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Written by: Gyula L. Updated: Dec 2022
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Is TradeStation Global free?

TradeStation Global does charge a commission for real stock trading on US markets, so in this sense it is not a free-to-trade broker. However, it might still be a reasonable choice for some of you, as there are many other aspects other than commissions that are important when you choose a broker. If you wish to stick with TradeStation Global though, then you will find the fees they charge below. Alternatively, you could check our article detailing the best zero commission brokers and how their apps scored in our test.

We should note that the payment-for-order-flow model, which is used by some zero-commission brokers to generate income (rather than relying on commissions), could potentially create a conflict of interest between you and your broker. This could result in trade execution (like routing your orders to specific market makers) that might be unfavorable for you under certain market conditions, especially when using market orders (as opposed to limit orders, which seem to be less affected).

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Stock Fee Calculator

Confused about fees? Use this tool to see what the commission fee of a specific stock trade would be at TradeStation Global. To check and compare fees at other brokers, go to our main Fee calculator page.

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TradeStation Global fees
Overview of TradeStation Global fees and charges

It's safe to say that TradeStation Global's fees are low in general. They either don't charge a brokerage fee for things that other brokers do, or they only charge a small amount.

Here's a high-level overview of TradeStation Global's fees

TradeStation Global Fees snapshot
Assets Fee level Fee terms
US stock fee Low $0.01 per share, min. $1.5
EURUSD fee Low 0.6 bps*trade value; min $2 per trade
US mutual fund fees High $25 per trade
Inactivity fee Low No inactivity fee

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TradeStation Global fees
TradeStation Global fees explained

Online brokerages in general charge much lower brokerage fees than traditional brokerages do - this is largely because online brokerages' businesses can be much better scaled: from a purely technical standpoint, it doesn't make that much of a difference for them if they have 100 or 5,000 clients.

This is not to say, however, that they don't charge any fees at all. They make money by charging you various rates for various actions or events. Usually you need to keep an eye on the following three types of fees:

  • Trading fees - these are brokerage fees that you pay when you actually carry out a trade, like buying an Apple share or an ETF. What you pay is either a commission, a spread or a financing rate. Some brokers apply all of these.
    • A commission is either fixed or based on the traded volume.
    • A spread is the difference between the buy price and the sell price.
    • A financing rate or overnight rate is charged when you hold your leveraged positions for more than one day.
  • Non-trading fees. These are usually related to some operations you carry out in your account, such as depositing money, withdrawing money, or not trading for an extended period.

We compare TradeStation Global fees with its closest competitors, Saxo Bank and Swissquote.

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TradeStation Global fees
TradeStation Global trading fees

TradeStation Global's trading fees are low, which makes it suitable for you even if you trade often (i.e. several times a week).

Let's break down trading fees according to the different asset classes available at TradeStation Global.

Trading fees

TradeStation Global's trading fees are low.

Stock fees and ETF fees

TradeStation Global has low stock trading fees.

Stock fees of a $2,000 trade
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
US stock $1.5 $10.0 $25.0
UK stock $2.0 $9.9 $31.0
German stock $2.4 $10.7 $26.8

Forex fees

TradeStation Global's forex fees are low.

Forex fees of a $20,000 30:1 position (open, 1-week-hold and close)
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
EURUSD benchmark fee $14.8 $13.7 $13.9
EURGBP benchmark fee $12.8 $11.6 $12.4

Fund fees

TradeStation Global fund fees are high.

Fees of a $2,000 fund purchase
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
Mutual fund $25.0 $0.0 $9.0
EU mutual fund $2.4 - $9.0

Bond fees

TradeStation Global has low bond fees.

Fees of a $10,000 bond trade
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
US Treasury bond $7.5 $85.6 $75.0
EU government bond $15.0 $85.6 $53.5

Options fees

TradeStation Global's options fees are average.

Options fees for 10 contracts
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
US stock options $15.0 $30.0 $14.9
US stock index options $15.0 $30.0 $19.9
UK stock index options $18.6 $31.0 -
German stock index options $16.1 $42.8 $10.7

Futures fees

TradeStation Global's futures fees are low.

Stock index futures fees for 10 contracts
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
US micro e-mini stock index futures $5.0 $40.0 $19.9
UK stock index futures $11.8 $37.2 -
German e-mini stock index futures $14.4 $42.8 $10.7

CFD fees

TradeStation Global has average CFD trading fees.

CFD fees and commissions on a $2,000 trade
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
Apple CFD $1.6 $10.1 -
Vodafone CFD $6.0 $10.3 -
Germany $15.0 $11.4 -

Currency conversion fee

TradeStation Global will charge a Currency Conversion Fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different to the currency of your account. The fee is charged as the following: 0.6 bps * trade value; min. $2 per trade.

Margin rates

TradeStation Global margin rates are average.

TradeStation Global margin rates
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
USD margin rate 9.6% - 9.1%
EUR margin rate 7.6% - 7.2%

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TradeStation Global fees
TradeStation Global non-trading fees

When it comes to non-trading fees, TradeStation Global is a rather cheap broker.

Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at TradeStation Global that are not related to buying or selling assets. This can be a withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee or account fee.

A high-level overview of how TradeStation Global stacks up in terms of non-trading fees
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
Withdrawal fee $0 $0 $10
Deposit fee $0 $0 $0
Inactivity fee No Yes No
Account fee No No No

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TradeStation Global fees
TradeStation Global deposit fee

Usually, brokers don't charge anything for deposits, and TradeStation Global is no different.

TradeStation Global deposit methods
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
Bank transfer Yes Yes Yes
Credit/debit card No Yes Yes
Electronic wallets No No No
Deposit fee $0 $0 $0

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TradeStation Global fees
TradeStation Global withdrawal fee

TradeStation Global generally doesn't charge a withdrawal fee.

TradeStation Global withdrawal fees and options compared
TradeStation Global Saxo Bank Swissquote
Bank transfer Yes Yes Yes
Credit/debit card No Yes Yes
Electronic wallets No No No
Withdrawal fee for bank transfer $0 $0 $10

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TradeStation Global fees
TradeStation Global inactivity fee

TradeStation Global does not apply an inactivity fee, which is great because your account won't be charged even if you do not trade for an extended period (like several months or years).

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Author of this article

Gyula Lencsés, CFA

Author of this article

Gyula has more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry. He spent most of his career in the wealth management business as a portfolio manager of mutual funds. He has trading experience in a wide range of asset classes, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, commodities, forex, and derivatives markets. He joined BrokerChooser in 2020 and his aim is to make finding the best brokers in a rapidly changing investment world as easy as possible.

Gyula Lencsés, CFA

Head of Content

Gyula has more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry. He spent most of his career in the wealth management business as a portfolio manager of mutual funds. He has trading experience in a wide range of asset classes, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, commodities, forex, and derivatives markets. He joined BrokerChooser in 2020 and his aim is to make finding the best brokers in a rapidly changing investment world as easy as possible.

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

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