5 Best Options Trading Platforms in Europe (compared) (2024)

Interactive Brokers

Founded in 1978, IBKR is one of the world’s most trustworthy brokers worldwide. The minimum commission for US options is just $1 per trade. You have access to options trading in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific.
💡 Interactive Brokers also launched IBKR GlobalTrader, a modern mobile trading app to trade Stocks, Options and ETFs, ideal for novice investors.

DEGIRO

A low-cost European-based broker with over 2.5 million users. It offers options in the European and US markets with a starting commission of $/€/£0.75 plus connectivity of €/£5 per month, independently of the number of transactions.

Firstrade

A US-based broker offering commission-free US options trading (only) to all its users worldwide. For European investors, an outgoing wire transfer costs $25.

tastytrade

A brokerage firm dedicated to stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, futures and options trading. The option pricing starts at $1 to open a contract with a $10 cap per trade ($0 to close a contract).

TradeStation

A broker offering a wide range of products, including US options from $0.60 per contract.

Founded in 1978 and publicly listed in NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR), Interactive Brokers is a global online broker which surpassed significant financial crises, showing resilience and a rigorous risk management process.

Interactive Brokers provides several different options for traders to choose from. The platform is designed for individuals and institutions alike, boasting global access to stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, and funds from 150+ markets. Interactive Brokers makes them all accessible from one streamlined and centralized platform.

Options Trading is offered on 30+ market centres with commissions starting from $1 for US option contracts. The trading platform presents advanced options trading tools such as Rollover Options Tool, OptionTrader and Option Analytics. You can view your positions, market data, option chains and customize your trading strategies using a Strategy Builder. The Interactive Brokers Traders’ Academy might be excellent for deepening your knowledge of options!

Interactive brokers Options – Dashboard

As an aside, Interactive Brokers ownsIBKR Global Trader, a mobile app geared toward newcomers to the investment industry that allows stock, options, and ETF trading. This product offers automatic currency conversions, fractional shares, and a demo version.

Want to know more about Interactive Brokers? Check our Interactive Brokers Review.

Founded in 2013, DEGIRO is a low-cost brokerage firm that has become very popular due to its low rates! With over 2.5 million users, the innovative platform has become widely known for its “do-it-yourself” philosophy. You have everything at your disposal to start investing on your own. It offers a wide range of financial assets to trade, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, futures contracts, warrants, investment funds, and some leveraged products.

DEGIRO allows you to trade options in the US (CBOE, CME, NYMEX…) and European markets (Eurex, Euronext exchanges, IDEM…). The commissions to do so are pretty high. You will pay €/£0.75 per contract in addition to a monthly connectivity fee of €/£5. Besides, you will be charged €/£1 per contract when exercising an option.

DEGIRO Options – Dashboard

The trading platform is not sophisticated for options trading, meaning no advanced tools to see the complete picture of the dynamics affecting options pricing. In other words, the platform is only suitable for execution (buy or sell).

Still any doubts? Go through ourDEGIRO Review!

Founded in 1985 and based in the US, Firstrade is a discount broker that offers commission-free stock, ETFs, options, and mutual funds trading with solid order execution, a long track record and a good reputation.

While they accept clients from worldwide, their product portfolio includes only US-listed financial products. Also, Firstrade misses some highly-valued features for investors: fractional shares trading and other asset classes such as cryptocurrencies, forex, futures, and CFDs.

Options trading in Firstrade is relatively cheap: $0 commission and $0 contract fee with no exchange, exercise or assignment fees. The trading platform for options is at a mid/advanced level with access to options chains, a risk/reward profile for each trade and a fully integrated OptionsPlay. Besides, you can educate yourself with free options courses on the platform.

Firstrade Options – Dashboard

Finally, Firstrade’s base currency is USD. If you deposit your money in another currency, you will be charged currency conversion fees upon deposit and withdrawal. An alternative is to use a low-cost currency conversion service such asWiseorRevolut.

Tastytrade, formerly known as Tastyworks, is an online brokerage firm based in the US focused on options trading, but it also provides access to stocks, ETFs and cryptos. The robust trading platform was developed by the same people who built the thinkorswim trading platform (operated by TD Ameritrade).

Tastytrade offers options on stocks and ETFs, futures, and micro futures for a commission of $1 ($10 cap), $2.50 and $1.50 per contract, respectively. No commission is charged to close any options position.

tastytrade Options – Dashboard

On the downside, the low fees don’t make up for the limited account amenities and lack of investment selections for the casual trader or passive investor – no mutual funds, for instance. Additionally, the wire transfers commission can reach $75 per transfer.

Although tastytrade can be intimidating for beginners, It offers a wide range of educational materials and research tools to increase your efficiency in options trading.

Founded in 1982, TradeStation is a US broker committed to offering you the best trading experience within their rewarded platforms and brokerage services. You can trade stocks, ETFs, options, futures and crypto with competitive pricing models.

The price per contract starts at $0.60 with access to real-time data for stock options. The platform has been developed with powerful and intuitive tools that match the needs of both beginner and advanced investors. The in-house software, OptionStation Pro, lets you quickly build options chains, analyze any options strategy scenario, and then promptly place trades directly into the market.

TradeStation Options – Dashboard

To complement, it offers a variety of multimedia educational and training resources designed to help you continually improve your trading skills.