Online brokers, comparedOnline brokerage accounts compared on trading fees, account minimums, cash rates, IRA options and fractional shares. 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
7 online brokers compared; 7 of 7 in the main list were re-read in the last 14 days (newest read Oct 14, 2026). Ranking rule: Brokers are sorted by our editorial review, which weighs what trading, options and idle cash really cost, how openly the broker says how it is paid, its track record and who can use it. It is not a sort by one fee, and nobody pays for a place in it. 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 stock and ETF commissions on IBKR Lite, no minimum, $0.65 per options contract, and IBKR Pro for lower margin rates than Lite.
Active and advanced investors who want global markets and strong tools, and lower margin rates on Pro than on Lite.
Opening a brokerage account has never cost less. Every broker on this page charges $0 to buy and sell US stocks and ETFs online, and none asks for a minimum deposit, so the real differences hide in the small print: what your idle cash earns, what options cost, how the broker is paid, and what happens when something goes wrong. On 13 and 14 October 2026, for example, the default cash sweep at Schwab and E*TRADE paid 0.01%, while Fidelity's and Vanguard's default money market funds had 7-day yields of 3.50% and 3.81%. We read each fee on the broker's own page, put the date next to it and list the catches beside the numbers, so you can pick calmly.
| Online brokers | Stock and ETF trades | Options | Account minimum | Default cash rate | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $0.65 per contract | None | 3.50% 7-day yield | Oct 14, 2026 |
| $0 | $0.65 per contract | None | 0.01% APY | Oct 14, 2026 |
| $0 | $0.65 per contract | None | See terms | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $1 per contract | None | 3.81% 7-day yield | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $0.65 per contract | None | 0.01% APY | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $0 | None | See terms | Oct 14, 2026 |
 | $0 | $0 | None | 0.00% APY | 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 |
| Interactive Brokers (IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro) | $0 | $13 | $0 a year |
| Vanguard Brokerage Account | $0 | $20 | $381 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 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
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
$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
You do not need to compare everything. Five questions, in this order, get you most of the way.
If you plan to buy a few index funds and hold them for years, almost any broker here will do, and the details below matter less. If you plan to trade options often, per-contract fees and platform tools matter more. If you are just starting, a simple app and the option to buy a slice of a share for $1 or $5 can be the deciding factor. Decide this first and the list gets shorter by itself.
Money you have not invested yet sits in a default 'sweep'. At Fidelity and Vanguard it goes into a money market fund (3.50% and 3.81% 7-day yield on 13 October 2026). At Schwab and E*TRADE the default paid 0.01% on 14 October 2026. Interactive Brokers pays nothing on the first $10,000, and Public pays nothing on cash in the main account unless you open its separate High-Yield Cash Account. Moving cash into a money market fund yourself fixes most of this, but it is a step you have to remember.
Options cost $0.65 a contract at Fidelity, Schwab and E*TRADE, $1.00 at Vanguard and nothing at Robinhood and Public (small regulatory fees apply everywhere). Phone-assisted trades cost extra: $12.95 to $32.95 at Fidelity. Leaving also has a price: Fidelity's fee schedule and Interactive Brokers list no transfer-out fee, Schwab charges $50, E*TRADE $75, and Robinhood, Public and Vanguard $100.
'Payment for order flow' means a trading firm pays the broker to route your orders to it. It is legal, it is disclosed in each broker's order-routing report, and it is one reason trading can be free. In its latest reports Vanguard says it receives none, while Fidelity, Schwab, E*TRADE, Robinhood, Public and Interactive Brokers (on its commission-free Lite plan) say they do. It is worth knowing, not a reason to panic.
Large brokers collect fines. What matters is the pattern: execution quality, supervision, how customer money and data are handled. Each product page lists the SEC, FINRA and state actions we found, with links to the orders. All of these brokers are SIPC members, which protects up to $500,000 of securities and cash, $250,000 of it cash, if the firm fails. It does not protect you from losing money on your investments.
Brokers are sorted by our editorial review, which weighs what trading, options and idle cash really cost, how openly the broker says how it is paid, its track record and who can use it. It is not a sort by one fee, and nobody pays for a place in it.
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
7 of the 7 brokers we list charge $0 for online US stock and ETF trades (for example Fidelity Brokerage Account, Charles Schwab Brokerage Account and Interactive Brokers (IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro)). Options, phone-assisted trades, margin loans and transfers can still cost money, so the product pages list those too.
It varies a lot. Among the brokers that publish a default rate, Vanguard Brokerage Account was highest at 3.81% (7-day yield) and Public lowest at 0.00%. Money market funds quote a 7-day yield and banks an APY. Rates are variable and each is dated on its product page.
It means a trading firm pays the broker to send it your orders. It is legal and disclosed in each broker's order-routing report, and it is one reason trading can be free. Each product page says whether the broker reports receiving it.
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.
Yes. 7 of the 7 brokers we list offer Traditional and Roth IRAs. For 2026 you can put in up to $7,500 across all your IRAs ($8,600 if you are 50 or older). See our IRA roundup for the comparison.
Brokers are sorted by our editorial review, which weighs what trading, options and idle cash really cost, how openly the broker says how it is paid, its track record and who can use it. It is not a sort by one fee, and nobody pays for a place in it.
Best Online Brokers 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.
