Account management fees compared: which account is genuinely free?
Seven of the eight compared providers run the account permanently for €0 p.a. with no condition. Only Comdirect ties the fee-free status after three years to activity (or €1.95/month). For pure buy-and-hold savers, the account fee is therefore rarely the deciding criterion; savings-plan and order costs weigh more heavily.
By Tilman Freyenhagen · Reviewed by the Vorsorgedepot-Lotse editorial team · As at 22 June 2026 · Next review Q4 2026
Not sure which account fits you?
A free, no-obligation conversation with an independent adviser.
The account management fee is the annual base price a bank charges for running your securities account. At modern neobrokers and most direct banks it is €0. What matters is whether this "free" comes with conditions (minimum turnover, activity, a time limit).
Top providers for Account fee
The three providers with the best Account fee rating.
10Account fee
€0 (FREE Broker); PRIME+ optional €4.99/month (= €59.88/year, derived)
Account fee compared head-to-head
Ranked by Account fee score. As at 22 June 2026, terms variable.
| # | Provider | Fee p.a. | Condition for €0 | Special cases | Score | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | €0 p.a. | no condition | none | 10 | Learn more ↗ |
| 2 |  | €0 (FREE Broker); PRIME+ optional €4.99/month (= €59.88/year, derived) | no condition on the FREE tariff | none | 10 | Learn more ↗ |
| 3 | finanzen.net zero | €0 | no condition | none | 10 | Learn more ↗ |
| 4 |  | €0 | "excl. custody fee for Xetra-Gold, ADRs, GDRs" | custody fee only for these security classes | 10 | Learn more ↗ |
| 5 | Consorsbank | €0 (collective custody) | no activity condition, no intro caveat | individual (Streifband) custody is expensive | 10 | Learn more ↗ |
| 6 |  | €0 p.a. (collective account) | no minimum-turnover condition | individual account separation (institutional) is chargeable | 10 | Learn more ↗ |
| 7 |  | €0 | no active-status condition | custody fee only for Xetra-Gold/ADRs | 10 | Learn more ↗ |
| 8 |  | €0 for 3 years; then €0 with ≥ 2 trades/quarter OR a savings plan (≥ 1 execution/quarter) OR a current account, otherwise €1.95/month (€23.40/year) | 3 years unconditional, then an activity condition | condition after 3 years | 9 | Learn more ↗ |
The providers in detail
Account fee per provider, with the full score profile and neutral pros/cons.
Beste Gesamtwertung- Fee p.a.
- €0 p.a.
- Condition for €0
- no condition
- Special cases
- none
Pros
- No ongoing account/savings-plan fees: €0 account + €0 savings plan.
- Flat, volume-independent order fee (€1 whether you invest €1,000 or €10,000).
- 2.25% interest on cash, no cap, the same for new and existing customers.
Cons
- Only one trading venue (LS Exchange/Lang & Schwarz): no choice of exchange, no direct Xetra routing.
- Cash above €100,000 does not fall under classic deposit protection, but into a money market fund (a different protection regime).
Best for: Cost-conscious private investors who want broad, long-term diversification via a free savings plan from €1.
Bester Cash-Zins- Fee p.a.
- €0 (FREE Broker); PRIME+ optional €4.99/month (= €59.88/year, derived)
- Condition for €0
- no condition on the FREE tariff
- Special cases
- none
Pros
- Zero ongoing platform costs on the FREE tariff (€0 account + €0 savings plan from €1, fractional shares).
- Genuine €0 orders ≥ €250 via the PRIME+ flat rate on gettex.
Cons
- "Free" comes with conditions: it depends on the tariff, the €250 threshold, ETF partner status and the trading venue; a €1,000 non-PRIME ETF order costs €0.99 on the FREE tariff, plus €3.99 on Xetra in both tariffs.
Best for: Savings-plan investors on the €0 platform, plus active traders who route orders ≥ €250 via gettex (PRIME+).
- Fee p.a.
- €0
- Condition for €0
- no condition
- Special cases
- none
Pros
- Genuine zero costs: €0 account, €0 orders ≥ €500, €0 savings plans from €1, fractional shares (per the site, "cost leader, Stiftung Warentest 12/2025").
- Explicit, early AVD commitment: dedicated page, waiting list, Riester transfer, "fee-free," from €10/month.
Cons
- Single venue + PFOF risk: gettex only; the fee-free model is PFOF-funded, and the PFOF ban from July 2026 forces a tariff change.
- No genuine interest-bearing cash account (return only via a money market ETF); orders below €500 cost €1.
Best for: Buy-and-hold savers who trade ≥ €500 via gettex and want to join the 2027 AVD early.
- Fee p.a.
