Many experts suggest building a diverse portfolio of low-cost index funds over picking individual stocks and riskier active trading tools. You can invest in fractional shares for $1 and even trade popular cryptocurrencies. Blain Reinkensmeyer, co-founder of StockBrokers.com, has been investing and trading for over 25 years. After having placed over 2,000 trades in his late teens and early 20s, he became one of the first in digital media to review online brokerages. Today, Blain is widely respected as a leading expert on finance and investing, specifically the U.S. online brokerage industry.

Trading platforms tested

Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets. Finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Finder receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services.

The brokers below also scored highly under Bankrate’s methodology and excel in a number of features that may appeal to certain investors. As you might expect, a retirement account is designed to hold and invest the funds you plan to use after you retire. Nonretirement accounts are other investment accounts that let you invest and trade in the short and long term. There are some notable differences between retirement and nonretirement accounts. Lei Deng, founder of Savor Financial, says you are looking for trade commissions, other transaction fees, and advisory fees if you plan to delegate your investing to a broker. Overall, it’s a good platform for those new and experienced when it comes to investing.

Best Online Brokers And Trading Platforms Of 2025

Retirement accounts like IRAs and HSAs offer tax-deferred growth or tax-free withdrawals. However, you can’t withdraw until you’re at least 59 ½, or you’ll be subject to a 10% IRS penalty. Fund your first taxable investment account with at least $500 in the first 30 days of account opening and earn a $50 bonus.

• Whether you’re a first-time investor or a seasoned pro looking for a new trading platform, many worthwhile options exist.
• You can access zero-expense ratio Fidelity Flex mutual funds with the brokerage’s robo-advisor, Fidelity Go, and get unlimited one-on-one coaching calls with a balance of $25,000 or more.
• Since its founding over a decade ago, Robinhood has been on a mission to “empower a new generation of investors” through user-friendly educational resources and investing tools.
• Everyone’s investment goals and preferences are unique, and not all brokerage accounts fit perfectly.
• However, advanced brokerages with more sophisticated trading tools and investment options tend to charge more for their services.
• Below, we’ve listed the top 5 brokerage account bonuses in 2025, complete with the steps you need to follow to claim each reward.
• 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.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing

With close to a decade of writing and editing experience, Maisha specializes in service journalism and has produced work in the lifestyle, financial services, real estate, and culture spaces. She uses her editing expertise to communicate complex topics in straightforward, reader-friendly ways. In one recent report, eToro found Gen Z investors are twice as likely to discuss their portfolios with friends and family as baby boomers.

Are brokerage account bonuses taxable?

The main complaints against SogoTrade have to do with its trading platforms, which some customers find cumbersome and lacking in advanced features. Some users also note a poor user experience when it comes to research. However, positives include an easy account-opening process and multilingual customer support. Everyone wants to invest with the best broker, but how do you decide which brokers qualify for that title?

Retirement-focused investors or those with more complex financial situations may want access to a CFP or human consultant. While many online brokerage platforms offer this service, who is eligible and how much it costs greatly varies from platform to platform. Everyone’s investment goals and preferences are unique, and not all brokerage accounts fit perfectly. To choose the best online brokerage, start by looking at your investment style and what you want from a brokerage.

Passive and active investors can easily manage and diversify their portfolios with no-fee stocks, bonds, ETFs, and fractional shares (aka Stock Bits). You can also invest in real-estate-backed funds, no-fee options, and commodities. It offers a range of brokerage accounts and products that meet the needs of virtually any investor. Keep in mind that different types of accounts have different tax implications. For example, a traditional IRA is tax-deferred, so you won’t pay tax until you withdraw. SoFi Invest is a great platform for US investors who are looking for an intuitive online trading experience, an open active or automated investing account.

Here are the best online stock brokers for 2025, based on over 3,000 data points. Finder US is an information service that allows you to compare different products and providers. We do not recommend specific products or providers, however may receive a commission from the providers we promote and feature. I have personally used every single one of the brokerages on this list (and many others) and ranked them based on my experience.

Charles Schwab – $101 Bonus + Up to $1,000 Referral Bonus

But this compensation does not best brokerage accounts influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. Yes, online trading as a form of speculative investing, carries risks including the partial or total loss of your investment principal. Online trading also carries risks including market volatility, platform risk and cybersecurity threats. The best online brokerages usually don’t charge a monthly account management fee.

Robinhood is a stock trading and investing app that offers investors the ability to trade stocks, ETFs, fractional shares and options without commission fees. Robinhood offers investors guides, news, and stock screeners to research and trade stocks, including the best stocks in 2024. While the user experience is not as sleek as Public for example, Merrill Edge Self-Directed does offer a good experience for Bank of America customers who want a more integrated banking and investing experience. This brokerage loses a point in ease-of-use with 4/5 for ease due to its lack of fractional share trading.

• While some stock brokers require a minimum deposit, others have no minimum at all, which is increasingly becoming more common.
• Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products.
• SoFi Plus members earn unlimited 1% rewards on all SoFi deposits to a SoFi Invest account.
• Known as a discount brokerage, it offers low fees for trading as well as options and fractional share trading.
• Though many customers appreciate IBKR’s range of investment products and advanced trading tools, a significant number of users report challenges with account setup and customer service.
• For example, a traditional IRA is tax-deferred, so you won’t pay tax until you withdraw.
• Charles Schwab offers no-commission stock trading as well as access to invest in ETFs, options, fractional shares and mutual funds, including the best index funds in 2024.

Some customers also find it difficult to withdraw funds and report that customer-service resolution can take weeks. Though many customers appreciate IBKR’s range of investment products and advanced trading tools, a significant number of users report challenges with account setup and customer service. Some customers also find the platform’s user interface to be outdated. While IBKR’s tools—which support advanced charting and complex technical analysis—are best suited to experienced investors, several platforms are more beginner-friendly. IBKR offers a suite of educational resources, including courses, webinars, podcasts and a trading lab for investing newbies. These are comprehensive and user-friendly, offering advanced charting and custom trading tools.

We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. With SogoTrade, you can access a wealth of information through in-house and third-party research. There’s also a free daily newsletter featuring equity analysis and trade ideas. Merrill Edge introduced a computer-generated aging tool called Face Retirement.

Despite these excellent features, eToro lacks mutual funds, futures, bonds and forex trading, which makes it less than ideal for anyone looking to invest in those securities. Webull announced in late 2024 that it would integrate Coinbase Derivatives into its platform. This allows users to trade crypto futures directly on the broker’s site.