Trading sites

Fidelity shows up at the top or near the top of almost every ranking of online stock trading brokers.

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Top Online Stock Trading Sites, trading sites.

It is not the least expensive, but top most lists in customer satisfaction. Fidelity is known for its research and investors can talk to advisers face-to-face at one of the many fidelity investment centers. Online stock trading sites offer investors access to a variety of tools, research, and services once available only through full-service brokerage accounts. There are many online stock trading sites to choose from, but narrowing the field may seem time-consuming and overwhelming.

Top online stock trading sites

Online stock trading sites offer investors access to a variety of tools, research, and services once available only through full-service brokerage accounts. There are many online stock trading sites to choose from, but narrowing the field may seem time-consuming and overwhelming.

These 10 top-rated online stock trading sites continually show up on just about every list of the best. Ultimately, your choice is a personal one based on your investment style and what is most important to you. For example, if you're an infrequent trader, pay attention to fees for inactivity. If advice is a priority, check how a site dispenses it and if it affects trading costs.

Not every online stock trading site on this list will work for you because some are stronger in one area, while weaker in another. Many of the sites will let you open a demo account to get a real feel for the customer experience.

Consider these online stock trading sites, organized alphabetically:

Charles schwab

Schwab is the granddaddy of discount brokerages and is carrying this tradition to its online offering—although it is looking more like a traditional brokerage all the time. It offers its own research and clients can work with an investment adviser or schwab will manage the account for you.

E*trade

E*trade gets high marks for its range of offerings including banking and mutual funds. The company has absorbed several other brokerage firms and is now a significant player in the online stock trading market. Like its competitors, active traders get lower rates on their trades.

Fidelity

Fidelity shows up at the top or near the top of almost every ranking of online stock trading brokers. It is not the least expensive, but top most lists in customer satisfaction. Fidelity is known for its research and investors can talk to advisers face-to-face at one of the many fidelity investment centers.

Firstrade

One of the advantages of a brokerage account is consolidating your investment activity in one account and cutting down paperwork. Firstrade topped a 2018 survey by kiplinger as the online stock trading broker offering the most commission-free exchange-traded funds (etfs).

Muriel siebert

Muriel siebert may not have the marketing muscle of other online stock trading sites but it is a solid brokerage house worth your look. The company receives high marks for customer service and research. The fee structure is straightforward and easy to understand.

Optionsxpress

Despite its name, this online stock trading site offers accounts that trade just about any type of security you want including options, stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, futures, and more. This site is easy to use and gets to the point. It's not the cheapest, but it's tops in functionality.

Scottrade

Scottrade’s claim to fame is superior customer satisfaction as noted in J.D power and associates' 2018 survey of online brokers. Commissions are on the low side and transactions are processed quickly.

TD ameritrade

TD ameritrade is another brokerage that is the result of mergers. (ameritrade was one of the merged companies and it has been around for a number of years.) the company has a large selection of mutual funds and is noted for its responsiveness to customer inquiries. It also offers the online brokerage thinkorswim.

Vanguard

Vanguard made a name for itself as the low-cost leader in mutual funds. Vanguard is a solid company that excels in providing value to their customers and in consolidating investments in a brokerage account

Wellstrade

The financial services powerhouse wells fargo has an online stock trading site that fits its image of comprehensive services. Five different levels of accounts are available, depending on whether you want a strictly independent trading account or a version of their managed accounts. Investors looking for a single place to find all their financial services will find wells fargo a good place to start.

The best online stock trading sites for beginners 2021

Modified date: january 10, 2021

W hether it has to do with trading commissions, broker assistance, trading tools, or educational resources, finding the online stock trading site that will work best for you can improve your investment returns by thousands of dollars over the years. In this article, that’s exactly what we’re trying to help you do.

Compare brokerage accounts

Our selection methodology

In determining the best online stock trading sites, we looked at 10 popular investment brokerages. We narrowed the list down to the five that provide the broadest range of services, as well as the most attractive pricing. After all, this is a list of stock trading sites, so fees matter.

