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The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.
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Broker 2
| VS field |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Decision summary | ||
| Overall score | 82 | 91 |
| Trust score | 84 | 100 |
| Cost score | 82 | 92 |
| Platform score | 80 | 92 |
| Withdrawal score | 78 | 89 |
| Best for | Australian buy-and-hold investors · ETF dollar-cost-averaging investors · Investors wanting CHESS-sponsored ASX holdings | European self-directed investors seeking low-cost access to stocks and ETFs · Investors who prefer web/mobile platforms and exchange-traded products |
| Watch out | Not designed for short-term/active traders · Country availability/restrictions are not disclosed as a concise country list · US and Micro products rely on third-party partners/cus… | Needs verification |
Trust & regulation | ||
| Regulators | Australian financial services are under Sanlam AFSL/Pearler AR structure; US clearing broker Alpaca is FINRA/SIPC member. Source | Primarily supervised by BaFin and Bundesbank in Germany; Dutch branch registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB. Source |
| License numbers | AR 1281540; Sanlam AFSL 337927; Openmarkets AFSL 246705; Cache Investment Management AFSL 514360; Cache RE Services AFSL 494886; super partners include AFSL 229757/500032/226319. Source | Financial licence number not disclosed in reviewed official sources. Commercial registrations found: flatexDEGIRO Bank SE HRB 141330 on flatexDEGIRO Bank SE imprint; DEGIRO UK footer states HRB 105687; Dutch Branch KvK 82510245. Source |
| Regulated entities | Pearler is AR 1281540 of Sanlam Private Wealth AFSL 337927; ASX products use Openmarkets AFSL 246705; US products use Alpaca Securities; Micro fund issued by Cache (RE Services) AFSL 494886. Source | DEGIRO is operated by flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, a branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE; flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is a licensed German bank headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Source |
| Negative balance protection | Not applicable / not disclosed for long-only shares/ETF investing; no negative balance protection guarantee found. Source | No negative balance protection found. Official account-profile page warns losses can exceed deposit and result in a negative Balance for derivatives, margin and short-selling services; margin profiles are legacy-only. Source |
| Investor compensation | US securities clearing broker Alpaca is FINRA/SIPC member; ASX holdings are CHESS-sponsored/HIN-based; cash/trust and partner structures vary by product. Source | Cash in flatexDEGIRO Bank SE Cash Account protected up to €100,000 per customer under German Deposit Guarantee Scheme; investor compensation covers up to 90% of non-returned assets, max €20,000 per customer; UK FSCS does not apply. Source |
| Restricted countries | Pearler says information is not an offer in jurisdictions where Pearler is not registered or able to market its services; no concise accepted/restricted-country list was found. Source | Available via listed country selector in Europe/UK; US persons are not accepted; UK onboarding for new clients was temporarily unavailable on the reviewed UK page. Source |
Costs & account conditions | ||
| Minimum deposit | ASX initial investments must be at least AUD 500; Micro starts from AUD 5. Source | No fixed minimum deposit identified; DEGIRO homepage says users can add any amount of money to the account for free. Bank-account verification search result states minimum EUR 0.01 for linking a new bank account. Source |
| Spread from | Not applicable: Pearler is a shares/ETF investing platform, not a forex/CFD spread broker. Source | Not a quoted-spread CFD/FX broker field. DEGIRO discloses that bid-ask spreads are implicit market costs and not direct broker costs. Source |
| Commission | AUD 6.50 per ASX or US buy/sell; prepay discount can reduce each buy/sell by AUD 1.00. Source | Examples from UK fee page: US stocks €1 + €1 handling; LSE £1.75 + £1 handling; selected ETFs €0 + €1 handling; global ETFs €2 + €1 handling; options €0.75 commission. Currency, connectivity, external product and spread costs may apply. Source |
| Maximum leverage | Not disclosed / not applicable for retail share/ETF investing products; no margin or leverage product found in official product pages. Source | DEGIRO currently does not allow new changes to margin-trading profiles; legacy Active/Trader/Day Trader accounts may have Debit Money / derivatives risk but maximum leverage was not disclosed in reviewed sources. Source |
| Deposit fee | Free to deposit and receive dividends for ASX and US Invest; Micro has nil establishment/contribution fees per FSG/PDS summary. Source | No deposit fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; deposits listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Withdrawal fee | Pearler pricing says users can withdraw and close their account any time; managed-fund FSG summary lists withdrawal fee and exit fee as nil. Source | No withdrawal fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; withdrawals listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Inactivity fee | No inactivity fee found in the checked official pricing/FSG pages. Source | No inactivity fee; UK fee page lists inactivity fee as €0. Source |
Markets, platforms & payments | ||
| Tradable assets | ASX shares/ETFs, US shares/ETFs, managed-fund Micro options and self-directed super investments. Source | Shares, ETFs, bonds and derivatives such as options and futures; DEGIRO product pages also describe investment funds availability. Source |
| Trading platforms | Pearler website and Pearler mobile app. Source | DEGIRO provides a web/desktop trading platform (Webtrader) and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Source |
| Account types | ASX Invest supports multiple accounts (individual, joint, trust or minor); Pearler also offers Micro, Super, HomeSoon and Headstart products. Source | DEGIRO account/profile types include Basic, Active, Trader, Day Trader and Custody. Active, Trader and Day Trader are legacy-only and new margin profiles are no longer available. Source |
| Deposit methods | AUD Cash funding via Invest & Cash/app; bank account linking uses Basiq or small deposit; PayID/direct debit/PayTo via Zepto; USD ACH and Wire details are available for US bank accounts. Source | Manual bank transfer from a verified linked/reference bank account; deposits must use the account base currency. Source |
| Withdrawal methods | Withdraw cash from AUD Cash to linked primary bank account through website or mobile app. Source | Withdrawals go back to the primary registered/linked bank account; only uninvested cash in the Cash Account can be withdrawn. Source |
| Withdrawal processing time | After a sell order, funds must settle for 2 business days before they are available for withdrawal; deposit holds can apply. Source | Withdrawals may take up to 2-4 working days; transfers can take up to 2-3 working days to complete. Source |
BrokerVS provides broker comparison research only. Scores and evidence can vary by country, account type, and legal entity; users should verify source links before opening an account.