- €0
- Condition for €0
- "excl. custody fee for Xetra-Gold, ADRs, GDRs"
- Special cases
- custody fee only for these security classes
Pros
- €0 account + €0 on all 5,000+ savings-plan executions (1,000+ ETFs), minimum rate €25, fractional shares.
- Visible 2027 AVD readiness: a dedicated AVD page plus an existing fractional-share/flexible-plan engine.
Cons
- Single/one-off orders carry a fixed minimum of around €7.90 (€5.90 + €2 venue fee), volume-independent: expensive for small one-off trades.
- No published interest rate on cash holdings (a transparency gap) plus a custody fee for Xetra-Gold/ADR/GDR.
Best for: Cost-conscious long-term savings-plan investors (and AVD prospects) who place €0 executions alongside inexpensive one-off trades.
- Fee p.a.
- €0 (collective custody)
- Condition for €0
- no activity condition, no intro caveat
- Special cases
- individual (Streifband) custody is expensive
Pros
- No account fee and a 0% ETF savings-plan fee (both officially confirmed).
- Low entry point plus fractional shares: savings plans from €10, 1,700+ ETFs.
Cons
- The low order price is mostly a time-limited promotion: after the opening month plus 12 months, the tiered model applies (Silver €4.95 + 0.25%, min. €9.95); regular one-off orders cost considerably more.
Best for: Cost-sensitive ETF savings-plan investors who want a €0 account, 0% savings plans and fractional shares from €10.
- Fee p.a.
- €0 p.a. (collective account)
- Condition for €0
- no minimum-turnover condition
- Special cases
- individual account separation (institutional) is chargeable
Pros
- €0 account with no turnover condition, and all 1,100+ ETF savings plans permanently €0 (confirmed in the binding price list).
- Low entry barrier with fractional shares (savings plan from €1, sellable fee-free).
- Double deposit protection (statutory + BdB fund).
Cons
- One-off orders are comparatively expensive: 0.25% + venue fee with no low flat cap: around €10.30 on €1,000 via Xetra, scaling with volume; the model favours savings plans, not one-off trades.
Best for: Cost-conscious buy-and-hold ETF savers with automatic savings plans from €1, not frequent traders.
- Fee p.a.
- €0
- Condition for €0
- no active-status condition
- Special cases
- custody fee only for Xetra-Gold/ADRs
Pros
- €0 account for everyone, with no activity hurdle.
- Broad savings-plan range with 500+ free promotional ETFs and genuine fractional shares from €25/month.
- A concretely promised 2027 AVD: a front-runner among the direct banks.
Cons
- One-off trades are comparatively expensive: a €10 minimum order commission (+ up to €2.50 on Xetra) versus around €1/free at neobrokers; the standard savings plan costs €1.50/execution outside the promotional ETFs.
- Fractional shares are not portable when switching accounts.
Best for: Buy-and-hold ETF savers who want a permanently free full-service bank account and an early line to the 2027 AVD.
- Fee p.a.
- €0 for 3 years; then €0 with ≥ 2 trades/quarter OR a savings plan (≥ 1 execution/quarter) OR a current account, otherwise €1.95/month (€23.40/year)
- Condition for €0
- 3 years unconditional, then an activity condition
- Special cases
- condition after 3 years
Pros
- A free account that's easy to keep fee-free (3 years unconditionally, then €0 with, e.g., 1 savings plan per quarter).
- Low-threshold fractional-share savings plans from €1 across > 10,000 instruments.
- Independently ranked cost-competitive (Stiftung Warentest "cost leader 12/2025," a self-citation).
Cons
- The savings-plan fee scales poorly (1.5%/execution; 1.5% on €500 = €7.50) and regular orders are expensive (base fee + 0.25% plus a €2.50 minimum venue fee → approx. €12.40 on €1,000), far above neobroker flat fees.
Best for: Long-term investors who want a free, fully featured account with a huge fund/ETF universe and small, flexible savings plans, not large one-off orders.
How we rate Account fee
€0 unconditional = 10; €0 with a mild condition = 9; an ongoing fee scores below that. Custody fees for special assets (Xetra-Gold/ADR/GDR) are noted as a special case but do not lower the core score.
Frequently asked questions
- Which account is genuinely, permanently free?
- Trade Republic, Scalable Capital, finanzen.net zero, flatex, Consorsbank, ING and DKB run the account permanently for €0 p.a. with no activity condition (as at 22 June 2026). Comdirect is unconditionally free for 3 years, then €0 only with ≥ 2 trades/quarter, a savings plan or a current account.
- Can account fees be introduced later?
- Terms are variable and can change; the provider's official price list always applies. This overview is as at 22 June 2026.
Keep comparing
Not sure which account fits you?
Get free, independent advice. We'll help you find the right account and the right path into the Altersvorsorgedepot from 2027.
Free and without obligation.