Strateo vs Corner Trader Broker

I used your great site today to investigate Swiss online trading options.

Both Strateo and Corner Trader look like good options, however upon closer investigation, I think Strateo is likely to be the lower cost option for me as I don't anticipate reaching the level of trading or account size in order to get the lowest commission offered by CornèrTrader. Strateo's commissions are fixed whereas CornèrTrader's commissions vary or am I missing something? I appreciate the CornèrTrader doesn't charge Custody fees but Strateo's custody fees are not so huge.

I look forward to your feedback.

Various fees vary according to the providers. The algorithms by moneyland.ch take all kind of fee structures into account (also trading and custody fees depending on the size of the trades).

On the entry page, you can select „Individual profile“ and enter the individual amount and size of different categories of securities which you want to trade per year. On the result page, you then can see the least expensive solutions for your personal profile.

By clicking on „+“ on the result page, you can see further cost details. By requesting a free quote, you will be contacted by the provider.

There is more information on the brokers' info pages:
Cornèrtrader
Strateo

Best regards from Moneyguru

Update 2021: Strateo will cease operations in 2021. Clients will be acquired by Saxo Bank. However, Saxo has higher inactivity fees than Strateo. 

Therefore recommendation to all former Strateo clients: Make sure to compare first and switch to the cheapest broker.

Good afternoon,

According to the Moneyland comparison, Cornertrader does not charge safekeeping fees. That would be ideal for me as a buy and hold type investor. The question I have is whether this benefit only applies for a limited amount of time (an introductory offer)? Is the no-safekeeping-fee benefit a permanent perk? If so, do you think Cornertrader might implement a safekeeping fee at some point in the future?

Thanks

Hi there,

CornèrTrader has not charged custodial fees since its establishment as an online trading platform. As the absence of custodial fees is a key selling point for CornèrTrader, it is unlikely that it will implement custodial fees in the future.

CornèrTrader brokerage and custody accounts are managed by Cornèr Banca, a Swiss bank which has consistently received excellent financial strength ratings from rating agencies.

Best regards from Moneyguru

In your comparison you mention that Strateo has an inactivity fee. How high is this fee and when does it apply?

Hi there,

Strateo does not have an inactivity fee per se. Instead, the standard account fee (CHF 25 per 6 months) is waived when you make at least 1 trade within a given 6 month period.

What this means for you as a trader is that you pay a 25-Swiss-franc account fee for every 6-month term in which you do not make a trade. This can be seen as an inactivity fee. However, you only have to make 2 trades per year (1 per 6 months) to avoid this fee, so Strateo is still a favorable option as long as you open or close positions at least occasionally.

For long-term buy and hold traders who only buy or sell securities once every several years, CornèrTrader may well work out cheaper. On the other hand, if you do make at least 1 trade every 6 months, the Strateo brokerage fees may be more favorable.

Ultimately, it depends on the exact kinds of positions you open and the securities you use, among other factors.

A custom comparison using the "Individual profile" option provided in the interactive Swiss stock broker comparison is recommended.

Best regards from Moneyguru

Update 2021: Strateo will cease operations in 2021. Clients will be acquired by Saxo Bank. However, Saxo has higher inactivity fees than Strateo. 

Therefore recommendation to all former Strateo clients: Make sure to compare first and switch to the cheapest broker.