Intro and winners
Find below the strengths of the best brokers for buy-and-hold investors available in the United States, updated for 2024:
- Interactive Brokers - the best broker for buy-and-hold investors in 2024. Low trading fees and high interest on cash balances. Wide range of products. Many great research tools.
- Ally Invest - Low trading and non-trading fees. Easy and fully digital account opening. Great education.
- Interactive Investor - User-friendly trading platforms. Fast and easy deposit and withdrawal. Interest on cash balances.
- Charles Schwab - Free stock and ETF trading. Outstanding research. Great customer service.
- Fidelity - Commission-free US stocks and ETFs. Great trading platforms and research. US and international stocks.
- TradeStation Global - Low stock and ETF fees. Wide range of products. Easy-to-use web trading platform.
- TD Ameritrade - Low trading fees (free stock and ETF trading). Superb desktop trading platform. Great customer support.
- E*TRADE - Low trading fees (free stock and ETF trading). User-friendly mobile trading platform. Great research tools. Pays interest on uninvested cash.
- Firstrade - Free stock, ETF, fund and options trading. Solid research tools. Quality educational tools.
- 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.
- Intro and winners
- Key features of the top brokers for long-term investing
- Fees and products
- Interactive Brokers
- Ally Invest
- Interactive Investor
- Charles Schwab
- Fidelity
- TradeStation Global
- TD Ameritrade
- E*TRADE
- Firstrade
- J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
- Didn't find the best broker for you?
- How did BrokerChooser pick the best online brokers for long-term investing in 2024?
- FAQ
- Further reading for long-term investors
Key features of the top brokers for long-term investing
The best brokerage accounts for long-term investing need to meet several criteria. We picked what we deemed the most relevant and important for buy-and-hold investors.
Broker | Stock fee class | Bond fee class |
---|---|---|
Interactive Brokers | Low | Low |
Ally Invest | Low | Low |
Interactive Investor | Low | Low |
Charles Schwab | Low | Low |
Fidelity | Low | Low |
TradeStation Global | Low | Low |
TD Ameritrade | Low | Low |
E*TRADE | Low | Low |
Firstrade | Low | Low |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | Low | Low |
Popularity of the best online brokers for buy-and-hold
Interested in what others think? Here's how many people chose these brokers at BrokerChooser in the last 6 months.
Fees and products
Trading fees at the best brokers for long-term investing
See how much you would have to pay in commissions and other charges if you invested $2,000 in one of these asset classes.
Broker | US stock | UK stock |
---|---|---|
Interactive Brokers | $1.0 | $3.8 |
Ally Invest | $0.0 | - |
Interactive Investor | $5.0 | $5.0 |
Charles Schwab | $0.0 | - |
Fidelity | $0.0 | $11.3 |
TradeStation Global | $1.5 | $2.0 |
TD Ameritrade | $0.0 | - |
E*TRADE | $0.0 | - |
Firstrade | $0.0 | - |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | $0.0 | - |
Non-trading fees at the best brokers for long-term investing
Broker | Account fee | Inactivity fee |
---|---|---|
Interactive Brokers | ||
Ally Invest | ||
Interactive Investor | ||
Charles Schwab | ||
Fidelity | ||
TradeStation Global | ||
TD Ameritrade | ||
E*TRADE | ||
Firstrade | ||
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing |
Product selection at the best brokers for long-term investing
Broker | Stock markets (#) | ETFs (#) |
---|---|---|
Interactive Brokers | 90 | 13,000 |
Ally Invest | 5 | 2,300 |
Interactive Investor | 16 | 1,680 |
Charles Schwab | 4 | 2,300 |
Fidelity | 25 | 2,500 |
TradeStation Global | 90 | 13,000 |
TD Ameritrade | 4 | 2,300 |
E*TRADE | 5 | 2,800 |
Firstrade | 5 | 2,300 |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | 3 | 2,000 |
Interactive Brokers snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Traders looking for broad market access and a professional trading environment |
Overall score | 4.9 stars |
US stock fee | $1.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 90 |
Fund providers (#) | 550 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 4.8 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Interactive Brokers, check out our review for 2024. |
Ally Invest snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Investors and traders looking for low fees and focusing on the US market |
Overall score | 4.5 stars |
US stock fee | $0.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 5 |
Fund providers (#) | 600 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 4.8 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Ally Invest, check out our review for 2024. |
Interactive Investor snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Beginners and investors focusing on the UK market |
Overall score | 4.6 stars |
US stock fee | $5.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 16 |
