Intro and winners
Find below the best discount brokers in the United States, updated for 2023:
- Interactive Brokers is the best discount broker in 2023. - Low trading and non-trading fees, free stock and ETF trading for US customers.
- eToro - Low trading fees, high non-trading fees, free stock and ETF trading.
- Webull - Commission-free stock and ETF trading, low non-trading fees.
- SoFi Invest - Low trading and non-trading fees, free stock and ETF trading.
- J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing - Low trading and non-trading fees, low stock and ETF fees.
- Firstrade - Low trading and non-trading fees, free stock, ETF, fund and options trading.
- Alpaca Trading - Free stock and ETF trading, low non-trading fees.
- TD Ameritrade - Low trading and non-trading fees, high fund fees.
- tastytrade - Low trading and non-trading fees, no inactivity fee.
- TradeStation - Low trading fees, average non-trading fees, free stock and ETF trading for US customers.
Best discount brokers
Overview of the best discount brokers
While many brokers with low fees offer an excellent service, the ones in our toplist go the extra mile.
| Broker | Fees class | Minimum deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | Low | $0 $0 for non-margin client accounts, $2,000 for margin accounts. (A margin account is where you trade with borrowed money, also known as leverage.) |
| eToro | Low | $10 For Israeli clients, the minimum first-time deposit is $10,000. For residents of Australia and the US, it is $50, while for residents of Russia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, it is $500. |
| Webull | Low | $0 No minimum deposit for cash accounts, but there is a $2,000 minimum for margin accounts |
| SoFi Invest | Low | $0 No minimum deposit |
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Low | $0 No minimum account balance |
| Firstrade | Low | $0 No minimum deposit |
| Alpaca Trading | Low | $0 $0 for retail account, $30,000 for business accounts |
| TD Ameritrade | Low | $0 $0 for US non-margin accounts, $2,000 for US margin accounts, and clients in Malaysia and Singapore are recommended to start with $3,500. |
| tastytrade | Low | $0 No minimum account balance |
| TradeStation | Low | $0 $1 for cash accounts, $2,000 for margin accounts, and $5,000 for futures accounts |
Popularity of the best discount brokers
Interested in what others think? Here's how many people chose these brokers at BrokerChooser in the last 6 months.
Best discount brokers
Fees at the top 10 discount brokers in 2023
What makes a good discount broker? Well, did we mention low fees? This includes commissions, financing rates, and, let's not forget, non-trading fees like inactivity or withdrawal fees. The tables below give you a good summary.
| Broker | US stock | UK stock |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | $1.0 Fixed pricing: $0.005 per share, min. $1, max. 1% of trade value. Free for US clients choosing IBKR Lite plan. | $3.7 Fixed £3 for trade value less than £6,000, 0.05% of trade value for more than £6,000 |
| eToro | $0.0 Free stock and ETF trading | $0.0 Free stock and ETF trading, except for clients from Australia, where a 0.09% spread cost per transaction applies |
| Webull | $0.0 $0 per trade plus regulatory and exchange fees | - Not available |
| SoFi Invest | $0.0 $0 per trade | - Not available |
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | $0.0 $0 per trade for US listed stocks. Foreign equity has a 0.20% commission. | - Not available |
| Firstrade | $0.0 $0 per trade | - Not available |
| Alpaca Trading | $0.0 Commission-free stock trading | - Not available |
| TD Ameritrade | $0.0 Free stock and ETF trading | - Not available |
| tastytrade | $0.0 Free stock and ETF | - Not available |
| TradeStation | $0.0 Commission-free up to the first 10,000 shares per trade for US clients. $5 per trade for non-US clients | - Not available |
| Broker | Account fee | Inactivity fee |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| eToro | No account fee | $10 per month after one year inactivity. Inactivity means that you don't log in to your account |
| Webull | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| SoFi Invest | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| Firstrade | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| Alpaca Trading | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| TD Ameritrade | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| tastytrade | No account fee | No inactivity fee |
| TradeStation | No account fee | $50 per year if your balance is less than $2,000 or if you make less than 5 trades per year |
Best discount brokers
Product selection at the best discount brokers in 2023
Besides lowest trading fees and non-trading fees, a good discount brokerage firm should also offer access to a lot of markets and products, because providing low fees in more than one asset class is not an easy job. All brokers in our list offer real stocks, but we also looked into whether you can trade currencies, options or mutual funds.
| Broker | Stocks | ETFs |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | ||
| eToro | ||
| Webull | ||
| SoFi Invest | ||
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | ||
| Firstrade | NYSE ; AMEX, the Nasdaq Stock Market, or the Over-the-Counter (OTC) markets such as the OTC Bulletin Board or Pink Sheets | |
| Alpaca Trading | only US stock exchanges | only US |
| TD Ameritrade | ||
| tastytrade | Only US | |
| TradeStation | US only |
And now, let's see the best discount brokers in detail one by one, starting with the winner, Interactive Brokers.
