BUX Zero: Review (2024)

BUX Zero is an investment brokerage platform offered by one of Europe's leading neobrokers, BUX. The company is based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and offers commission-free trading of stocks, ETFs, as well as cryptocurrency exchange services. CFD trading is also available through the company’s other product, Stryk by BUX. The was founded in back in 2013, specializing in CFD trading until it launched the BUX Zero app in 2019.

BUX Zero, company's flagship platform, is currently available in The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Austria, France, Italy, Ireland and Belgium. The full range of BUX's products, including Stryk, is available across 10 European countries.

With BUX now offering all customers a great risk-free interest rate of 2.01% on their deposits up to €25,000, the app saw a surge in popularity. But does it hold its own against the competition? We got hands-on and downloaded the app, spent a week using it, read feedback of dozens of users and in this review, we will present our findings so you can make an informed decision whether BUX Zero is an app that suits your specific needs and preferences.

BUX is a relatively new name when compared to "traditional" brokers that enjoy a giant market share like the famous Dutch stock broker DEGIRO, which is available all over EU and in select overseas markets. Yet BUX Zero is one of the most popular "neobrokers" on the market and has rapidly attracted over 700,000 customers due to its convenience and simplicity. An additional boost of BUX's recent popularity can be attributed to the recent launch of commission-free trading.

Together with the likes of Bitpanda (Austrian "all-in-one" investment app) and Trade Republic (German savings & investment app we recently reviewed as well as previously compared with BUX Zero one-on-one), BUX is a strong contender in the era of fully mobile investment apps that brings the world of investing to a broader audience. In this in-depth review, our team of experts walk you through the crucial aspects of BUX to help you make an informed choice.

Note: BUX is featured in our "Best Investment Apps of The Year" compilation we've recently published - make sure to check it out if you're looking to make your money work!

BUX Zero offers all common investment products including stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies through its modern-looking, very clean and easy-to-use mobile apps (available on both iOS and Android). In this section, we'll take a look at what BUX offering in these categories is, followed by unique features the app offers to help you get the most out of your investments.

While a large portion of competitors in Europe only have EU shares available to trade at the moment, BUX gives you the best of both worlds, with hundred of EU and US shares accessible via a single app. With a wide range of stocks, you also have options to execute a Zero Order (executed at the end of trading day), Market Order (executed directly) and Limit Order (executed based on a predetermined price).

Zero Orders for EU shares and ETFs are commission free, while Market and Limit Orders on non-US assets incur a small flat fee (see pricing table below). And while stocks traded on American exchanges can technically be bought at no cost, there is a 0.35% markup due to currency exchange to consider. Purchasing fractional shares is also available on a limited basis - at this moment, these can only be traded via direct market orders.

BUX Zero currently offers over 30 cryptocurrencies to buy, sell and hold on its platform. As opposed to stocks or ETFs, crypto trading is accessible 24/7, so you can buy and sell your coins of choice instantly, day or night. A unique benefit of BUX Zero is that you can avoid fees on crypto trading altogether - the only condition is that you need to hold at least 1000 BUX Tokens in your account.

BUX Token is a native utility token developed by the platform, similar to BEST (Bitpanda Ecosystem Token) or BNB for Binance. At the time of review, 1000 BUX Tokens would cost you just over €90. It could be a good deal if you intend to use the app for months to come - after all, these can be all sold if you ever decide to stop using BUX at some point.

New to the world of cryptocurrencies? Our resident experts wrote a simple and concise "Complete Beginner's Guide to Crypto & Blockchain" just for you.

BUX has different fees for all trade types:

• Zero Orders are executed at the end of the day, between 16:00 CET and market close. This means that the actual prices (and, subsequently, amount of asset you purchase) might be lower or higher than the ones shown when purchasing as prices fluctuate throughout the day.
• Market Orders are executed immediately once you confirm them in the app.
• Limit Orders are executed once the asset reaches the price you set. You can set up a minimum price you'd be willing to sell your stocks/ETFs at, or the highest price you're willing to pay to purchase them; once that happens, your trade is performed.

You will find up-to-date pricing in the table below. Useful to know: there are no fees for withdrawing or depositing assets into your BUX account. The only fee not reflected is the FX (currency exchange) markup fee of 0,35% applicable to all US shares. There is no recurring monthly cost of any kind associated with having an account on the platform.