Overall, we used the following criteria to determine the best online stock trading sites:

Evaluations and ratings from major financial publications

Platform pricing

Range of investment options

Quality of trading platform

Availability of trading tools and educational resources

Areas of broker specialization

Each of the five stock trading sites on this list excel in each of these categories. It came down to relative levels of strength in each, as well as exemplary performance in one or more areas.

Best online stock trading sites

1. TD ameritrade

TD ameritrade might just have the best overall trading platform in the industry. It also has more than 360 branch locations in major metropolitan areas around the country.

TD ameritrade is particularly strong with their trading platform. They offer overnight trading, on a “24/5” basis – trading 24 hours a day, five days per week. Their “thinkorswim” feature provides professional level trading technology, streaming real-time data, customizable charts and integrated one-click trading. They also offer advanced trading, investor education tools, and technical analysis (with more than 400 technical studies).

But perhaps most interesting is the TD ameritrade papermoney tool. It’s a virtual trading account that lets you test trading strategies before going live. It gives you two accounts, a virtual margin account in a virtual IRA, each with $100,000. It’s perfect either for a beginner or an advanced trader to test various investment strategies without the possibility of losing money in the process.

TD ameritrade is simply one of the least expensive of the investment brokerage range, with a fee of $0 per trade for stocks and ETF’s, and $0 per trade for options, plus $0.65 per contract. There’s free trading of load mutual funds, and $49.99 per trade for no-load funds.

Advertising disclosure – doughroller.Net is partnered with TD ameritrade and we may receive compensation from them depending on your action. All opinions are ours and not influenced by any advertiser.

2. E*TRADE

E*TRADE is another investment broker that’s coming up fast. E*TRADE made a deep plunge into options trading with the 2017 acquisition of optionshouse, a platform that specialized in that investment niche. In fact, E*TRADE has largely kept the optionshouse platform intact, while adding its own specific services to the mix.

Much like other investment brokerage firms on this list, you can hold the widest variety of investments through E*TRADE. And while options are their strong suit, they’re also a major force with funds, offering more than 9,000 mutual funds, including more than 4,400 no-load funds with no transaction fees. They also offer a wide variety of target date mutual funds.

With fees, E*TRADE is about the best you can do when compared to the major investment brokerages. They charge $0 per trade for stocks and ETF’s, and $19.99 per trade for mutual funds. For options, they charge the base fee of $0 per trade, plus $0.65 per contract.

Customer service is available on a 24/7 basis, by phone, email and live chat. They also have more than 30 local branches in major metropolitan areas around the country.

The trading platform is one of the best in the industry, particularly in regard to options trading:

Related : read E*TRADE full review

3. Charles schwab

Charles schwab virtually invented the discount investment brokerage concept back in the 1970s. But they steadily added services to the point where they are a full-service broker, while still providing discount prices.

Charles schwab offers everything fidelity does, and is an even larger firm based on assets under management. But we gave fidelity the nod due to their stronger position in mutual funds.

But schwab has plenty of strengths of their own. Their training tools and broker support are second to none in the industry. Their fees are comparable to fidelity’s, and so is their investment selection.

If you’re a trader, and especially a new trader, they offer some of the best educational and training resources on the web. They also offer the full range of investment products, including stocks, bonds, options, mutual funds and ETF’s. At $4.95 per trade, their commissions are at the low end of the investment broker range. They are however high on mutual fund commissions, at $76 per trade.

But one of the factors making schwab one of the top firms in the industry is their robo-advisor platform. These days, virtually every major brokerage has one. But what makes their schwab intelligent portfolios robo-advisor stand out is that it’s offered at no fee. The service invests your money in up to 20 different asset classes, including commodities and real estate. It’s a perfect option for a new trader who may want to keep some of his or her money in a professionally managed account, while breaking into self-directed trading at the same time. That’s a big advantage for any investor, but particularly a new investor. And even though we’re primarily evaluating stock trading sites based on actual trading features, it’s always a plus to have a good managed option as well. And one that’s free is even better!

