Brokers for beginners, comparedOnline brokers with no account minimum, fractional shares of individual stocks from $5 or less and a way to reach a person by phone, chat or in person. Every fee is read on the broker's own page and dated.
Independent research. Every number is checked against the provider's own page and dated. Some links may earn us a commission, which never changes a ranking. How we make money
5 brokers for beginners compared; 5 of 5 in the main list were re-read in the last 14 days (newest read Oct 14, 2026). Ranking rule: We kept brokers with no account minimum, fractional shares of individual stocks from $5 or less and a way to reach a person by phone, chat or in person, then sorted them by our editorial review. Nobody pays for a place in the list. How we rate
Each pick wins a specific rule, written on its label, and is chosen from the numbers on its own page. They are listed in the order of our ranking, and who pays us has no say in it.
$0 online stock and ETF commissions, no account minimum, $0 Fidelity funds, $1 fractional shares and seven retirement account types.
Long-term investors who want one dependable home: no minimums, $0 Fidelity funds, a large branch and phone network.
$0 online stock and ETF commissions, no minimum, 24/7 support, 400+ branches, thinkorswim, and seven retirement account types.
24/7 phone and chat, and more than 400 local branches.
$0 commissions on stocks, ETFs and options, $1 fractional shares and no account minimum. Optional Gold at $5 a month.
Beginners who want a simple app, $1 fractional shares and no commissions, and who do not need mutual funds.
Starting is the hard part, and it is easier than it looks. The five brokers below all let you open an account with nothing, buy part of a share from $5 or less, and reach a person by phone, chat or in person if you get stuck. We picked them with one rule, not by feel: no minimum, fractional shares of individual stocks from $5 or less, and a way to talk to someone. Every one of them charges $0 to buy and sell US stocks and ETFs online, so for a first account the choice comes down to how the app feels, where your spare cash waits, and what help you can get. Fees below were read on each broker's own page on 14 October 2026.
| Brokers for beginners | Stock and ETF trades | Account minimum | Fractional shares | Help available | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | None | From $1 | Phone, chat and in-person centers | Oct 14, 2026 |
| $0 | None | From $1 | 24/7 phone and chat, 400+ branches | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | None | From $5 | Phone support | Oct 14, 2026 |
| $0 | None | From $1 | 24/7 in-app chat | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | None | From $5 | In-app chat and email | Oct 14, 2026 |
Each date is when we last checked the provider's own page. Rates and terms can change, so confirm with the provider before you apply.
Three everyday situations, in dollars: twenty stock or ETF trades, ten options trades of two contracts each, and $10,000 left sitting uninvested for a year at the default cash rate.
| Broker | 20 stock or ETF trades | 10 options trades, 2 contracts | Interest on $10,000 idle cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Brokerage Account | $0 | $13 | $350 a year |
| Charles Schwab Brokerage Account | $0 | $13 | $1 a year |
| E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley Brokerage Account | $0 | $13 | $1 a year |
| Robinhood | $0 | $0 | - |
| Public | $0 | $0 | $0 a year |
Options figures are commissions only, before the small regulatory and exchange fees every broker passes on. Idle-cash interest uses each broker's default cash setup and its published rate on the check date; a dash means the broker publishes no rate for a standard account. Some brokers quote a money market fund's 7-day yield rather than an APY.
Computed from each provider's own published figures, latest check Oct 14, 2026. Your actual cost depends on how you use the account.
In ranking order. Each one lists the numbers that decide the choice, its main strengths and its main catches.
$0 online stock and ETF commissions, no account minimum, $0 Fidelity funds, $1 fractional shares and seven retirement account types.
Fidelity is the all-rounder for most long-term investors. A Fidelity brokerage account has no minimum and no account fees, charges nothing to trade US stocks and ETFs online, lets you buy slices of a share from $1 and offers Fidelity's own mutual funds at $0.
Watch out
$0 online stock and ETF commissions, no minimum, 24/7 support, 400+ branches, thinkorswim, and seven retirement account types.
Schwab is a full-service broker for people who want branches, round-the-clock support and a strong set of tools without paying commissions.
