My Freedom24 review in 2025: Is the broker reputable?
Can this dynamic broker really compete with Germany’s low-cost giants? If you’re searching for a platform that offers a wide range of investment options, competitive fees, and a surprisingly user-friendly experience, Freedom24 might just catch your attention. In this Freedom24 review, we take a closer look at what sets this broker apart — and whether it’s truly as good as it sounds.
Based on my personal experience, I’ll walk you through costs, available products, customer service, platform usability , and most importantly, whether Freedom24 is a trustworthy and reliable choice for investors in Europe and beyond.
In brief:
- The new broker impresses with a huge selection, good service and fair prices. My Freedom24 experiences have been overwhelmingly positive so far.
- This is a foreign broker. You have to pay tax on your profits yourself and your capital is only protected up to €20,000.
- Freedom24 has experience in the CIS market (former Soviet Union) and offers access to shares there, that are otherwise difficult to obtain.
- You get very high fixed return on your capital here. Elsewhere, however, there are some hidden costs
Freedom24 review: who is this broker and what do they offer?
The German brokerage market has always followed a clear structure: on one side, neo-brokers attract investors with low fees but often fall short in customer support. On the other side, traditional banks and financial institutions provide reliable service, but their high fees eat into profits .
Freedom24 is breaking this mold . Although the broker has been operating internationally for over 15 years, it has only recently entered the German market. With its arrival, Freedom24 introduces a unique mix of low costs, wide product availability, and strong customer service — a rare combination in the current landscape.
As this Freedom24 broker review shows, the platform blends two qualities that typically don’t coexist. That’s thanks to its history: launched as Russia’s first fully online broker, it quickly expanded across Eastern Europe and Asia, building a solid international foundation.
Today, Freedom Holding Corp., the parent company, is headquartered in Cyprus and listed on the NASDAQ in the U.S. The company has experienced rapid growth—its share price has surged more than 550x since 2017—positioning it as a rising player in global finance.
Freedom Holding’s share price has increased 550-fold since 2017
Germany and other EU countries are the latest field of activity. Freedom24 is using its experience from other nations very successfully here as well and is seeing a growing customer base of now over 350,000 users. In broker comparisons, the company is one of the larger providers. So don’t be put off by the fact that Freedom24 is not yet well known in Germany!
Good to know:
Freedom24 was founded in Russia, but has long since left that market and is now based in the USA and Cyprus. So you don’t have to worry about the war in Ukraine, sanctions, etc.
This Freedom Finance investment platform review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning regulation. The company is regulated in multiple jurisdictions: by the SEC in the U.S., CySEC in Cyprus, and BaFin in Germany. Additionally, it operates 126 branches across 17 countries, each overseen by local regulators—something that proved vital during the 2008 financial crisis.
However, it’s important to note: Freedom24 is not a German-licensed broker. That comes with two key consequences. First, the €100,000 German deposit guarantee doesn’t apply. Instead, uninvested funds are protected up to €20,000 under EU rules.
From my perspective, that’s more than enough, since most capital is typically invested in shares or ETFs, which aren’t affected. In the unlikely event of a broker failure, your assets can be safely transferred to another provider .
Another important aspect of this Freedom24 trading platform review is taxation. Freedom24 doesn’t withhold the flat-rate tax, so you’ll need to declare your gains yourself. While that means a bit more paperwork, it also gives you a cash flow advantage, letting you reinvest profits before taxes are due—potentially earning more.
In terms of tax, I have had very good experiences with a mix of German and foreign brokers such as Freedom24. This allows you to combine their respective advantages well. You can find the best domestic brokers by taking a look at my reports on Scalable Capital vs. Trade Republic and the broker comparison.
How Freedom24 works: create an account and claim your welcome bonus
If you follow my registration link, you can currently receive up to 20 free shares, depending on your initial deposit. The average value of this welcome bonus ranges from €79 to an impressive €529! For anyone considering a new brokerage account, this makes signing up with Freedom24 very appealing and hassle-free.
As with most modern platforms, the entire process is handled online. All you need to get started is your email address and smartphone . Later, you’ll be asked to verify your identity and address, so keep your passport or ID card and a utility bill or bank statement handy. Everything is fully digital and takes only a few minutes.
Another strong point worth highlighting in this Freedom24 review is the quality of customer service. Throughout the process, support is just a click away. In my experience, Freedom24 offers standout service for a low-cost broker—something many competitors lack.
Good to know:
Freedom24 is known to check everything very carefully. It is therefore not uncommon for documents to have to be resubmitted or for the check to take several hours. So patience is required here – but I see it as a mark of quality.
To give you a first-hand look at the process, I opened a new account and deposited €3,000. Topping up the account is completely free. After logging in, I was welcomed by a clean and intuitive web interface , making navigation easy even for beginners.