But one area of particular benefit to new traders is customer service. Schwab has it available on a 24/7 basis, and it consistently gets high ratings from major financial media outlets. For example, in 2017, charles schwab was rated #1 in customer service by investor’s business daily.

They offer a wealth of investment tools, including schwab proprietary research, which provides access to stock ratings, fundamental research, custom screeners, and much more:

4. Fidelity

We’d like to say this was an easy choice, but it was anything but. It’s a matter of choosing between five very good investment brokerages, and fidelity won the top spot by no more than a nose.

Fidelity is one of the world’s largest investment brokerage firms, with nearly $2.5 trillion in assets under management. The company started out as a mutual fund family, which is still one of its specializations. But it branched out into general brokerage services, and we feel it’s become the best in the business.

The platform offers something for every investor. You can trade virtually any type of investment, but perhaps what fidelity is best known for is funds, particularly their own fidelity funds. They have some of the best known and established mutual funds in the industry, including the $100 billion-plus fidelity contra fund. And in addition to the fidelity funds, they offer thousands more from other fund families.

With the popularity of fund investing–and the fact that fidelity is the second largest fund provider (after vanguard)–gives them the nod over the competition.

They also offer all those investment options with trading fees that are at the lower end of the entire industry. Their basic trading fees for stocks, options and ETF’s are at the lower end of the investment brokerage fee range, at $4.95 per trade. Mutual fund commissions are $49.95 per trade, but they offer hundreds of funds commission-free.

Their active trader pro trading platform is one of the best in the industry, and they provide abundant trading tools and educational resources. Fidelity also provides specific tools for mutual fund investors. The search and screen by fund family tool provides an entire list of all funds available, broken down by fund family. It lists fund performance for one, three, five and 10 years, as well as expense ratios and morningstar ratings:

Fidelity also enables you to choose funds by specific sector, and provides a list of the highest (four and five star) funds, as rated by morningstar.

They offer 24/7 customer service, as well as more than 140 brick and mortar branches around the country, a rarity in what is increasingly an online broker universe. As well, fidelity consistently rates highly among popular financial publications, like barron’s, kiplinger, and investor’s business daily.

Best online trading websites for

Every one of the five brokerage firms on this list is one of the best in the industry, and worthy of investigation, or even as the destination for your investment portfolio. Each is good on multiple fronts. But we’ve identified specific categories where each stands out above the rest.

Here are the categories in which we believe each broker is very likely the best in the industry:

Active traders: ally invest

Best trading platform: TD ameritrade

Options trading: E*TRADE

Stocks AND funds: fidelity

New traders: charles schwab

Factors to consider

There are a lot of good investment brokerage firms available, including every company on this list. But no matter what you hear about a particular platform, the most important consideration is working with one that best suits your needs as an investor.

Some factors to consider:

If you primarily invest in funds, selecting an investment broker with a wide selection of funds will be more important than choosing the broker who has the lowest trading fees.

Similarly, if you’re mostly a buy-and-hold investor, specific investment analysis tools may be more important to you than choosing the broker with the lowest fees.

If you’re a new investor, you might want to go with a firm that offers a combination of strong educational and training tools, excellent customer service, and a virtual trading account that will allow you to learn the ropes without using real money.

If you’re an active trader, commission fees will be very important, since they will affect the net return on your trading activities. As well, you’ll need a trading platform that will facilitate high-frequency trading.

For options traders, look closely at the features and tools available at a brokerage specifically for options trading. A platform that’s considered best-in-class based on individual stocks, funds or even low fees may not be your best choice.

Final thoughts on the best online trading sites

Though we’ve specifically designed this article to discuss the best online trading sites, any of the five would also be suitable for just about any other investment related purpose. Use this list as a starting point for your search.

And no matter how much you may hear that broker X is the “best”, whether it’s from friends, the financial media, or the internet, always remember that’s a general assumption, based on the “average investor”. The best online trading sites are the best online trading sites for you. Make sure the one you choose is right for you. You’ll be investing your hard earned money through the broker, and you’ll want to do that with a platform that will optimize your returns.

