Scalable Capital review
7.5
(our review)
Scalable Capital is a European broker where you can invest in shares, ETFs and crypto. In our latest review, Scalable scored a 7,5. We are positive about how easy it is to use, the range of options and the low fees. The free plan already has low costs, and for 4,99 euro per month, all transactions from 250 euro are free.
Contents:
Please note: investing money online involves risks, and you can lose part or all of your investment.
What is typical about Scalable Capital?
Scalable Capital is a new digital stock broker with low fees, a good selection of investments and easy-to-use digital tools. It offers a free plan with low costs. Active investors can trade without limits for a fixed monthly fee, without custody fees and often without commission on ETFs.
The platform gives access to thousands of shares, ETFs, crypto and derivatives through gettex and Xetra. You can also invest in fractions of shares. Besides doing it yourself, you can choose a managed portfolio based on your risk profile. In Europe, Scalable Capital is regulated in Germany.
Investors often compare Scalable Capital with Trade Republic, eToro and Interactive Brokers.
Opening your first account
Opening an investment account with Scalable Capital is very simple. We opened our first account in about fifteen minutes. You can do this on your mobile phone or on a desktop, but you always need the app to log in.
During registration, you are asked to provide your name, address, email and phone number. You also fill in your IBAN. Then the verification process starts. You need your ID, such as a passport, and a mobile phone. With your phone, you take a few selfies and share your location once. This check takes about five to ten minutes. After that, a Free Broker account is opened automatically.
Transferring money
Transferring money to Scalable is easy. You transfer the money manually to a German IBAN. This works with any bank. We could also use a joint account. The first deposit arrived in the account within an hour.
You can also use a QR code. Scalable says that all banks accept this, but it did not work with the first bank we tried. With other banks, it worked right away. Please note: if you transfer less than 5.000 euro using the QR method, there are extra costs. Manual transfers are free, and the money also arrived quickly for us. In both cases, you can start investing the same day.
User-friendliness of Scalable
Investing with Scalable Capital is quite simple. The menus quickly lead you to investment plans that show an overview of popular ETFs. These allow you to invest in many companies at once, often across different indexes or even worldwide. This is ideal for new or passive investors.
For crypto, you first choose the coin, then the product (the issuing company). Fees can vary a lot, so it is smart to compare them. For example, with Bitcoin you can choose 21Shares with a yearly fee of one point four nine percent, or Bitwise or Coinshares with a fee of zero point three five percent per year.
Choosing products yourself
When you open a new account, the platform is mostly focused on passive ETF investing. But you can also easily search by name or ISIN code. This way, you can also invest in individual crypto or shares. Sometimes, you can choose on which exchange you want to trade, although Scalable’s default option usually works fine.
Placing an order is quite simple. The platform mainly uses market orders, but it also offers stop and limit orders. It gives a short explanation of the differences. After placing an order, you can choose to sell your investment automatically if you reach a certain profit or loss. More brokers offer this, but Scalable has made it very easy to use.
Offering
Scalable Capital mainly focuses on ETF investment plans, but you can also search for products yourself using the search bar. You trade on gettex or Xetra, not directly on exchanges like AEX or NASDAQ. Because of this, the selection can sometimes be smaller and the spreads can be higher.
In our test, this was not a problem. We easily found small German, Dutch and American stocks. For most investors, the offering is more than enough. On gettex, there are sometimes fewer order types, and Xetra can be a bit more expensive. The ETF selection is large and similar to that of other major brokers.
Focus on passive investing
Scalable offers many features for passive investors, such as investment plans, automatic investing, fractional investing and interest on uninvested money. You will not find high-risk leveraged products like futures or CFDs. Scalable Capital also does not offer direct trading in traditional call or put options on shares.
You can invest in derivatives, which allow you to take long or short positions, for example to speculate or reduce risk. These are complex products with higher risk. They are not recommended for beginners, and on Scalable you will not easily find them unless you search for them on purpose.
Scalable also offers crypto. The selection is limited, but the basics like bitcoin, ethereum and solana are available. For less common coins, you will quickly end up with regular ETF providers. Almost all brokers offer these as well, but some come with fairly high yearly fees.
Investment information
Scalable often shows basic information about products, such as dividend and market value. For ETFs, you can quickly see the type of investment, the fees and how the money is spread. Still, it would be better if you could also see the exact underlying investments. Even in global ETFs, a few shares or sectors can have a large influence.
For some investments, you also see an average analyst rating. This gives a general idea, but without more explanation, it does not mean much. For active investors, the information is too limited.
Business or joint account
Scalable Capital only offers investment accounts for individuals. You cannot open a business or joint account. For this, you can go to Saxo.
Fees at Scalable Capital
Scalable Capital has clear and low fees. For new investors, there is a good FREE plan with no monthly costs and low transaction fees. Active traders can choose the PRIME+ plan for 4.99 per month, with even lower costs per trade.
1. FREE Broker
– No monthly fees
– Buying PRIME ETFs from 250 euro: free
– Other trades: 0.99 each
– Investment plans: free
– Crypto ETPs: 0.99 percent spread fee
– Instant QR-code deposits: 0.99 percent, free from 5.000 euro
2. PRIME+ Broker
– 4.99 per month
– Trades from 250 euro: free
– Trades under 250 euro: 0.99
– Investment plans: free
– Crypto ETPs: 0.69 percent spread fee
– Instant QR-code deposits: 0.69 percent, free from 5.000 euro
Both plans have no custody fees or entry costs for funds.
Customer service
Scalable Capital provides customer service in multiple languages, including English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Dutch. They offer support through live chat, email and phone. Service hours may vary by region.
Experiences with customer service differ: some clients are happy with the quick help, while others mention slow responses and limited support. On Trustpilot, the platform scores 3.4 out of 5 based on nearly 4,000 reviews. Users appreciate the clear fees and the easy-to-use app. Criticism often focuses on customer service and delays with deposits or administrative processes, such as tax forms.
Reliability
Scalable Capital is a German investment firm supervised by BaFin and the Bundesbank. This means the company follows strict financial rules, which adds to its reliability.
Review score: 7,5
In our latest review, we gave Scalable Capital a 7,5 out of 10. It is a good platform for new investors, with low costs and easy navigation. Registration is simple and you can often start investing the same day. The mobile app is very complete and easy to use, even for beginners.
One downside is the limited investment information. Besides the name and the price, you do not see much detail about the products. You can tell if a price goes up or down, but not why. This makes the platform more suitable for long-term investors who do not want to follow daily news.
The selection of shares and ETFs is solid. For crypto, the offering is more limited, unless you are mainly interested in well-known coins like bitcoin, ethereum or solana.
