Best robo-advisors in Germany in 2024 (compared)

Toni Nasr, CFA, FRM

Robo-advisors are gaining significant traction in Germany as an accessible and cost-effective investment solution. These automated platforms utilize advanced algorithms and user-friendly interfaces to empower investors to achieve their financial goals. However, it can be difficult to know which one is right for you. That's where Robo-Advisor Finder comes in.

We have compiled a quick list of the top Robo-advisors in Germany for 2024. To simplify your search and assist you in making a well-informed choice, we have looked at factors such as fees, investment options, customer service, and user experience.

Here’s the quick list of the top Robo-advisors in Germany in 2024:

  1. Quirion: Best Overall
  2. eToro: Best for smart portfolios and social investing
  3. mintos: Best for 0% fees (use promo code "M24STARTNOW" and get an instant €50 with a minimum deposit of €1,000)
  4. XTB investment Portfolios: Best for DIY long-term investors looking for low fees
  5. Whitebox: Best for portfolio customization
  6. Scalable Capital: Best for brokerage and Robo-advisory.
  7. Growney: Best for low fees

Best Robo-advisors in Germany

For German investors, essential factors to consider when selecting a Robo-advisor include competitive pricing, low minimum deposit requirements, the availability of savings plans, and the ability to customize investment portfolios.

To list the best Robo-advisors in Germany, we've checked different platforms and evaluated those main characteristics, and here are the results of our deep dive research.

#1 Quirion

💲Fees: Between 0.48% and 1.20%

💵 Minimum balance: €0

💰 Savings plan starting: €25

Founded in 2013, Quirion was the first Robo-advisor in Germany. It provides tailored portfolios and investment strategies to match your risk-return profile for those who want to invest their money in an easy, low-cost, and professional manner.

Quirion offers a comprehensive range of investment options to suit your needs. Their globally diversified ETF portfolios are a solid foundation for your investment strategy, tailored to match your risk-return profile. These portfolios can be utilized as standalone investments or combined with the Megatrends portfolio, which focuses on selected markets such as infrastructure, cybersecurity, new energies, artificial intelligence, and smart cities.

In addition to the Megatrends portfolio, Quirion provides 13 different thematic strategies that cater to specific topics such as cannabis, cloud computing, health, innovation, and more. These thematic strategies provide further diversification and potential growth prospects for your investment portfolio. 

Quirion offers a variety of service packages to meet your specific needs:

  • Quirion Digital: This basic package costs 0.48% per year and includes full access to all strategies, a hotline service, and basic financial planning.
  • Quirion Premium: This package costs 0.84% per year and includes tailored advice via phone and video, a versatile financial coaching program, private financial planning, and access to exclusive events.
  • Quirion Private: This premium package costs 1.2% per year and includes a personal advisor on-site, a high level of personalized service, a checking account, and access to exclusive events.

You can invest up to €10,000 for one year free of charge in the digital package.

Quirion Homepage

#2 eToro

💲Fees: No annual management fees (other fees apply)

💵 Minimum balance: $50 to open an account; $500 to invest in Smart Portfolios

💰 Savings plan starting: Not available

eToro is a multi-asset brokerage and social trading platform that was founded in 2007. It has become a leading online platform for social investing and trading in a wide range of financial assets, including equities, cryptocurrencies, commodities, Forex, and others.

eToro offers Smart Portfolios, a cutting-edge and automated way for investors to diversify their portfolios and gain exposure to major market trends. These ready-made portfolios are created by eToro analysts and innovative investment startups. There are over 80 Smart Portfolios covering a range of top market themes, trends, and industries, including disruptive technologies, the 5G revolution, renewable energy, the metaverse, and more.

These unique investment strategies provide investors with a convenient and diversified way to invest without incurring portfolio management fees. However, you must choose which Smart Portfolio is right for you, as there is no algorithm to recommend the best one for your profile. To do this, follow these three steps:

  1. Choose a theme: Select a market theme or trend that aligns with your investment beliefs and vision.
  2. Select a Smart Portfolio: Explore the range of Smart Portfolios available and select the one that suits your investment goals and preferences.
  3. Start investing: Most Smart Portfolios require a minimum investment of $500.
eToro Smart Portfolios

#3 mintos

💲Fees: 0%

💵 Minimum balance: €50

💰 Savings plan starting: €50

Founded in 2015, mintos is an investment platform that exposes you to a mix of asset classes: traditional (bonds, ETFs) and alternative (loans). It has over 500,000 clients with assets under management of +600 million euros.

