): US$5
Minimum deposit: None
5,000 order: €4.60

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): 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 TradeStation takes it, 4.0 against 3.9 out of 5. TradeStation is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €4.60 there against €12.50. TradeStation scores 94 against 93 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Consorsbank covers more ground with 9 of 14 asset classes against 7. On platform and app TradeStation is ahead, 4.4 against 4.2 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.

Overall score

TradeStation: 4.0 — Better
Consorsbank: 3.9

Costs

TradeStation: €4.60 — Better
Consorsbank: €12.50

Group indexNo winner

TradeStation: 94 of 100
Consorsbank: 93 of 100

Product range

TradeStation: 7/14
Consorsbank: 9/14 — Better

Platform & app

TradeStation: 4.4 — 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

TradeStation · Consorsbank
Criterion	TradeStation 4,0 Visit broker	Consorsbank 3,9 Visit broker

Overall score	4.0 — Better	3.9
Group index	94 of 100	93 of 100
Best for	Systematic and algo tradersActive futures tradersAdvanced options strategistsEntity and professional accounts	ETF savings plan investorsEurex and US derivatives tradersActive traders chasing tier discountsMulti-currency portfoliosInvestors who want free professional software

Regulation	FINRASECNFAFCAAFM	BaFinACPRECB
Top-tier licences	5 — Better	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	None	1
Founded	1982	1994
Headquarters	Plantation, FL, US	Nürnberg, DE

Fees	3.6 — Better	3.4
Safety & regulation	4.3	4.5 — Better
Trading platform	4.7 — Better	4.3
Product range	3.4	4.5 — Better
Mobile app	4.0	4.0
Research	4.2 — Better	4.0
Customer support	3.7 — Better	2.6
Deposit & withdrawal	3.3	4.0 — Better
Account opening	3.8	3.9 — Better
Education	3.8 — Better	3.5

Reference order EUR 5,000	€4.60 — Better	€12.50
Minimum deposit	None	None
Stocks (per order)	US$5 — Better	0.25 %
US stocks	US$5 — Better	0.25 %
ETFs	US$5 — Better	0.25 %
Options	tiered	0.5 %
Futures	tiered	€6
Crypto	n/a	Not offered
Bonds (order)	n/a	0.25 %
Funds (order)	US$14.95	0.25 % — Better
EUR/USD spread	n/a	n/a
Index CFD spread	n/a	n/a
FX conversion	n/a	0.26 %
Inactivity fee	US$10 · after 1 months	None — Better
Custody fee	None	None
Withdrawal fee	US$25	free — Better
Deposit fee	free	free
Overnight financing	n/a	n/a
Other fees	Outgoing ACAT transfer: USD 125 Annual IRA fee: USD 35 IRA termination: USD 50 Options exercise / assignment: USD 14.95 Early option assignment: USD 1.50 per contract, min USD 5.95 Broker-assisted trade: USD 25 +3	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)	7	9 — Better
Exchanges	n/a	34
Stocks	Yes	Yes
ETFs	Yes	Yes
Options	Yes	Yes
Futures	Yes	Yes
Forex	No	No
CFDs	No	No
Crypto	No	No
Bonds	No	Yes
Funds	Yes	Yes
Commodities	Yes	Yes
Indices	Yes	Yes
Warrants	No	Yes
Spread betting	No	No
Social trading	No	No

Platforms	TradeStation Desktop / TITAN XEasyLanguageTradeStation Web TradingTradeStation MobileWebAPI	Consorsbank Online-Brokerage (web)ActiveTraderActiveTrader ProConsorsbank Pro AppConsorsbank AppTrading API
Demo account	Yes	No
Fractional shares	No	Yes
Maximum leverage	US Regulation T margin: 2:1 overnight, 4:1 intraday for pattern day traders on marginable equities.	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	1–3 business days for US applicants; longer for international and entity accounts	Online application with identity verification, then access credentials sent by post — a day or two slower than app-first competitors
Account types	Individual / joint brokerageMargin accountFutures accountTraditional / Roth / SEP / SIMPLE IRAEntity accounts (LLC, corporation, trust, partnership)	WertpapierdepotJunior-DepotMargin-KontoFremdwährungskontoTagesgeld- und Festgeldkonto

Payment methods	Bank transferCheque	Bank transferSEPASEPA Instant
Account currencies	USD	EURUSDGBPCHFCADAUDJPYSEKNOKSGD+2
Deposit time	ACH 1–3 business days; 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	EnglishSpanish	German
Channels	PhoneEmailLive chat	PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system
Availability	Mon–Fri, extended US hours; 24/5 futures trade desk	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.

