Flatex vs KuCoin Comparison
| 0.7 % | Fees | 0.1% maker/taker (spot) |
| € 7.00 | Minimum cost per €1,000 | — |
| 20 | Cryptos | — |
| SEPA Transfer | Payment Methods | — |
| Crypto custodian Tangany GmbH has a BaFin license. | Regulation | MiCA licence from the FMA (Austria) since 27 Nov 2025, FMA does not yet permit commencement of operations |
Cost comparison
The basis is a Bitcoin purchase worth €1,000, calculated from the disclosed trading fee. A price markup in the spread is not included, because most providers do not publish it.
| € 7.00 | Minimum cost per €1,000 | — |
| 0.7 % | Fees | 0.1% maker/taker (spot) |
| – | Wallet transfer | — |
| Limited | Cost transparency | — |
| € 1 | Minimum Amount | €10 per order (BTC/EUR) |
| SEPA Transfer | Payment Methods | — |
Pros & Cons
- BaFin-regulated German bank with a full licence
- Direct trading in 25 cryptoassets for clients in Germany, from €1 per order
- Total costs of 0.6% including the spread for liquid assets such as Bitcoin
- Custody with Tangany, a BaFin-supervised crypto custodian
- Crypto ETNs in the same portfolio, with a German tax certificate
- Established online broker since 2006
- Direct crypto trading only for private clients with a registered address in Germany and an individual account
- Small selection of 25 cryptoassets, no staking, no crypto savings plans
- No transfers to or from a personal wallet
- No tax withheld on directly held crypto, gains must be declared yourself
- Crypto ETNs: order fees plus ongoing product costs (TER)
- 700+ coins – a vast altcoin selection
- Low fees from 0.1% on spot, with KCS discounts
- MiCA CASP licence (FMA Austria, November 2025)
- Wide feature set: spot, futures, bots, earn products
- EU operations not yet cleared despite the licence (as of July 2026)
- Historically no local European support structures
- 2023 US settlement still weighs on its record
Score Comparison
User Experiences
AI AnalysisInvesting carries a high level of risk, up to and including total loss of capital. This is not investment advice. As of September 2026, without guarantee.
Features
- 25 cryptoassets tradable directly for 0.6% to 0.7% in total costs including the spread
- Crypto trading in the flatex account alongside shares and ETFs
- Crypto ETNs also available as a savings plan from €25
- Altcoin heavyweight with 700+ coins
- MiCA licence in hand, EU launch still pending – worth watching
The five areas head to head
AI AnalysisFees & Costs
Direct crypto trading: total costs of 0.6% including the spread for liquid cryptoassets such as Bitcoin and 0.7% for less liquid ones, each for customary order sizes; orders start at €1. Crypto ETNs: order fee of €5.90 per exchange order plus exchange fees, and ongoing product costs (TER) that vary by issuer. As of September 2026.
Spot: from 0.1% maker/taker, with discounts when paying in KCS. Futures are cheaper. Deposit and withdrawal costs depend on the method (as of July 2026).
Details
| flatexDEGIRO Bank AG | Company | KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH |
| 2005 | Founded | 2017 |
| Crypto custodian Tangany GmbH has a BaFin license. | Regulation | MiCA licence from the FMA (Austria) since 27 Nov 2025, FMA does not yet permit commencement of operations |
| € 1 | Minimum Amount | €10 per order (BTC/EUR) |
| eID, Video-ID, PostIdent | KYC | — |
Verdict
In our overall rating KuCoin leads with 3.9 against 3.1 for Flatex.
Neither provider reaches 4.0 out of 5 in our rating, so we do not give an unreserved recommendation here.
For investors in Germany who want to hold crypto with the same broker as their shares and ETFs, flatex is a solid choice: according to flatex, liquid assets such as Bitcoin cost 0.6% in total including the spread, less liquid ones 0.7%, each for customary order sizes. The selection of 25 cryptoassets is small, though, there is no staking and no crypto savings plan, and coins can neither be transferred to your own wallet nor deposited from one. flatex does not withhold tax on crypto gains, because directly held crypto is not subject to Germany's flat-rate withholding tax. Clients without a registered address in Germany cannot use direct crypto trading at all and are left with crypto ETNs. If you want a wide choice of coins or your own wallet, a crypto exchange is the better fit.
KuCoin has been a fixture for altcoin traders for years. Its EU position, however, is complicated as of July 2026: the Austrian MiCA licence has been granted, but the exchange has not yet been cleared to begin EU operations while the process runs its course. If regulatory certainty inside the EU is your priority, fully operational MiCA venues such as Bitpanda, Bybit EU or Kraken are the safer bet for now.