Intro and winners
Find below the strengths of the best commission-free brokers for stock trading available in the United States, updated for 2024:
- Fidelity - the best broker for free stock trading in 2024. Commission-free US stocks and ETFs. Great trading platforms and research. US and international stocks.
- Charles Schwab - Free stock and ETF trading. Outstanding research. Great customer service.
- E*TRADE - Low trading fees (free stock and ETF trading). User-friendly mobile trading platform. Great research tools. Pays interest on uninvested cash.
- Merrill Edge - Low trading fees. Easy and seamless account opening. Strong parent company.
- eToro - Free stock and ETF trading. Seamless account opening. Social trading.
- Ally Invest - Low trading and non-trading fees. Easy and fully digital account opening. Great education.
- J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing - Commission-free US stocks, ETFs, funds and bonds. Fast and fully digital account opening. Well-established parent company. Pays interest on uninvested cash.
- SoFi Invest - Free stock and ETF trading. Fast and fully digital account opening. Fast customer support.
- Vanguard - Stocks and ETFs are free to trade. Easy account opening. Great mobile trading platform. Interest paid on uninvested cash.
- Firstrade - Free stock, ETF, fund and options trading. Solid research tools. Quality educational tools.
Overview
Despite all of them offering free stock trading, there can still be significant differences among zero-commission brokers. A good selection of stocks to trade, easy-to-use mobile apps or desktop trading platforms, the absence of add-on fees and a rock solid regulatory background can make all the difference.
Broker | Stock fee class | Minimum deposit |
---|---|---|
Fidelity | Low | $0 |
Charles Schwab | Low | $0 |
E*TRADE | Low | $0 |
Merrill Edge | Low | $0 |
eToro | Low | $10 |
Ally Invest | Low | $0 |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Low | $0 |
SoFi Invest | Low | $0 |
Vanguard | Low | $0 |
Firstrade | Low | $0 |
Popularity of the best brokers for free stock trading
Interested in what others think? Here's how many people chose these brokers at BrokerChooser in the last 6 months.
Before we go on, an important notice: Some brokers' portfolios contain CFDs. These are complex and very risky instruments, therefore not suitable for everyone. You can easily lose all your invested money when you trade CFDs. If you need a more detailed explanation of what a CFD is, start with these CFD trading tips.
Fees and platform features
Let's take a look at the key details of the best brokers for commission-free stock trading in 2024.
Other fees at the best free stock trading platforms
The promise of free stock trades can sour quickly if you need to deposit a fortune just to get started or pay a hefty fee simply to retrieve your funds. Here's what, if anything, the best free stock trading apps will charge you for services other than stock trading.
Broker | Inactivity fee | Withdrawal fee |
---|---|---|
Fidelity | $0 | |
Charles Schwab | $0 | |
E*TRADE | $0 | |
Merrill Edge | $0 | |
eToro | $5 | |
Ally Invest | $0 | |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | $0 | |
SoFi Invest | $0 | |
Vanguard | $0 | |
Firstrade | $0 |
Market coverage
The best free stock trading platforms offer you thousands of instruments to choose from, covering major US and global markets.
