- Copy top eToro investors automatically with CopyTrader
- Trade stocks, options, ETFs and crypto in one app
- Use a demo account to practice before investing
- See how top investors build their portfolios
Choosing the best brokerage account can feel overwhelming, especially when so many platforms offer $0 stock and ETF trading. The right broker for you depends on what you value most, whether that’s low fees, a great mobile app, strong research tools, retirement accounts or access to a wider range of investments.
Fidelity is our pick for the best brokerage account overall for 2026, thanks to its low costs, broad investment selection, research tools and planning features. But it’s not the best fit for everyone. Below, we compare 11 of the best brokerage accounts for beginners, active traders, long-term investors and more so you can find the right match for your goals.
| Discount Broker | Finder score | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Investments |
| |
| eToro |
| |
| Webull |
| |
| SoFi Invest® |
| |
| Public |
| |
| Robinhood |
| |
| Interactive Brokers |
| |
| tastytrade |
| |
| E*TRADE |
| |
| Charles Schwab |
| |
| Honorable mention: Moomoo |
|
Why trust Finder?
We're big on editorial independence. That means our content, reviews and ratings are fair, accurate and trustworthy. We don't let advertisers or partners sway our opinions. Our financial experts put in the hard work, spending hours researching and analyzing hundreds of products based on data-driven methodologies to find the best accounts and providers for you. Explore our editorial guidelines to see how we work.
Fidelity's app is easy to navigate, but you can tell it's not a mobile-first broker — it feels like a traditional brokerage that built a mobile app, rather than the reverse. That said, it backs that up with some of the richest research resources and trading tools of any broker I've used, deep educational content and renowned 24/7 customer support.
Fidelity is also the only broker I've reviewed here that's stripped away nearly all account fees, and its planning and advisory services — along with its range of account types, including investing accounts for kids — are close to unmatched. Fidelity was the first major traditional broker to offer direct crypto trading, and it's still ahead of the pack: Charles Schwab hasn't rolled out crypto trading broadly yet, and Fidelity remains one of the only brokers I've reviewed that lets you trade crypto directly inside an IRA.
Best for: Multi-asset investing; low costs; research and planning tools.
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
In my experience, eToro's app is easy to navigate but doesn't have the polish or visual flair of Robinhood's — the interface feels more basic than flashy. What stands out once you dig in, though, is the depth: TipRanks-powered analyst ratings, price targets, hedge fund activity and insider transactions give you real research firepower, and the charting tools hold up well against dedicated trading platforms.
eToro's CopyTrader feature is genuinely one of the more innovative ideas in the space, letting you mirror other users' trades directly. Add competitive interest on your options account cash balance and a community of over 35 million users trading ideas, and eToro earns its spot even with a plainer front door.
Best for: Commission-free trading; social trading and investing; mobile trading.
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
My first impression of Webull was that the interface can feel overwhelming — there's a lot packed into every screen. But spend some time in it and a different picture emerges: this feels like a genuine mobile-first, pro-grade trading platform, not a stripped-down app wearing a trader's costume.
Between advanced charting with drawing tools and a deep library of indicators, an AI-generated summary on your positions, prediction markets, paper trading, IRAs, bonds, IPO access and — for accredited investors — SPV access to private companies like Databricks and Stripe, I struggled to find something Webull couldn't do. You can also quickly size up a stock using analyst ratings, price targets, quant ratings and technical summary scores.
Trade futures alongside commission-free stocks, options and ETFs, and Webull doesn't charge per-contract fees on equity options. For an added monthly fee, Webull Premium includes extra perks like a 3.35% APY cash account, a 3.5% IRA match and discounted futures commissions.
Best for: Commission-free trading; mobile trading; research and analysis.
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | Get 12 free shares by joining Webull |
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | Get 12 free shares by joining Webull |
SoFi's real strength is letting you run your entire financial life — banking, crypto, investing, loans — from one simple app. It leans heavily into being beginner-friendly, which makes it a genuinely great fit if you're intimidated by investing or just want a hands-off experience without wading into deep analysis. That said, it's grown up: you'll now find analyst ratings, bull/bear sentiment breakdowns and earnings data for research-minded users too.
SoFi is also one of the only brokers I've used that offers access to alternative asset interval funds and private markets, including funds like ARK Invest's. One standout: every SoFi member gets access to an included 30-minute meeting with a certified financial planner, and mine was easy to set up and genuinely useful for working through financial questions I hadn't gotten clarity on elsewhere.
Best for: No-fee commission trading; beginner investors; all-in-one financial services.
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | Get up to $1,000 in stock |
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | Get up to $1,000 in stock |
Public feels more sophisticated than most other brokers I've used, and it's consistently led the pack of mobile-first platforms on sheer portfolio breadth — stocks, ETFs, crypto, options, index options, Treasurys, bonds, a high-yield cash account, investment plans, and now direct indexing and generated assets. The app itself stays clean and easy to navigate despite all that range.
