Finder Stock Trading Platform Awards 2022

The Finder Stock Trading Platform Awards 2022 program recognizes the best platforms in the United States for investing in stocks depending on your personal needs.

Finder’s data team crunched 1,400 data points across 40 brokers to see who came out on top.

The platform with the highest scores across nine different categories was declared the winner. The second and third places received a “highly commended” award. You can see the full methodology here.

Here is the list of the 2022 Finder Stock Trading Awards:

Finder Investment Awards 2022 Winners

Best Overall Stock Broker: Interactive Brokers

Highly commended:

• Charles Schwab
• Robinhood

Interactive Brokers took Finder’s Top Broker Award for 2022 and with good reason. A combination of extensive research tools, a large number of options and rock-bottom commissions means it is tailored to almost any type of investor.

Best Low-cost Broker: SoFi Active Investing

Highly commended:

• Domain Money
• M1 Holdings

SoFi Invest is one of the most competitively priced platforms on the market. Investors pay no commissions on stocks or ETFs and no account transfer fees. Plus, its robo-advisor is entirely free.

Best for US Stocks: Fidelity

Highly commended:

• Charles Schwab
• Interactive Brokers

Fidelity International won our award due to its high-quality trading features and low fees. One strong feature is its fractional shares. The broker lets you trade over 7,000 stocks and ETFs without having to buy a full share, helping newer investors who are getting started.

Best for International Stocks: Interactive Brokers

Highly commended:

• Fidelity
• TradeStation

Interactive Brokers has 135 markets in 33 countries, winning our international stock award for 2022. Whether you are looking to buy shares in Hong Kong or trade options in Australia, Interactive Brokers has you covered.

Best for Long-term Investing: Charles Schwab

Highly commended:

• Fidelity
• Interactive Brokers

Charles Schwab offers a number of features for those investing over the long term, winning this award for 2022. Its advanced research tools, a solid line-up of tradable securities and 24/7 support make it a strong candidate for long-term investing. Stocks and ETFs are commission-free.

Best Broker for Beginners: eToro

Highly commended:

• Robinhood
• SoFi Active Investing

eToro’s combination of low fees, pre-set smart portfolios and copy trading features can help newer investors get started on their share trading journey.

Best Day Trading Platform: Interactive Brokers

Highly commended:

• Charles Schwab
• TradeStation

Interactive Brokers’ low fees, range of research features and number of tradable options will appeal to more active investors.

Best Options Trading Platform: Webull

Highly commended:

• TD Ameritrade (*now acquired by Charles Schwab and no longer accepting new accounts)
• Robinhood

Webull’s well-balanced platform caters to both new and experienced traders. It has an extensive suite of research tools and features that let you test your trading strategies.

Best Derivatives Trading Platform: Interactive Brokers

Highly commended:

• Tastytrade
• E*TRADE

Interactive Broker wins this category for active traders with a focus on derivatives. It won our award due to its range of trading features, strong research tools and lower fees.

Awards criteria

Here is how Finder’s expert analysts chose the best US stock trading platforms for 2022.

Selection criteria

We conducted an extensive market review of 40 of the leading stock brokers. For each broker we collected 35 data points and brokers were then weighted to align with the category. You can view the complete breakdown on the methodology page and a summary of the weightings below.

Stock trading platform – Best overall

• Markets available: 3%
• Cost: 34%
• Availability of tradable instruments: 9%
• Features: 38%
• Support: 6%
• Customer reviews: 10%

Stock trading platform – US stocks

• Cost of trading US stocks: 35.5%
• Features: 51.5%
• Support: 3%
• Customer reviews: 10%

Stock trading platform – International stocks

• Selection criteria: platform must allow customers to trade on three or more markets
• Number of available global markets: 32%
• Cost: 26%
• Available international shares: 18%
• Features: 11%
• Support: 3%
• Reviews: 10%

Stock trading platform – Active / day traders investors

• Available global markets: 7%
• Cost: 27%
• Tradable instruments: 15%
• Features: 33.5%
• Support: 7.5%
• Reviews: 10%

Stock trading platform – Long term investors

• Cost: 35%
• Tradable instruments: 9%
• Features: 40%
• Support: 6%
• Reviews: 10%

Stock trading platform – Beginners

Weighting:

• Cost: 24%
• Features: 59%
• Support: 7%
• Reviews: 10%

Stock trading platform – Low cost broker

Weighting:

• Cost: 75%
• Features: 15%
• Reviews: 10%

Stock trading platform – Derivatives

Weighting:

• OTC markets: 1%
• Cost: 76%
• Tradable instruments: 1%
• Features: 9%
• Support: 3%
• Third party ratings: 10%