Setting Up an ETF Savings Plan in 2026: A Light Broker Comparison

EUR 25 a month, debited automatically, into a broadly diversified ETF — at an assumed 6% annual return, that compounds into roughly EUR 25,100 after 30 years. Savings plans are the simplest, least emotionally taxing instrument for building wealth. The discipline they impose demands less attention than a single active purchase — and delivers better results in most historical observation windows.

Yet the choice of broker decides how much of that return actually reaches the investor. At monthly contributions of EUR 50, fees of EUR 1.50 per execution can swallow 3% of the annual contribution — a meaningful number over 30 years. This comparison covers six providers available in Austria and Germany: three direct or universal banks (Erste George, ING Diba, comdirect), two neobrokers (Trade Republic, Scalable Capital) and an Austrian specialist (Flatex Austria).

Before choosing a broker: the right questions

Before comparing providers, settle a few core points for yourself. Your answers narrow the field considerably.

Residence and tax logic. Investors in Austria who want to avoid the annual Anlage KAP filing should choose a broker with automatic KESt handling. Erste George, Flatex Austria, and — from 1 September 2026 — Trade Republic offer automation for Austrian clients. Scalable Capital, ING Diba (Germany) and comdirect do not offer KESt automation for Austrian investors.

Savings-plan size. Below EUR 100 a month, fixed per-execution fees become a real drag. Above EUR 500, fees matter relatively less; selection and functionality matter more.

Execution frequency. Monthly execution is standard. Some providers offer weekly or fortnightly, others quarterly. Maximising the cost-average effect benefits from higher frequency; treating investing as a background process favours monthly or quarterly.

Six providers compared

Erste George (Erste Bank Austria)

Savings-plan cost: EUR 1.50 per execution for ETF plans, EUR 2.50 for single-stock plans. Minimum: EUR 50 a month. Frequency: monthly. KESt: automated. Selection: around 220 savings-plan ETFs — markedly fewer than the competition.

George is the solid, integrated option for existing Erste Bank customers. The advantage is integration with online banking, cards and the KESt service. The disadvantage is cost: EUR 1.50 per execution on EUR 100 is 1.5% — relevant over 30 years.

Suitable for: existing Erste Bank customers who want everything in one place and run higher savings rates.

ING Diba (Germany, also available in Austria)

Savings-plan cost: 1.75% of the contribution on most ETFs (often reduced by promotions), EUR 0 on around 230 selected ETFs. Minimum: EUR 1 a month. Frequency: monthly, fortnightly, quarterly. KESt for Austrian customers: no automation. Selection: around 870 ETFs.

ING Diba is well-priced, particularly via its "promotion ETFs" — a list available free of fees. For Austrian investors, the catch is the KESt: no automation, annual Anlage KAP required. Investors willing to handle that themselves get a broad platform at fair prices.

Suitable for: Austrian investors willing to manage tax themselves, or German investors generally.

comdirect (Germany, also available in Austria)

Savings-plan cost: 1.5% of the contribution, EUR 0 on around 130 "Top-Preis" ETFs. Minimum: EUR 1 a month. Frequency: monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly. KESt for Austrian customers: no automation. Selection: around 740 ETFs.

comdirect offers similar conditions to ING Diba with a marginally smaller selection. The platform has been stable for years; the app is functional, not best-in-class. For Austrian investors, the same applies as for ING Diba: no KESt automation.

Suitable for: investors resident in Germany seeking an established platform.

Trade Republic

Savings-plan cost: EUR 0 on all eligible ETFs and single stocks. Minimum: EUR 1 a month. Frequency: weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly. KESt for Austrian customers: no automation until 1 September 2026, available thereafter. Selection: around 2,400 ETFs and 4,700 single stocks eligible for savings plans.

Trade Republic looks dominant at first glance: no savings-plan fees, huge selection, high frequency flexibility. The 2026 constraint: until September, no KESt automation for Austrian investors. From autumn, that hurdle disappears — and the provider takes the top spot on price.

Suitable for: investors from autumn 2026 who want the lowest cost and a deep selection.

Scalable Capital

Savings-plan cost: EUR 0 on all eligible ETFs under Free Broker, optional Prime+ with extended features at EUR 4.99 a month. Minimum: EUR 1 a month. Frequency: monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly. KESt for Austrian customers: no automation. Selection: around 2,500 ETFs.

Scalable Capital focuses on the German market; it is available in Austria, but without KESt automation. The Free Broker variant is attractive for high-frequency savers. The Prime+ variant only pays off above EUR 25,000 portfolio value and with more active trading.

Suitable for: German investors comfortable with modern platforms, or Austrian investors willing to file their own tax return.

Flatex Austria

Savings-plan cost: EUR 1.50 per execution, several promotional funds at EUR 0. Minimum: EUR 50 a month. Frequency: monthly. KESt: automated. Selection: around 1,500 savings-plan ETFs.

Flatex Austria is Austria's established alternative to Trade Republic, currently with the KESt automation edge. Conditions are mid-pack; selection is broad. The app experience is more solid than at the universal banks, but not at Trade Republic's level.

Suitable for: Austrian investors who need automated tax handling today and can accept not being at the price frontier.

Savings-plan profiles and matching recommendations

From the data, pragmatic recommendations emerge for typical profiles.

Profile: EUR 50-150 a month, Austrian residence, KESt automation desired. Today: Flatex Austria. From autumn 2026: Trade Republic. The Trade Republic saving versus Flatex is EUR 1.50 per month — around EUR 540 over 30 years nominally, materially more with compounding.

Profile: EUR 200 or more per month, Austrian residence, comfortable handling KESt yourself. Scalable Capital Free Broker. At larger amounts, the absence of KESt automation matters less, and the platform's functionality stands out.

Profile: EUR 50-100 a month, German residence. Trade Republic or ING Diba with promotion ETFs. The two options are roughly equivalent; the choice comes down to platform preference.

Common traps

Switching fees barely exist. Account transfers have been free in Austria and Germany for years. Anyone realising a cheaper broker is available can switch without meaningful effort.

Promotion ETFs rotate. Both ING Diba and comdirect rotate their promotion-ETF lists every 12 to 24 months. What is free today may carry fees in 2028. Check the list at least once a year.

Spread beats fees. On savings plans below EUR 50, spreads outside core trading hours can exceed nominal fees. Execution times are fixed at most brokers — Trade Republic typically at 16:00, which is favourable because Xetra is open then.

What comes next

Once a savings plan is set up, check two things after 12 to 18 months: whether the chosen ETF still fits your investment strategy, and whether the savings rate can be dynamised. A 5-10% annual step-up is a proven way to channel pay rises directly into wealth-building without eroding your standard of living.

Investors wanting to save into more than one ETF can run several plans in parallel. Most providers allow 20-50 concurrent plans. That opens the option of combining, say, an MSCI World plan with an MSCI Emerging Markets plan.