I held a portion of my emergency fund in Public's Treasury account for a while, and liquidating it when I needed the cash was a breeze. Public has also always prioritized transparency in a way that stands out — it doesn't accept payment for order flow on equities, so you're not left wondering whether your order execution is really working in your favor.
Best for: High yields; user experience; commission-free trading.
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
No other broker comes close, in my experience, to Robinhood's ease of use — from account setup to funding to actually placing your first trade. That intuitiveness has carried through into the advanced trading tools it's rolled out in recent years, too; this is far from the beginner-only app it started as.
Robinhood has reshaped the brokerage landscape in more ways than one, between commission-free trading and a genuinely uncomplicated investing experience. But the thing that matters most is that it's actually enjoyable to use — which I think gets more people investing in the first place, since it skips the dull, dated setup that so many traditional brokers still lean on. I use it as my own primary broker, and it feels like what you'd expect if Apple decided to build a trading app.
Its commissions are low: none for stocks, ETFs, crypto and options; crypto spreads are among the lowest at around 0.40–0.85%; and upgrading to Gold for $5/month gets you discounted futures and index options commissions. Robinhood dropped Morningstar research from Gold as of August 2026 in favor of its own AI-powered Cortex assistant, though Gold still includes analyst ratings, Level 2 market data, a 3% IRA contribution match and 3.35% APY on uninvested cash. Full control of your crypto and managed portfolios with Robinhood Strategies are just some of the additional features you can expect.
Best for: Commission-free trading; user experience; cryptocurrency investing; IRA match.
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
Interactive Brokers is perhaps the most exhaustive broker on this list when it comes to tradable assets — everything from stocks to prediction markets to genuinely global market access. But that breadth comes at a cost: the main IBKR app felt mechanical and easy to get overwhelmed in, especially compared to the more approachable GlobalTrader platform built for beginners.
Having multiple distinct trading platforms under one brand — IBKR, Trader Workstation, GlobalTrader, IMPACT — ends up feeling more complicated than it needs to be, since you have to figure out which one is actually meant for you. Security added its own friction, too: IBKR's IB Key two-factor system sometimes required generating a challenge/response from a separate signed-in session or device, which felt buggy for a feature meant to add convenience. When I needed help, getting a real person on chat support was a struggle.
Best for: Global market access; wide range of investment options; robust trading platforms.
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
tastytrade feels like a derivatives trading platform first and foremost — because that's what it is — but that active-trading energy carries through to everything else you can trade there too, including stocks, ETFs, crypto and event contracts. The app itself is clean, easy to navigate and doesn't get in your way.
What really sets it apart, especially for options and futures traders, is its built-in connection to tastylive: live broadcasting with real-time trading tips, trade ideas and research baked right into the platform. Customer support has always been fast and responsive in my experience. tastytrade does offer IRAs, but between the platform's whole personality and its lack of a robo-advisor, it's not the first broker I'd reach for if long-term, hands-off investing is the goal.
Best for: Derivatives trading; active trading; educational content, live programming and webinars.
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | N/A |
E*TRADE's app is easy to navigate, and a live Bloomberg TV feed keeps you plugged into market news in real time — a nice touch. That said, the app itself feels a bit basic, in line with other traditional broker apps, though it gives you what you need to trade and invest confidently between its research and trading tools. Active traders get a separate Power E*TRADE app built for more advanced use.
Historically, E*TRADE has felt like it's lagged behind other brokers in a few areas — it only recently added crypto trading and fractional shares, both features competitors had offered for years.
Best for: Active trading; robust trading platforms; research and analysis.
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus |
Get up to $1,000 terms apply |
| Annual fee | $0 per year |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus |
Get up to $1,000 terms apply |
I've been with Schwab through three different brokers: I started as a Scottrade customer, moved to TD Ameritrade when it acquired Scottrade, and became a Schwab customer when Schwab acquired TD. Schwab is my secondary broker today. Its app feels basic, in line with other traditional brokers, but that's balanced out by some of the deepest research and trading tools in the industry, plus the renowned thinkorswim platform for advanced traders.
It's everything you'd expect from a full-service broker: extensive account types, automated investing, human advisor access and financial planning tools, alongside $0-commission Schwab mutual funds. Options traders will pay $0.65 per contract — standard for a traditional broker, but a real gap next to mobile-first brokers that charge nothing. Schwab still doesn't offer crypto trading directly, though it's reportedly rolling that out soon, and its robo-advisor comes with no advisory fee.
Best for: Active trading; multi-asset investing; research and planning tools; automated investing
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | Get a $101 bonus |
| Annual fee | $0 per month |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Signup bonus | Get a $101 bonus |
Ready to open Finder's top-rated brokerage account?
Fidelity combines low costs, broad investment selection and industry-leading planning tools.
