Best Online Brokers for Stock Trading

Rated our #1 online broker for traders in 2019, TD Ameritrade charges $0 per trade and offers the largest variety of trading tools through its desktop-based thinkorswim and Mobile Trader platforms. It also ranks #1, alongside its Best in Class rating, for numerous other categories including Beginners, Trading Platforms and Tools, Customer Service, and Education, among others. Read full review

Best for Investors

Fidelity Investments charges $0 per trade and received 4.5 stars in our 2019 Review, including being awarded Best in Class for 12 different categories. It is our top recommendation for discount trading. The broker also took home the #1 awards for Research and Order Execution. Finally, Fidelity’s mobile app was rated Best Mobile App for Investors. Read full review

Best for IRA Accounts

Charles Schwab charges $0 per trade and was rated #1 for IRA Accounts and 5 stars for Research. Extensive research access along with consistent customer service, ample tools, the largest selection of commission-free funds, and industry-leading market reports combine to present a great full-service brokerage. Read full review

Best for Options, Mobile

E*TRADE, with its $0 stock trades, finished fourth overall in 2019. E*TRADE was awarded 5 stars and #1 for Options Trading, thanks to its Power E*TRADE trading platform. The broker also won first place for Mobile Trading, and offers well-rounded access to quality research, trading tools, education, and more. Read full review

Best for Professionals – Open Account
Exclusive Offer: New clients that open an account today receive a special margin rate.While Interactive Brokers does offer a $0 trading account type (IBKR Lite), the broker is best known for its professional traders accounts (IBKR Pro), where Interactive Brokers offers per-share pricing ($.005 per share with a $1 minimum per trade), and charges up to $20 per month between two minimum activity fees. Traders who can meet its $100,000 minimum deposit for margin trading are rewarded with an industry-leading commissions schedule, margin rates, and full support for international trading. Read full review

Best Rewards Program

Merrill Edge ($0 per trade) was awarded #1 for Banking Services and #1 Overall Client Experience, thanks to its parent company, Bank of America. Not limited to just Bank of America customers, Merrill Edge’s Preferred Rewards program is excellent, offering perks such as bonus rewards on credit cards, savings account interest rate boosters, and discounted mortgage rates. Read full review

Best for Platform Technology – Open Account
Promo Offer: Commission-Free Trades on Stocks, ETFs & Options TradesTradeStation’s advanced trading platform has been awarded Best Platform Technology for the past six years. For active traders and day traders, TradeStation was rated 5 stars and comes packed full of tools and functionality. Under TS Select pricing, stock and ETF trades are $0, with options trades costing just $.60 per contract. Read full review