City Index vs DEGIRO: Which Broker Wins in 2026?

Regulation & Safety

City Index is regulated by three top-tier authorities: the FCA, ASIC, and MAS, giving it a genuinely global regulatory footprint that spans the UK, Australia, and Singapore. This multi-jurisdictional oversight is a significant trust signal for traders who want assurance their broker answers to multiple strict regulators simultaneously.

DEGIRO, by comparison, is regulated solely by the FCA. While the FCA is a respected tier-1 regulator, having only a single licence means DEGIRO's regulatory diversification is narrower than City Index's.

For traders who prioritize regulatory redundancy and want a broker vetted across multiple continents, City Index has a clear structural advantage. This is reflected directly in our award for Best Regulation, which goes to City Index.

Fees, Spreads & Commissions

This is where DEGIRO genuinely shines. DEGIRO advertises spreads from 0 pips, technically undercutting City Index's spreads which start from 0.5 pips. However, DEGIRO charges a commission of $1.75/lot, whereas City Index charges no per-trade commission at all.

This creates an important nuance: City Index's all-in cost structure via spread-only pricing can actually be simpler and, depending on trade size and frequency, more predictable than DEGIRO's commission-based model layered on tighter spreads.

Neither broker charges deposit or withdrawal fees, and both allow account opening with a $0 minimum deposit, removing barriers to entry on the funding side for either platform.

Cost-conscious stock investors trading larger share volumes infrequently may find DEGIRO's model cheaper overall, which is why our independent research crowns DEGIRO as Best for Low Fees despite its lower overall rating.

Trading Platforms & Tools

City Index offers a notably richer platform lineup: its own Proprietary Web and Mobile apps plus full MT4 integration. MT4 support is a major differentiator, unlocking access to custom indicators, expert advisors, and a platform ecosystem familiar to millions of forex and CFD traders worldwide.

DEGIRO, in contrast, sticks to its own Proprietary Web and Mobile platforms only, with no third-party platform like MT4 or MT5 on offer. This keeps things simple but limits flexibility for algorithmic or highly customized trading strategies.

Traders who rely on automated strategies, custom scripts, or the broad familiarity of MT4 will find City Index the far more capable platform provider.

Market Access & Instrument Range

City Index provides access to CFDs, forex, stocks, indices, and commodities, making it a genuine multi-asset broker suited to diversified trading strategies across currencies and derivatives alike.

DEGIRO's offering is narrower, covering stocks, indices, and commodities, but it notably lacks dedicated forex and crypto trading options. Its core strength lies instead in direct access to over 50 global stock exchanges, appealing strongly to long-term equity investors.

If your strategy depends on forex pairs or CFD trading across multiple asset classes, City Index is the more complete solution. If you are purely an equities investor seeking global exchange access, DEGIRO's focus works in its favor.

Leverage & Risk Profile

City Index offers maximum leverage of up to 1:200, giving active traders substantially more buying power for forex and CFD positions. DEGIRO caps leverage at 1:1, reflecting its cash-account, investment-first approach rather than a leveraged trading model.

This distinction matters enormously depending on your goals. Leverage-seeking short-term traders will find City Index's structure far more aligned with active trading strategies, while conservative, long-term investors may actually prefer DEGIRO's lower-risk 1:1 structure to avoid magnified losses.

Company Heritage & Track Record

City Index was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in London, UK, giving it over 40 years of operating history and a long track record through multiple market cycles. This heritage is backed by strong research support sourced from Refinitiv, adding credibility to its market analysis tools.

DEGIRO was founded in 2013 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, making it a comparatively newer entrant. While younger, DEGIRO has still built a substantial European investor base focused on low-cost equity access.

Longevity isn't everything, but for traders who value an established institutional history, City Index's four-decade track record is a meaningful differentiator over DEGIRO's roughly one-decade history.