DEGIRO vs. Swissquote Compared 2026: Which Broker Is Better?
If you're looking for an online broker in Switzerland, you'll inevitably come across two well-known names: DEGIRO and Swissquote. Both providers impress with attractive conditions, a broad range of tradable products and user-friendly platforms. But which broker is the better fit?
In our detailed broker comparison DEGIRO vs. Swissquote, we took a close look at both providers. We show you the differences in fees, trading options, usability and customer service so you can make the best decision for you.
📖 Overview
Welcome offers
Swissquote: With the Swissquote promo code MKT_SWISSQMONEY you get a trading credit of CHF 100 with a minimum deposit of CHF 1'000. Offer details.
Degiro: Get a credit of CHF 100 towards trading fees at Degiro. The bonus only applies if you reach the Degiro website via the partner link and open your account there. Offer details.
Note: We are an independent Swiss financial platform. If you click on a link (affiliate link) or use one of our promo codes, we receive a commission from the provider – at no extra cost to you. The account is opened exclusively with the provider; we do not receive any personal data. Our tests, ratings and rankings remain unaffected. Learn more
☝️ At a glance
DEGIRO | Swissquote |
|---|---|
Share trading on SIX: CHF 6 | Share trading on SIX: from CHF 3 |
1 million financial products | 3 million financial products |
No custody fees | Custody fees p.a. CHF 86 to max. 216 |
Currency exchange 0.25% | Currency exchange 0.95% |
Savings plans ❌ | Savings plans ✅ |
Real cryptocurrencies ❌ | Real cryptocurrencies ✅ |
Share register entry ❌ | Share register entry ✅ |
Welcome offer: CHF 100 trading credit | Welcome offer: CHF 100 trading credit |
DEGIRO vs. Swissquote: Which broker is better for Swiss investors?
In this comprehensive broker comparison between DEGIRO and Swissquote, we show you the key differences in fees, trading offer, platform features, crypto investments, security and additional services. This lets you quickly find out which broker best suits your investor profile – whether you're a beginner or already have experience with online trading.
While DEGIRO stands out with very low fees, Swissquote scores with a much broader range of services that goes beyond classic securities trading – including digital banking, pillar 3a, Twint and crypto trading via its own SQX platform.
If you're not yet familiar with DEGIRO or Swissquote, you'll find detailed information beyond this comparison in our reviews of DEGIRO and Swissquote.
Features – Swissquote offers more
Both DEGIRO and Swissquote are among the leading online brokers in Switzerland and let you trade a wide range of financial products – including shares, ETFs, funds, derivatives, options and futures. Both providers offer user-friendly trading platforms that can be accessed on desktop as well as via mobile app.
In addition, DEGIRO and Swissquote provide you with up-to-date market information, analyses of the most important markets and articles on financial topics and investment ideas – ideal for beginners and experienced investors alike.
One key difference: Swissquote is more than just an online broker. As a fully fledged online bank, Swissquote offers additional services such as pillar 3a, payments including eBill, a debit card, Twint, mortgages and much more. This makes Swissquote interesting not only for securities trading, but also as a complete digital package.
Share register entry – only possible with Swissquote
A big advantage of Swissquote is the option to have Swiss shares entered in the share register free of charge. This is the only way you can attend the general meeting and receive any in-kind dividends – such as a Swatch watch as a Swatch shareholder. The entry is not automatic, but can easily be requested via the Swissquote trading platform.
With DEGIRO, on the other hand, an entry in the share register is not possible, which means that as a shareholder you have to do without voting rights and in-kind dividends.
Tax statement – only available with Swissquote
At Swissquote, the detailed e-tax statement costs CHF 85. As a foreign broker, DEGIRO does not offer an e-tax statement tailored to Switzerland. You therefore have to transfer all trades and positions to the securities list of your tax return yourself, which can be tedious.
Swissquote is more than an online broker
While DEGIRO is purely an online trading platform, Swissquote also offers further banking services. Swissquote sees itself not only as a leading online broker, but also as a fully fledged digital bank in Switzerland. Alongside its well-known trading offer, Swissquote provides a wide range of banking services that make managing your finances convenient and digital.
With Invest Easy, Swissquote offers a simple solution for anyone who doesn't want to implement their investment strategy themselves. For private retirement savings, Swissquote offers 3a Easy, a flexible pillar 3a solution that integrates seamlessly into your existing Swissquote account.
Payments are also fully digital at Swissquote: domestic payments, QR-bills and eBill can be handled directly via e-banking. Swissquote also offers a free virtual debit card as well as a physical card (for a fee) for use on the go. An additional benefit: with every payment made with the Swissquote debit card, you collect cashback in the form of trading credit, which you can use directly to pay the trading fees of your next investments.
