What an ETF Sparplan is
An ETF Sparplan is a standing order from your bank account into a specific ETF, executed at a fixed cadence (usually monthly) by a German Depot provider. The minimum contribution is typically EUR 1 to EUR 25 depending on the broker; the maximum is uncapped. The Depot provider buys fractional units of the ETF on the agreed day and credits them to your Depot.
Mechanically it is a euro-cost-averaging strategy: you smooth your entry price across the year, you do not have to think about timing, and the cost of executing each contribution is typically zero on the major platforms. That last bit is uniquely good - in many other markets the same product would carry a small per-trade fee that erodes the maths over time.
The major Depots in 2026
The German Depot market consolidated heavily through the 2020s and a handful of platforms now dominate.
- Trade Republic - mobile-first, EUR 1 minimum, broad ETF Sparplan list including all the standard core ETFs. EU banking licence; positions held with HSBC.
- Scalable Capital - 'Free Broker' tier offers free Sparplaene on most ETFs; 'Prime' / 'Prime+' tiers add zero-fee trading. Probably the deepest ETF Sparplan inventory in Germany.
- Comdirect - Commerzbank-owned, traditional online broker. Free Sparplan execution on a curated list, fee on others.
- ING-Diba - retail-bank Depot; free Sparplan execution on the major core ETFs.
- Consorsbank, DKB, Flatex - established alternatives, comparable feature sets.
Picking an ETF for the Sparplan
The default-default in 2026 remains a global-equity tracker. The most widely used variants are the iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF, the Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF, and SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF. The differences between them are TER (0.12-0.20%), replication method (physical vs sampling), distribution policy (accumulating is the default for German tax efficiency given the Vorabpauschale regime), and fund domicile.
Adding a small-cap tracker (e.g., iShares MSCI World Small Cap) and an emerging-market tracker (iShares Core MSCI EM IMI) is a very common second-step move, taking the portfolio from 'developed-only large-cap' to a fuller global equity exposure. The exact split is taste; 60% MSCI World, 30% EM, 10% small-cap is a typical recipe and not the worst place to start.
Tax wrappers and the Steuerreport
Inside a German Depot, gains and dividends fall under Abgeltungsteuer at 25% plus Solidaritaetszuschlag plus, where applicable, Kirchensteuer. The annual Sparer-Pauschbetrag of EUR 1,000 per person (EUR 2,000 for joint filing) is tax-free. ETFs domiciled in EU/EEA get the partial Teilfreistellung (30% for equity-heavy ETFs).
If you run multiple Sparplaene at multiple Depots, the per-Depot Steuerreport is what a Steuerberater will want at year-end. Tools like Parqet are strong here. Bank AI does not produce the formal Steuerreport - that is the broker's lane - but it does surface the wrappers and contributions in one daily-refreshed view across Depots.
Trade-offs
Two honest caveats about the Sparplan model. First, the 'free execution' depends on the broker keeping the deal in place. There is no statutory free-Sparplan obligation; brokers can and do change their free-list periodically. Always check before changing ETFs that the new one is on your broker's free list.
Second, the Sparplan is a strategy for accumulating, not for de-accumulating or for tactical changes. If your circumstances change - inheritance, redundancy, house purchase - the Sparplan does not adapt. It is the default low-friction long-term build, and that is exactly what it is good at.