Online brokers compared

Investors should know the best online brokers to trade stocks with. Some online stock brokers are known for their award-winning customer service while others are known for inexpensive stock trades or powerful trading platforms. This guide will highlight some of the best brokers available today with tips and advice for choosing an online broker. I spend hundreds of hours testing financial products and services each year. My reviews are honest and unbiased.

11 Best Online Brokers for Stock Trading of May 2020

At NerdWallet, we strive to help you make financial decisions with confidence. To do this, many or all of the products featured here are from our partners. Our opinions are our own. The first step in choosing an investment account is understanding your investing strategy. Investors who trade individual stocks and advanced securities like options are looking for exposure to specific companies or trading strategies. Mutual funds and ETFs are typically best suited to investing for long-term goals that are at least 5 years away, like retirement, a far-off home purchase or college.

Beginners and long term investors often look to get exposure to whole markets and don't have a preference on which type of securities to trade. Some brokers have minimum deposit requirements, while others may require a minimum balance to access certain advanced features or trading platforms.

If a broker is offering a new account promotion, there may be a minimum initial deposit requirement to qualify. Like most things, when it comes to stock brokers, you often get what you pay for — which means there may be a trade off between price and quality. Some brokers charge more per trade but offer access to a high-quality platform and premium research for free. Others have lower commissions, but offer fewer tools and services or charge to access certain tools.

If you're trading frequently — more than weekly — you'll want an advanced broker that has powerful platforms, innovative tools, high-quality research and low commissions.

Those who trade monthly or yearly will want a well-rounded broker with a user-friendly interface, helpful customer support and competitive pricing. Yes, it's true — you don't have to manage your own investments.

In fact, these days it's not only possible, but inexpensive to get the kind of management that was previously only available to investors with very high balances read: mostly millionaires.

Thank the robo-advisor : These services use algorithms to build and manage investor portfolios. For a very low fee, they'll create a portfolio of ETFs based on your investing goals and risk tolerance, then rebalance it as needed. Many also offer tax-loss harvesting for taxable accounts. If that sounds too hands-off for you and you want to manage your own investments , choose a self-directed account at an online broker. Low Cost: Mutual fund and ETF investors want access to funds without commissions or transaction fees; stock or options traders want low commissions and no added fees for inactivity, tools or research.

Platform and tools: If you plan to trade frequently, you likely know what kind of tools you'll use most and what you want out of a platform.

User interface: Website and tools should be intuitive and easy to navigate. Premium research: Investing, particularly frequent trading, requires analysis. The broker should provide extensive information to help you select the investments for your portfolio. Promotions: This shouldn't be your primary concern, but it might be a tie breaker if you're stuck between two options. Offers access to human advisors for additional fee.

Professional-level trading platform and tool. Tiers apply. Morgan's secure website. SoFi Active Investing: Cryptocurrency trading; fractional shares. SoFi Automated Investing: Low costs across the board, free access to certified financial planners. Sophisticated platform; exceptional research and analytical tools.

Customized portfolios; access to financial advisors. Per-share pricing; strong trading platform. Dedicated financial advisors; customized portfolios. Advertiser disclosure. Online Brokerage Comparison Use our online brokerage comparison tool to find the right stock broker for your needs. Our team has spent more than hours comparing leading online brokers. Our selections include top online brokers , which offer DIY investors low costs and convenience, and the top robo-advisors , which offer portfolio management at a fraction of the cost of human advisors.

What do you want to invest in? How much will you deposit to open the account? How often will you trade? At least once a week Every month or so A few times a year. Who will manage your investments? You An advisor. What is most important to you? Recommended stock brokers for you. Show Details. Account Minimum. Current Offers. Open account. Up to 1 year. Interactive Brokers.

You Invest by J. Free trades; app-based. SoFi Invest. Zacks Trade. Personal Capital. Wealthfront Show Details. Commissions 0. Open account on Wealthfront's secure website. Betterment Show Details.