Available financial products – Swissquote beats DEGIRO
At Swissquote you'll find over 3 million different products, at DEGIRO 1 million. But DEGIRO's product range is also sufficient for most investors – you'll probably find all the financial products you want with either provider.
However, if you want to trade cryptocurrencies, Swissquote has a clear advantage. While DEGIRO only offers access to crypto via ETFs, ETNs and derivatives, Swissquote offers real crypto trading via its own SQX platform – including a wallet function, staking for selected coins and the option to deposit and withdraw cryptocurrencies.
This makes Swissquote not only a versatile online broker, but also one of the few crypto banks in Switzerland that offers both classic trading and direct access to the crypto market.
Security – only Swissquote has a Swiss banking licence
Swissquote Bank holds an official Swiss banking licence and is covered by the Swiss deposit protection scheme. This means your balance is protected up to CHF 100’000 in the event of a bank failure.
DEGIRO is the Dutch branch of the German flatexDEGIRO Bank SE and is primarily supervised by the German financial regulator BaFin, and in the Netherlands additionally by the AFM and DNB. Client funds are strictly segregated from company funds and held separately. Uninvested cash of Swiss clients is held at flatexDEGIRO Bank in Germany, which means up to 100’000 euros is protected by the German banks' compensation scheme in the event of insolvency.
Regardless of the provider: securities are segregated assets and remain your property – they do not become part of the bankruptcy estate if the bank fails. In that case, your shares, ETFs or funds are transferred to another bank. Nevertheless, winding up a Swiss bank such as Swissquote may be simpler and faster in an emergency than with a foreign broker such as DEGIRO.
Fees – DEGIRO usually cheaper than Swissquote
Trading fees
Below we compare the fees for trading shares and ETFs on the Swiss stock exchange as well as on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ. If you're interested in other exchanges, bonds from other markets, index funds, options and futures or structured products, you'll need to consult the fee schedules of DEGIRO and Swissquote.
Shares and ETFs on the Swiss stock exchange SIX
The table below shows the fees for buying shares and ETFs on the Swiss stock exchange SIX, with Swissquote charging a fee of CHF 3 to 9 for a large selection of ETFs (so-called ETF Leaders) that can be bought on SIX.
CHF | 0 - 500 | 500 - 1k | 1k - 2k | 2k - 10k | 10k - 15k | 15k - 25k | 25k - 50k | > 50k |
Swissquote | CHF 3 | CHF 5 | CHF 10 | CHF 29 | CHF 49 | CHF 79 | CHF 129 | CHF 190 |
Swissquote ETF Leader | CHF 3 | CHF 5 | CHF 9 | CHF 9 | CHF 9 | CHF 9 | CHF 9 | CHF 9 |
DEGIRO shares | CHF 6 | CHF 6 | CHF 6 | CHF 6 | CHF 6 | CHF 6 | CHF 6 | CHF 6 |
DEGIRO ETF | EUR 3 | EUR 3 | EUR 3 | EUR 3 | EUR 3 | EUR 3 | EUR 3 | EUR 3 |
Fees for shares & ETFs on SIX – DEGIRO: At DEGIRO, fees for trading shares vary by exchange, but they are always the same regardless of the amount traded. On the Swiss stock exchange SIX, the fee is CHF 6 for shares and EUR 3 for ETFs.
Fees for shares & ETFs on SIX – Swissquote: At Swissquote, fees for trading shares and ETFs also depend on the transaction amount and the exchange, but there are fixed brackets rather than uniform percentages. Swissquote makes an exception for its so-called ETF Leaders: when trading these ETFs on the Swiss stock exchange SIX, you pay a maximum of CHF 9 in fees, no matter how high the trading volume. In addition, a surcharge of CHF 0.85 is charged per transaction to cover the real-time data provided. Exchange fees, which depend on the respective exchange, are also added.
Shares and ETFs on the NYSE and NASDAQ 🇺🇸
USD | 0 - 500 | 500 - 1k | 1k - 2k | 2k - 10k | 10k - 15k | 15k - 25k | 25k - 50k | > 50k |
Swissquote | CHF 3 | CHF 5 | CHF 10 | CHF 29 | CHF 49 | CHF 79 | CHF 129 | CHF 190 |
DEGIRO | EUR 2 | EUR 2 | EUR 2 | EUR 2 | EUR 2 | EUR 2 | EUR 2 | EUR 2 |
Fees for shares and ETFs on the NYSE and NASDAQ – Swissquote: Swissquote charges the same fees for trading on the NYSE and NASDAQ as on SIX. They are shown in CHF and charged in the trading currency at the interbank mid-market rate without a mark-up.