There’s also a powerful Freedom24 trading platform app for mobile use, including advanced tools for analysis and order placement. However, for this review, I’m using the browser version to give you a step-by-step view of how everything works.
Now, how do you invest with Freedom24? While this Freedom Finance investment platform review isn’t focused on in-depth investing strategies, I used two popular ETFs for the test: “Vanguard FTSE Developed World” and “Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets.” These represent stable, globally diversified choices and are easy to find using the platform’s fast and accurate search function .
Once selected, you can view full charts and data—but in this case, I skipped that part, as I’m already convinced of their quality. I chose these products mainly to demonstrate how the platform handles actual transactions.
Good to know:
Which of the many investment options is right for you? You can find the answer in my posts on the best ETF for 2025, the best funds and, of course, investing money in shares.
To place the order, two-factor authentication is required—a key security feature. Freedom24 offers various order types, and I prefer limit orders. These allow you to buy at a set price or better, never worse. It’s a feature I appreciate, as many other brokers in this price range don’t offer such flexibility.
Since my ETF is USD-denominated, I quickly exchanged euros to US dollars directly in the platform—fast, seamless, and with no extra fee. The exchange rate offered was also very competitive.
For European stocks and ETFs, currency conversion isn’t necessary. The exchange step takes only seconds, and the order is placed. You can adjust additional settings like order duration, but for this Freedom24 broker review, I’m keeping it simple and sticking to the basics.
Freedom24 broker review: business model and fee structure explained
Even a broker like Freedom24 has to earn money — but the good news is that its fees remain low and generally fair . As this Freedom24 broker review shows, the platform offers two main pricing models: “Smart” and “Prime.” You might recognize the “Prime” label from other platforms like Scalable Capital, but in this case, the similarities end with the name.
To keep things simple, here’s a breakdown of both pricing models based on a €3,000 test investment made for this Freedom Finance review:
SMART plan
- 6 orders of €500 each = 6 x €2.00 = €12 basic fee
- Estimated number of shares: 60 → €0.02 per share = €1.20
- Total cost: €13.20
PRIME plan
- 6 orders of €500 each = 6 x €1.20 = €7.20 basic fee
- Estimated number of shares: 60 → €0.012 per share = €0.72
- Volume fee (0.25%): €7.50
- Total cost: €15.42
In both models, Freedom24 remains very cost-effective — especially considering the extensive product selection and high service quality it offers compared to many competitors. For example, a broker like Trade Republic might charge only €6 for the same orders, but it doesn’t match Freedom24’s range of markets and investment tools .
However, one crucial detail to note in this Freedom24 trading platform review is the pricing for U.S. stock options: Prime users pay significantly more in this case. If you’re planning to trade these kinds of derivatives, the Smart plan is clearly the better option.
Attention!
Freedom24 charges an incredibly high fee of €250 if you want to participate in a shareholder meeting. This is, for example, ten times more than its competitor Trade Republic charges. I therefore strongly recommend that you get your cards from a different broker.
Freedom finance review: product range and trading options under the microscope
If your broker offers a wide selection, you can always find the best investment at the moment. If Freedom24 gives you access to multiple trading venues, allowing you to choose the most cost-efficient exchange for your orders. This feature alone can help you save significantly on fees when trading shares, ETFs, or derivatives.
In my experience, Freedom24 outperforms most brokers in terms of selection. With access to over one million tradable instruments, including at least 40,000 individual stocks and 15 global trading venues, the platform opens up a world of opportunities.
A particularly interesting aspect of this Freedom Finance investment platform review is its access to markets that are often inaccessible to German investors. For example, you can trade securities from CIS countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, or Azerbaijan—regions rich in companies focused on natural resources such as oil, gas, and precious metals. Starting at just 0.8% per order, Freedom24 offers these exotic investments at prices that are often more competitive than domestic platforms.
While many German brokers limit your ETF choices to Europe-based funds, Freedom24 significantly broadens your selection, making it a top contender in ETF comparisons in terms of variety and pricing.
However, no Freedom24 review would be complete without mentioning its biggest drawback: there are currently no ETF savings plans available. This makes the broker less appealing for long-term, automated investors and places it at the bottom of savings plan rankings.
Still, if you’re a self-directed investor looking for global access, competitive fees, and unique opportunities, Freedom24 offers one of the most diversified product ranges available today.
Freedom24 trading platform review: exploring their investment ideas
Do you want to invest smartly without spending hours researching the markets? Then the investment ideas from Freedom24 might be exactly what you’re looking for. This feature, highlighted in every honest Freedom24 trading platform review, brings you curated recommendations from a team of seasoned analysts.
According to the broker, these experts have an average of 10 years of experience in the securities market. They scan the financial world to identify high-potential opportunities, offering insights into both individual stocks and more complex instruments like options. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced investor, there’s something here for you.