CSGO trading sites 2021

In the last 5 years, CSGO skins have played a vital role in boosting the popularity of the FPS title. Since people from across the globe are buying, selling and trading millions of CSGO skins every day. Some people just do it for fun while others are interested in doing business with it. This is why this external trading business has bloomed recently.

Owing to this dynamic popularity many skin trading platforms have emerged on the web. And many users have been through a bitter experience which includes, scams, account getting blocked, stolen skins, lack of payments and more. At the same time, there are exceptional CSGO skin trading sites that have millions of happy users. Let's have a comprehensive look at some of those that we believe will only boost your experience.

CS.Money

CS.Money is amongst the best CSGO skin trading sites out there. As it has some of the lowest charges and users love the fact that the platform is safe and secure. It also offers cool bonuses like free stickers and tags. The best feature of the site is its speed since users say that the transactions take place at a rapid pace. The users also admire the friendly customer support and have encountered no annoying errors in the interface. It is also mobile-friendly so that the users can carry out their deals through their phones with just access to the internet. It is overall a clean system with no flaws.

Skinbaron

Another great platform to make trades. This site holds plenty of great reviews and offers great skins at discounted prices. Skinbaron has a very attractive design and has great support services. If you have any query the support is there 24/7 to give you the answers and improve your CSGO skin trading experience.

The only downside of the platform is that it takes a hefty fee on each sale. The skin prices are quite low and some say even better than dmarket but the transaction fees can go as high as 14%.

CS.Trade

Established in 2018, and with over a million trades, CS.Trade has risen from the depths to become one of the well-known CSGO skin trading sites. It offers an impressive variety of CSGO skins and has something fascinating for everyone. What makes it a reliable platform is the fact that it has affiliate programs, giveaways and sponsorship deals which evidently shows that it wants to be the best in the business. It's been only two years since its setup and is already rated amongst the most reliable and trustworthy platforms in CSGO skin trading.

Dmarket

Dmarket is one of the most reliable platforms for in-game skins and items. The site was established in 2017 and has attracted millions of users since it offers secure, reliable and fast CSGO skin trading. Dmarket also operates on an exchange model where buyers bid for the seller’s asking price. This model is based on the design of distributed ledger technology.

The most attractive element of the site is the price. It offers some of the best prices on the web. Since the majority of the skins are up for sale on discount deals. Another fascinating element of dmarket is the multiple methods of making transactions. Aside from popular services like paypal, payoneer and more. The platform takes the lowest cuts. It also holds full-time support and a very user-friendly interface which is more than enough for a very pleasant CSGO skin trading site.

Steam community market

At the time of this writing, the steam market is only the official trading platform. All the valve titles that have in-game skin can be easily traded on the steam market.

Owing to valve’s authority it has a variety of advantages. Since all you have to do is login into steam launcher and make the trade. You are not limited to only buy and sell CSGO skins but can do it for multiple games. This is quite safe and convenient but still not a go-to platform for the traders. Since the prices are quite high many reviews have shown that the CSGO skin prices differ by 60-70% in some cases and this difference can also reach 100-150%.

Another factor that plays a critical role in the low popularity of the platform is the lack of real money withdrawal. This means that you cannot make the trade with your steam wallet, which makes this platform useless for the people who are interested in making real money.

Reddit community

One of the most popular CSGO communities on the web. Since you will bound to get a good answer for your problems with exciting discussion threads and plenty of opinions. On reddit, the buyers and sellers can communicate directly without the need of 3rd party platforms.

It is quite convenient, must at the same time has its fair share of flaws. Since the community is huge there is always a better offer waiting for the buyer which is not the best thing when it comes to making profits. But the biggest con of reddits is the lack of security for the transactions. Since no one on the platform is willing to guarantee safe trading. Nonetheless, reddit is one of the best ways to communicate and gain knowledge about the skin trading market.