Current Offers Up to 1 year of free management with a qualifying deposit. Open account on Betterment's secure website. Interactive Brokers Show Details. Current Offers Exclusive! Open account on Interactive Brokers's secure website. Ellevest Show Details. Current Offers 1 month free of Ellevest Digital. Open account on Ellevest's secure website.

Morgan Show Details. Open account on You Invest by J. SoFi Invest Show Details. Current Offers Free career counseling plus loan discounts with qualifying deposit. Open account on SoFi Invest's secure website. TradeStation Show Details. Open account on TradeStation's secure website.

Vanguard Show Details. Current Offers None no promotion currently offered. Open account on Vanguard's secure website. Zacks Trade Show Details. Current Offers None no promotion at this time. Open account on Zacks Trade's secure website. Personal Capital Show Details. Open account on Personal Capital's secure website.

Our experts have compared the top brokerage accounts to bring you a shortlist picks. Check out the best online stock brokers and apply today! Compare brokers with this detailed comparison table. And now, let's see the best international online brokers in for citizens in South Africa one by one.

You can use time as a huge ally when planning your investments. These play-it-safe investments are a good fit for you. Though similar in name, these accounts have major differences you should know. Investors may want to consider these top exchange-traded funds ETFs in

Disclosure: We are committed to recommending the best products for our readers.

At NerdWallet, we strive to help you make financial decisions with confidence. To do this, many or all of the products featured here are from our partners.

Online Brokerage Comparison

We evaluated each platform for functunality, ease of use, trading features, charting library and customizability. We evaluated each broker for its regulations, trading platforms, customer service, variety of assets, account types, and commissions. We evaluated online brokers for their regulations, trading platforms, customer service, account types, commissions and more. We evaluated each broker for its regulations, trading platforms, commissions, customer service and more. We evaluated each broker for its regulations, trading platforms, commissions, and customer service.

Compare Online Brokers

There are lots of brokerage firms out there. Each of them will likely tell you that they can offer more for your investing dollar than any of their competitors can. But when you get right down to it and you're ready to start investing, what should you look for in a broker and what do you need to do to get set up? One of the first questions you'll want to ask yourself when you start your search for a broker is, "Which brokers will let me open an account? These restrictions usually boil down to age and money. If you're young and interested in investing, keep in mind that in order to open your own brokerage account, you'll need to be a legal adult usually 18 years old. If you're not considered a legal adult yet, you can still invest, but your parents will need to set up a custodial account with your broker. A custodial account is essentially an account set up for a minor where the parents bear the legal responsibilities on behalf of the minor. With a custodial account, you'll still be able to trade stocks just as you would with your own account, except that Mom's and Dad's names will be on the account as well. Another thing you'll have to think about is the minimum account balance required by your broker.

Blain Reinkensmeyer May 7th, The StockBrokers.

Select discount brokerages to compare:. Best online brokers in Canada comparison. Image by dawnfu from Pixabay. Additional data access proprietary BMO Capital Markets research Reduced commissions MarketQ platform access provides additional data access, streaming quotes, charts and watchlists Reduced commissions preferred margin rates Active traders can select from our fixed or tiered pricing, which could provide savings on commissions.

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Want to trade stocks? On these measures, the brokerage firms below earned their place on our list of the best online brokers for stock trading. We evaluated brokerage firms and investment companies on the services that matter most to different types of investors. For example, for active traders, we've noted online brokers with low or no commissions and robust mobile trading platforms. For people venturing into investing for the first time, we've included the best online brokers for educational resources including webinars, video tutorials and in-person seminars and on-call chat or phone support. Read on to see our picks for the best brokers, alongside links to our investing experts' in-depth reviews on each. Show Less. Interactive Brokers' IBKR Lite is a strong option for frequent traders: The broker offers international trade capabilities, no stock-trading commission and a quality trading platform. Zacks is a great choice for experienced and active investors who would appreciate a little extra support from a representative, but trades cost more than at competitors. Trades of up to 10, shares are commission-free. Not much. Note that many of the brokers above have no account minimums for both taxable brokerage accounts and IRAs. Once you open an account, all it takes to get started is enough money to cover the cost of a single share of a stock and the trading commission, if charged.

5 Best Online Stock Brokers 2020

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