How to Buy Shares Online in Ireland - Money Guide Ireland (2024)

In this article, we provide some information for beginners on how to buy shares online in Ireland.
We have also compared the fees charged by traditional stockbrokers with some of the main online stock trading platforms available in Ireland in 2023.

Share ownership is growing in Ireland. A 2021 survey by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission found that 36% of adults in Ireland owned some sort of investment product and 19% of Irish adults owned shares.
Over the past couple of years, we have been a big increase in online searches by people in Ireland asking things such as :-

How do I invest in stocks in Ireland?
What is the best trading platform in Ireland
How do beginners invest in Ireland?
What is the best app to buy stocks in Ireland?
How to buy shares ?

Share Trading Apps

The increased availability and lower cost of share trading apps in recent years, has resulted in a rise in the number of younger people worldwide beginning to get involved in buying and selling shares.
Shares are no longer just for the wealthy or experts – investing in shares is now available to everyone.

Important

Investing in stocks and shares involves the risk of loss because shares can fall in value as well as rise.
We do not recommend that anyone should invest money they cannot afford to lose. More importantly, if you want a guarantee that you will not lose any of your money, then the stock market is probably not for you.

Stocks and Shares For Beginners

Stock is the generic term for shares. The Stock Market is made up of various exchanges where shares are bought and sold by stockbrokers. These exchanges include the London Stock Exchange(LSE) , New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Irish Stock exchange (ISEQ and several others.

Cheapest Way to Buy Stocks and Shares in Ireland

The cheapest and easiest way to buy stocks and shares in Ireland is to have an “execution-only” trading account with an online brokerage or trading platform. That means you are able to buy or sell shares or ETFs that you choose yourself without getting any advice . In some cases – you can trade stocks with no fees at all .

Comparison of Share Trading Fees at Online Brokerages Operating in Ireland.

We compared the fees charged by the following online stock brokers and trading apps :

• eToro
• Bux Zero
• Trade Republic
• DEGIRO.ie
• Interactive Brokers
• Davy Stockbrokers
• Goodbody Online

The figures shown below include any Stamp Duty charges for UK and Irish stock markets.
Currency conversion fees are also included below unless it is stated otherwise.

Trading Fees Comparison Summary

Etoro was the cheapest option in our comparison for trading US shares and UK shares.

Trade Republic worked out as having the lowest fees for small regular Euro share trades – if you use their automated Savings Plan option.

DEGIRO worked out as having the lowest fees when buying and selling shares on the Dublin Stock Exchange.

Trade Republic worked out as having the lowest fees for regular smaller purchases of fractional shares.

Share Dealing Charges Compared

Fees on Small Regular Purchases of UK Shares

Etoro worked out as having the lowest fees for small regular purchases of UK shares on the London Stock Exchange. (They don’t pass on the UK Stamp Duty).

These fees will also apply when buying shares in UK based Investment Trusts

Buying UK Shares – Comparison of Fees on Large Purchases

Etoro worked out as having the lowest fees for larger UK share purchases.
Your capital is at risk

These fees will also apply when buying shares in UK based Investment Trusts

Fees When Buying EU Shares

Trade Republic worked out as having the lowest fees for small regular Euro share trades if you use their automated Savings Plan option.

Buying Irish Shares – Fee Comparison

DEGIRO came out as the cheapest in our comparison for trading shares on the Irish Stock Market . (There aren’t many options.)

Includes €120 Irish Stamp Duty

Note – there are a few Irish companies with shares listed on other stock exchanges . For example – Ryanair shares are also available to trade on The NASDAQ, London Stocke Exchange and German Stock Exchange . So you could use Etoro or Trade Republic to buy Ryanair shares
Kerry Group, Glanbia , Kingspan , AIB and others are also available on Tradegate (Germany) and therfore can be traded on Trade Republic.

Buying US Shares – Comparison of Fees on High Volumes

Etoro worked out as having the lowest fees in our comparison.
Your capital is at risk

Buying US Shares – Low Volumes

Etoro had the lowest fees in the comparison of low-volume US share purchases .
Your capital is at risk

Buying Fractional Shares

Trade Republic worked out as having the lowest fees for smaller purchases of fractional shares.
Etoro was the second lowest.
Your capital is at risk

More here on Where To Buy Fractional Shares

We have not included currency conversion fees for Davy or Goodbody because they don’t specify exactly how much the fees are. However, you can expect to pay as much as 1% at Davy and up to 1.25% at Goodbody when buying or selling shares in a currency other than Euro. Both of these brokers allow deposits in USD or GBP if you want to avoid conversion fees . Their trading fees are a lot higher than the others even before any currency fees are taken into account.

