Best online brokers of 2025: Top places to invest your money
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Reviewed by
Edited by
Reviewed by
If you’re starting to invest or looking for a new brokerage account, checking out Bankrate's list of the best online brokers is a great place to begin. The best ones offer low commissions, strong trading platforms, plenty of research and education as well as helpful customer support – all the features to help you succeed as an investor.
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Best online brokers for 2025
Fidelity Investments
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With its investor-friendly reputation, wealth of free research and tools, snappy customer support and extensive retirement account lineup, Fidelity is an excellent choice if you're looking for a broker that does it all.
On top of commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and thousands of no-transaction-fee mutual funds, cost-conscious investors don't have to worry about the Boston-based broker hitting you with a bunch of unnecessary account fees. And its $0 account minimum and fractional share purchase program mean you can get started investing for as little as $1. Fidelity’s deep research and educational resources make it a great choice for beginner investors.
Charles Schwab
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Charles Schwab does it all well, from low fees to solid research to no account minimum — all at a reasonable trading commission. Beginners will like the zero commissions and thousands of no-transaction-fee funds, while more advanced traders will appreciate the highly customizable thinkorswim platform brought over from the broker's TD Ameritrade acquisition.
Schwab is also well known for its customer-first approach, emphasizing investor education and backing it up with fast-response customer support. Buy-and-hold investors may be especially interested in Schwab for its low trading costs, low-fee funds and a wide offering of retirement accounts.
Ally Invest
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Ally Invest is an excellent add-on for customers of Ally Bank who need a fully functioning broker that can execute all kinds of trades — stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds and even forex for more advanced traders. Like most online brokers, Ally charges no commission for stock and ETF trades. The standout feature here is Ally's industry-beating commission on options contracts, at just 50 cents.
The broker also charges no trading fees on more than 17,000 mutual funds, though other fund expenses may apply, depending on the fund.
E-trade
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E-Trade deserves a place on your brokerage account shopping list, especially if you're a more active trader. The broker offers multiple, highly rated trading platforms with access to plenty of research and market commentary.
With E-Trade's advanced tools, you can manage a range of assets, including stocks, bonds, options, ETFs, mutual funds, futures and more than 5,000 mutual funds with no transaction fee. Customer support is also there when you need it (think 24/7 access across email, phone and online chat).
Firstrade
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Firstrade offers investors commission-free trading in stocks, ETFs and options, the latter of which is still a rarity among brokers. You’ll also have several different account-type options, including a variety of IRAs and education savings accounts as well as a solid research offering. Firstrade’s mobile app is highly rated and offers advanced features.
In addition to those strong positives, Firstrade offers a wide range of mutual funds without a trading fee, more than 11,000, but the funds themselves may still charge sales commissions. With as little as $5, you can purchase fractional shares of stock, a feature that opens the door to owning a slice of high-priced companies without having to make a sizable upfront investment.
Interactive Brokers
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With its stripped-down trading interface, Interactive Brokers only looks like a no-frills broker. But this “broker to the pros” has put all its resources into creating a great experience for active traders. So it’s no surprise that it’s a top choice among advanced traders and those who value the finer points, such as swift trade execution. Volume-based discounts and a pro-level trading platform are enticing to many of these active traders.
Interactive Brokers is an ideal choice for investors focused on keeping costs to a minimum. Active traders using the Pro platform will pay $1 minimum commission (or a half-cent per share above 200 shares), while users in the Lite tier won’t pay commission on stocks or ETFs. You’ll also have access to more than 18,000 mutual funds without a trading fee (the industry's largest roster), and you won’t have to worry about annoying account or transfer fees.
Merrill Edge
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Merrill Edge’s strongest suit is the research it offers clients, which comes from the broker’s extensive in-house team of analysts. The package includes detailed analyst reports for the companies that it covers, as well as research from outside services and ongoing market commentary and other economic data.
If you're a Bank of America customer already, take a closer look at Merrill Edge. One of the best features is the broker’s integration with Bank of America, so you can track your financial life from a single dashboard, move money quickly from bank to broker and, depending on your brokerage balance, qualify for a credit card rewards boost. Plus, it all comes at a great price: free!
Webull
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Webull may be lesser known than its rival Robinhood, but the trading app also allows customers to trade everything from stocks and ETFs to options and cryptocurrencies commission-free. One plus in Webull's favor is that you’ll be able to reach customer service through the phone 24/7.
Webull offers attractive charting as part of the mobile experience. Each stock has a comprehensive page with links to news and other third-party content, and you can see what other traders are saying about it, too. You’ll get instant funding of your account as well as the ability to purchase fractional shares. Although the app targets new investors, we found the educational resources severely lacking.
We’ve examined the best brokers based on characteristics that matter to individual investors, including trading fees, account minimums, free research and many other features. We’ve evaluated each broker on their pros and cons, and here’s how they stack up on the most important aspects.
Honorable mentions
The brokers below also scored highly on the criteria we use to evaluate and rate providers.
Tastytrade
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Don't let the unconventional name fool you. Tastytrade is firmly committed to providing an attractive environment for traders. Options traders in particular should take heed: Tastytrade charges a commission on only the buy side of an options trade, and it caps the total commission to $10 on any options leg, making for attractive pricing if you’re making higher-volume trades. You’ll also be able to trade cryptocurrency as well as stocks, ETFs and futures, but not mutual funds.
Robinhood
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Robinhood brings an attractive and smooth mobile app to the trading game, allowing you to buy stocks, ETFs, options and cryptocurrency with no out-of-pocket commission. You’ll also get to buy fractional shares, and Robinhood Gold members can earn an attractive interest rate on their cash balances here. Plus, Robinhood offers IRAs (and often provides a match on account contributions) and a new automated portfolio management service.
Moomoo
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Moomoo is a newer entrant to the brokerage world, but it’s been aggressive about attracting customers with good prices. It offers the usual no-commission trading on stocks and ETFs, but ups the game with no-cost options trading, too. Moomoo also offers low margin rates, making it an interesting place for traders looking for this feature.
SoFi Active Investing
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SoFi Active Investing does a lot right for newer investors, including no commissions on stocks, ETFs and options. SoFi’s fractional share plan allows clients to purchase partial shares of stock and reinvest any dividends in them, too, helping get all your money working for you. The brokerage account is a solid add-on option if you’re already working with the company another way, perhaps with a loan or bank account.
What to consider when choosing an online broker
If you’re just getting started, the world of investing can seem daunting. It’s good to start slowly and work your way into it. The good news for investors is that it’s never been easier or cheaper to trade with an online broker. As you’re looking for a broker, you’ll first want to consider your needs:
- Are you looking to trade short-term or invest long-term?
- Do you need a fully featured broker that gives you access to retirement accounts such as a regular IRA or Roth IRA or business accounts such as a SEP IRA?
- Are you looking to invest regularly but not really follow the market closely?
- Do you want to invest in individual stocks or do you prefer funds?
- How much customer support do you need?
Some brokers will fall straight out of contention, if you need a Roth IRA, for example, and the broker doesn’t offer it.
Frequently asked questions
Bottom line
Selecting a broker requires you to think about your needs, because the deciding factor is not always about price. If you’re a buy-and-hold ETF investor, you’ll probably need something different than if you’re an active trader. While new investors might find choosing a broker to be daunting, you aren’t likely to go wrong with any of the names mentioned above. The bigger step is just getting started, so don’t delay. Once you’ve found a broker, you can begin plotting your way to a more secure financial future.
