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11 best brokerage accounts of July 2024: Top picks for investors

Our picks of the best brokerage accounts for beginners, options traders, hands-off investors and more.

Opening a brokerage account is one of the first steps to investing in the stock market and building a personal investment portfolio, but no two brokers are the same — and there are plenty of them out there.

Using a methodology that looks at everything from investment options to trading costs and account fees to customer support to cash sweep programs, we analyze more than two dozen brokers on the regular to find the best brokerage accounts for traders and investors. Find out which online brokerage accounts are best for you and your investing style.

Our top picks for brokerage accounts

Top pick for advanced traders

Go to site
Get up to $5,000 cash
  • Trade options, futures, options on futures, stocks, ETFs
  • $0 commission to close options
  • Pro-grade platform and risk analysis tools

Our pick for transfer bonus

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Get up to $10,000 cash
  • Trade stocks, options, ETFs, mutual funds, alternative asset funds
  • $0 commission on stocks, ETFs and options, with no options contract fees
  • No-cost financial planning and automated investing

Our pick for Investing by theme

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Earn up to $300 on new deposits
  • Trade $0 commission stocks & ETFs with as little as $1
  • Theme and ETF screener
  • Discover new opportunities with Opto's AI-driven classification system

11 best online brokerage accounts of July 2024

Why trust Finder

  • 15+ online brokers reviewed and rated by our team of experts
  • Evaluated under our unbiased rating system covering eight categories
  • 20+ years of combined experience covering financial topics

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.

Best overall

Fidelity Investments

4.6
★★★★★

Finder score

Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusN/A

Best for beginners

SoFi Invest®

4.2
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet up to $10,000 cash

Best for alternative investments

Public.com

4.2
★★★★★

Finder score

Get up to $10,000 and transfer fees covered when you move your portfolio to Public
Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet up to $10,000 and transfer fees covered

Best for mobile trading

Interactive Brokers

4.7
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusN/A

Best for crypto trading

Robinhood

4.4
★★★★★

Finder score

3% IRA match with Robinhood Gold
Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet a free stock

Best for options trading

Tastytrade

4.4
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet $50-$5,000

Best for social investing

eToro

4
★★★★★

Finder score

Copy crypto picks from top traders
Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusFINDER EXCLUSIVE: Get a guaranteed $15 bonus

Best for fund investing

JPMorgan Self-Directed Investing

3.7
★★★★★

Finder score

Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet $50 - $700

Best for micro-investing

Acorns

4
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet a $20 bonus

Best for managed brokerage accounts

Wealthfront

4.5
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$500
Signup bonusGet $50

Best for custodial brokerage accounts

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

4.2
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet up to $1,000
terms apply

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.

Methodology: How we choose the best brokerage accounts

Finder’s investments experts review 18 brokers available on the market to narrow down the best brokerage accounts for trading and investing.

We analyze each platform based on 147 key metrics we collect directly from brokers and assess 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 score and rank each provider depending on how it performs in each category.

How we weigh the overall rating

CategoryWeighting
Investment options20%
Trading platforms and technology15%
Trading costs15%
Account fees7%
Account types and minimums6%
Customer support7%
Mobile app ratings and security5%
Features and amenities25%

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.

A photo of Bob Haegele

What Bob thinks about brokerage fees:

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.

— Bob Haegele, Personal finance writer and expert

How do I open a brokerage account?

Complete the account opening process online in minutes.

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 days to verify your information. Then, connect a bank account to fund your account.

What to look for when choosing the best brokerage account

Finder’s picks for the best brokerage accounts are meant to provide you with a starting point for finding the right broker for your investing style and goals.

Consider the following factors when comparing your options:

  • Fees. From trading fees to miscellaneous fees, it’s important to understand the cost to trade and invest. Consider which investment products you plan to trade and the fees that apply, but also be mindful of any back-end fees, such as inactivity or transfer fees, that can also eat into your profit.
  • Tradable assets. Not every broker offers the same investment options. Stocks, options and ETFs are standard, but some brokers will offer mutual funds, bonds, futures, forex, crypto and more.
  • Account types. What other account types, in addition to a brokerage account, does the broker offer? If you’re interested in saving for retirement, then compare brokers that offer IRAs. Consider your other investment needs and how important it is to maintain all your accounts under one roof.
  • Research and data tools. In-house research and tools simplify investing, as you don’t have to venture elsewhere to make an informed decision about an investment. If you’re a passive index investor, extensive research and analysis tools may not matter all that much. Active stock pickers may feel otherwise.
  • Mobile app reviews. Mobile trading is more popular than ever, allowing you to trade and invest from anywhere. Check out what current or previous customers say about the platform’s functionality.
  • Signup bonus. While it may not make sense to choose a broker solely based on whether or not it offers a signup bonus, a new customer incentive such as a free stock may be enough to help you choose one over another if all else is equal.
  • Compare and find the broker that's right for you

    Match your experience level with your trading and investing goals to find the right broker for you.
    If you're a And want to Consider this
    Beginner investor Do most or all of your trading on your mobile device Best stock trading apps
    Beginner investor Trade and invest with as few fees as possible Best discount stock brokers
    Beginner investor Outsource portfolio management automatically and at a low cost Best robo-advisors
    Beginner investor Gain exposure to multiple assets like stocks, bonds or gold through a single fund Best ETF brokers
    Experienced investor Get an overall idea of providers on the market and what they're best for Best brokerage accounts
    Experienced investor Invest internationally in stocks, ETFs and other assets Best international stock brokers
    Retirement saver of any experience level Save for retirement with upfront tax benefits Best (traditional) IRA
    Retirement saver of any experience level Save for retirement and enjoy tax-free withdrawals Best Roth IRA

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the best brokerage account?

    The best overall stock broker is Fidelity Investments, according to Finder’s analysis, for it offers the best combination of low costs, features, platform functionality and investments options. But, ultimately, you need to decide which broker is best for you.

    Which brokerage account offers fractional shares?

    Many brokerage accounts allow you to buy a portion of a share, known as fractional share investing. Happily, it’s now a common feature on many of the best brokerage accounts. All the online trading platforms featured above support fractional share trading in some way, but be aware that some terms and conditions may apply. For example, E*TRADE doesn’t support fractional share purchases but does allow you to reinvest dividends in fractional shares.

    How much does it cost to open a brokerage account?

    Most platforms don’t charge fees to open an account. But you’ll need to fund your account before you can begin trading, while brokerage and account admin fees may also apply.

Holly Jennings's headshot
Bob Haegele's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings and reviewed by Bob Haegele, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
Matt Miczulski's headshot
Written by

Editor, Investments

Matt Miczulski is an investments editor at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions. Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University. See full bio

Matt's expertise
Matt has written 192 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Trading and investing
  • Broker and trading platform reviews
  • Money management

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