The performance of these suggestions is noteworthy: the team claims an average return of 16%, and they’ve had successful calls on companies like Beyond Meat and Zoom—so accurate, in fact, that they’ve received awards from leading financial media outlets.
The best part? This service is completely free and accessible right on the Freedom24 website. No registration required. While you could theoretically use the investment tips with another broker, in practice, this can be difficult—many competitors don’t offer access to the same international securities.
Good to know:
The award-winning investment ideas are freely accessible. You can implement them with any provider from our broker comparison and are not tied to Freedom24!
Is Freedom24 reputable? A look at safety and regulation
One of the most common questions in any Freedom24 review is: can this broker be trusted? Especially given its status as a foreign provider, many German investors initially feel uncertain. But based on my experience, there’s no need for concern. Freedom24 is a well-established, internationally regulated broker with over 15 years of successful operation.
While it’s true that German deposit insurance does not apply, European investor protection rules do. This means your uninvested funds are protected up to €20,000. So, if Freedom24 were to go bankrupt and you held a cash balance of €20,000 or less in your account, you would be fully covered under EU regulations.
That said, amounts above €20,000 are not covered, so it may be wise to avoid parking large sums of idle cash in your account. This is especially relevant given the temptation of the broker’s high fixed-interest offers, which—while attractive—do not bypass the €20,000 guarantee cap.
Good to know:
The shares and ETFs in your portfolio are considered special assets. Even in the event of bankruptcy, your broker or its creditors cannot touch them. This means that your portfolio is protected regardless of its size, even in the event of a broker insolvency.
To sum it up: Freedom24 is reputable, well-regulated, and has built-in security mechanisms across multiple jurisdictions. However, it’s crucial to understand that only non-invested capital up to €20,000 is protected. This is a key point to consider in any freedom finance review or when comparing it with other platforms in the market.
Freedom Finance investment platform review: insights on tax-related specifics
The fact that Freedom24 is a foreign broker also has implications for your taxes. Unlike German providers, Freedom24 does not automatically deduct or transfer the capital gains tax (Abgeltungssteuer) to the tax office. Instead, you must declare your profits yourself in your annual tax return.
In a broker comparison, this aspect is a double-edged sword. For some, it’s a burden—but for savvy investors, it’s an advantage. Based on my experience, this system allows for potentially higher profits, as the tax payment is delayed by several months—from the end of the year until the tax return is processed and the payment is due.
During this time, you can reinvest the untaxed profits and possibly generate additional returns. Depending on how your investments perform, this delay can make a significant difference in long-term growth.
However, it may be inconvenient for those who’ve never had to file a tax return before. For example, if you’re employed and have only used German brokers so far, you typically don’t need to submit a separate return. That changes with Freedom24.
Still, as noted in many a freedom finance review, most private investors today already manage their taxes themselves or use a tax advisor. So in real-world terms, there’s often little to no extra administrative effort involved.
And yes— Freedom24 does provide a tax report to help you prepare your return, making the process more straightforward.
Freedom24 pros and cons: what you should know before investing
As you’ve probably noticed throughout this Freedom24 review, my overall impression of the platform is very positive. I’m genuinely impressed by what this relatively lesser-known broker has to offer. Let’s take a closer look at the key strengths—and where there’s still room for improvement.
Pros of Freedom24
- Massive product selection : With over 1 million tradable assets , including around 40,000 shares and 3,500 ETFs , plus bonds, options, and other derivatives, Freedom24 easily outpaces most competitors . In the shares and ETFs segment, only CapTrader currently provides more variety.
- Unique market access: Among mainstream brokers, Freedom24 offers exclusive access to CIS countries such as Russia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan—ideal for investors seeking exposure to emerging markets.
- Low and transparent fees: The two cost models—Smart and Prime—are simple and very competitive. A transaction can cost as little as €1.20, rivaling even well-known players like Scalable Capital and Trade Republic.
- User-friendly platform: Both the web interface and mobile app are well-designed, stable, and easy to use. With over 15 years of international experience, Freedom24 delivers the polish you’d expect from a seasoned platform.
- Strong customer support: Unlike many other low-cost brokers, Freedom24 provides responsive and high-quality service. For example, during the Russia sanctions, the broker helped clients convert ADRs (depositary receipts) into actual shares—a rare and valuable feature.
- Attractive interest on uninvested funds: Currently, the broker offers 3.34% interest on euros and up to 4.84% on US dollars, which is well above market average.
Cons of Freedom24
- €7 withdrawal fee: Each time you transfer funds to your bank account, you’ll be charged €7. This can be especially frustrating for investors relying on monthly passive income, as the fee applies to every transaction.
