Overview of Firstrade fees and charges
It's safe to say that Firstrade's fees are low in general. They either don't charge a brokerage fee for things other brokers do charge for, or they only charge a small amount. This means that you can use Firstrade even in case you trade frequently like multiple times a week or daily.
Here's a high level overview of Firstrade's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Low | $0 per trade |
| EURUSD fee | - | Not available |
| US tech fund fee | Low | $0 per trade |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
Firstrade fees
Firstrade fees explained
We compare Firstrade fees with its closest competitors, TradeStation and Interactive Brokers.
Firstrade fees
Firstrade trading fees
Firstrade's trading fees are low which makes it suitable for you even if you trade often (i.e. multiple times a week).
Let's break down the trading fees into the different asset classes available at Firstrade.
Trading fees
Firstrade's trading fees are low.
Stock fees and ETF fees
Firstrade has low stock trading fees.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $0.0 | $0.0 | $1.0 |
| UK stock | - | - | $3.4 |
| German stock | - | - | $3.0 |
Fund fees
Firstrade fund fees are low.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $0.0 | $15.0 | $15.0 |
| EU mutual fund | - | - | $4.4 |
Bond fees
Firstrade has low bond fees.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $0.0 | $20.0 | $5.0 |
| EU government bond | - | - | $10.0 |
Options fees
Firstrade's options fees are low.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock index options | $0.0 | $6.0 | $6.5 |
| UK stock index options | - | - | $19.2 |
| German stock index options | - | - | $16.8 |
Financing rates
Firstrade financing rates are .
If you want to trade on margin and prefer to hold your positions long, financing costs can be significant.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple CFD financing rate | - | - | 5.3% |
| Vodafone CFD financing rate | - | - | 4.5% |
| EURUSD financing rate | - | - | 2.7% |
| EURGBP financing rate | - | - | 2.1% |
Leverage is a double-edged sword and can dramatically amplify your profits. It can also just as dramatically amplify your losses. Trading foreign exchange/CFDs with any level of leverage may not be suitable for all investors.
Firstrade fees
Firstrade non-trading fees
When it comes to looking at all the non-trading fees Firstrade is a cheap broker. This means that they don't charge you a lot for non-trading related activities on your trading account, like withdrawal fee.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at Firstrade that you pay not related to buying and selling assets. Among some others, typical non trading fees are withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee and account fee.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | Yes | No |
| Account fee | No | No | No |
Firstrade fees
Firstrade deposit fee
Deposit fees are applied when you send money to your trading account from your bank account. Usually brokers don't charge money for that and Firstrade is not different: you will see the exact same amount on your brokerage account that you sent by any of the deposit methods Firstrade offers.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Firstrade fees
Firstrade withdrawal fee
Unlike some online brokers we have reviewed Firstrade does not charge a withdrawal fee. This means that you'll see the same amount of money on your bank account that you transferred from your brokerage account.
| Firstrade | TradeStation | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Withdrawal fee with bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Firstrade fees
Firstrade inactivity fee
Firstrade does not apply an inactivity fee which is great because your account will not be charged even if you do not trade for a longer time period (months or years).
