IRA accounts, comparedWhere to open a Traditional or Roth IRA: online brokers and robo-advisors compared on IRA types offered, fees and minimums, with the current IRS limits explained in plain English.
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
12 IRA providers compared; 12 of 12 in the main list were re-read in the last 14 days (newest read Oct 14, 2026). Ranking rule: Providers are sorted by our editorial review of what the IRA costs, how openly the provider says so, its track record and who can open one. Brokers and robo-advisors are ranked together because the IRA tax rules are the same at both. 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.
0.25% a year ($5 a month on small balances), no real minimum, tax-loss harvesting included and an optional human planner tier.
People who want one automated home for several goals and the option of a human planner later.
No advisory fee under $25,000, 0.35% from there with coaching included. No minimum to open, $10 to start investing.
Newer investors with smaller balances who want a $0 advisory fee, with coaching available once they reach $25,000.
An IRA is a personal retirement account with a tax advantage. It is not an investment by itself: it is a container, and you choose what goes inside it. You open one at a broker, where you pick the investments, or at a robo-advisor, which picks them for you. For 2026 you can put in up to $7,500 across all your IRAs, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older, as long as you earned at least that much (IRS, checked 14 October 2026). The two common types are Traditional and Roth, and the difference is simply when you pay the tax. Below are the providers we cover that offer them, with what each one charges.
| IRA accounts | IRA types | What it costs | Account minimum | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional, Roth, Rollover, Inherited, SEP, SIMPLE, Solo 401(k) | $0 | None | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | Traditional, Roth, Rollover, Inherited, SEP, SIMPLE, Solo 401(k) | $0 | None | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Traditional, Roth, SEP, Solo 401(k) | 0.25% a year | $10 | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Rollover, Inherited | $0 | None | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Traditional, Roth, Rollover, SEP | $0 under $25k | $10 | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | Traditional, Rollover, Roth, SEP | $0 | None | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | Traditional, Roth, SEP | 0.25% a year | $500 | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | Traditional, Roth, Rollover, Inherited, SEP | 0.20% gross a year | $100 | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | Traditional, Roth, Rollover, Inherited, SEP, SIMPLE, Solo 401(k) | $0 | None | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | Traditional, Roth, Rollover, Inherited, SEP, SIMPLE | $0 | $5,000 | 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.
You can never put in more than you earned in the year. Limits are set by the IRS and change most years.
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
0.25% a year ($5 a month on small balances), no real minimum, tax-loss harvesting included and an optional human planner tier.
Betterment builds and manages a diversified portfolio of low-cost funds for you. You set a goal, it chooses the mix, rebalances, reinvests dividends and, if you switch it on, harvests tax losses in taxable accounts.
Watch out
$0 stock and ETF commissions on IBKR Lite, no minimum, $0.65 per options contract, and IBKR Pro for lower margin rates than Lite.
Interactive Brokers is the broker for people who want more range and sharper tools than the usual big-name brokerage: global markets and a deep options platform. It offers two plans.
Watch out
No advisory fee under $25,000, 0.35% from there with coaching included. No minimum to open, $10 to start investing.
Fidelity Go is Fidelity's automated investing service. You answer a few questions, Fidelity builds a portfolio from its own Flex Funds, keeps it balanced and reinvests for you.
Watch out
Vanguard is built for long-term, buy-and-hold investors. Its brokerage account has no minimum, charges $0 for online stock and ETF trades and sells Vanguard's low-cost mutual funds and ETFs at $0.
Watch out
A flat 0.25% a year and $500 to start, with daily tax-loss harvesting and direct indexing from $100,000. No human advisor tier.
Wealthfront's Automated Investing Account builds a portfolio of low-cost index funds, rebalances it, reinvests dividends and looks for tax losses to harvest every day, all without any input from you.
Watch out
About 0.15% to 0.16% a year after Vanguard's fee credit (0.20% gross), $100 to start, built on Vanguard index funds.
Vanguard Digital Advisor is Vanguard's automated service. It builds a portfolio mainly from Vanguard index funds and ETFs, rebalances it when it drifts and, if you elect it, harvests tax losses.
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
No advisory fee and a $5,000 minimum, in exchange for holding 6% to 30% of your portfolio in cash.
Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is Schwab's automated service. It builds a diversified portfolio of ETFs, rebalances it and, on larger accounts, can harvest tax losses.
Watch out
2 more IRA providers we cover ranked below the top 10. We show the facts that matter most for each, and say plainly when one fits a narrower need.
Opening an IRA takes about ten minutes. Choosing well mostly comes down to four questions, in this order.
With a Traditional IRA you may be able to deduct what you put in this year, and you pay income tax when you take money out in retirement. With a Roth IRA there is no deduction now, but withdrawals in retirement can be tax-free. Many people pick Roth when they expect to earn more later, and Traditional when the deduction helps most today. Nobody can know in advance which will work out better, and you can hold both.
Roth IRA contributions phase out as income rises. For 2026, the range is $153,000 to $168,000 for single filers and $242,000 to $252,000 for married couples filing jointly (IRS, checked 14 October 2026). Above the top of the range you cannot contribute directly. Anyone with earnings can open a Traditional IRA, though whether the contribution is deductible depends on income and on whether you have a retirement plan at work.
At a broker you choose the funds yourself, which suits you if you are comfortable with an index fund or two and want the lowest costs. A robo-advisor builds and rebalances a portfolio for you for a yearly fee, which suits you if you would rather not think about it. Either way the IRA wrapper and the tax rules are the same.
Look at three things: any annual IRA fee, the fund costs inside the account, and the fee to move your money out later. Several providers on this page charge no annual IRA fee. Small differences compound over decades, which is why the cost columns in the table above are worth a minute of your time. After that, setting up automatic monthly deposits does more for most people than any further comparing.
The $7,500 limit is for all your Traditional and Roth IRAs combined, not per account. Opening a second IRA does not give you a second allowance. If you are 50 or older the limit is $8,600, which includes the $1,100 catch-up amount. Putting in too much triggers a tax penalty unless you remove the excess in time.
Providers are sorted by our editorial review of what the IRA costs, how openly the provider says so, its track record and who can open one. Brokers and robo-advisors are ranked together because the IRA tax rules are the same at both. 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.
Any annual IRA fee, the advisory fee at robo-advisors, trading costs and the account minimum. Checked on each provider's own pages, with the date.
How plainly the provider describes its fees, how it is paid and where idle 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, the IRA types offered and how easy it is to reach a person.
$8,600 if you are 50 or older
Date of the newest provider-page check
For 2026, up to $7,500 across all your Traditional and Roth IRAs combined, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older, and never more than you earned in the year (IRS, checked 14 October 2026).
Traditional contributions may be deductible and withdrawals are taxed. Roth contributions are not deductible, and qualified withdrawals are tax-free. So the choice is mostly about when you want to pay the tax (IRS, checked 14 October 2026).
Roth contributions phase out as income rises: $153,000 to $168,000 for single filers and $242,000 to $252,000 for married couples filing jointly in 2026.
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.
Providers are sorted by our editorial review of what the IRA costs, how openly the provider says so, its track record and who can open one. Brokers and robo-advisors are ranked together because the IRA tax rules are the same at both. Nobody pays for a place in the list.
Best IRA Accounts 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.