New users can use the promo code “M24STARTNOW” and get an instant €50 if they deposit a minimum of €1,000 deposit. In addition to the €50 bonus, investors qualify for an additional 1% on the daily average of the investor's new investments held on the platform over a period of 90 days following the bonus offer start date.

Within the ETF portfolios, you can invest with 0% fees (the ETFs have embedded fees, called Total Expense Ratio - TER - and are independent of mintos). The ETFs used to personalise each portfolio come from major ETF providers, like iShares and Vanguard, and are all accumulative:

  • Developed Market Stocks: Amundi Prime Global UCITS ETF
  • Euro Corporate Bonds: iShares EUR Corporate Bond 0-3yr ESG UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)
  • Emerging Market Stocks: iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets IMI UCITS ETF
  • Euro High Yield Corporate Bonds:  Xtrackers EUR High Yield Corporate Bond UCITS ETF 1C
  • Euro Government Bonds: Vanguard EUR Eurozone Government Bond UCITS ETF

With a minimum of €50, you can invest in a set of portfolios, according to your risk profile. When you sign up, you must answer a questionnaire that will determine the correct allocation to equities. Besides, you have auto-rebalancing, access to an investment team and an annual report for tax purposes.

Regarding security, mintos is regulated by Latvijas Banka, the central bank of Latvia. Your ETFs are held in a separate, secured bank account, distinct from Mintos’ own assets. Mintos’s clients fall under the investor protection scheme, which compensates any losses from non-returned assets up to 90% (with a maximum of €20,000) in case mintos goes bankrupt and cannot return the clients’ assets.

mintos homepage

#4 XTB Investment Plans

💲Fees: 0%

💵 Minimum balance: €15

💰 Savings plan starting: €15

Founded in 2002, XTB is a major player in the brokerage industry with extensive worldwide experience, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) - plus other relevant regulatory bodies - and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. 

From as low as €15, you can invest in XTB Investment Plans. You can build one or more portfolios (up to 10) based on over 350 ETFs. There is no cost in running any of the XTB Investment Plans. However, you might incur a 0.20% (min €10) ETF transaction fee if your monthly turnover (total amount of the transactions amount) exceeds €100,000. Otherwise, it is commission-free.

Be aware that this is not a “typical” robo-advisor. It does not create your investment plan for you - you are the one who needs to choose the financial instruments. Still, it is a cost-effective and intuitive way to invest for the long-term, automatically, without needing to pay annual management fees charged by other robo-advisors.

XTB Investment Plans homepage

You can invest automatically by selecting a specific amount, deposit period and method.

Finally, there are no restrictions: you can deposit or withdraw anytime and there is no minimum investment period.

XTB - create a Plan

All in all, this is a great solution for anyone looking to invest in ETFs automatically, and with no fees.

#5 Whitebox

💲Fees: Between 0.35% and 0.95%

💵 Minimum balance: €25

💰 Savings plan starting: €25

Whitebox is a prominent German Robo-advisor that combines automated portfolio management with hybrid investment strategies, blending both active and passive approaches. With a minimum investment of just €25, Whitebox provides accessibility to investors of all levels. Savings plans are also available for the same minimum amount. The platform also offers payout plans for those looking to withdraw funds.

Whitebox offers five different strategies: Value, Value Green, Global, and Global Green, and Interest Portfolio, catering to various investment preferences. These strategies focus on different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and raw materials, with a portfolio allocation of 8 to 13 products.

Whitebox combines classic investments in exchange-traded index funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded commodities (ETCs) with active funds, leveraging the expertise of its investment team. By investing in globally diversified portfolios across different asset classes, Whitebox aims to protect investments from inflation, build wealth, and save valuable time for its clients.

Getting started with Whitebox is a simple three-step process. Investors can select their preferred investment strategy, personalize their investments based on factors such as risk profile and investment amount, and receive a personalized investment proposal via email, free of charge and without obligation.

Whitebox Homepage

#6 Scalable Capital

💲Fees: Between 0.49% and 0.75%

💵 Minimum balance: €1,000

💰 Savings plan starting: €20

Scalable Capital is a leading digital investment platform in Germany, offering brokerage and Robo-advisory services to over 600,000 clients with €15 billion in client assets. They provide pre-built portfolios tailored to suit individual goals, offering different investment strategies to cater to various objectives. Whether you're looking for globally diversified portfolios or strategies with specific investment focuses such as climate, value, or megatrends, Scalable Capital has options to match your preferences. Their strategies include:

  • WealthGlobal, which provides three diversified portfolios with exposure to major asset classes while optionally incorporating environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) criteria and gold.
  • WealthSelect, where you can invest with a special investment focus with strategies like Climate, Value, Megatrends, Dynamic Risk Management, All Weather, Interest Invest, and GDP Global. These strategies focus on areas such as climate-conscious investing, value stocks, emerging megatrends, risk management, robust global portfolios, and more.

