Best Commission-Free Stock Trading Platforms of 2025

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is a top choice for this list due to its low-fee investment choices and its news, analysis and webinar offerings for stock research. Morgan scored lower for ease-of-use due to offering customer support only by phone and not offering fractional shares to trade. Charles Schwab is a top pick for this list because of its wide-access to equity investments, accessible 24/7 customer support and research tools. Schwab scored 5/5 in ease of use for a consistent app and desktop experience, feature-rich mobile app, customer support and variety of educational resources including guides, podcasts and webinars.

✅ Limited-Time Offer: Get Up to $150 Cash Bonus with Qtrade Direct Investing®

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. When there are a number of brokerages to choose from, you may come down with a case of analysis paralysis. If you don’t want to pay any commissions, then your choices are very limited.

Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite is a brokerage account that offers the ability for investors to trade stocks, ETFs, and options with no or low fees. IBKR Lite also charges no account minimum and provides news and analysis to investors, including Interactive Brokers own IB Market Signals. The brokerage offers trading platforms for regular investors as well as active stock and options traders. TD also provides free online educational on-demand webinars and resources. All of the trading platforms on this list impressed our editorial team of testers enough to be featured here.

TradeStation

• A notable exception is the IBKR Pro plan from Interactive Brokers, which is nonetheless our top pick for day trading platforms.
• In both cases, investors enjoy access to the full universe of Vanguard’s low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds.
• However, if you want to specifically dig into stock trading apps, we have a roundup of our picks here.
• Investors can also access fractional shares, margin loans with low interest rates and research tools powered by Morningstar, Zacks and more.
• For instance, there are no extra fees for trading penny stocks, and Fidelity avoids nuisance charges like account transfer fees that other brokers may tack on.

In fact, many investors would be hard pressed to explain why some online brokers–especially the larger ones–should not be thought of as full-service firms. Their retirement score calculator and goal-setting features help investors clarify long-term performance. Fidelity’s mobile app mirrors the web experience, offering trading, research and bill payment everywhere. Some beginners may initially find the sheer volume of tools and research overwhelming. Qapital’s prebuilt portfolios are ideal for hands-off investors who’d prefer to let the experts manage their money.

As the sole account owner, you have complete control over the funds and investment decisions. M1 Finance stands out for its unique investment approach — it helps investors visualize their portfolios as a pie, with “slices” made up of different securities. The mix of automation and manual investing will appeal to beginner investors who want to grow their skills and long-term investors who want help maintaining their portfolio allocation. Make sure to research and compare multiple brokerage accounts before choosing where to put your money. There are limitations with fractional shares to consider before investing. During market hours fractional share orders are transmitted immediately in the order received.

Vanguard

• Interactive Brokers is a good choice for advanced investors thanks to its powerful trading technology.
• J.P. Morgan provides a solid array of standard investment options, including stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds.
• As of March 31, 2025, the company had 39.2 million client accounts holding $5.9 trillion in discretionary assets, and ranked among the top brokerage firms in terms of assets under management.
• Fidelity offers thorough access to investment research tools, including stock screening tools, stock trading recommendations and market commentary.
• Online brokers often provide financial education and market research so you can make informed investing decisions.
• Due to their low cost and simplicity, online stock brokers are the preferred portfolio management vehicles for individual investors without vast amounts of capital at their disposal.

In this guide, we break down the best online brokers available today, comparing features, fees, and standout tools so you can invest with confidence and clarity. For most investors, online brokers are enough to meet your needs and will provide the services that matter most to you. If you have additional questions about choosing an online broker, be sure to check out the following frequently asked questions. A full-service brokerage firm will recommend investment options for you based on your financial profile.

Find the Best Trading Platform

Axos Invest’s managed investing option is a robo-advisor that’s anything but cookie-cutter, thanks to advanced tools that allow for granular personalization in line with your investing objectives and risk tolerance. Though TradeStation is built for serious traders, it’s not an experts-only zone. One of its biggest selling points is YouCanTrade™, a sister company that offers education and training resources designed to introduce and test new trading strategies and ideas in a judgment-free environment. NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks the largest U.S. brokers by assets under management, along with emerging industry players. Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgements on which ones will best meet your needs. Vanguard Digital Advisor’s services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc. (“VAI”), a federally registered investment advisor.

Robinhood, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, began as a simple, bare-bones mobile-focused platform determined to disrupting the brokerage industry with no-commission trading on stocks and ETFs. Charles Schwab (or Schwab, as it’s known for short) is a full-service online stock broker offering taxable and tax-advantaged accounts. Schwab charges no commissions on self-directed stock and ETF trades and has a no-fee robo-advisory service called Schwab Intelligent Portfolios. Like most major online stock brokers for DIYers, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing promises commission-free stock and ETF trades with thousands of choices available.

While most major brokers do, always check for Roth, traditional and rollover IRA support if you’re saving for retirement. Platforms like Robinhood, Schwab and Public are beginner-friendly and offer lots of educational content to help you start. All recommendations are based on verified broker data as of September 2025.

Best for versatile trading: E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Brokers with zero account minimums are more accessible to new investors, while traders with large account balances may benefit from earning interest on unused cash. Whether you manage a long-term stock portfolio, trade complex options strategies, or actively scalp intraday, make sure the platforms and features offered by your broker complement your style and facilitate your trades. Merrill integrates with Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program, adding value through perks and reduced fees.

What are the best free stock trading apps?

Vanguard has been around for a long time, and it’s the best online broker for long-term investing thanks to its low costs and a large variety of investments to pick from. Plus, Vanguard’s expense ratio on mutual funds falls well below the industry standard. Through this all-encompassing data collection and review process, Investopedia has provided you with an unbiased and thorough review of the top online brokers and trading platforms. You can lose money buying a bad investment, but you can also lose by buying a good investment at the wrong time. Investment decisions should be guided by extensive research and careful consideration of your risk tolerance.

Schwab’s built-in educational resources, whether you’re reading articles or watching live webinars, will also guide you step by step as a novice. The brokers on our list generally have low fees as a requirement to appear here, and as you can see above, they don’t charge commissions to trade stocks or most other investments. It also doesn’t take a lot of money to get started — many online stock brokers allow you to open an account with no minimum deposit requirement. The online brokerage industry is a highly competitive space consisting of a wide range of companies, each offering it’s best online brokerage own set of features that will appeal differently to individuals. After two months of comprehensive research, Investopedia found that Fidelity offers the best overall online brokerage services and trading platform. Not only did Fidelity earned the highest overall score when measured by our proprietary scoring model it also scored highly for its low costs, excellent ETF selection and research, and for its robust cash management product.

The best trading platforms feature integrated and free access to premium research, a user-friendly, quick-to-use UX, fast trade execution and a wide investment selection. Like Charles Schwab, Fidelity offers commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs, and options. The company’s educational resources are also excellent, providing clients with access to research and analysis from a team of experts.