Programmed investing is becoming an increasingly widely used solution in 2026 to invest in the stock market over the long term. Also called an investment plan or automated investing, this DCA (Dollar Cost Averaging) principle involves investing regularly in the markets, without trying to anticipate fluctuations.
Today it is possible to automate placements across many asset classes (stocks, ETFs, cryptos, etc.), with amounts sometimes very accessible. This approach is appealing for its simplicity, but also for the discipline it imposes on the investor. Not all stock brokers, however, offer the same features in automated investing.
In this comparison of the best brokers for programmed investing (DCA), we analyze the best online brokers to set up an effective investment plan, according to your profile and your objectives.
DCA, investment plan, programmed investing: what is it?
Behind these terms, we are actually talking about the same investing logic. The DCA (Dollar Cost Averaging) is a well-known method among investors for decades: it consists of investing a fixed sum at regular intervals, regardless of whether the markets are rising or falling. The objective is not to time the market, but to invest gradually over the long term.
The programmed investing simply corresponds to the French translation of the Dollar Cost Averaging. As for the investment plan, it is the term most often used by stock brokers. It practically designates a feature that allows you to automate this strategy: you define an amount, a frequency, an asset, and the investments are then made automatically.
In concrete terms, this can take several forms. You can invest every week, every month or every quarter, on one or more assets: ETFs, stocks or even cryptocurrencies. The amount is free, which makes this approach accessible even with limited capital. It is precisely in this context that fractional shares have gained ground: they allow you to invest just a few euros in titles that are sometimes very expensive on the market.
In practice, not all trading platforms offer the same level of automation. Some online brokers simply execute simple programmed orders. Others go further with real automated investing tools, offering more flexibility (modification, pause, adjustment of the investment plan…).
But ultimately, no matter which term is used. Whether we talk about DCA, investment plan or programmed investing, the idea remains the same: invest regularly, in a disciplined manner, to build a long-term stock portfolio without letting emotions steer you.
Comparison of the best brokers for programmed investing (DCA) 2026
Not all stock brokers offer the same tools when it comes to setting up a programmed investment. Between platforms that offer full automation and those that limit themselves to more basic recurring orders, the gaps can be significant. To clarify things, we have selected online brokers that truly stand out by the quality of their features for automatic programmed investing.
How Café de la Bourse produced this comparison of the best investment plan?
Before diving into the detail of brokerage platforms, an important point: yes, it is perfectly possible to do DCA yourself, by placing an order every week or every month. Many investors do so very well. But here the objective is different. We are only looking at stock brokers that allow you to set up a true programmed investment, meaning full automation, without having to intervene at each due date.
With this objective in mind, we selected six online brokers, distributing them across three major asset classes that lend themselves particularly well to this approach: ETFs, stocks and cryptocurrencies. Conversely, some products were deliberately left out. For example, turbo certificates or warrants, which are more speculative products, are not suited to a long-term regular investment logic. The same goes for bonds, which follow a different logic and fit less naturally into this type of strategy.
To compare the different stock platforms, we relied on several concrete criteria:
- The presence of a genuine automated investing feature: can everything be programmed easily, or must you intervene regularly?
- Fees: this is a key point. With an investment plan, orders are placed repeatedly. Too high fees can quickly erode performance
- Asset selection available: some online brokers are very ETF-rich, others more stock- or crypto-oriented
- Flexibility of the investment plan: can you modify the amount, pause or adjust easily?
- Entry ticket: is it accessible with a few tens of euros, or does it require a larger capital?
- User experience: simplicity, clarity, speed of setup… elements often underestimated but essential in the long run
The idea is not to designate the universal best stock broker, but rather to highlight brokers that offer the conditions best suited to build a simple, effective and durable programmed investment.
Ranking of the best investment plans: summary table
| Broker | Preferred asset class | Fees (indicative) | Café de la Bourse verdict |
| XTB | ETF | 0% commission on stocks/ETF (up to €100,000/month) | A solid alternative with a broad ETF offering, but less oriented to native DCA |
| Saxo Bank | ETF | No fees on the programmed savings plan | A premium, robust platform, but less suited to small DCA amounts |
| Trade Republic | Stocks | Investment plans free of charge (0 € commission) | A benchmark for starting with programmed investing: simple, effective and with no fees on investment plans |
| Interactive Brokers | Stocks | Very low fees (from 0.005% per order depending on the market) | The most complete solution for advanced investors looking to automate their strategy |
| Bitpanda | Crypto | Investment plans with no fixed fees | Ideal for automating a crypto DCA simply, with a good user experience |
| eToro | Crypto | 1% crypto fee but tiered down to 0.10% for eToro Club members | A hybrid platform that lets you both implement a classic programmed investment and benefit from CopyTrading A compelling combination for those who want to automate their strategy while drawing inspiration from other investors and traders |
Which is the best broker for automated investments in ETFs?