Scalable Capital selects low-cost ETFs from a pool of over 2,000 options to ensure that your investments are as affordable as possible. They continuously monitor and adjust your portfolio to reflect market changes, ensuring that your investments remain optimized. They charge an annual fee of between 0.49% and 0.75%, depending on the value of your portfolio. Finally, you can start investing with Scalable Capital with a minimum of €20 per month for a savings plan or a lump sum of €1,000. 

Scalable Capital Homepage

#7 Growney

💲Fees: Between 0.38% and 0.68%

💵 Minimum balance: €500

💰 Savings plan starting: €25

Founded in 2014, Growney has established itself as one of the leading Robo-advisors in Germany. Through its low-cost Robo advisory platform, Growney provides investors with convenient access to diversified portfolios constructed of low-fee bond and equity ETFs. With an emphasis on simplicity, affordability, and prudent risk-adjusted returns, Growney aims to empower long-term investors in achieving their financial goals.

Growney offers clients two core investment strategies: Classic and Sustainable.

  • The Classic strategy provides broad exposure to global markets through ETFs that track major developed market equity indices. These ETFs hold over 5,000 stocks from more than 45 countries, weighted according to GDP. Bond ETFs that invest in short-term European corporate and government debt are also included to help mitigate risk.
  • The Sustainable strategy also invests globally, but screens for companies that meet certain environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. This results in a portfolio of over 550 stocks from 42 countries.

Both strategies are delivered through five predefined risk profiles ranging from 20% equity/80% bond allocations suited for more conservative goals, to a fully stock-weighted option for long-term growth-seeking investors comfortable with higher volatility. Automatic rebalancing helps ensure portfolios align with each client's optimal risk tolerance over time.

Growney also makes saving simple with its user-friendly platform. Investors can set their investment goals and start a savings plan with as little as €25. Growney keeps costs low for its customers, with fees starting at 0.68% per annum for portfolios valued under €50,000 and decreasing to 0.38% per annum for portfolios valued at €50,000 and above.

Growney Homepage

Best Robo-Advisors in Germany Compared

Best Robo-Advisors in Germany Compared

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Robo-advisors have become a popular option for investors seeking hassle-free and automated investment solutions. As the number of Robo-advisors in Germany continues to grow, selecting the right one can be challenging.

In this article, we have provided a list of Germany’s best Robo-advisors to help investors narrow down their choices. However, it's important to note that there are many other companies worth considering. We encourage you to review our comprehensive list of Robo-advisors in Germany for further options.

When evaluating Robo-advisors, we recommend visiting their websites to learn about their investment strategies and approaches. Additionally, comparing the fees charged, features, and customer experience are essential steps in the selection process.

A reminder that the above should not be construed as investment advice and should be considered information only. Investors should do their own research and due diligence about the services and opportunities best suited for their risk, returns, and impact strategy.

Wishing you successful and informed investments!

FAQs

What is the best Robo-advisor in Germany?

The best Robo-advisor in Germany can vary depending on your individual preferences, investment goals, and risk tolerance. However, here is a list of Robo-advisors that we think are among the best for German investors:

How much does it cost to use a Robo-advisor?

Most Robo-advisors have a very low minimum balance requirement to start investing (you can find Robo-advisors that allow you to start investing starting at $5).

Can I customize my investment portfolio with a robo-advisor?

The degree of customization may vary between Robo-advisors. Typically, you can select from a range of pre-constructed portfolios based on your risk tolerance, investment goals, and preferences. In addition, some Robo-advisors may offer the option to adjust portfolio allocations based on specific investment preferences or restrictions, or they might suggest personalized strategies.

How much money do I need to invest with a Robo-advisor?

Most Robo-advisors have a very low minimum balance requirement to start investing (you can find Robo-advisors that allow you to start investing starting at €5).

Do Robo-advisors beat the market?

No, most Robo-advisors invest in ETFs and work on matching the performance of a particular market benchmark. So, they tend to closely replicate the market's performance rather than beat it.

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