Which broker is best for investing in ETFs?

By Roch de Montesquieu 3 brokers analyzed SEC · FCA · ASIC regulators verified Updated July 31, 2026

Broker

Rating

Features

Our take

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#1 0% commission

XTB

0% commission

4.6

Assets to trade

Stocks, ETFs, CFDs
Minimum deposit

$0
Deposit fees

Free

0% commission on stocks and ETFs

No commission and no brokerage fees
Award-winning xStation 5 platform
Unlimited demo account
Wide range of educational tools

See offer Unlimited demo account Full review →

5 things to know about XTB

Is XTB reliable?

XTB is a fully regulated and recognised broker on the European market. The broker emphasises its reliability and execution quality. With its solid reputation and transparency on client-funds management, you can invest with full confidence.

Why choose XTB?

XTB clearly stands out for 0% commission on stocks and etfs. Key strengths: No commission and no brokerage fees, Award-winning xStation 5 platform and unlimited demo account. This is an excellent choice for investors interested in stocks, etfs, cfds.

What are the fees at XTB?

On pricing, XTB offers a very accessible minimum deposit of $0 and free. Fees are among the most competitive on the European market, with welcome transparency on all costs.

Who is XTB for?

XTB suits a wide audience: beginners benefit from the intuitive interface, while experienced investors appreciate its reliability. Its "0% commission" positioning makes it a particularly solid pick.

Is it easy to withdraw from XTB?

Withdrawals at XTB are fast and predictable. Expect a few hours for e-wallets and 24h-48h for bank transfers. The process is fully secured and well documented.

Read my full review ofXTB

#2 CFD specialist regulated since 2006

AvaTrade

4.8

Assets to trade

CFDs, forex, stocks, cryptos, commodities
Minimum deposit

$100
Deposit fees

Free

Commission-free trading, a wide range of assets

$0 deposit and withdrawal fees
MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView
Free demo account
Regulated by the FCA, CySEC, CBI and ASIC

See offer Full review →

5 things to know about AvaTrade

Is AvaTrade reliable?

AvaTrade is a fully regulated and recognised broker on the European market. Regulated by the FCA, CySEC, CBI and ASIC. With its solid reputation and transparency on client-funds management, you can invest with full confidence.

Why choose AvaTrade?

AvaTrade clearly stands out for commission-free trading, a wide range of assets. Key strengths: $0 deposit and withdrawal fees, MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView and free demo account. This is an excellent choice for investors interested in cfds, forex, stocks, cryptos, commodities.

What are the fees at AvaTrade?

On pricing, AvaTrade offers a very accessible minimum deposit of $100 and free. Fees are among the most competitive on the European market, with welcome transparency on all costs.

Who is AvaTrade for?

AvaTrade suits a wide audience: beginners benefit from the intuitive interface, while experienced investors appreciate its reliability. Its "CFD specialist regulated since 2006" positioning makes it a particularly solid pick.

Is it easy to withdraw from AvaTrade?

Withdrawals at AvaTrade are fast and predictable. Expect a few hours for e-wallets and 24h-48h for bank transfers. The process is fully secured and well documented.

Read my full review ofAvaTrade

#3 Low-cost stocks and ETFs

moomoo

Stocks and ETFs

4.6

Assets to trade

US and Canadian stocks, ETFs, options
Minimum deposit

$0
Deposit fees

Free

Advanced trading tools with $0 annual fees

$0 annual fees
TFSA, RRSP, cash and margin accounts
Advanced trading tools and analytics
Served in Canada by a CIRO member (CIPF coverage)

See offer Full review →

5 things to know about moomoo

Is moomoo reliable?

moomoo is a fully regulated and recognised broker on the European market. The broker emphasises its reliability and execution quality. With its solid reputation and transparency on client-funds management, you can invest with full confidence.

Why choose moomoo?

moomoo clearly stands out for advanced trading tools with $0 annual fees. Key strengths: $0 annual fees, TFSA, RRSP, cash and margin accounts and advanced trading tools and analytics. This is an excellent choice for investors interested in us and canadian stocks, etfs, options.

What are the fees at moomoo?