While the top ten brokerage accounts highlighted in our list offer exceptional features and benefits, several other brokers worth considering narrowly missed making the cut. These “honorable mentions” still provide strong platforms, competitive fees and unique offerings that may suit your specific investing needs.
Moomoo is easily one of the most powerful mobile-first trading platforms I've used — it packs in professional-grade tools typically reserved for legacy brokers, like real-time Level 2 market data, short sale analysis and detailed capital-flow tracking to help time your trades. Its margin rates are also some of the lowest I've come across. Moomoo recently added crypto and event contracts on top of its existing stocks, ETFs and options, which rounds it out further.
One real annoyance, though: the in-app pop-ups and promos get intrusive. I understand why they're there, but Moomoo could take a page from Robinhood and surface that kind of thing in a feed instead of interrupting the experience. Moomoo also still lacks IRAs and a robo-advisor, so it's not built for retirement-focused or hands-off investors.
Best for: Active trading; commission-free trading; research and analysis; high interest on uninvested cash.
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
|---|---|
| Signup bonus | Get up to $1,000 in Nvidia stock plus 8.1% APY on uninvested cash |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
|---|---|
| Signup bonus | Get up to $1,000 in Nvidia stock plus 8.1% APY on uninvested cash |
Paid non-client promotion. Finder does not invest money with providers on this page. If a brand is a referral partner, we're paid when you click or tap through to, open an account with or provide your contact information to the provider. Partnerships are not a recommendation for you to invest with any one company. Learn more about how we make money.
Finder is not an advisor or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.
Finder’s investments experts reviewed 19 brokers available on the market to narrow down the best brokerage accounts for trading and investing.
We analyzed each platform based on 147 key metrics we collected directly from brokers and assessed each provider’s performance based on eight different categories, weighing each metric based on the expertise and insights of Finder’s investment experts. We then scored and ranked each provider to determine the best brokerage accounts.
We update our best picks as products change, disappear or emerge in the market. We also regularly review and revise our selections to ensure our best provider lists reflect the most competitive available.
How we weigh the overall rating
| Category | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Investment options | 20% |
| Trading platforms and technology | 15% |
| Trading costs | 15% |
| Account fees | 10% |
| Account types and minimums | 10% |
| Customer support | 10% |
| Mobile app | 5% |
| Features and amenities | 15% |
Choose a broker or robo-advisor, and complete a brief application by providing personal information such as your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.
Completed applications are typically approved instantly, though the broker may take a couple of days to verify your information. Then, connect a bank account to fund your account.
Get paid to open a new brokerage account
Finder Rewards offers exclusive bonuses on select brokers, including some of the platforms reviewed above.
Finder’s picks for the best brokerage accounts are meant to provide a starting point for finding the right broker for your investing style and goals.
Consider the following factors when comparing your options:
What's the most important feature to you in a brokerage account?
| Broker | Bonus offer | More info |
|---|---|---|
| SoFi | Up to $1,000 of stock. Terms and conditions apply. | Learn more |
| Tastytrade | $250 per referral | Learn more |
| Interactive Brokers | $200 per referral | Learn more |
| Moomoo | 3.35% APY Cash Sweep Base Rate and one-time 4.75% APY Booster Rate Coupon | Learn more |
"Online brokers have gone a long way in reducing fees, such as expense ratios for exchange-traded funds. However, there can still be significant fees, especially if you are trading actively. Even the best brokers can have high fees when making certain trades, such as when making stock/bond trades over the phone or when making rep-assisted trades. Be sure to pay attention to these fees when choosing a broker."
Not every broker’s free Level 2 data offer is truly free. Here’s exactly what Moomoo, Webull, Fidelity, Schwab and others require in 2026.
An in-depth, fact-checked look at Moomoo’s fees, features, safety and limitations — everything you need before opening an account.
Compare 6 eToro alternatives — Robinhood, Public, Webull, Fidelity, SoFi and Moomoo — for the IRAs, mutual funds and professional-grade tools eToro doesn’t offer.
Moomoo pays up to $600 to switch, but Fidelity charges nothing to leave. See how these two very different brokers compare on fees, IRAs, crypto access and safety in 2026.
SoFi, Robinhood, Tastytrade, Webull, Interactive Brokers, E*TRADE, eToro and others top our list for the best options trading platforms.
Our top 10 beginner-friendly stocks and ETFs, and why we picked them — plus 7 more.
Cash sweep accounts let you earn interest on your uninvested cash. Learn how they work and how to choose the best one here.
Discover the best robo-advisors of 2026. Compare fees, account minimums and features from top platforms that automate investing for beginners and pros.
We’ve rounded up stats on some of the most popular graphene stocks, along with information on how they compare and how to invest.
We’ve rounded up stats on some of the most popular oil stocks, along with information on how they compare and how to invest.