- Tax complexity: As highlighted earlier in this Freedom Finance investment platform review, Freedom24 doesn’t handle tax deductions for you. While this gives you a cash flow advantage, it also means filing a tax return becomes necessary—which may be new for some investors.
- Limited deposit protection: Being a foreign broker, only €20,000 of your non-invested capital is protected under EU rules—not the €100,000 protection offered by German brokers.
- High cost for AGM tickets: If you want to attend a shareholder meeting, Freedom24 charges an eye-watering €250 per ticket. In comparison, Trade Republic only charges €25. It’s often smarter to buy those shares via another broker if AGM access is your goal.
- No savings plans: A major downside is the absence of ETF savings plans, a favorite tool for long-term investors. This places Freedom24 at the bottom of any savings plan comparison—at least for now. Hopefully, this feature will be added in the future.
Top alternatives to Freedom24 for active investors
The broker market is very extensive and Freedom24 fits in between all the chairs. With the scope of its services, it competes with the largest online brokers, while its fees can keep pace with the low-cost neo-brokers.
In my experience, Freedom24 mainly competes with two providers:
Trade Republic
Trade Republic is Germany’s most successful neo-broker – more than 2.5 million Germans have a portfolio here. This enormous success has been achieved through very favorable conditions of just one euro per transaction. At first glance, this is only around €0.20 below Freedom24’s prices.
In practice, however, fees of between €0.02 and 0.25% per share are added. At Trade Republic, on the other hand, it remains at €1 per execution. There is also an extensive range of free savings plans, while you won’t find these options at Freedom24.
Trade Republic also has a slight lead when it comes to interest rates: it offers 3.25 percent for overnight money and deposit protection of up to €100,000.
With 3.25% interest, Trade Republic has the slightly better offer.
However, the German broker cannot keep up when it comes to the range of products: its offering of just under 8,000 shares and only one available trading venue only draws a weary smile from Freedom24. Especially for US stocks and ETFs and shares from Asia, there is hardly any way around Freedom.
My tip:
Use both providers! Since there is no account maintenance fee, you will not be at a disadvantage if you open a securities account with both brokers. For example, you can execute your savings plans with Trade Republic and process international shares and ETFs through Freedom24.
CapTrader
A similar concept is pursued by CapTrader, a German company that is also legally considered a foreign broker. My CapTrader experience shows, above all, a huge selection of international securities at extremely favorable conditions.
Here you can trade over 1.3 million securities and derivatives for prices starting at €2.00 for stock trades, €1 for futures, €2 for ETFs, €3.75 for Forex and much more. I find these adjusted fees to be very fair.
In my opinion, both Freedom24 and CapTrader are ideal candidates for a second portfolio. However, if you want to earn interest on your capital, CapTrader is not for you: you won’t find a call money offer or similar interest products here.
Community reviews and real user opinions on Freedom24
My personal experience with Freedom24 has been very good, but within the community, there’s still a fair amount of skepticism — the offer seems almost too good to be true. Alongside comments confirming the platform’s quality, many users post follow-up questions and ask for reassurance.
Is the exchange rate really that good? Are my shares and ETFs really held in a segregated fund? I’ve received countless questions like these from curious investors.
These types of questions — especially about how the platform functions — are very common in the early stages but can usually be answered quickly and clearly.
One of the most frequent concerns is related to Freedom24’s status as a foreign broker. Users are often unsure about how the regulations by BaFin and CySEC work in practice. These doubts, however, are easily addressed by reading the broker’s terms and following basic safety advice — like not keeping more than €20,000 in uninvested cash in your account.
What you rarely find in any Freedom24 review or real user feedback is serious criticism based on actual use. Those who actively use the platform seem to encounter very few problems. That said, some fair points of criticism do exist — particularly the €7 fee for withdrawals and the charges for credit card deposits.
Still, many comments confirm that Freedom24 delivers as promised. Most community feedback reflects positive real-world usage, with hard complaints being surprisingly rare.
Freedom24 review conclusion: a powerful global broker with real advantages for active investors
Freedom24 is an internationally successful online broker that is also stirring up the market with its mix of a wide selection, low prices, and solid customer service . With more than a million tradable shares, ETFs, derivatives and more, as well as 15 available trading venues, it offers a gigantic range of products .
In particular, access to US securities and markets in Asia and the former Soviet states provides broad investment opportunities. Few brokers offer ETFs from the United States , making this a standout feature.
There are a few drawbacks: for example, a €7 withdrawal fee and a steep €250 charge for general meeting attendance. These are uncommon and could be off-putting for some.
Still, Freedom24 remains a highly attractive broker with a selection and reach that outperforms many competitors in this price range. It’s no surprise that my experience has been consistently positive — and I hope this Freedom24 review helps you decide if it’s the right fit for your investment goals.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about Freedom24, its features and benefits