On pricing, moomoo offers a very accessible minimum deposit of $0 and free. Fees are among the most competitive on the European market, with welcome transparency on all costs.

Who is moomoo for?

moomoo suits a wide audience: beginners benefit from the intuitive interface, while experienced investors appreciate its reliability. Its "Low-cost stocks and ETFs" positioning makes it a particularly solid pick.

Is it easy to withdraw from moomoo?

Withdrawals at moomoo are fast and predictable. Expect a few hours for e-wallets and 24h-48h for bank transfers. The process is fully secured and well documented.

ETFs in 2026: how to pick a broker when everyone advertises zero commission

Choosing an online broker is no small decision: this is the intermediary that will execute your orders, hold your funds and charge you on every transaction. Before you sign up, keep in mind 3 essential criteria that separate a good broker from a bad experience.

01

Regulation, always first

A broker regulated by CIRO (Canada), the SEC (US), the FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus) or BaFin (Germany) guarantees segregation of client funds, protection if the firm fails, and a solid legal framework. Without tier-1 regulation, we will not even look at the rest.
02

The real fee structure

Beyond the headline "0% commission", a broker's true cost hides in brokerage fees, custody charges, currency-conversion fees and inactivity fees. Work out the annualized cost for your own profile before you commit.
03

A platform that matches your level

A beginner needs a clear interface, a free demo account and educational resources. An active investor wants fast execution, advanced charting tools and professional support. The right broker is the one that fits how you actually use it.

Once those three criteria check out, it is time for the concrete choice: below, our detailed take on each of the 13 brokers in the comparison, ranked by how relevant they are for a retail investor.

How to choose an ETF broker in 2026

On an ETF you hold for fifteen or twenty years, the final result is decided less by past performance than by costs, which compound silently year after year. Two brokers both advertising zero commission can end up far apart. Here are the five criteria I check before opening an account to invest in ETFs.

Criterion	What I check
Commissions and FX fees	The commission when you buy, ideally 0% on ETFs, like XTB up to $100,000 of monthly volume, and just as important the currency conversion fee, often around 0.5%, charged whenever a fund is priced in a currency other than the dollar. On regular monthly purchases, that quiet line item adds up over the years.
Expense ratio (TER)	The fund's own annual expense ratio (TER), charged by the issuer rather than the broker. A broad S&P 500 or total-market ETF often runs 0.05% to 0.20% a year. It erodes performance continuously, whichever broker I hold it at, so I compare it fund by fund.
Account type (taxable vs IRA)	Whether the broker supports the account that fits my goal: a taxable brokerage account for flexibility, or a tax-advantaged IRA or Roth IRA for retirement. The wrapper you choose shapes how capital gains and dividends are taxed as much as the fund itself does.
Replication and fund domicile	Physical replication actually holds the index's securities, while synthetic replication tracks it through a swap. I also check fund domicile, US-domiciled ETFs versus UCITS funds registered in Europe, because it affects tax reporting and which funds you can even buy from where you live.
Range and automatic investing	The depth of the catalogue (broad index, sector, bond funds), the option to buy fractional shares, and above all to set up automatic investing (dollar-cost averaging). Scheduling a monthly purchase remains the best way to put compounding to work without agonizing over the entry point.

No broker leads on all five at once. The right pick depends on your account type and your discipline as an investor: the ranking above weighs these criteria for a long-term ETF investor.

04 AvaTrade for ETFs: an academy that teaches index investing, interest on idle cash

Getting comfortable with ETFs and the big indices takes a calm, well-guided environment more than anything else, and that is exactly AvaTrade's territory. Authorized by the Central Bank of Ireland and present in more than 150 countries since 2006, it carries one of the strongest Trustpilot scores in its category. When this many clients across this many markets rate the day-to-day experience highly, it tells me the platform holds up long after the marketing stops.

What I value most is how the broker grows with you. The AvaTrade Academy packs in dozens of free tutorials that explain how an index works, what diversification really buys you and why time in the market beats timing it, the core case for passive ETF investing. An unlimited demo lets you rehearse an allocation with no pressure and no clock.

One detail I rate more than most reviewers would: your uninvested cash earns interest here rather than sitting idle. On a portfolio you build gradually, that is a quiet tailwind, money working even between your decisions, and over the years it adds up.

