Swissquote
Swissquote Bank
Overall Rating
Annual cost (ETF investor)
CHF 156
ETF CHF 5k on SIX
CHF 9.85
FX fee
0.95%
Custody fee
CHF 86 to 216 a year
Our take on Swissquote
CHF 9 per ETF trade looks cheap. The custody fee is where Swissquote really gets paid.
Swissquote trading ranks #3 among 10 brokers. It's the most complete Swiss broker in our table, from ETFs and bonds to options and crypto, but about CHF 156 a year for our ETF investor makes it far from the cheapest. It suits investors who want everything under one Swiss roof and are willing to pay for it.
What does Swissquote really cost?
Our ETF investor pays CHF 156 a year, and the commission is the smallest part: four ETF Leaders trades at CHF 9.85 (CHF 9 plus a CHF 0.85 real-time surcharge) add up to CHF 39.40. Stamp duty adds CHF 30. The biggest item is custody: CHF 86.48 a year including VAT on our CHF 50,000 profile.
Custody climbs in steps of CHF 20, 25, 37.50 or 50 per quarter plus VAT depending on your portfolio, so between CHF 86 and CHF 216 a year. Compare that with Saxo at CHF 46 and IBKR at CHF 20 for the same profile. Over ten years, the gap with Saxo alone comes to more than CHF 1,000.
What Actually Stands Out
The widest product range of any Swiss bank we tested. Stocks, ETFs, bonds, funds, options, futures, CFDs, forex and crypto on 31 markets, plus fractional shares, a savings plan and a demo account. If you want one Swiss account for everything from a monthly ETF plan to a bitcoin position, Swissquote is the only bank in our table that does it all.
Swissquote is a FINMA-licensed bank listed on SIX, which you can verify in FINMA's list of authorised institutions, and esisuisse protects your cash up to CHF 100,000. ETF Leaders, a selection with a flat CHF 9 commission above CHF 1,000, keeps larger ETF orders cheap on the commission side.
What Most Reviews Miss
The 0.95% currency fee hurts more than the commission. Buy CHF 8,000 of a US stock and the conversion alone costs CHF 76, before you've paid a franc of commission. Holding USD in your multi-currency account helps if you receive dollars, but most Swiss investors fund in francs and pay that fee every single time.
The eTax statement costs CHF 85 a year, while Saxo and neon give theirs away. Exchange fees aren't included in the published commissions either, and every trade carries the CHF 0.85 real-time surcharge, ETF Leaders included. None of these is huge alone, but together they explain the gap between the headline price and your yearly bill.
The Bottom Line
Swissquote makes sense if you'll actually use the range: options, bonds, funds and crypto in one Swiss bank. For a plain ETF portfolio, you're paying about CHF 110 a year extra for features you won't touch. Before deciding, run your own portfolio through our broker comparison tool.
Verdict: The most complete Swiss broker, priced like one; ETF-only investors get better value at Saxo.
Pros
- Widest product range of any Swiss bank in our table
- 31 markets, fractional shares and a savings plan
- Flat CHF 9 for ETF Leaders above CHF 1,000
- Share register entry for Swiss stocks
- FINMA bank with esisuisse cover up to CHF 100,000
Cons
- Custody fee of CHF 86 to 216 a year
- 0.95% FX on every currency conversion
- CHF 0.85 real-time surcharge on each trade
- eTax statement costs CHF 85
Broker Details
At a Glance
- FINMA-licensed bank, esisuisse protection
- ETF savings plan
- Fractional shares
- Access to 31 exchanges
- CHF IBAN
What does it cost you per year?
What does it cost you per year?
Everything Swissquote charges in a year for our three investor profiles: custody fees incl. VAT, commissions, Swiss stamp duty and currency conversion.
Starter · CHF 10,000 portfolio, 12 ETF buys of CHF 500 a year
ETF investor · CHF 50,000 portfolio, 4 ETF buys of CHF 5,000 a year
Active · CHF 200,000 portfolio, 24 Swiss and 12 US trades a year
Same profiles as the ranking. USD/CHF 0.80, EUR/CHF 0.94.
Price list
Price list
Swiss stock CHF 1,000 on SIX
Swiss stock CHF 5,000 on SIX
Swiss stock CHF 10,000 on SIX
ETF CHF 5k on SIX
US stock USD 1,000
US stock USD 5k
FX fee
Custody fee
Transfer out, per position
Minimum deposit
Commissions only, without stamp duty and currency conversion. Source: the broker's published price list.
Safety check
Safety check
You contract with Swissquote Bank, a FINMA-licensed Swiss bank, so your cash is protected by esisuisse up to CHF 100,000 and your securities are held as segregated assets.
Safety level
FINMA-licensed bank
Cash protected by esisuisse (CHF 100,000)
Securities held separately from the broker's assets
Securities in custody belong to you and are returned if the broker fails. Cash is only protected up to the deposit scheme limit.
Swiss tax check
Swiss tax check
eTax statement
Swiss stamp duty
Swiss share register entry
US dividends: 15% withheld at source with a W-8BEN form, claimable as a credit with the DA-1 form in your Swiss tax return.
Products and features
Products and features
Exchanges
Savings plan
Fractional shares
CHF IBAN
Multi-currency account
Bonds
Funds
Options and futures
Crypto
Mobile app
Web platform
Demo account
Compare to Similar Brokers
| Swissquote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.9 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 3.6 / 5 | 3.4 / 5 |
| Annual cost (ETF investor) | CHF 156 | CHF 20 | CHF 152 | CHF 130 |
| ETF CHF 5k on SIX | CHF 9.85 | CHF 5 | CHF 9 | CHF 25 |
| FX fee | 0.95% | 0.002% | 0.5% | Included |
| Safety level | FINMA bank, esisuisse | EU/UK regulated | FINMA bank, esisuisse | FINMA bank, esisuisse |
Frequently asked questions
- What's the minimum deposit for a Swissquote trading account?
- CHF 1,000. That's an outlier: most brokers we compare, including Saxo, IBKR and neon, let you start with CHF 0. If you only want to test investing with a few hundred francs, Swissquote isn't the place to start.
- Why does a CHF 10,000 trade cost so much more than a CHF 1,000 trade at Swissquote?
- Because the commission jumps in steps. A CHF 1,000 Swiss stock order costs CHF 5.85, a CHF 10,000 order CHF 29.85, both including the CHF 0.85 real-time surcharge. Splitting it into ten CHF 1,000 orders would cost even more: CHF 58.50.
- Does Swissquote enter my Swiss shares in the share register?
- Yes, Swissquote offers share register entry for Swiss stocks, so you can be listed as a registered shareholder. Among the 10 brokers we compare, only Swissquote, PostFinance, UBS and Cornèrtrader offer it. Foreign brokers like IBKR and DEGIRO don't.
How We Rated This Broker
63.8 points out of 100, shown as 3.9 out of 5.
Ratings are updated monthly based on the latest available data. All brokers are evaluated using the same methodology. Deals, promo codes and commissions never change the score: every rank comes from published fees and verifiable features.
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