With the recent surge of amateur-friendly investment apps and platforms, providing access to mainstream assets such as stocks, ETFs or cryptocurrencies is not too impressive. So what are some of the unique benefits of BUX that you can’t get or won’t be as good somewhere else? Here is our selection of selling points BUX executed really well for your consideration.

Ever wanted to be a shareholder of Tesla, Google or Meta but don't want to spend hundreds of euros on a single share? This is where fractional shares come into play. With BUX Zero, you can now purchase a fraction of a stock - and you can start as small as €10! This means that you can be as creative as you want when you compile your personal portfolio. And yes, you will still get dividends like a "full" stock holder would.

Ever wanted to invest in cutting-edge tech startups and Metaverse pioneers, but you struggle to name ever a single one? Or would you rather ensure your money are hard at work while invested in companies that truly care about sustainability and fighting climate change? Investing in these, along with many others (including video game companies and clean energy providers, for example), is easy thanks to BUX Zero's "Thematic Investing".

Curated themed lists of stocks and ETFs hand-picked by experts ensure you don't miss an up-and-coming superstar company in a specific niche. Sure, this is all public information you can find online somewhere, though isn’t it handy to have these right in your investment app to help you quickly diversify your portfolio?

The concept is super simple: set up a schedule (say, monthly, the day after salary hits your bank account?), select assets you want to invest in and choose an amount. That's it! You now have a fully automated savings plan. This feature (named exactly the same way competitors like Trade Republic and Bitpanda call their take on tackling the same issue) is a very simple way to ensure your money is not just sitting idle on your bank account, but actually grow over time without a single action required from you.

The obvious downside to setting up a Savings Plan might result in assets purchased at a sub-optimal time, however these fluctuations shouldn't matter too much if you have a long-term outlook on your investments.

It is a simple "nice-to-have" feature that illustrates how BUX puts in some extra effort to present all the information that’s relevant for you without overloading you with unnecessary clutter. With Financial Calendar, you can see all the upcoming dividends and earnings due directly in the mobile app, saving you the hassle of looking this info up yourself. So you always are aware of these trivial yet crucial pieces of information, and are able to adjust your investments in a timely manner.

Looking for BUX alternatives? Below you will find our selection of investment platforms and apps that might interest you with links to our detailed reviews. Check these out to find out which of these could be your trusty financial services advisor which would help you multiply your wealth for years to come!

Note: Due to popular demand (and the apps' similarity), we compared BUX Zero vs Trade Republic head-to-head in a battle of two of Europe's most popular and fastest-growing neobroker apps on the market.

Summarizing what was previously said in our review, we can confidently claim that BUX Zero is a solid option for retail investors, especially if you are a beginner not looking to become a pro trader, or someone who's only just getting started. It probably feels the worst when you are overwhelmed by the investment and trading jargon or an abundance of new information. The BUX Zero app does a great job in keeping it to the minimum and have only the most important info available and easily accessible in its mobile application.

With a comprehensive availability of investment assets, you can cover quite some grounds of assets of interest or some you’re curious to experience in your portfolio with just the BUX app. This is great as you skip the risk of oversight when spreading various assets across different platforms.

BUX is available only on mobile on iOS as well as Android, especially on iOS the app received an excellent 4.5+ rating from customers. While it may not be the biggest investment platform that’s available everywhere, BUX certainly has strategic focus on making sure its platform is welcoming for beginners and casual investors, with the bonus of having a distinctively low fee structure comparing to some popular alternatives. In short, we definitely recommend to give BUX a go if you reside in one of its operating locations.

Think BUX has what it takes to become your investment platform of choice? Visit BUX's website and download the mobile app to get a hands-on experience with the product used by more than a million people all around the world. And because of no upfront fees for registration and no monthly recurring costs for using it, you can always get hands-on experience with the platform before you fully commit to it.

Basically, the only thing you need to do is take a minute or two verifying your identity through a third party also used by other financial institutions like bunq or Revolut (this is due to various anti-money laundering policies and regulations enforced by relevant authorities). This process should not discourage you - in fact, it should boost your confidence in the service as it ensures the platform (and, subsequently, your funds) are fully protected, and it also is a very minor (and not at all time-consuming!) hurdle to overcome as you are making the first steps on your investment journey.

We hope to have informed you enough for you to make up your mind about this neobroker. And if the barrier to trying it out is essentially non-existent, why not give it a go?