Compare Investment Apps
Investment apps charge different fees for different features. Our investment app comparison tool allows you to compare up to three platforms side-by-side so you can choose the right app for your investment needs.
Best Investment Apps Ireland
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We compare the widest range of investment platforms and products available to Irish investors, making it easy to compare apps, ETFs, and indexes, all in one place.
We compare the widest range of investment platforms and products available to Irish investors, making it easy to compare apps, ETFs, and indexes, all in one place.
10+
Investment Apps
170+
ETFs Compared
How This Tool Works
| Input | What it means |
|---|---|
| Add to Compare | Select up to three investment apps from the list to compare their features. |
| Sort By | Reorders the list of trading apps, either by lowest foreign exchange (FX) fees or platform name. |
Understanding Your Results
Our comparison tool breaks down everything you need to know about an investing app into five categories: Account Fees, Commission, Foreign Currencies, Other Fees and Features. It is important to know what each of these terms mean to understand your results.
Account Fees
Opening Fee: The cost of opening an account.
Maintenance Fee: The ongoing cost of having an account, typically charged monthly, quarterly or yearly.
Commission
This is the fee charged by the app for processing your order. Commissions will vary by asset type.
Foreign Currencies
FX Fee: The markup charged by the app whenever it converts your euros into another currency or vice versa.
Multi-Currency Account: Whether the app lets you hold and invest foreign currencies.
Other Fees
Settlement Fee: A flat charge to cover the cost of processing your order, including clearing, settlement, brokerage, regulatory and execution fees.
Deposits: The fee for depositing money into your account.
Withdrawals: The fee for withdrawing money from your account.
Features
Minimum Investment: The smallest amount you can invest.
Minimum Deposit: The smallest amount you can deposit.
Fractional Shares: Whether you can buy fractions of whole shares.
Auto-Invest: Whether you can set up recurring, automatic investments.
Leverage: Whether you can borrow to invest.
Welcome Bonus: The sign-up incentive offered to new customers.
Written by:
Dan Malone
How We Select & Compare Investing Apps
Strictly Regulated
We only feature apps that are licensed and authorised by EU regulators.
Platform Diversity
We compare offerings from online brokers, neobanks and traditional brokerage firms.
Core Features
We evaluate whether tools like auto-invest, fractional shares or multi-currency accounts exist.
Fee Transparency
We lay out all of the relevant costs, from commissions to maintenance fees. No surprises, ever.
Add Up To 3 Investment Apps To Compare
You can compare up to three platforms at once. Select ‘Add to Compare’ on those that you want to include.
Key Insight: Start with the app(s) you’re already considering, then add alternatives to see how they compare. You’ll quickly see what sets them apart – whether that’s lower fees, a wider investment selection, or better features.
How Do Apps Differ From Each Other?
Before choosing an investment app, it is important to consider how they differ from one another. There can be significant differences between platforms when it comes to account fees, commissions, foreign currency rates, deposit limits and user experience.
Some apps charge account fees. These can include opening fees or ongoing maintenance costs. Most newer trading apps have dropped these charges entirely, but certain brokers still apply them.
Investing apps may charge a flat commission, a percentage commission or a combination of both. Commissions can vary depending on the product you’re buying. Other fees, like settlement fees, are charged to cover the external costs of processing your order. If you plan to invest regularly, these costs will be a determining factor in how much you pay overall.
If you invest in an asset that’s listed in a foreign currency, investment platforms will charge a markup to convert your euros. This is the foreign exchange (FX) fee. Rates vary between brokers, so it’s worth comparing before you invest in a non-euro asset.
Key Insight: FX fees can be avoided by either exclusively investing in euro-listed, euro-dividend-paying assets or by using a multi-currency account to invest in the asset’s listing currency.
Most platforms will set a minimum deposit when making a transfer to your account. Minimum deposits can range from as low as €1 to as much as €5,000. If fractional share investing is permitted, the minimum investment amount can be as low as €1. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to be able to afford the price of one share to invest.
Beyond fees, an app’s features can determine whether it’s the right fit for you. For example:
Fractional Investing lets you invest fixed amounts of all sizes, which makes investing far more accessible for those with low budgets.
Auto-Invest puts your recurring investments on auto-pilot, keeping you on schedule without the need to log in and place the order yourself.
Welcome Bonuses can serve as useful one-off boosts to your portfolio.
