Online broker comparison Switzerland

For a purchase or sale of CHF 1'000 on SIX, you pay between CHF 3.00 (Saxo Bank) and CHF 50.00 (ZKB Execution Only) depending on the provider. The commission is the broker’s fee per order. Neo-brokers charge a percentage with a low minimum, banks a flat rate or a minimum fee that makes small orders expensive. Data as of 12 October 2026.

You pay the custody fee for safekeeping your securities for as long as they sit in the account, whether you trade or not. 3 of the 12 providers charge none: Saxo Bank, Yuh and neon invest. At the others, a portfolio of CHF 75'000 (Passive investor profile) costs between CHF 72.00 (PostFinance E-Trading) and CHF 337.80 (UBS Depot) per year, including VAT.

The federal securities transfer tax is due on every purchase and sale: 0.075 % on Swiss securities and ETFs with a Swiss ISIN, 0.15 % on foreign securities. The broker collects it and passes it on. It doesn’t change the ranking, but it is part of what you really pay: CHF 40.50 per year in the Occasional investor profile, the same at every provider. That is why it appears as a separate item in the costs.

If you buy in dollars or euros, the broker adds a percentage to the exchange rate, up to 1.70 % depending on the provider. 4 providers don’t publish a rate (Migros Bank E-Banking, PostFinance E-Trading, Raiffeisen E-Banking and Zak Invest), and the actual rate depends on the day. A figure missing at a third of the providers can’t be included fairly. The rate is shown for each provider in the panel under «Currency exchange».

Without transactions, yes: Saxo Bank, Yuh and neon invest charge no custody fee, so in the Passive investor profile you pay CHF 0 there. As soon as you trade, commission and stamp duty come on top, at least CHF 70.10 per year in the Occasional investor profile (Saxo Bank). You can buy without fees in the savings plans of Saxo Bank, Yuh and neon invest, where selected ETFs carry no purchase fee. Stamp duty still applies even then.

Capital gains in private assets are tax-free as long as you don’t count as a professional securities dealer. You declare dividends and interest as income and the portfolio value as assets. On Swiss distributions, the federal government withholds 35 % withholding tax, which you reclaim via your tax return.

The fees are often lower, the rest is effort. At a Swiss bank, your securities are segregated from the bankruptcy estate if the bank fails: they belong to you, not the bank. The deposit insurance of CHF 100'000 only covers cash balances. On top come a tax statement the Swiss authorities don’t recognise and, in a dispute, a foreign place of jurisdiction.

The cheapest way is a savings plan: Saxo Bank, Yuh and neon invest charge no purchase fee on selected ETFs. For individual purchases on SIX there are special tariffs, such as Swissquote’s ETF Leaders from CHF 3.85 per order. The provider decides which ETFs fall under the special tariff. Stamp duty of 0.075 % comes on top of every purchase.

The transfer costs CHF 50.00 to CHF 108.10 per position; most providers quote the amount net, VAT comes on top. With ten positions, that quickly becomes a four-figure sum. Transferring in from another institution, by contrast, is free almost everywhere. Data as of 12 October 2026.

5 of the 12 providers run an ETF savings plan: PostFinance E-Trading, Saxo Bank, Swissquote, Yuh and neon invest. The costs range from 0 % on selected ETFs to 1 % per execution at PostFinance. Swissquote has no special tariff; the regular trading fees apply there.