BUX vs Freetrade — which broker is better?

Pros

• Owned by ABN AMRO since July 2024, with clearing and custody through ABN AMRO Clearing Bank — a materially stronger backing than the venture-funded startup that preceded it
• ETFs and ETCs cost EUR 0.99 a market order on every plan, Basic included — they are priced in their own column and are not dragged onto the EUR 3.99 European share grid
• Commission-free Zero Orders on the Plus and Prime plans — 3 a month on Plus, 5 on Prime — plus free Investment Plan purchases on every plan including Basic, which do not count against that allowance
• Fractional shares from EUR 5, which makes small recurring purchases of high-priced US shares work properly
• US market orders cost EUR 0.99 on every tier, and real-time quotes, deposits and withdrawals are all free
• Open to residents of eight European countries including Germany, Austria and Ireland — one of the few EUR-native app brokers accessible across DACH
• AFM-supervised with securities covered to EUR 20,000 under the Dutch investor compensation scheme and cash held at a bank under deposit-guarantee terms
• The app is genuinely well made: clean order flow, Investment Plans for automation, and expert-built portfolios for people who do not want to pick

Cons

• The free Basic plan is the expensive one everywhere except ETFs: 0.20% per year on invested assets, EUR 3.99 European share orders, 0.75% FX, no interest on cash, no Zero Orders and no limit orders — a EUR 20,000 portfolio pays more in service fees than the Plus subscription costs
• The AFM fined BUX B.V. EUR 1.6 million in November 2024, published in March 2025, for paying introduction fees to finfluencers, comparison sites and existing customers in breach of the Dutch inducement ban — a conduct matter, but one worth knowing before you read anyone's BUX recommendation
• Zero Orders are capped rather than unlimited: 3 a month on Plus and 5 a month on Prime, after which you are back on the paid market-order grid
• BUX does not act as a German or Austrian paying agent, so no Abgeltungsteuer or KESt is withheld at source and DACH investors must declare gains and dividends themselves via Anlage KAP or the Austrian equivalent
• Very narrow product range — shares, ETFs and ETPs only. No bonds, no mutual funds, no options, no futures, no forex, and direct crypto trading was discontinued in March 2024
• Zero Orders execute only in an end-of-day batch, so the commission-free route gives you no control over the price you get intraday
• No telephone support at any tier; everything runs through in-app chat and email during weekday business hours
• The subscription model introduced in August 2025 replaced a largely free product and was poorly received by the existing user base, which is visible in recent public review sentiment

Pros

• GBP 0 dealing commission on every UK and US stock, ETF and investment trust, on all three plans including free Basic
• Stocks and shares ISA, Junior ISA and SIPP are included on the free plan — most UK app brokers charge for at least one wrapper
• FCA authorised under firm reference 783189 with FSCS cover up to GBP 85,000, and since 2025 part of FTSE 100-listed IG Group
• FX markup falls to 0.39% on the Plus plan, which is competitive for a UK app broker buying US shares
• US fractional shares let small amounts be invested in high-priced names without rounding down to zero
• Around 720,000 customers and GBP 3.3 billion under administration as reported by its listed owner IG Group — real scale rather than a startup pilot
• Account opening is genuinely a few minutes, with no minimum deposit and free deposits and withdrawals
• No inactivity fee, no custody fee and no platform fee on the free tier

Cons

• The 0.99% FX markup on the free plan is the real cost of the account: a GBP 2,000 US order costs GBP 19.80 to convert, which is worse than a flat-commission broker
• UK residents only — there is no route in from Germany, Austria, Switzerland or Ireland, and Freetrade withdrew from its earlier European markets
• No options, futures, forex, CFDs, spot crypto or corporate bonds; the asset range is UK and US equities, ETFs, investment trusts, funds, gilts and T-bills
• No telephone support at all — everything goes through in-app chat and email, with priority routing reserved for Plus subscribers
• Research, screening and charting are minimal; you will need an external tool for anything beyond a price chart and a fundamentals summary
• Monthly billing costs 20% more than annual (GBP 5.99 versus an effective GBP 4.99), so the advertised plan prices require a twelve-month commitment