Watch out
$0 online stock and ETF commissions, no minimum, $0.65 per options contract (less with 30+ trades a quarter) and strong tools.
E*TRADE, part of Morgan Stanley, is a long-established online broker with a strong set of trading tools and two platforms, the E*TRADE app and Power E*TRADE.
Watch out
$0 commissions on stocks, ETFs and options, $1 fractional shares and no account minimum. Optional Gold at $5 a month.
Robinhood is the simplest way to start for many people: a clean app, no account minimum, $0 commissions on stocks, ETFs and stock and ETF options, and fractional shares from $1. It suits first-time investors who want to buy a few stocks or ETFs without fuss.
Watch out
$0 commissions on stocks, ETFs and options, no minimum, $5 fractional shares and an optional 3.30% APY cash account.
Public is a modern, app-first broker with $0 commissions on stocks and ETFs, no account minimum and fractional shares from $5. It suits people who like a social, research-friendly app and want an optional high-yield place for cash.
Watch out
If this is your first account, a few ideas keep things simple.
You do not need much to begin. Fractional shares let you invest a few dollars in a company or fund that costs hundreds per share: the minimum is $1 at Fidelity, Schwab and Robinhood and $5 at E*TRADE and Public. A first account is also a good place to learn how orders, settlement and statements work while the amounts are small.
An ETF or index fund bundles many investments into one purchase, so you are not betting on a single company. Many people start there. Each fund has a yearly fee called an expense ratio, shown as a percent of what you hold, so a lower number keeps more of your money working. Look it up before you buy.
Options and margin (borrowing from the broker to invest) are tools for experienced investors and carry real risk, including losing more than you put in. Margin loans at these brokers cost between 4.20% and 12.70% a year depending on size and broker. You can open an account and ignore both.
Money you have not invested yet sits in a default cash setting. On 13 and 14 October 2026 that earned about 3.50% at Fidelity (a money market fund yield), 0.01% at Schwab and E*TRADE, nothing in Public's main account, and no published rate for a standard Robinhood account. If you will keep cash in the account for a while, check this setting or keep that cash somewhere that pays more.
Fidelity and Schwab offer phone, chat and in-person help, with Schwab's phone and chat open 24/7. E*TRADE offers phone support and Robinhood in-app chat 24/7. Public offers in-app chat and email only, with no phone support. Pick the one whose help you would actually use. If you plan to save for retirement, check the IRA options on our IRA roundup too.
Products that do one thing unusually well, with the catch we would want to know before applying.
$0 online trades and $0 Vanguard funds, but dollar-based trading covers only Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds, not individual stocks, and phone support is weekdays only.
Read the review
$0 commissions and no minimum on IBKR Lite, with far more depth than most first-time investors need.
Read the reviewWe kept brokers with no account minimum, fractional shares of individual stocks from $5 or less and a way to reach a person by phone, chat or in person, then sorted them by our editorial review. Nobody pays for a place in the list.
Providers cannot pay to change this order. If a paid placement ever appears in a list, it is labeled Sponsored and never carries a “best for” label.
What trading, options, margin and idle cash really cost, set against the account minimum. Checked on the broker's own fee page, with the date.
How plainly the broker discloses how it is paid (payment for order flow, cash sweep income) and where its cash earns almost nothing.
Years operating and the regulator actions we found in SEC, FINRA and state records, each linked on the product page.
Minimums, fractional shares, the IRA types offered and how easy it is to reach a person.
Date of the newest provider-page check
Open an account with a broker that has no minimum, then start with an amount you are comfortable with: fractional shares let you invest from $1 in a stock or fund. The brokers below were chosen because they have no minimum and a way to reach a person.
No. All 5 brokers on this list have no account minimum, and fractional shares start at $1 and $5.
SIPC protects up to $500,000 per customer, of which $250,000 can be cash, if a member firm fails (SIPC.org, checked 2026-10-14). It does not protect against investment losses.
We kept brokers with no account minimum, fractional shares of individual stocks from $5 or less and a way to reach a person by phone, chat or in person, then sorted them by our editorial review. Nobody pays for a place in the list.
Best Online Brokers for Beginners was last updated in October 2026 and uses rates and fees we verified against each provider's own page. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