TradeStation

The systematic trader's terminal — elite backtesting and automation, priced for people who use it hard.

4,0

Pros

EasyLanguage plus tick-level historical data gives retail traders genuine strategy development, backtesting and optimisation — not a toy backtester
Commission tiers are assessed per asset class, so equities, options and futures each step down independently with monthly volume
Options fall from USD 0.80 to USD 0.00 per contract and futures from USD 1.75 to USD 0.50 per side at the top volume brackets
RadarScreen scans hundreds of symbols in real time with custom indicators, and the Matrix ladder is a proper depth-of-market execution tool
Regulated by the SEC and FINRA (CRD #39473) with SIPC cover to USD 500,000, and owned by Tokyo-listed Monex Group
Zero commission for U.S. clients on US equities and more than 3,000 ETFs, including spot Bitcoin ETPs; clients outside the U.S. pay a USD 5.00 ticket charge per trade
Full entity account support — LLCs, corporations, trusts and partnerships — plus futures IRAs

Cons

USD 10 monthly inactivity fee unless the account placed at least ten trades or held a USD 5,000 average end-of-month equity balance during the previous 90 days
Base-tier options pricing of USD 0.80 per contract is above the US market average, and index options cost more again
USD 1.75 per futures contract per side at the base tier is roughly double a dedicated futures broker's headline rate
Non-trading fees are dated and steep: USD 125 outgoing ACAT, USD 35 annual IRA fee, USD 50 IRA termination, USD 14.95 per option exercise or assignment
No spot cryptocurrency, no forex, no fractional shares and no no-transaction-fee mutual funds
Margin starts at 11.75% on debit balances under USD 50,000, and uninvested cash earns essentially nothing on the first USD 100,000

Best for

Systematic and algo tradersActive futures tradersAdvanced options strategistsEntity and professional accounts

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: TradeStation 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.

TradeStation · Consorsbank
Criterion	TradeStation 4,0 Visit broker	Consorsbank 3,9 Visit broker

Overall score	4.0 — Better	3.9
Group index	94 of 100	93 of 100
Best for	Systematic and algo tradersActive futures tradersAdvanced options strategistsEntity and professional accounts	ETF savings plan investorsEurex and US derivatives tradersActive traders chasing tier discountsMulti-currency portfoliosInvestors who want free professional software

Regulation	FINRASECNFAFCAAFM	BaFinACPRECB
Top-tier licences	5 — Better	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	None	1
Founded	1982	1994
Headquarters	Plantation, FL, US	Nürnberg, DE

Fees	3.6 — Better	3.4
Safety & regulation	4.3	4.5 — Better
Trading platform	4.7 — Better	4.3
Product range	3.4	4.5 — Better
Mobile app	4.0	4.0
Research	4.2 — Better	4.0
Customer support	3.7 — Better	2.6
Deposit & withdrawal	3.3	4.0 — Better
Account opening	3.8	3.9 — Better
Education	3.8 — Better	3.5

Reference order EUR 5,000	€4.60 — Better	€12.50
Minimum deposit	None	None
Stocks (per order)	US$5 — Better	0.25 %
US stocks	US$5 — Better	0.25 %
ETFs	US$5 — Better	0.25 %
Options	tiered	0.5 %
Futures	tiered	€6
Crypto	n/a	Not offered
Bonds (order)	n/a	0.25 %
Funds (order)	US$14.95	0.25 % — Better
EUR/USD spread	n/a	n/a
Index CFD spread	n/a	n/a
FX conversion	n/a	0.26 %
Inactivity fee	US$10 · after 1 months	None — Better
Custody fee	None	None
Withdrawal fee	US$25	free — Better
Deposit fee	free	free
Overnight financing	n/a	n/a
Other fees	Outgoing ACAT transfer: USD 125 Annual IRA fee: USD 35 IRA termination: USD 50 Options exercise / assignment: USD 14.95 Early option assignment: USD 1.50 per contract, min USD 5.95 Broker-assisted trade: USD 25 +3	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)	7	9 — Better
Exchanges	n/a	34
Stocks	Yes	Yes
ETFs	Yes	Yes
Options	Yes	Yes
Futures	Yes	Yes
Forex	No	No
CFDs	No	No
Crypto	No	No
Bonds	No	Yes
Funds	Yes	Yes
Commodities	Yes	Yes
Indices	Yes	Yes
Warrants	No	Yes
Spread betting	No	No
Social trading	No	No