For ETF programmed investing, some brokers clearly stand out. Here are the stock brokers we selected, with a focus on concrete reasons that justify their selection as the best broker for DCA.
XTB
At XTB, ETF programmed investing rests on a quite different logic than that of some competitors. Here, there is not really a distinction between a regular purchase and an investment plan: in both cases, pricing remains particularly competitive. Indeed, XTB offers 0% commission on ETFs (and stocks) up to €100,000 of monthly volume, which broadly covers the needs of the vast majority of investors.
Concretely, the investment plans make it easy to build a diversified ETF portfolio, with a custom distribution among several supports, then automate deposits according to the desired frequency. The whole remains flexible: it is possible to modify, suspend or adjust your investment plan at any time.
*Your capital is at risk. See terms on the site.
Marc’s comment:
With pricing already very competitive even without an investment plan, XTB makes DCA accessible to everyone. Automation becomes more of a comfort than a lever to optimize fees, making it a simple and effective solution to invest regularly in ETFs.
Saxo Bank
At Saxo Bank, programmed investing relies on the AutoInvest tool, designed to gradually build a diversified portfolio. In this framework, ETFs fit particularly well with this strategy. Their natural diversification and long-term orientation make them ideal supports for an automated investment plan.
Concretely, the user can define a monthly amount, select several ETFs and allocate their distribution according to their goals. Investments are then executed automatically, with the possibility to modify or suspend the plan at any time. Saxo also stands out for the absence of commission on the ETF investment plan and for its simulation tool, which allows you to concretely visualize the evolution of an investment over time.
For example, a projection with €5,000 invested initially, supplemented by €150 per month over 10 years, with an average annual return of 8%, yields about €37,987 of capital for €23,000 invested.
Marc’s comment:
Saxo Bank clearly focuses on pedagogy and long-term projection. Coupled with ETFs, its AutoInvest tool becomes an interesting solution to structure a thoughtful programmed investment.
What is the best broker for a DCA in stocks?
DCA on stocks in the stock market requires somewhat different conditions. We have therefore selected the most relevant stock brokers, and below we detail the elements that guided our choice.
Trade Republic
With Trade Republic, programmed investing is not limited to ETFs. The platform also allows setting up a DCA on stocks, which opens interesting prospects for investors looking to gradually build a portfolio of individual securities.
That’s where fractional shares really shine. They allow you to regularly invest in sometimes costly securities, without mobilizing a large capital at each deadline. This makes programmed investing in stocks much more accessible, even with small amounts.
As with ETFs, setup is straightforward: choose the stocks, define the amount and frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.), then full automation. And importantly, pricing remains highly attractive: while classic orders are charged €1, the executions under an investment plan are commission-free.
Marc’s comment:
Trade Republic adds real value to stock DCA thanks to fractional shares, a simple and effective solution to gradually build a portfolio without budget constraints.
Interactive Brokers
At Interactive Brokers, programmed investing takes on a more advanced dimension than with other brokers. The Interactive Brokers platform allows you to set up extremely precise automated investing strategies, with a level of customization rarely matched.
Specifically, you can define an amount, but also a start date and an end date, which allows you to structure real investment plans over time. Especially, the granularity is very advanced: you can schedule your investments daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly, depending on your goals and savings pace. The investor also freely chooses the assets they want to invest in, with the possibility of using fractional shares for more flexibility.
This approach goes far beyond a simple classic DCA. For example, you can build several strategies in parallel, adjust amounts, or set a precise investment duration.
Marc’s comment:
Interactive Brokers is one of the most flexible solutions in our best DCA broker comparison. Less “plug-and-play” than other stock platforms, but incredibly effective for those who want to structure a customized automated investment strategy.
What is the best platform for a programmed crypto investment?
On the crypto side, automated investing takes on another dimension. Here are the crypto platforms we retained, along with the strong points that justify their presence in this comparison of the best brokers for automated investments.
eToro
With eToro, programmed investing sits within a broader approach than simple automation. The eToro platform indeed offers a feature of recurring investments that automatically invests a fixed amount at regular intervals across a wide range of assets: stocks, ETFs or cryptocurrencies. Specifically, the user chooses an asset, an amount and a frequency, and eToro automatically executes the orders on the defined date, without manual intervention.
One of the interesting advantages of this solution is that it does not limit itself to a simple classic DCA. eToro also allows automated investment into portfolios or investors (CopyTrading), which offers another way to automate allocation. The trading platform has historically been very active in crypto, which makes it a particularly relevant actor in this category, even if its offering is now much broader.