Csgo-skins

It a very popular side that is quite secure and has low prices compared to steam. It hosts a variety of features and provides services for a great trading experience.

One of the most admired features is that the platform allows you to upgrade your skins at low fees. It means that if you are just bored of seeing the same skin over and over again, you can simply get a new one. But some experts say that they made more profits by simply selling the old and getting a new one at a cheaper price.

You can find some of the most popular skins on the platform but they are somewhat rare compared to other mentioned sites.

CSGO skin trading conclusion

Skin trading is all set to become a big business in 2020. As each second passes there are thousands of skin exchanges and purchases being made. You can track the transaction on numerous platforms all over the world, as each site comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Be sure to pick the one that fulfills your requirements.

We hope that this material has influenced you in getting the necessary information you need for each listed site. We hope that you pick out the most suitable and enjoy your CSGO skin trading experience.

Top online stock trading sites

Consider these online stock trading sites, organized alphabetically:

Charles schwab

E*trade

Fidelity

Firstrade

Muriel siebert

Optionsxpress

Scottrade

TD ameritrade

Vanguard

Wellstrade

Trading sites

Everywhere you go online you’ll probably see warnings about trading website, or complaints from disgruntled traders regarding the procedures used by the trading websites they’ve used in the past. While we can’t say that every trading website is safe, the vast majority are. These online trading websites use extremely high levels of security to ensure that client data, trading data, and deposits are all kept safe. And as more and more become regulated as well they often fall under some type of investor compensation scheme that provides addition protections.

Convenience and good trading conditions are some of the advantages of trading websites, but what about any disadvantages? There definitely are some, such as the ability to invest way too much too fast. It’s so simple to press a button and make a trade, and some new traders can get carried away. In fact, that’s another disadvantage – some traders find the trading websites to be downright addictive. Also, you aren’t likely to create a relationship with a trading website, leaving you to your own devices. Not everyone can handle this level of autonomy.

There are definitely benefits to using trading websites, otherwise they wouldn’t have become so popular. The most obvious advantage that comes to mind is the convenience. Trading websites can be accessed from any web browser. Another advantage that attracts many traders are the lower fees and spreads. Trading websites also provide access to many useful trading tools, and you have the ability to watch your investments in real-time, and make trades in a matter of instants. And since you’re in control of your trades you can avoid any potential bias on the broker’s part in which they might be motivated to have you trade simply to collect the commissions.

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Best online stock trading platforms

Sarah horvath

Contributor, benzinga

Trading stocks means you can end up with a mixed bag of emotions. You might be excited at the prospect of watching your money grow, overwhelmed at the number of stock options available to you or even frustrated if you’re having trouble making your 1st buy.

You don’t want to pile on the feeling of being overcharged by your online trading platform. Commissions, account maintenance charges and other hidden fees can quickly add up and eat into your profits. As a new trader, you may already feel especially hesitant to start investing. You might not be sure which broker to trust and which is worth the price.

Luckily, most brokerages have recognized this fear and created free options to help new traders save more money when getting started. Take a look at our top picks to compare services and find your match today.

Best online trading platforms:

Best overall online trading platform: tradestation

Best mobile brokerage: webull

Best for advanced traders: moomoo

Best advanced platform: TD ameritrade

Best for professional traders: interactive brokers

Best for beginners: robinhood

Best for advanced traders: schwab

Best for saving on taxes: vanguard

Compare online brokers

Take a look at our top picks for online stock brokers. Compare what each offers to find the right service for you.

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

Webull, founded in 2017, is a mobile app-based brokerage that features commission-free stock and exchange-traded fund (ETF) trading. It’s regulated by the securities and exchange commission (SEC) and the financial industry regulatory authority (FINRA).

Webull offers active traders technical indicators, economic calendars, ratings from research agencies, margin trading and short-selling. Webull’s trading platform is designed for intermediate and experienced traders, although beginning traders can also benefit.

Webull is widely considered one of the best robinhood alternatives.