AvaTrade gives access to the major world indices, the S&P 500, European and Asian benchmarks, the same ones the most popular ETFs track, so you can broaden your global exposure alongside a core ETF holding. For a well-rounded, genuinely educational broker that supports you from your first order to your hundredth, it is one I put my name behind without the slightest reservation.

Discover AvaTrade

05 XTB for ETFs: 0% commission up to $100,000 a month, 11,600+ markets

For ETF investing, XTB is my top pick, and the pricing argument is hard to beat: 0% commission on stocks and ETFs up to $100,000 of monthly volume. On a long-term holding where you buy a broad-market ETF like an S&P 500 or a global index tracker month after month, every dollar you do not lose to commission compounds for years. The vast majority of retail investors never come close to that threshold, so in practice you are building your core portfolio for free.

The range backs the promise. XTB carries 11,600+ markets with stocks and ETFs front and center, from the index staples to more focused funds, all through the award-winning xStation platform, one of the clearest on the market. The education library runs deep enough to take a newcomer a long way, and the demo is unlimited.

The framework reassures. XTB answers to respected authorities including the UK's FCA and Poland's KNF, and the company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. A publicly traded broker has to open its books and meet real transparency obligations, so you are handing your savings to a firm under genuine scrutiny, not a private black box.

One more strength for ETF investors: XTB's automated investment plans let you schedule a regular ETF purchase, the single most effective way to put dollar-cost averaging and compounding to work without having to think about timing. Founded in 2002 and battle-tested, it is the broker I would point most ETF investors to before any other, without reservation.

Discover XTB Unlimited demo account

All our guides on ETF investing

Frequently asked questions about ETF brokers

What is the best broker for ETFs in 2026?

In my ranking, XTB comes out on top for ETF investing thanks to 0% commission on stocks and ETFs up to $100,000 of monthly volume and its Warsaw Stock Exchange listing, ahead of eToro for its 900-plus ETFs with zero commission and fractional shares from a few dollars, and Eightcap for the lowest running costs on low-cost index exposure. The best pick is still the one whose fees, account type and fund range match your investing horizon.

Taxable brokerage account or IRA for ETFs?

It depends on the goal. A taxable brokerage account gives you full flexibility to buy and sell at any time, but capital gains and dividends are taxed in the year you realize them. A traditional or Roth IRA is built for retirement: it offers tax advantages in exchange for contribution limits and rules on withdrawals. Many investors use both, filling tax-advantaged space first and holding the rest in a taxable account. Your own situation and country of residence decide what is available to you, so check the local rules.

What are the real costs of holding an ETF?

You have to add up more than one line. The commission the broker charges when you buy, sometimes zero on ETFs. The expense ratio, or TER, the fund own annual charge levied by the issuer, often 0.05% to 0.20% a year on a broad index ETF. And the currency conversion fee, around 0.5%, if the fund is priced in a currency other than your own. Over a long holding period, it is the sum of these, not the headline commission alone, that decides your net return.

Physical or synthetic ETF, which should I pick?

A physical ETF actually holds the securities in the index it tracks, which makes it very transparent. A synthetic ETF reproduces the index performance through a swap agreement with a bank, which adds a small counterparty risk but can sometimes track certain markets more efficiently or cheaply. For most long-term investors a physical, broadly diversified fund is the simple default. Either way, I check the fund domicile and how it handles dividends before I buy.

Should I invest in ETFs with dollar-cost averaging?

Dollar-cost averaging means automatically investing a fixed amount at regular intervals, every month for example. It smooths your purchase price over time and takes the stress out of trying to pick the perfect entry point. On a long-term ETF, it is the most effective way to put compounding to work and stay disciplined, whatever mood the market is in. Several brokers automate these plans at no extra cost, so once it is set up it runs by itself.

How are gains on ETFs taxed?

It depends on your country of residence and the type of account you hold the ETF in, so always check your local rules. In a taxable account, capital gains and dividends are generally taxed when you realize them, while a tax-advantaged retirement account can defer or reduce that tax. In most places you are not taxed on gains that stay invested, only when you sell or withdraw. Many brokers issue an annual tax statement that makes reporting easier.