Not all trading apps will offer the features that appeal to you, which is why you need to know what is and isn’t available before committing.
Your day-to-day experience using an investing app is incredibly important. Modern online brokers build their technology with a digital-first end customer in mind, resulting in highly intuitive and easy-to-understand apps that make investing a breeze. But not all brokers offer the same seamless experience we’ve come to expect. Here are some factors to consider:
Onboarding & Account Setup – Most apps have a fully digital sign-up process, taking less than ten minutes to complete. Account approvals and activations are often instant. If your application requires a manual review, expect to wait a business day or two.
App Design & Mobile Layout – Many platforms are mobile-first, so the app layout shapes how you invest. Investors prefer a clean, visually appealing dashboard. Active traders want detailed screens with live charts and real-time news.
Availability of Web Version – Not every mobile app has a desktop equivalent. If you prefer analysing markets on a bigger screen, check for web support before signing up.
User Interface (UI) & Menu Navigation – A good app keeps its core features easy to find, from your portfolio dashboard to search and statements. Look for smooth menu navigation, clear order screens and self-explanatory tools.
How Free Apps Make Money
Commission-free investing doesn’t mean the platform earns nothing. Free apps make their money in other, less visible ways. For example, the FX fee on foreign currency conversions is a big earner. Online brokers may also lend out your investments and earn an income from it.
None of this makes free apps a bad deal. It just means the true cost of a platform is rarely the headline commission. To learn more about the hidden costs of zero-commission investing, check out our Investment Platforms for Beginners guide.
How To Choose An Investment App
The best app for one user isn’t necessarily the best for another. To find the right one for you, start by thinking about three things:
- 1What you want to invest in
- 2How often you plan to invest
- 3How much you’ll be investing each time
An investor making small monthly investments into a US stock may care most about trading commissions, FX fees, auto-invest and fractional shares.
Someone contributing a single annual lump sum into a euro-listed ETF might care more about account maintenance costs above all else.
Remember, what looks like a small difference in fees now can have a meaningful impact on your returns over time. Compare your options to see what the costs will be on different platforms for the type of investing you’re planning on doing.
Did You Know?: Investment apps operating in Ireland are required to hold your assets separately from their own. If an online broker goes out of business, your investments are not treated as company assets and can be safely transferred to another provider or sold.
Irish and EU-regulated platforms are members of the Investor Compensation Scheme which insures any losses due to failure up to 90% of the lost amount, capped at a maximum compensation of €20,000.
Details To Check Before You Choose
Product Availability
Not every product is available on all apps. If you already know what you want to invest in, check that it’s listed before signing up. Our ETF comparison tool does this for you.
Desktop Compatibility
Not every app has a desktop version; some are mobile-only. If you prefer to invest on a desktop, ensure that the platform supports it.
Portfolio Transferability
If you already hold investments with another platform, check whether your new app supports inbound transfers. This lets you transfer your existing portfolio without having to sell, avoiding any tax charges. You don’t have to transfer your positions if you don’t want to.
Ready to start investing? Once you’ve chosen an app, the next step is deciding what to invest in. If you’re planning to invest for the long term, check out our breakdown of the best ETFs for 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most apps ask for a photo ID, proof of address and your PPS number. You’ll then need to link a bank account in your name to fund it. Most applications are completed in-app and approvals can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.
Our comparisons include all major fees and charges levied by investment platforms, including account fees, commissions, FX fees, settlement fees and deposit fees.
Yes. The tool shows which investment options are available on each platform, including ETFs, stocks, bonds, crypto, derivatives and private equity.
Yes – in fact, we recommend it. Many apps are free to download, so there’s no harm trying them all out. That way, you’ll get a wider investment selection, greater flexibility around fees and more features. Plus, spreading out investments across multiple apps gives you more protection under the Investor Compensation Scheme.
There is none. These are all descriptors used when referring to the same thing – a piece of technology that allows you to invest your money.
An investment platform is a website or app that lets you buy and sell investments like ETFs, stocks and bonds. In Ireland, there are over a dozen platforms available, each with different fees, features and investment options.
No. Tax on investments in Ireland is largely self-assessed. The most competitive trading apps won’t handle your tax for you. You’re responsible for declaring your investment income and gains on your tax return and paying any tax due in a timely manner.
Your account is tied to your country of residence. If you move, some platforms may let you update your residency and carry on, while others will require you to close the account. Moving to another country may also change the tax rules that apply to your investments.