#1 Best discount broker
Interactive Brokers
Recommended for traders looking for broad market access and a professional trading environment
| Interactive Brokers snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | Yes |
| OTC share dealing | Yes |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 3.2 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of Interactive Brokers services, check out our review for 2023 |
#2 Best discount broker
eToro
Recommended for traders interested in social trading (i.e. copying other investors’ trades) and zero-commission stock trading
| eToro snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | Yes |
| OTC share dealing | No |
| Minimum deposit | $10 |
| Inactivity fee | Yes |
| Easiness of account opening | 5.0 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of eToro services, check out our review for 2023 |
#3 Best discount broker
Webull
Recommended for investors and traders looking for zero-commission trading and easy platforms
| Webull snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | Yes |
| OTC share dealing | Yes |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 5.0 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of Webull services, check out our review for 2023 |
#4 Best discount broker
SoFi Invest
Recommended for beginners and investors looking for zero-commission trading, focusing on the us market
| SoFi Invest snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | Yes |
| OTC share dealing | No |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 4.2 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of SoFi Invest services, check out our review for 2023 |
#5 Best discount broker
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Recommended for beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the us stock market
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | No |
| OTC share dealing | No |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 5.0 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing services, check out our review for 2023 |
#6 Best discount broker
Firstrade
Recommended for beginners and investors looking for zero-commission trading, focusing on the us market
| Firstrade snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | No |
| OTC share dealing | Yes |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 4.2 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of Firstrade services, check out our review for 2023 |
#7 Best discount broker
Alpaca Trading
Recommended for traders interested in algorithmic stock trading
| Alpaca Trading snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | Yes |
| OTC share dealing | No |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 4.8 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of Alpaca Trading services, check out our review for 2023 |
#8 Best discount broker
TD Ameritrade
Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research and a well-equipped desktop trading platform
| TD Ameritrade snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | No |
| OTC share dealing | Yes |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 4.0 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of TD Ameritrade services, check out our review for 2023 |
#9 Best discount broker
tastytrade
Recommended for options and futures traders focusing on us markets
| tastytrade snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | Yes |
| OTC share dealing | No |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No |
| Easiness of account opening | 5.0 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of tastytrade services, check out our review for 2023 |
#10 Best discount broker
TradeStation
Recommended for traders focusing on us markets and buy-and-hold investing
| TradeStation snapshot | |
|---|---|
| Trading fee class | Low |
| Fractional share dealing | No |
| OTC share dealing | Yes |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | Yes |
| Easiness of account opening | 5.0 stars |
| Read review | For a detailed analysis of TradeStation services, check out our review for 2023 |
Best discount brokers
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Best discount brokers
How did we come up with this list of best discount brokers in 2023?
A great broker with low fees is the backbone of many trading strategies.
- So we checked trading fees, with a special focus on stock and ETF fees,
- We scrutinized non-trading fees (e.g. inactivity fees and withdrawal fees),
- We took measure of their investment product selection,
- We opened an account and tested their services with our own money.
Save hours of research!
Our expert team has done all the work for you, and reviewed brokers based on BrokerChooser's unique methodology. Now let's jump straight to the results.
Best discount brokers
FAQ
What is a discount broker?
A discount stock broker is a brokerage company that executes your buy and sell orders at a low trading fee. Discount brokers can afford to charge lower fees because, unlike full-service brokers, they usually don't provide extra services such as research, personal investment advice, tax planning or robo-advisory.
The difference between full-service brokers and discount brokers has blurred somewhat in recent years. Discount brokers started to offer extra services as well, like research; while full-service brokers started to lower their fees. The traditional brokerage and wealth management industry is under fee pressure from increasingly cost-effective online broker companies.
Many US brokers have slashed their fees to zero and now promote commission-free trading, following in the footsteps of brokers such as Robinhood. Drawbacks for some of these commission-free brokers include the limited number of assets you can trade (for example, mutual funds are less likely to be offered), so some investors and traders still prefer traditional discount brokers, where order execution also tends to be better compared with zero-commission brokers.
How did BrokerChooser pick the best discount brokers?
We tested brokers based on almost 500 criteria, using real accounts and real money. When we selected the best discount brokers, the primary selection criteria were fees. Importantly, we only included brokers where you can trade real stocks. This means that we excluded brokers where stocks were only offered through CFDs.
We calculated the rankings based on trading fees for all asset classes, such as stock fees; as well as fees not directly related to trading, such as withdrawal fees. We also assigned a higher score to brokers that offer a wide range of asset classes, because providing low fees in more than one asset class is not an easy job and definitely a big plus for investors.
Lastly, we incorporated additional criteria to measure the overall quality of the broker: if the account opening process, customer service and other aspects of the broker are high quality, they all boosted the overall score.
Are these brokers reliable?
These brokers are all considered reliable. They are regulated by at least one top-tier financial authority. We at BrokerChooser distinguish between mid-tier and top-tier regulators, based on various factors with the most important being the investor protection amount.
Still unsure? Check out our broker finder tool and find the best broker for you, or learn more about how to invest your money.
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