Fees for shares and ETFs on the NYSE and NASDAQ – DEGIRO: By comparison, DEGIRO charges a standard fee of EUR 2, regardless of the amount traded.
Special ETF conditions at both providers
Swissquote with ETF Leaders: For a selection of ETFs traded on SIX, Swissquote charges reduced flat fees: CHF 3 up to CHF 500, CHF 5 up to CHF 1'000 and a maximum of CHF 9 above that – regardless of order volume. On top of this come the real-time surcharge of CHF 0.85, exchange fees and stamp duty.
DEGIRO with the ETF Core Selection: The Core Selection includes all ETFs, ETCs and ETNs traded on the German Tradegate Exchange – including many well-known ETFs such as the iShares Core MSCI World or the Vanguard S&P 500. Only a handling fee of EUR 1 per trade applies here. As Tradegate trades in euros, CHF clients pay an additional 0.25% in currency exchange costs.
Stamp duty
At Swissquote, stamp duty of 0.075% for Swiss securities and 0.15% for foreign securities also applies. At DEGIRO, there is no stamp duty, as foreign brokers are not subject to it.
Custody fees
The following table shows the annual custody fees including VAT, depending on the value of your portfolio.
CHF | 0 - 50'000 | 50'000 - 100'000 | 100'000 - 150'000 | >150'000 |
Swissquote | CHF 86.48 | CHF 108.10 | CHF 162.15 | Max. 216.20* |
DEGIRO | CHF 0 | CHF 0 | CHF 0 | CHF 0 |
(*) For assets above CHF 1 million, an additional quarterly fee of 0.0075% is charged to cover external administration fees.
Custody fees DEGIRO: DEGIRO does not charge any custody fees.
Custody fees Swissquote: At Swissquote, you pay a quarterly custody fee based on your invested assets. Above one million, an additional fee of 0.0075% per quarter applies. Crypto holdings are also included in the calculation. From a portfolio value of around CHF 220'000, the annual custody fee drops below 0.1%. Uninvested cash does not count towards the portfolio value on which the fee is calculated.
Currency exchange fees
If you want to trade securities in foreign currencies, additional currency exchange fees apply. At DEGIRO, these amount to around 0.25%, while at Swissquote they are 0.95%.
Customer service – Swissquote stronger than DEGIRO
Reliable customer service is particularly important for an online broker without branches. While Swissquote scores as a Swiss provider with a local presence, DEGIRO's support is more focused on self-service – which can be efficient for simple requests but is a disadvantage for more complex cases. DEGIRO does have English-speaking customer service, but it is not operated from Switzerland. So it depends on the level of service you expect. If you value quick help with special cases, you're better off with Swissquote.
Conclusion – Swissquote offers more, DEGIRO costs less
A direct comparison between DEGIRO and Swissquote shows: both providers impress with an intuitive and user-friendly trading platform that can be used both as a desktop version and via a powerful mobile app.
DEGIRO scores above all with very low fees – ideal for cost-conscious investors who trade regularly. In return, DEGIRO users have to accept compromises in the product range and additional services: cryptocurrencies, retirement solutions and everyday banking are not part of the offer.
If, on the other hand, you value a broader investment universe – for example with access to cryptocurrencies, predefined investment strategies (Invest Easy) or integrated 3a solutions – Swissquote is clearly the better choice. Swissquote is more than just a broker: as a fully fledged Swiss digital bank, Swissquote fully covers trading, investing and banking.
Welcome offers
Swissquote: With the Swissquote promo code MKT_SWISSQMONEY you get a trading credit of CHF 100 with a minimum deposit of CHF 1'000. Offer details.
Degiro: Get a credit of CHF 100 towards trading fees at Degiro. The bonus only applies if you reach the Degiro website via the partner link and open your account there. Offer details.
Note: We are an independent Swiss financial platform. If you click on a link (affiliate link) or use one of our promo codes, we receive a commission from the provider – at no extra cost to you. The account is opened exclusively with the provider; we do not receive any personal data. Our tests, ratings and rankings remain unaffected. Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Which broker is cheaper, DEGIRO or Swissquote?
DEGIRO is generally considered cheaper, especially for trading international shares and ETFs. Swissquote, on the other hand, offers a wide range of Swiss financial services, but usually charges higher fees.
Which trading platform is better suited to Swiss investors?
Swissquote is specifically geared to the Swiss market and offers advantages such as share register entry and a tax statement. DEGIRO is less tailored to Swiss needs.
How safe are Swissquote and DEGIRO?
Swissquote is a Swiss bank and is supervised by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA. DEGIRO is primarily supervised by the German BaFin as well as the Dutch regulators AFM and DNB.
