Our recommendations

Last update: 1/14/2025

Whether you want to optimize your returns with a low-cost online broker, are interested in convenient investing with an innovative robo-advisor or are still looking for a suitable ETF for your portfolio. Here you will find our extensively tested recommendations, many with an attractive starting bonus for you!

Online brokers

Robo-Advisors

Neobanks

Alternative investments

ETFs

Good to know

We want to give you a quick overview with the following product profiles. We will concentrate on the essentials with a focus on the conditions. You can find more in-depth research in our separate review articles, which we have linked for you. Either way, our aim is to provide you with the best possible support in choosing the right financial product for you. The providers are sorted alphabetically for each product category. Tip: Before choosing a new provider, consider whether it suits your individual needs. If this is only partially the case, check whether a combination of several providers is the ideal solution for you. In this case, choose the best for you from different “worlds”: for example…

  • the huge selection of ETFs and Swissquote‘s powerful support,
  • the low fees charged by Interactive Brokers for US equities/ETFs and foreign currencies,
  • DEGIRO‘s low flat-rate prices for selected ETFs on European stock exchanges,
  • for saving the high interest rates of Yuh,
  • the neon debit card for free international payments,
  • for the systematic accumulation of assets for your offspring & Co. the uncomplicated savings plans for third parties from findependent and last but not least
  • for your own long-term 3a pension with VIAC, which is excellent in terms of investment products and fees.

By the way: With different financial partners, you can not only save a lot of money, but also avoid the provider-related cluster risk.

Online brokers

If you want to trade ETFs & Co. yourself, you need a securities custody account. Online brokers specializing in this are often much cheaper than traditional banks, as the following selection impressively shows. You can find out how to find your favorite broker in our article “Best broker in Switzerland: 6 decisive factors you need to know”.

 

With more than 3 million investors, the Dutch price breaker DEGIRO is the largest broker in Europe and has had its own banking license since the merger with the German Flatex. DEGIRO has become particularly popular with its commission-free ETFs, which only incur a processing fee of €1.

No custody fees and no stamp duty

Well suited for small investors, as numerous super low-cost ETFs (core selection) on offer with only a processing fee of €1 per trade

Also well suited for affluent investors thanks to flat fees of max. around CHF 3 per ETF trade

Deposit protection of €100,000

100 CHF transaction fees for free when you register via this partner link

Deposits and withdrawals only permitted in home currency CHF, even if foreign currency accounts in EUR, USD and GBP are now possible

Interactive Brokers is an internationally award-winning US broker founded in 1977 with low prices and powerful tools.

No custody fees and no stamp duty

Attractive transaction fees: e.g. fixed CHF 5 for ETF trading up to CHF 10,000 on European exchanges or from USD 0.35 (!) on US exchanges

Extremely low exchange fees of max. 0.002% (min. CHF 2)

Free foreign currency accounts

Fractional trading and automated savings plans possible for selected ETFs and shares

High level of security thanks to separate custody of client funds and generous deposit protection

Excessively long response times for German- and English-language ticket inquiries (sometimes a week or more)

As the Swiss market leader, the pioneering domestic broker Swissquote offers an attractive overall package and scores particularly well with the largest range of ETFs for Swiss investors.

Comprehensive offering with over 3 million products, including a wealth of ETFs, tradable on numerous exchanges around the world

Fair flat rate of CHF 9/EUR/USD for ETF and equity trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange

New savings plans: Regular, automated and consistent investments (fractional trading) possible at low entry rates from CHF 3.

Free foreign currency accounts

Additional passive income possible through securities lending (optional)

Swiss banking license and deposit protection of CHF 100,000

Everything possible from a single source: trading & payment transactions with multi-currency account incl. free virtual debit card

Efficient, German-speaking support

100 CHF trading credits for free with promotional code “MKT_SFB

Annual deposit fees of CHF 60 to 200 (cost ceiling)

Robo-Advisors

If you want to keep things simple, you can do without manual investing. Instead of an expensive bank advisor, we clearly prefer a digital robo-advisor. With the following four Swiss providers, you can put your portfolio into autopilot mode at low cost (based on passive ETFs or index funds).

The clevercircles robo-advisor is particularly suitable for investors who value a high degree of flexibility and interaction with the community.

Savings plan from CHF 100

Currency hedging possible

Rebalancing and strategy adjustment possible monthly at the touch of a button

Strong community focus (own investment committees and regular voting possible)

Attractive pricing, especially for higher sums. Graduated annual fees: 0.25% – 0.65% (minimum fee: CHF 40)

Many asset classes: “equities”, “bonds”, “real estate”, “commodities” and “precious metals”

Swiss banking license and deposit protection of CHF 100,000

Multichannel: Internet & App

Free demo version

100 CHF starting bonus as a gift with promotion code “SFB”

The robo-advisor findependent is only available via the app. It is particularly suitable for investors who value low fees and are happy to do without bells and whistles.

Savings plan from CHF 100

Low entry barriers from as little as CHF 500

Attractive fee model: free up to CHF 2,000 investment amount, thereafter staggered annual fees of 0.29% – 0.40%; no fees on cash holdings

Very high degree of self-determination in portfolio construction

Investing for children or for different investment goals possible

Sustainability and asset classes “equities”, “bonds”, “real estate” to choose from

Swiss banking license and deposit protection of CHF 100,000

20 CHF starting bonus as a gift with promotion code “SFB20”

The Selma robo-advisor is particularly suitable for investors who do not want to worry about the details at product level, appreciate the “sustainability” option and/or want to benefit from free AI-supported financial advice.