Fund providers (#) | 190 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer, Credit/debit cards |
Research score | 3.0 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Interactive Investor, check out our review for 2024. |
Charles Schwab snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Investors and traders looking for solid research, low fees and great customer service |
Overall score | 4.6 stars |
US stock fee | $0.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 4 |
Fund providers (#) | 600 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 4.3 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Charles Schwab, check out our review for 2024. |
Fidelity snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Investors and traders looking for solid research and great trading platforms |
Overall score | 4.7 stars |
US stock fee | $0.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 25 |
Fund providers (#) | 550 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay |
Research score | 4.5 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Fidelity, check out our review for 2024. |
TradeStation Global snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Traders and investors looking for low fees and a wide selection of products |
Overall score | 4.5 stars |
US stock fee | $1.5 |
Stock markets (#) | 90 |
Fund providers (#) | 550 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 4.3 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of TradeStation Global, check out our review for 2024. |
TD Ameritrade snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Investors and traders looking for solid research and a well-equipped desktop trading platform |
Overall score | 4.7 stars |
US stock fee | $0.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 4 |
Fund providers (#) | 740 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 5.0 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of TD Ameritrade, check out our review for 2024. |
E*TRADE snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Investors and traders looking for solid research and a great mobile trading platform |
Overall score | 4.5 stars |
US stock fee | $0.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 5 |
Fund providers (#) | 600 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 4.8 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of E*TRADE, check out our review for 2024. |
Firstrade snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Beginners and investors looking for zero-commission trading, focusing on the US market |
Overall score | 4.4 stars |
US stock fee | $0.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 5 |
Fund providers (#) | 450 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 5.0 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of Firstrade, check out our review for 2024. |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing snapshot | |
---|---|
Recommended for | Beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the US stock market |
Overall score | 4.5 stars |
US stock fee | $0.0 |
Stock markets (#) | 3 |
Fund providers (#) | 60 |
Inactivity fee | No |
Minimum deposit | $0 |
Deposit methods | Bank transfer |
Research score | 3.0 stars |
Read review | For a detailed analysis of J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing, check out our review for 2024. |
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How did BrokerChooser pick the best online brokers for long-term investing in 2024?
Safety, cost efficiency, and the ability to diversify are the most important for long-term investors. Therefore,
- we checked whether the broker is overseen by a trusted regulator;
- We examined the selection of assets favored by long-term investors (i.e. bonds, stocks, funds);
- We looked at long-term product fees;
- We Opened an account and tested the platform (charting, features, usability) with real money.
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
Which broker is best for beginners?
If you're considering long-term investments and are just starting your investment journey, you should pick a broker that, in addition to low fees, offers an easy-to-use mobile trading platform and good educational materials. A free demo account is also handy if you want to practice trading with virtual money first. To make your choice easier, we collected the best brokers for beginners.
Which is the best platform for stock trading?
When deciding where to buy stocks, you should look for low stock commissions, low inactivity and withdrawal fees, and smooth deposit and withdrawal functions. Here's our list of the best online stock brokers.
What is the safest trading platform?
There are many aspects to safety, but perhaps the most important is for the broker to be regulated by a top-tier financial authority, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, or one of a handful of similar regulators worldwide. We at BrokerChooser only recommend brokers where a majority of clients belong to an entity overseen by a top-tier regulator.