Here are our top picks due to their low costs, strong research and education offering as well as high-quality customer experience. Fidelity is one of the largest and one of the most well-rounded brokerages available in the U.S. today. Importantly, Fidelity offers $0 commission for online stock and ETF trades, plus a high-quality mobile app that’s good for both beginners and seasoned investors.

Brokerage Solutions for Specific Investor Profiles

Many investors don’t need bells and whistles, which can raise prices. For investors who prefer a more passive investing approach and are best online brokers 2025 focused on affordability and long-term growth, Vanguard is one of the best platforms to consider. Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses.

Summary of the best brokerage accounts

• This is not a recommendation, investment advice, or a solicitation for the purchase or sale of a security.
• Information, including rates and fees, is accurate as of the publishing date and has not been provided or endorsed by the advertiser.
• All of them except for Robinhood, Moomoo and SoFi Active Investing also offer individual bonds.
• Wealthfront stands out as an exceptional robo-advisor, especially for those with large account balances or higher tax brackets.
• In this article, we will compare the best online brokers of 2025 based on key factors such as fees, user experience, customer support, trading tools, and regulatory compliance.

You may not be able to avoid account fees completely, but you can certainly minimize them. Most brokers will charge a fee for transferring out investments, or for closing your account entirely. If you’re transferring to another broker, that new brokerage firm may offer to reimburse your transfer fees, at least up to a limit. With its easy-to-use margin offerings, fractional share capabilities and wide investment selection, it’s no wonder Robinhood has become a household name among stock trading apps. IBKR has clients in over 200 countries and territories who can trade stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, funds, and more on 150 global markets.

Commission Rates for Trades

Confirm details with the provider you’re interested in before making a decision. Choose a broker or robo-advisor, and complete a brief application by providing personal information such as your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number. We evaluated over 50 queries for each firm featured in our rankings.

With this robo-advisor, you have access to Vanguard’s popular index funds without the hassle of creating your own portfolio strategy. With a low fee structure, this to-the-point platform is a great option for investors with at least $100 to start, ensuring you can grow your wealth without breaking the bank. Because of growing interest in Treasury bonds and other kinds of fixed-income securities, this year we placed a little extra emphasis on the transparency and costs of bond trades. That dinged Ally and Interactive, which charge a fee for trading Treasuries. And it dinged Firstrade and WellsTrade, which reap commissions, often referred to as “markups,” on trades of corporate bonds.

Ally and Firstrade trailed because they lack many popular tools, such as college-savings calculators and tools to help you analyze your allocations to different kinds of assets. Get up to $1,000 in stock when you open & fund a new Active Invest account. Switching to a new broker is quick and easy, and in most cases, the entire process can be handled online. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money. More than 50 years of combined experience writing about finance and investing. First, you may prefer the look and feel of Schwab’s platforms over Fidelity’s (personally, I prefer Fidelity’s).

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But sometimes added costs can be helpful if it is something that simplifies things for an investor or aligns to the values or the user experience an investor is seeking. IBKR has one of the widest selections of investment offerings on our list, letting you trade stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, options, futures, crypto and more. IBKR also has some of the lowest margin rates you’ll find on the market. Fidelity lets you trade fractional or whole shares, mutual funds, ETFs, options, bonds, cryptocurrency and more. With no minimum deposit requirement and no commissions on U.S. stocks, ETFs or options trades, it can be a cost-effective option for beginner investors.

Public most broadly appeals to those who appreciate well-designed and simple platforms and need access to all of the most common assets. The best online broker for you depends on your experience level, trading goals, and asset preferences. Taking the time to compare features, test demo accounts, and research broker reputations will help you make the best decision. If you’re interested in trading currencies, you’ll need a broker that specializes in forex.

Moomoo is an up-and-coming brokerage that caters to active traders. Additionally, with its recent purchase of TD Ameritrade, Schwab added thinkorswim — a powerful trading platform that is especially useful for analyzing options trades — to its feature set. All of these choices come with additional complexity in the web-based and mobile platforms, but both applications are easy to navigate. Brokers are investing heavily in mobile-friendly interfaces, enabling one-click trades, AI-powered assistants, and real-time alerts. Platforms like Fidelity and Robinhood allow users to buy fractions of shares, making investing accessible to everyone. Fidelity is a great option for long-term investors and those looking for a mix of trading and wealth management services.

• The most common type of brokerage account is the standard cash account (aka a brokerage account funded by your own funds).
• Once you understand what you need, consider costs, platforms, investment account types, and available investments to decide what’s best for you.
• Most brokers will charge a fee for transferring out investments, or for closing your account entirely.
• Cash accounts vs. margin accounts may be a better choice for beginners or hands-off investors.
• Some of the best small brokers include Robinhood and robo-advisors such as Stash and Betterment.

These firms typically have a solid reputation, a broad selection of investment options, and competitive pricing. The brokerage landscape has changed dramatically over the years, with firms expanding their services and lowering costs to stay competitive. This benefits investors, who now have access to similar and competitively priced products across the financial planning world.

The platform offers charting tools, extended-hours trading and a user-friendly mobile experience. The platform gives access to stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and fixed income along with personalized stock ratings and detailed research from BofA Global Research. Customers with Bank of America accounts benefit from seamless transfers and Preferred Rewards perks including discounts and dedicated service. Merrill Edge offers a well-integrated experience for clients who bank with Bank of America, combining investing, banking and financial planning in one platform. Its clean interface and powerful account tracking tools make it a logical choice for users who value centralized financial management.

Before saving with a taxable account, consider the order of where you should save first to accomplish your financial goals best. Are you comfortable taking responsibility in making investment decisions? Taxable accounts can be a good vehicle if you can check all the boxes. Most often, the account you have set up in a brokerage will be a flexible investment. This is great because you have use of the money for various purposes, and you are not tied to specific withdrawal requirements the same way you would be in a retirement or college 529 account. Key to a good experience with a brokerage is getting client orders, questions and problems handled quickly.

The next-closest brokerage, Schwab, offers access to markets in 29 other countries. Most other brokerages are limited to U.S.-listed shares (which may include international stocks traded here as American depositary receipts). We gave points to brokerages that offer plenty of opportunities to buy fractions of stocks or ETFs, because that helps small investors dip their toes in the market.

Round-Ups® investments are transferred from your linked funding source (checking account) to your Acorns Invest account, where the funds are invested into a portfolio of selected ETFs. If you do not maintain an adequate amount of funds in your funding source sufficient to cover your Round-Ups® investments, you could incur overdraft fees with your financial institution. Vanguard is an established name in the investment world for pioneering the movement of improving investing accessibility to more people.