Best for

Commission-free trading in over 5,000 different stocks and etfs

No account maintenance fees or software platform fees

No charges to open and maintain an account

Leverage of 4:1 on margin trades made the same day and leverage of 2:1 on trades held overnight

Intuitive trading platform with technical and fundamental analysis tools

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

Tradestation is for advanced traders who need a comprehensive platform. The brokerage offers an impressive range of investable assets as frequent and professional traders appreciate its wide range of analysis tools. Tradestation’s app is also equally effective, offering full platform capabilities.

Best for

Comprehensive trading platform and professional-grade tools

Wide range of tradable securities

Fully-operational mobile app

Confusing pricing structure to leave new traders with a weak understanding of what they pay

Cluttered layout to make navigating tradestation’s platform more difficult than it should be

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

This publicly listed discount broker, which is in existence for over four decades, is service-intensive, offering intuitive and powerful investment tools. Especially, with equity investing, a flat fee is charged, with the firm claiming that it charges no trade minimum, no data fees, and no platform fees. Though it is pricier than many other discount brokers, what tilts the scales in its favor is its well-rounded service offerings and the quality and value it offers its clients.

Best for

World-class trading platforms

Detailed research reports and education center

Assets ranging from stocks and etfs to derivatives like futures and options

Thinkorswim can be overwhelming to inexperienced traders

Derivatives trading more costly than some competitors

Expensive margin rates

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

Moomoo is a commission-free mobile trading app available on apple, google and windows devices. A subsidiary of futu holdings ltd., it’s backed by venture capital affiliates of matrix, sequoia, and tencent (NASDAQ: FUTU). Securities offered by futu inc., regulated by the securities and exchange commission (SEC) and the financial industry regulatory authority (FINRA).

Moomoo is another great alternative for robinhood. This is an outstanding trading platform if you want to dive deep into smart trading. It offers impressive trading tools and opportunities for both new and advanced traders, including advanced charting, pre and post-market trading, international trading, research and analysis tools, and most popular of all, free level 2 quotes.

Get started right away by downloading moomoo to your phone, tablet or another mobile device.

Best for

Free level 2 market data for all users who open an account

Commission-free trading in over 5,000 different stocks and etfs

Over 8,000 different stocks that can be sold short

$0 contract fee for trading options, no commission either

Strong market data and analysis tools with over 50 technical indicators

Access trading and quotes in pre-market (4 a.M. To 9:30 a.M. ET) and post-market hours (4 p.M. To 8 p.M. ET)

No minimum deposit to open an account.

Active trading community with more than 100,000 app users

Characteristics of a successful online stock trader

Though each trader has his own individual set of financial and personal goals, the most successful stock traders enter the market with the following 3 characteristics:

Commitment to education

They also stay up to date on political happenings both at home and abroad and they factor in how new laws and regulations affect the market. Looking to increase your knowledge of the stock market? Check out our list of the best low-cost day trading courses you can sign up for right now.

Use of the right tools. The best stock traders use the right tools at their disposal.

A realistic perspective. There are plenty of stock trading courses that teach traders the secrets that industry professionals “hide” from the general public and website pop-ups that say they the next amazon or bitcoin buy. The best traders know that these are over-exaggerated claims at best and downright scams at worst. Before you start trading, check your goals and make sure they are realistic—the stories of overnight millionaires are few and far between.

Things to look for in an online trading platform

Though most stock trading platforms charge account maintenance fees and commissions, you’ll find a number of brokers that will allow you to trade for free. Some characteristics that all reliable free trading platforms share include:

An intuitive trading site. A brokerage firm isn’t very useful if you can’t understand how to get started. Watch a few youtube tutorials or website overviews to get a feel for the platform before you commit desktop space and time to the broker. If the platform isn’t intuitive, check the brokerage’s customer service options. A responsive team of customer service professionals may be able to help you understand how to operate a more complicated platform.