We checked these figures in Jan 2023 .

Review of Online Stockbrokers in Ireland

Etoro

Etoro was founded in 2007 and it has over 20 million registered users spread over more than 140 countries.
Irish residents will use eToro (Europe) which is based in Cyprus and regulated by the Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission. It uses EU passporting rules to allow it to operate across the single market.
Etoro has access to several stock exchanges around the world (But not Dublin).

The Etoro share trading app works on Apple and Android. More details here about using Etoro in Ireland

You can buy fractional stocks on eToro – the minimum purchase is $10. This is great for smaller investors who can’t afford to pay a few hundred dollars for a single share.
ETFs are also available – but be warned, they can only be “bought” as CFDs – so you don’t actually own them and there will be fees charged on them. (We have not included ETFs from Etoro in the price comparison because of this.)

Etoro Share Dealing Fees

Etoro charges NO Commission on the buying or selling of shares and they also pay the stamp duty for you on UK shares, which is 0.5%.

They charge a $5 USD flat charge for all withdrawals.

Etoro currently requires a minimum deposit of $50 for Irish customers. ($500 if using bank transfer).
However, they sometimes increase this limit during very busy periods.
There can be currency conversion fees on Etoro – but these can be avoided. (see below)

All incoming non-USD deposits are automatically converted to US Dollars by Etoro.
If you use their eToro Money App to deposit or withdraw Euros – you will not be charged a conversion fee.

You need to ensure you are buying shares on Etoro and not entering into a CFD (unless you intend to). It is important to check, before you buy, that the “leverage” is set to X1. (More information about CFDs.)

How to Avoid Currency Conversion Fees on Etoro

Deposit Euros Using the Etoro Money App

If you use the app provided by Etoro (Etoro Money) – you can avoid all conversion fees when depositing or withdrawing Euros. We have tested this out and it works fine and is fee-free. The exchange rates used are as good as you would get anywhere else.

Depositing USD

If you can use a fee-free debit card such as N26 or Revolut to deposit US Dollars you will avoid the Etoro conversion fee.
N26 do not charge any transaction fees on spending in USD.

If you use Revolut – and plan on spending more than $1000 in a month in USD – you will need to upgrade to Revolut Premium to avoid any conversion fees on Revolut. (0.5%). The cheapest option would be to deposit Euros using the Etoro Money App.

Withdrawals of USD

Overall, even with currency fees. Etoro still works out a lot cheaper than the “old school” established Irish brokers. If you can get around the currency conversion fees by using – then it will usually work out tas the cheapest option overall.

Often, for investors who want to invest little and often, Etoro can work out as the cheapest option especially with UK shares because of the zero stamp duty. Check the figures in the table above.

(Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees)

Trade Republic

Outside of savings plans, there is a flat fee of €1 per trade and it is also possible to buy fractional shares on Trade Republic

You can deposit in euros by credit card , with google pay or by bank transfer. But be aware that only the first deposit by card is free – after that there is a 0.7% fee, so it is best to use bank transfers.

Any cash you have in your account with Trade Republic can earn interest of 2% and it is also covered by the German bank guarantee.

Investing in the stock markets carries risk: the value of investments can go up as well as down and you may receive back less than your original investment.

BUX Zero

The BUX Zero trading platform is a recent newcomer to Ireland. It is owned by BUX which is a European mobile brokerage company, based in Amsterdam. It is a mobile-only platform and is available on Android and iPhone.
The range of shares available to buy is currently around 2300 – a mixture of US and EU shares. The selection of Euro ETFs available to buy is currently only around 170 – but more are being added all the time.
Fractional shares are available on some selected stocks.