Broker | Stock markets (#) | ETFs (#) |
---|---|---|
Fidelity | 25 | 2,500 |
Charles Schwab | 4 | 2,300 |
E*TRADE | 5 | 2,800 |
Merrill Edge | 4 | 2,300 |
eToro | 20 | 680 |
Ally Invest | 5 | 2,300 |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | 3 | 2,000 |
SoFi Invest | 5 | 2,300 |
Vanguard | 4 | 2,300 |
Firstrade | 5 | 2,300 |
Account opening and funding
Broker | Account opening score | Deposit and withdrawal user-friendliness |
---|---|---|
Fidelity | 4.4 /5 | Great |
Charles Schwab | 5.0 /5 | Great |
E*TRADE | 4.4 /5 | Great |
Merrill Edge | 5.0 /5 | Great |
eToro | 5.0 /5 | Great |
Ally Invest | 4.4 /5 | Great |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | 5.0 /5 | Great |
SoFi Invest | 4.4 /5 | Great |
Vanguard | 4.4 /5 | Great |
Firstrade | 4.4 /5 | Great |
Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research and great trading platforms
Fidelity snapshot | |
---|---|
US stockbroker | |
Overall score | 4.7 stars |
Time to open account | 1-3 days |
Overall fees score | 3.5 stars |
Markets/products score | 3.6 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Fidelity, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research, low fees and great customer service
Charles Schwab snapshot | |
---|---|
US discount broker | |
Overall score | 4.7 stars |
Time to open account | 1 day |
Overall fees score | 4.0 stars |
Markets/products score | 3.7 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Charles Schwab, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research and a great mobile trading platform
E*TRADE snapshot | |
---|---|
US stockbroker | |
Overall score | 4.5 stars |
Time to open account | 1-3 days |
Overall fees score | 3.8 stars |
Markets/products score | 2.9 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of E*TRADE, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for investors and traders looking for low fees, quick account opening and simple platforms
Merrill Edge snapshot | |
---|---|
US discount broker | |
Overall score | 4.6 stars |
Time to open account | 1 day |
Overall fees score | 4.2 stars |
Markets/products score | 2.4 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Merrill Edge, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for traders interested in social trading (i.e. copying other investors’ trades) and zero-commission stock trading
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eToro USA LLC; Investments are subject to market risk, including the possible loss of principal
eToro snapshot | |
---|---|
Global social trading broker | |
Overall score | 4.8 stars |
Time to open account | 1 day |
Overall fees score | 4.2 stars |
Markets/products score | 3.9 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of eToro, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for investors and traders looking for low fees and focusing on the US market
Ally Invest snapshot | |
---|---|
US stockbroker | |
Overall score | 4.5 stars |
Time to open account | 1-3 days |
Overall fees score | 4.3 stars |
Markets/products score | 2.4 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Ally Invest, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the US stock market
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing snapshot | |
---|---|
US-based discount broker | |
Overall score | 4.5 stars |
Time to open account | 1 day |
Overall fees score | 4.5 stars |
Markets/products score | 2.1 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for beginners and investors looking for zero-commission trading, focusing on the US market
SoFi Invest snapshot | |
---|---|
US discount broker | |
Overall score | 4.4 stars |
Time to open account | 1-3 days |
Overall fees score | 4.3 stars |
Markets/products score | 2.5 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of SoFi Invest, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for long-term investors looking for great ETF and mutual fund selection
Vanguard snapshot | |
---|---|
US stockbroker | |
Overall score | 4.3 stars |
Time to open account | 1-3 days |
Overall fees score | 4.1 stars |
Markets/products score | 2.6 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Vanguard, check out our review for 2024. |
Recommended for beginners and investors looking for zero-commission trading, focusing on the US market
Firstrade snapshot | |
---|---|
US discount broker | |
Overall score | 4.4 stars |
Time to open account | 1-3 days |
Overall fees score | 4.2 stars |
Markets/products score | 3.0 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Firstrade, check out our review for 2024. |
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How did we pick the best brokers for free stock trading in 2024?
- We checked whether the broker is overseen by a trusted regulator
- We checked stock fees at over 100 brokers
- We looked beyond “no commission” pledges to check non-trading fees and other costs
- We used real money to test all trading platforms for user-friendliness and functionality
- We assessed market coverage and the overall quality of each broker's services
Save hours of research!
Our expert team has done all the work for you, and reviewed brokers based on BrokerChooser's unique methodology. This includes collecting more than 600 data points for each broker.
FAQ
What is commission-free stock trading?
Commission-free stock trading means that the broker does not charge you a fee for buying or selling a stock. Normally, brokers would charge either a flat fee or a per-share commission (or a combination of both) for stock trades. Commission-free stock trading was pioneered by US-based mobile-only broker Robinhood in the 2010s, and became near-universal among US brokers in 2019-20.
Is there a catch to free stock trading?
Brokers offering commission-free stock trading often make money from non-trading fees, from commissions on products other than stocks, or from routing clients' stock trade orders to specific market makers, a controversial practice called payment for order flow. In the latter case, customers often do not get the best execution price available on the market, and as such may incur an implicit (though small) cost on each stock trade.
Are free stock trading apps safe?
Your best bet to find a safe broker is to look for one that is regulated by a top-tier financial authority such as the US Securities and Exchanges Commission. In other aspects of safety, many stock trading apps require two-step authentication, where you are sent a one-time password or a similar prompt after entering your ID and regular password. A growing number of mobile trading apps also use biometric authentication (such as fingerprint readers) to make the login process more convenient without compromising security.
Want to read more?
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Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.