Savings plan from CHF 100

Sustainable alignment of the portfolio according to ESG principles possible at the touch of a button

Graduated annual fees: 0.47% – 0.68% (The tariff levels also take into account any sums invested in the integrated 3a pension plan).

Many asset classes: “equities”, “bonds”, “real estate”, “precious metals” and “private equity”

AI-supported financial advice possible (free of charge and optional)

Integrated pension solution 3a possible

Swiss banking license and deposit protection of CHF 100,000

Free demo version

34 CHF starting bonus for free with promotional code “sfbselma”

The Swiss fintech VIAC has been shaking up the pension market since 2017 with innovative solutions and attractive additional benefits – without paperwork, purely digital.
Since December 2024, it has also offered VIAC Invest, an attractive savings plan solution for free savings.

Low fees: total costs between 0.00% and 0.44% depending on the investment strategy

Attractive investments: broad selection of investment strategies with different equity ratios from 0 to 99% based on an investment universe of 70 index-based securities

High transparency: information on performance, costs and individual transactions available at any time

Intuitive platform: state of the art user-friendliness for both the smartphone app and the desktop version

1A support: competent service within a few minutes

Special offer for new VIAC clients: lifelong fee waiver on the first CHF 1,000 in assets. Procedure in three steps: 1. e-mail with the note “VIAC 3a Bonus”, “VIAC Vested Benefits Bonus” or “VIAC Invest Bonus” to mail@schweizerfinanzblog.ch; 2. invitation from us with individual bonus code by e-mail to you; 3. account opening with entry of bonus code by you

Neobanks

Neobanks are also on the rise in Switzerland. Their most important feature: a smartphone app that can be used to process all essential banking transactions digitally. This saves costs, which is reflected in significantly lower fees than with traditional banks. Neobanks such as neon or Yuh have no recurring costs for accounts, cards and custody accounts. This makes them ideal for combining with your existing house bank and/or online broker. online broker broker you trust.

With around 200,000 customers, neon is one of the most important neon banks in Switzerland. No wonder, because its range of services has it all! neon is virtually unbeatable when it comes to international payments by card. But the newly introduced trading platform also scores with low fees and some top ETFs.

Intuitive app for paying, saving and investing

Ideal for traveling and online shopping abroad: foreign currency exchange at the advantageous Mastercard rate, i.e. neon does not charge any exchange rate surcharges or transaction fees when paying by card

Invest in top ETFs at low fees for trades up to CHF 1,000 (flat rate of 0.50%; also suitable for very small amounts as there is no minimum fee)

Investing via savings plan possible (e.g. with commission-free ETFs, but no fractional trading)

Investing only possible in home currency CHF (no manual currency exchange required)

Deposit protection of CHF 100,000

20 CHF starting bonus (consisting of cash credit and a one-off card fee waiver of 10 CHF each) with our Neon promotional code “SFB20”

Too expensive for larger investment sums due to linear price structure (exception: commission-free ETFs)

Founded in 2021, Yuh is already the rising star of the Swiss neobank scene with over 250,000 customers. And rightly so. Because Yuh is super convenient and scores with an attractive overall package: multi-currency account, simple trading in autopilot mode and much more. Yuh is a joint project between the private Swissquote Bank and the state-owned PostFinance.

Intuitive app for paying, saving, saving for the future and investing in a modern look and with a high level of convenience

Attractive conditions for payments and savings with numerous free services and savings interest of 0.25% without an amount limit (as at 12.1.2025)

Practical, fee-saving multi-currency account for 13 currencies

Invest at low commission fees for small tranches between CHF 200 and CHF 1,000 (flat rate of 0.50%, min. CHF 1)

Convenient investing with savings plan and in autopilot mode possible, now also with “free ETFs”, i.e. without Yuh transaction fee of 0.5%

Fractional trading (fractions of shares, share ETFs) possible for all investment products

Deposit protection of CHF 100,000

50 CHF trading credits for free with our Yuh promotion code “YUHSFB”

Expandable ETF offering: still too few attractive ETFs

Too expensive for larger investment sums due to linear price structure

Alternative investments

Alternative investments can make sense as an addition to equities, as they stabilize the traditional (equity) portfolio or make it less dependent on the performance of the stock market. These alternative investments include splints. With splints, you invest in collector’s items that are expected to generate high returns.

Worried about inflation or stock market turbulence? The Swiss start-up Splint Invest offers you the opportunity to add the alternative asset class “collectibles” to your portfolio conveniently via an app.

Invest as little as €50 in physical assets such as watches, art, wine or handbags

Expected return often over 10%

Different investment horizons from 2 to 10 years, depending on the collector’s item

Protection of investments in the event of a default by Splint Invest

Only transaction-related fees or no ongoing costs

Invest risk-free thanks to €60 starting bonus with promotional code “SFB60”

Still little experience regarding effective yield

ETFs

Passive exchange-traded funds, better known by the abbreviation ETF, are our favorite investment vehicle: cost-effective, broadly diversified and liquid. With more than 1,500 ETFs traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange alone, the range of products on offer is huge and it is difficult to keep track of them all. We have made a selection for you based on rational criteria that neither favors nor excludes certain providers. In the articles linked below, you will find exciting insights into the diverse world of ETFs and hopefully your dream ETF:

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Investing involves risks of loss. You must decide for yourself whether you want to bear these risks or not. Errors excepted: We have written this page to the best of our knowledge and belief and update it regularly. Our aim is to provide you as a private investor with objective and meaningful information on all aspects of finance. However, if we have made mistakes, forgotten important aspects and/or are no longer up to date, we would be grateful if you could let us know. Cooperation: The provider links are so-called affiliate links. With most providers, you benefit from a commission as a new customer. At the same time, you are supporting our blog. Thank you for your support!