BUX Zero is regulated by the AFM, TheDutch Authorityfor theFinancialMarkets.
All client cash funds held at ABN AMRO Clearing Bank are protected by the Dutch Bank Guarantee scheme up to €100,000.
Deposits and withdrawals on BUX Zero from Irish customers can be made by SEPA bank transfer. There are no deposit or withdrawal fees. More here about Bux Zero in Ireland

BUX Zero Fees

• US share trades on BUX Zero are commission FREE – but there is a 0.35% foreign exchange fee. (i.e €1 on every €500 )
• EU Shares/ETFs – commission is €1.50 per trade.
• However , customers can opt for a ” Zero Order” trade on all EU stocks and ETFs- which will be commission-free.
  • Zero Orders will be executed at the end of the trading day, between 4 and 5 pm (Central European Time). Orders placed after 4 pm (CET) will be executed on the following day. If the price differential at the trade exceeds 5% for sell orders or 4% for buy orders, the zero-order is cancelled.
• UK shares are not available yet.

At BUX Zero, the maximum amount you can invest in a single order is €25,000. You can of course put in as many orders as you’d like. The minimum order is €10 – so it’s great for beginners.
As with all share trading – Investing involves risks. You can lose your deposit.

DEGIRO

Dutch firm DEGIRO launched its online stock brokerage services in the Netherlands in 2013.
DEGIRO now operates in 18 European countries – including Ireland.
Readers of the Investors Chronicle / Financial Times voted DEGIRO as the top-rated investment platform and investment app. in 2020
You can use the DEGIRO desktop site or their mobile app for share dealing. The account currency is in Euros only.

Deposits can only be made on DEGIRO by bank transfer and there is no minimum deposit amount.

Degiro does not cater for fractional shares .

Read more here about Degiro

DEGIRO Share Trading Fees

• Irish shares : €2 per trade + €1 handling fee
• UK Shares €3.90 per trade plus €1 handling fee plus 0.25% currency conversion.
• European shares: €3.90 per trade plus €1 handling fee.
• US shares : €1 per trade handling fee plus 0.25% currency conversion
• ETFs – some are fee-free otherwise €2 per trade plus €1 handling fee.
• Annual fees – DEGIRO has an annual fee for connecting you to exchanges. This fee is currently 0.25% of your account value capped at €2.50 per exchange per year. There is no fee for using the Irish exchange for Irish residents.
  

See the table above to see more examples of DEGIRO charges compared with Etoro and other online stockbrokers.

TIP: On Degiro – many of the major US stocks listed on NASDAQ or NYSE can also be purchased on European stock markets – so if you are buying large amounts this would be a good way to avoid any currency conversion fees in Degiro.
For example, buying and then selling $5000 USD worth of shares on the NASDAQ with DEGIRO would result in $25 in currency conversion fees plus €1 handling fees and a €2.50 annual exchange fee. (Total = approx €28.50)
Using Degiro to buy and then sell the equivalent amount of Tesla shares on the Frankfurt stock exchange would cost just €11.30 in commission and fees .

You can sign up to DEGIRO here.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees may apply

Please note that Investing involves risk of loss.

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers is a worldwide company and in Ireland, they are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland . Online share trading can be carried out on a desktop or also on the IB app. Funds can be held in several currencies including USD, EUR and GBP. You can only use bank transfers (Wire/SEPA) for deposits and withdrawals, so no debit/Credit card, PayPal, or any other means of transferring money. By using a Wire transfer, you have one free withdrawal per month. Subsequent withdrawals in that same month will incur a fee of EUR 8.00. With SEPA (transfers only in EUR), you also have one free withdrawal a month, after which a fee of EUR 1.00 is applied.

Interactive Brokers Fees

The tiered fee structure at Interactive Brokers seems complicated and there are variable extras depending on the exchange used. We have used their fixed fee option for our comparison.

• US shares $0.005 per share. (Min $1 ; Max 1% of trade)
• Shares on the Irish stock exchange are not available to trade.
• UK Shares 0.1% (Minimum charge £4)
• Euro Shares/ ETFs 0.1% per trade Minimum charge €4
• Currency Conversion 0.002% (Min $2)

Interactive Brokers

Davy Select

Davy Stockbrokers are based in Dublin and are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. The minimum investment is €500. Davy Select is their online trading platform and it seems to be a popular site for people checking out Irish share prices. They do have an app as well, but it is not possible to buy or sell shares on the Davy Select app.
The fees shown below are the online fees for the Davy Select Personal Investment Account (Execution-Only).