Platforms	TradeStation Desktop / TITAN XEasyLanguageTradeStation Web TradingTradeStation MobileWebAPI	Consorsbank Online-Brokerage (web)ActiveTraderActiveTrader ProConsorsbank Pro AppConsorsbank AppTrading API
Demo account	Yes	No
Fractional shares	No	Yes
Maximum leverage	US Regulation T margin: 2:1 overnight, 4:1 intraday for pattern day traders on marginable equities.	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	1–3 business days for US applicants; longer for international and entity accounts	Online application with identity verification, then access credentials sent by post — a day or two slower than app-first competitors
Account types	Individual / joint brokerageMargin accountFutures accountTraditional / Roth / SEP / SIMPLE IRAEntity accounts (LLC, corporation, trust, partnership)	WertpapierdepotJunior-DepotMargin-KontoFremdwährungskontoTagesgeld- und Festgeldkonto

Payment methods	Bank transferCheque	Bank transferSEPASEPA Instant
Account currencies	USD	EURUSDGBPCHFCADAUDJPYSEKNOKSGD+2
Deposit time	ACH 1–3 business days; 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	EnglishSpanish	German
Channels	PhoneEmailLive chat	PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system
Availability	Mon–Fri, extended US hours; 24/5 futures trade desk	Betreuungsteam by phone, contact form and live chat; Consorsbank does not publish fixed service hours on its public pages

Criterion

4,0

3,9

Overall score

4.0

3.9

Group index

94 of 100

93 of 100

Best for

Systematic and algo tradersActive futures tradersAdvanced options strategistsEntity and professional accounts

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

Regulation

FINRASECNFAFCAAFM

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

None

Founded

1982

1994

Headquarters

Plantation, FL, US

Nürnberg, DE

Fees

3.6

3.4

Safety & regulation

4.3

4.5

Trading platform

4.7

4.3

Product range

3.4

4.5

Mobile app

4.0

Research

4.2

4.0

Customer support

3.7

2.6

Deposit & withdrawal

3.3

4.0

Account opening

3.8

3.9

Education

3.8

3.5

Reference order EUR 5,000

€4.60

€12.50

Minimum deposit

None

Stocks (per order)

US$5

0.25 %

US stocks

US$5

0.25 %

ETFs

US$5

0.25 %

Options

tiered

0.5 %

Futures

tiered

€6

Crypto

n/a

Not offered

Bonds (order)

n/a

0.25 %

Funds (order)

US$14.95

0.25 %

EUR/USD spread

n/a

Index CFD spread

n/a

FX conversion

n/a

0.26 %

Inactivity fee

US$10 · after 1 months

None

Custody fee

None

Withdrawal fee

US$25

free

Deposit fee

free

Overnight financing

n/a

Other fees

Outgoing ACAT transfer: USD 125
Annual IRA fee: USD 35
IRA termination: USD 50
Options exercise / assignment: USD 14.95
Early option assignment: USD 1.50 per contract, min USD 5.95
Broker-assisted trade: USD 25
+3

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

TradeStation Desktop / TITAN XEasyLanguageTradeStation Web TradingTradeStation MobileWebAPI

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

Demo account

Fractional shares

Maximum leverage

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

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

1–3 business days for US applicants; longer for international and entity accounts

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

Account types

Individual / joint brokerageMargin accountFutures accountTraditional / Roth / SEP / SIMPLE IRAEntity accounts (LLC, corporation, trust, partnership)

WertpapierdepotJunior-DepotMargin-KontoFremdwährungskontoTagesgeld- und Festgeldkonto

Payment methods

Bank transferCheque

Bank transferSEPASEPA Instant

Account currencies

USD

EURUSDGBPCHFCADAUDJPYSEKNOKSGD+2

Deposit time

ACH 1–3 business days; 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

EnglishSpanish

German

Channels

PhoneEmailLive chat

PhoneEmailLive chatTicket system

Availability

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

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