As for pricing, investments made via these plans can benefit from 0% commission at purchase on certain asset classes, which strengthens the case for this long-term approach.
Marc’s comment:
eToro offers an interesting hybrid approach: both a classic programmed investment and solutions like CopyTrading, a relevant combination to automate investments while diversifying strategies.
Bitpanda
At Bitpanda, programmed investing fits with its core DNA: crypto. Even though Bitpanda now allows investing in stocks, ETFs or commodities as well, it remains a historic player in the crypto sector, which fully justifies its presence in this category.
Concretely, Bitpanda offers a very simple-to-set-up automated investment plan. Just choose an asset (Bitcoin, Ethereum, crypto indices…), an amount and a frequency (weekly, biweekly or monthly), and the platform takes care of the rest. Once activated, the plan automatically executes purchases at the set time, without user intervention. It is also possible to create several plans in parallel, modify them or suspend them at any time, which provides real flexibility.
This approach perfectly matches a DCA logic, particularly suited to a market as volatile as the crypto market, by allowing to smooth entry points over time.
Marc’s comment:
Bitpanda remains a reference for setting up a crypto programmed investment. Simple, flexible and perfectly adapted to this market, it is a very effective solution for investing regularly without much thought.
Which broker to choose for DCA according to your profile? Advice and Café de la Bourse opinions
DCA has many advantages on paper, but applying it “by default” is not enough to make it effective. The choice of online broker, the assets selected and how you set up your investment plan play a key role.
In this section, we will see how to adapt your strategy to your profile and choose the platform best suited to your objectives.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of DCA?
In recent years, DCA has established itself as a very popular strategy among individual investors. It appears everywhere: in educational content, with stock brokers, but also in the discussions of many investors who see it as a simple solution to get started in the stock market. It must be said that programmed investing has a lot to offer: it allows regular investing without worrying too much about the right moment to enter the markets.
That said, this approach is not perfect. While it helps to avoid certain mistakes, it also has limits that should not be ignored. Used without reflection, an investment plan can even lead to results below expectations. Before adopting it, it is therefore important to understand both its advantages and its drawbacks.
What are the advantages of programmed investing?
- Time-diversified risk: by investing regularly, you avoid entering the markets at the “wrong moment”
- Ease of setup: once the investment plan is defined, everything can be automated
- Accessibility: it is possible to invest in the stock market via a DCA with small amounts
- Discipline: programmed investing helps you stick to a strategy without yielding to emotions
What are the disadvantages of programmed investing?
- Potentially lower performance: in a rising market, investing gradually can be less performant than a lump-sum investment
- A false sense of simplicity: thinking that DCA works “all by itself” can lead to neglecting strategic thinking and a lack of relevant asset selection, making the investment plan potentially ineffective
- Costs that accumulate: even small costs, when repeated, can weigh on the long term
How to open an account and implement a DCA in practice?
Concretely, the first step is to open an account with a stock broker suitable for your strategy. Whether you go through Saxo Bank or XTB for ETFs, Interactive Brokers or Trade Republic for stocks, or Bitpanda or eToro for cryptocurrencies, the procedure is broadly the same. You need to create an account, provide your personal information, verify your identity (KYC) and make a first deposit.
Once the account is activated, you typically go to the section dedicated to investment plans or to the programmed investing. You then choose:
- the asset(s) (ETF, stocks, crypto);
- the amount to invest;
- the frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.).
Setting it up usually takes a few minutes. Some brokers offer very intuitive interfaces, others require a bit more parameterization, but overall, it remains accessible even for a beginner in the stock market.
In practice, the real difficulty lies not in the technical setup, but in choosing a coherent strategy that aligns with your long-term objectives.
Another point not to overlook concerns the investment frequency, which can be adjusted according to the volatility of the chosen asset. The more volatile an asset is, the more significant the near-term price movements. In this context, tightening the frequency can help further smooth entry points.
Specifically, a monthly frequency remains perfectly reasonable for ETFs, typically more diversified and less volatile. For stocks, it may be useful to move to biweekly or weekly to better distribute investments over time. Finally, for the most volatile assets like cryptocurrencies, some investors go even further with daily investments. The idea is to split your capital into smaller sums, for example 1 €, 2 €, 5 € or 10 € per day, to smooth out fluctuations as much as possible.
Again, this is not an absolute rule, but an adjustable option depending on your risk profile and the nature of the assets chosen.
*See terms on the site
All of our information is, by nature, generic. It does not take into account your personal situation and does not constitute personalized recommendations for the execution of transactions, nor can it be equated to a financial investment advisory service, nor to any incentive to buy or sell financial instruments. The reader is solely responsible for using the information provided, with no recourse against Café de la Bourse’s publishing company. The publishing company’s liability cannot be engaged in the event of error, omission or inappropriate investment.
