Germany is a major player in European trading. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange, whose opening bell marks the start of the EU trading session, is the largest in the region and one of the largest in the world, alongside London, New York, Tokyo, and others. And trading Forex and CFDs is rapidly gaining popularity in the local trading scene.
*Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Past Performance is not an indication of future results.
**AvaTrade doesn’t allow CFD trading in Spain; only Futures are available.
Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FXEmpire’s comprehensive methodology.
Without further ado, let’s move to the selected brokers.
Kicking things off on high gear, I chose Plus500 as my top overall pick for traders in Germany. The broker is renowned for its comprehensive offering, featuring a powerful trading platform, and top-tier market analytics.Â
Regional Features:
Plus500 stands out with its top-tier platform, the Plus500 WebTrader. Along with its high-definition charting, the trading station is also integrated with Plus500’s proprietary +Insights tool. It enables traders in Germany to keep pace with the ever-changing investor sentiment across multiple markets and assess bullish and bearish pressures.Â
Plus500’s stack of tradable instruments is larger than that of most other brokers in its tier, featuring more than 2,800 assets across currency pairs, commodities, stocks, indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and options contracts. I also encountered popular names there from the German industry, such as Adidas, BMW, SAP, and Rheinmetall.Â
The broker held its own in the fees category as well. From my live testing, I learned that Plus500’s DAX 40 spread fluctuated in the 1.9/2.3-point range, marking a small but meaningful improvement over the industry average of 2.4 points. The EURUSD spread was a different story, though, with the popular pair gravitating around the 1.4-pip threshold – above the 1.08 industry average.    Â
ActivTrades made a splash in the European trading scene with its rich assortment of trading platforms and tools that goes beyond what most other brokers in ActivTrades’ tier offer. The highlights of the offering include the Trading Central package and MT4/MT5 plugins. Â
Regional Features:
I performed my testing on ActivTrades’ sophisticated web-trading platform, ActivTrader, which boasts high-definition chart visuals and on-hand market analytics. The actionable trading signals from Trading Central take the cake as the most practical tools, as they help you keep pace with the most recent trading opportunities as they emerge.Â
For all you MetaTrader enthusiasts with a penchant for more traditional setups, ActivTrades offers MT4 and MT5 plugins. You can install those to access a wider range of technical indicators and Expert Advisors (EAs) than those included in the standard package.Â
From my experience with ActivTrades and its tools, I can recommend the broker’s ActivTrader platform, along with the built-in Trading Central content, to active day traders and market sentiment traders in Germany. Â
The major leg up MultiBank has over other brokers on our list is that it is supervised by Germany’s own regulator, BaFin. Professional traders in Germany will also appreciate MultiBank’s sophisticated trading software and a massive range of tradable instruments, exceeding 14,200 assets.Â
Regional Features:
The first thing that stood out to me about MultiBank was its advanced trading architecture. The broker provides free Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting for low-latency trading. Additionally, its advanced-grade MultiBank App platform for web trading supports FIX AP integration. Professional traders in Germany can use FIX API protocols to obtain raw spreads directly from an exchange’s order books and achieve ultra-fast order execution speeds.Â
In addition to having access to deep liquidity, MultiBank earned my stamp of approval for its extensive selection of tradable instruments. The bulk of the offering comprises 14,100+ shares of EU, UK, and US stocks. Additionally, professional traders in Germany can trade on dozens of currency pairs, commodities, indices, and cryptocurrencies.
Speaking of fees, I discovered that MultiBank’s fees were mostly competitive. I observed a 1.5-point spread on the DAX 40, beating the industry average of 2.4 points by a significant margin.Â
FxPro takes its trading platforms offering seriously and provides its clients multiple options, including popular names like MT4, MT5, and cTrader. But I chose the FxPro WebTrader as my top pick for German traders because the platform combines advanced chart visuals, integrated market research, and advanced order types to suit every taste.Â
Regional Features:
The defining feature of FxPro’s WebTrader is its advanced charting capabilities. Price action is fluid and represented in great detail, and you can zoom in on even the smallest price fluctuations with ease. This allows you to spot viable trading opportunities even on characteristically volatile instruments, such as the EURUSD and the DAX 40.Â
I conducted a series of tests on the platform and really appreciated the detachable charts, which offer users greater flexibility for analyzing price action than more cumbersome software such as MT4 and MT5. I also learned that FxPro’s flagship platform supports one-click trading and chart-based trading.Â
The FxPro WebTrader’s Achilles’ heel is that it is not really suited for anything other than conducting comprehensive technical analysis. In particular, the platform cannot be used for automated trading via Expert Advisors (EAs), nor for Depth-of-Market (DoM) trading.Â
If you move a lot and cannot afford to stay locked in front of the desktop screen all day but still want to trade, then you cannot go wrong with AvaTrade’s excellent AvaTrade App for mobile trading. It packs fluid chartig, a wide array of analytical tools, and integrated market research – all the perks you may require for successful trading on the go.Â
Regional Features:
There are many trading apps made available to traders in Germany, but few pack the same punch as the all-in-one AvaTrade App. It boasts easily scalable charting, even though the app is made for low-resolution devices, with on-hand market analytics.Â
From my testing, I learned that the app is integrated with actionable trading signals from Trading Central. Traders in Germany can use these to stay on top of the latest trading opportunities and lock into trades as soon as those emerge.Â
AvaTrade’s integrated educational content is another plus. It features a variety of educational videos and articles, mostly on technical analysis and fundamental analysis, for learning on the go. You can also use the app to place market, limit, and stop orders, as well as to manage your account on the go.
eToro is one of the most widely recognized brands in the trading industry because of its unique business model. Its offering is almost exclusively oriented towards copy trading and social trading, making it the perfect option for German traders interested in those types of trading.Â
Regional Features:
eToro has built a global community of millions of traders who share their ideas and know-how via the eToro Web Trader. The platform enables fast, easy connections between signal providers and signal followers, who do not have to pay any additional service fees.
If you are a signal follower, then you can use the platform’s built-in filters to sift through the thousands of available strategies by their performance (average returns, maximum drawdown, average market exposure, etc); and subscribe to the ones that best match your goals and needs.Â
And if you are a signal provider, you can trust the broker’s web-based platform to give you the best environment to promote your winning strategies. Signal providers are also allowed to set their own subscription fees. I confirmed that there is no cap on the maximum rate that can be charged.Â
The forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire bring together seasoned trading professionals and experienced financial journalists. Many of our experts have been featured in leading publications such as Investopedia and Forbes, and all of them combine strong industry credentials with hands-on trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later, Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licensed futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.