Clear and easy-to-understand free trading. Though some platforms will allow you to trade for free indefinitely, some may only allow commission-free trades within a limited window after opening an account. When you sign up for an account on a free trading platform, make sure you read the terms of service to understand how many free trades you are entitled to with your account. Brokerages that try to hide this information may make their money “tricking” users into thinking that trades are free indefinitely, only to stick them with high fees later on by hiding a clause in the fine print.

Realistic claims. Trading platforms that make unrealistic claims (like promising a dollar amount of returns or claiming that they have “secrets” that other brokers hide) are more than likely just trying to take your money with a hidden fee or commission. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The best online trading platforms

Based on the criteria above, we’ve compiled a list of the best online trading platforms to get started trading stocks for free.

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Best online stock trading platforms

Sarah horvath

Contributor, benzinga

Best online trading platforms:

Best overall online trading platform: tradestation

Best mobile brokerage: webull

Best for advanced traders: moomoo

Best advanced platform: TD ameritrade

Best for professional traders: interactive brokers

Best for beginners: robinhood

Best for advanced traders: schwab

Best for saving on taxes: vanguard

Compare online brokers

Take a look at our top picks for online stock brokers. Compare what each offers to find the right service for you.

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

Webull is widely considered one of the best robinhood alternatives.

Best for

Commission-free trading in over 5,000 different stocks and etfs

No account maintenance fees or software platform fees

No charges to open and maintain an account

Leverage of 4:1 on margin trades made the same day and leverage of 2:1 on trades held overnight

Intuitive trading platform with technical and fundamental analysis tools

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

Best for

Comprehensive trading platform and professional-grade tools

Wide range of tradable securities

Fully-operational mobile app

Confusing pricing structure to leave new traders with a weak understanding of what they pay

Cluttered layout to make navigating tradestation’s platform more difficult than it should be

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

Best for

World-class trading platforms

Detailed research reports and education center

Assets ranging from stocks and etfs to derivatives like futures and options

Thinkorswim can be overwhelming to inexperienced traders

Derivatives trading more costly than some competitors

Expensive margin rates

Best for

Overall rating

Best for

1 minute review

Get started right away by downloading moomoo to your phone, tablet or another mobile device.

Best for

Free level 2 market data for all users who open an account

Commission-free trading in over 5,000 different stocks and etfs

Over 8,000 different stocks that can be sold short

$0 contract fee for trading options, no commission either

Strong market data and analysis tools with over 50 technical indicators

Access trading and quotes in pre-market (4 a.M. To 9:30 a.M. ET) and post-market hours (4 p.M. To 8 p.M. ET)

No minimum deposit to open an account.

Active trading community with more than 100,000 app users

Characteristics of a successful online stock trader

Though each trader has his own individual set of financial and personal goals, the most successful stock traders enter the market with the following 3 characteristics:

Commitment to education

Use of the right tools. The best stock traders use the right tools at their disposal.

Things to look for in an online trading platform

An intuitive trading site. A brokerage firm isn’t very useful if you can’t understand how to get started. Watch a few youtube tutorials or website overviews to get a feel for the platform before you commit desktop space and time to the broker. If the platform isn’t intuitive, check the brokerage’s customer service options. A responsive team of customer service professionals may be able to help you understand how to operate a more complicated platform.

Clear and easy-to-understand free trading. Though some platforms will allow you to trade for free indefinitely, some may only allow commission-free trades within a limited window after opening an account. When you sign up for an account on a free trading platform, make sure you read the terms of service to understand how many free trades you are entitled to with your account. Brokerages that try to hide this information may make their money “tricking” users into thinking that trades are free indefinitely, only to stick them with high fees later on by hiding a clause in the fine print.

Realistic claims. Trading platforms that make unrealistic claims (like promising a dollar amount of returns or claiming that they have “secrets” that other brokers hide) are more than likely just trying to take your money with a hidden fee or commission. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The best online trading platforms

Based on the criteria above, we’ve compiled a list of the best online trading platforms to get started trading stocks for free.

So, let's see, what we have: ten of the top online stock trading sites offer investors a wide variety of services including research and advice. Choose the best one for you. At trading sites