Online Share Dealing Fees at Davy Select:

• Trading fees of 0.5% – Minimum €14.99 per trade.
• €25 Foreign Transaction Settlement Charge per trade for each trade of shares listed outside Ireland and UK .
• Execution Service Fee of €50 per quarter ( less any commissions paid that quarter).
• Minimum Fee per trade for shares listed outside Ireland and UK : 0.06%.
• Foreign exchange fees not specified but “max 1%.” (But you can deposit Euro / GBP or USD if you are able to do so and avoid conversion fees.)

See the table above to see more examples of how Davy compares to DEGIRO and eToro

Signup at Davy Select here

Goodbody Online

Goodbody has been involved in the Dubin Stock Exchange since 1874. In March 2021 Goodbody Stockbrokers was bought by AIB. They are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. You need to deposit a minimum of €5000 to open an online trading account with Goodbody. So it probably isn’t ideal for beginners thinking of investing in shares.
Goodbody does not have a share trading mobile app.

Online Fees at Goodbody

• 1% charge on the first €25k of a transaction – then 0.5%. ( Minimum fee €25.)
• A €25 charge on all US and European trades.
• Maintenance Fee €100 year plus VAT
• Foreign exchange fees – “up to 1.25%”. (You can deposit GBP/USD to avoid fees)

Some Alternative Share Trading Apps

Revolut

Revolut allows customers in Ireland to trade in selected stocks on the New York Stock Exchange (about 750 companies). They do not give access to stock markets in London, Dublin or Europe.
Revolut also doesn’t allow trading of ETFs, index trackers or investment trusts.
One disadvantage of buying shares with Revolut is that you can’t transfer your shares to another broker.
Revolut limits each trade to a maximum value of USD $10,000. (or 500 shares).

Share Trading Fees on Revolut

• US shares €1 per trade
  • Standard Revolut account holders get 1 free trade each month.
  • Revolut “Plus” account holders get 3 free trades a month.
  • Premium account holders get 8 free trades a month
  • Metal account holders get unlimited free trades.
• There’s a 0.12% annual custody fee on Revolut. For example, you would be charged $12 a year if you held $10,000 worth of shares.

Robinhood

In the USA, a share trading app called Robinhood is very popular with novice investors. Robinhood is not available to buy shares in Ireland or the rest of Europe. It is only available for use by residents of the USA. Their planned UK launch in 2020 was abandoned.

Another popular stock-trading app in the USA is called Webull.
Webull is a mobile app-based brokerage that features commission-free stock trading.

Webull is not available in Ireland or Europe, it is only available to residents of the USA.

If you are looking for affordable stock trading alternatives to Revolut or RobinHood in Ireland – then, as our comparison above shows, Degiro , Bux Zero and Etoro have the lowest charges for buying shares in Ireland

Share Certificates

If you have old paper share certificates – they will be harder to sell online. You will probably have to use somewhere like Davy or Goodbody to first convert the shares to electronic ones before they can be sold.
Of course – there is nothing to stop you from transferring those shares to another cheaper online broker such as Degiro before selling them.
Davy will charge €30 to transfer each shareholding to Degiro. Degiro will charge €10 per shareholding to accept the transfer in. As you will see from the comparison of fees below – on large transactions you could save hundreds in fees by using Degiro to sell your shares. More here on How to Sell Paper Share Certificates.

Currency Risk

For Irish residents, having to use US Dollars as the base currency in Etoro and Revolut – will also expose you to any fluctuations in the USD/EUR exchange rate. Sometimes these risks can work in your favour, other times they don’t. For example, let’s say your Etoro or Revolut portfolio (in USD) rose by 12% in a year, and the US Dollar also rose by 10% against the Euro . In this case, your net return will be increased to 22% when you convert your profits to Euros But the reverse is also true; if the US Dollar fell by 10% against the Euro – you would get a net return of just 2% when you convert your profits.

ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds)

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are a good method of investing in a wider portfolio of shares. You can buy ETFs from most of the stockbrokers we have listed above. An ETF, also known as a tracker, is a product that follows an index, commodity, bond or composition of products. You can think of it as a basket of shares.

Read more about Buying Exchange Traded Funds here.

Stamp duty on Shares

Stamp duty is chargeable on the purchase of all Irish and UK shares.
The stamp duty rates in 2023 are:

• 1% on Irish Shares
• 0.5% on UK shares.

This will be the same for all brokers. However, Etoro absorbs the stamp duty for you on UK shares – but they don’t currently allow the purchase of Irish stocks.

Taxation of Profits From Shares

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