Broker free

In the insurance industry, a broker, unlike an agent, represents the interests of the customer and not the insurer.

Huge forex bonuses

Brokers find the best insurance policies to meet customers' needs and will charge fees for their services. In rare instances, brokers may collect fees from both the insurer and the individual buying the insurance policy. The standard commission for full-service brokers are between 1% to 2% of a client’s managed assets. For example, tim wants to purchase 100 shares of company A at $40 per share. Tim's broker earns a commission of $80 for facilitating the transaction ($40/share x 100 shares = $4,000, $4,000 x .02 commission = $80. When the commission is added, the total cost of the trade is $4,000 + $80 = $4,080).

Brokerage fee

What is a brokerage fee?

A brokerage fee is a fee charged by a broker to execute transactions or provide specialized services. Brokers charge brokerage fees for services such as purchases, sales, consultations, negotiations, and delivery. There are many types of brokerage fees charged in various industries such as financial services, insurance, real estate, and delivery services.

Brokerage fee

Understanding brokerage fees

Brokerage fees, also known as broker fees, are based on a percentage of the transaction, as a flat fee, or a hybrid of the two. Brokerage fees vary according to the industry and type of broker.

In the real estate industry, a brokerage fee is typically a flat fee or a standard percentage charged to the buyer, the seller, or both. Mortgage brokers help potential borrowers find and secure mortgage loans; their associated fees are between 1% and 2% of the loan amount.

In the insurance industry, a broker, unlike an agent, represents the interests of the customer and not the insurer. Brokers find the best insurance policies to meet customers' needs and will charge fees for their services. In rare instances, brokers may collect fees from both the insurer and the individual buying the insurance policy.

In the financial securities industry, a brokerage fee is charged to facilitate trading or to administer investment or other accounts. The three main types of brokers that charge brokerage fees are full-service, discount, and online.

Key takeaways

A brokerage fee is a fee charged by a broker to execute transactions or provide specialized services.

Brokerage fees are based on a percentage of the transaction, as a flat fee, or a hybrid of the two and vary according to the industry and type of broker.

The three main types of financial securities industry brokers that charge brokerage fees are full-service, discount, and online.

Full-service brokerage fee

Full-service brokers offer a wide range of products and services such as estate planning, tax consultation and preparation, and other financial services either in-person or over the phone. As a result, they earn the largest brokerage fees.

The standard commission for full-service brokers are between 1% to 2% of a client’s managed assets. For example, tim wants to purchase 100 shares of company A at $40 per share. Tim's broker earns a commission of $80 for facilitating the transaction ($40/share x 100 shares = $4,000, $4,000 x .02 commission = $80. When the commission is added, the total cost of the trade is $4,000 + $80 = $4,080).

A 12B-1 fee is a recurring fee that a broker receives for selling a mutual fund. The fees range from 0.25% to 0.75% of the total value of the trade. Annual maintenance fees range from 0.25% to 1.5% of the assets.

Discount brokerage fee

Because discount brokers offer a narrower selection of products and provide no investment advice, they charge lower fees than full-service brokers. Discount brokers charge a flat fee for each trade transaction. The per-trade flat fee ranges between $5 to $30 per trade. Account maintenance fees are usually around 0.5%.

Online brokerage fee

Online brokers have the least expensive brokerage fees. Their primary role is to allow investors to conduct online trading. Customer service is limited. Many online brokers have removed a specific commission fee for trades on stock shares, but commission fees for options or futures trades still apply. The fees vary and may be based on a per-contract or per-share charge. Account maintenance fees vary between $0 to $50 per account.

Reduction of brokerage fees

Investors can reduce account maintenance fees by comparing brokers, their provided services, and their fees. Buying no-load mutual funds or fee-free investments can help avoid per-trade fees. It is important to read the fine print or fee schedule and ask questions about any fees charged.

Award-winning accounting software for small businesses

Nail the admin, take care of tax and see the bigger picture. 50% off your first 6 months.

You could get freeagent for free

If you're a natwest, royal bank of scotland or ulster bank NI business current account holder, you can get full access to freeagent for free, as long as you retain your bank account.

Simply start a free trial to begin the journey.

Self assessment software, sorted

Freeagent auto-populates up to 90% of your self employment form for you and allows you to file directly to HMRC.

Are you ready for MTD for VAT?

Check out our making tax digital guides and resources to learn more about what you need to do to prepare and how freeagent can help.

Run your entire business from anywhere

Snap an expense, fire off an invoice, check your cashflow, stay on top of your tax. Take care of business, anywhere.

Voted the UK's #1 accounting software for small businesses!

Winner: 2020 accounting excellence awards, best small business accounting software
winner: 2020 accounting excellence awards, best small business accounting software: practitioners’ choice
winner: 2020 accounting excellence awards, best data & expense management software

Take your first step - try freeagent accounting software

No credit card details required. It's completely free for 30 days.

No more mess - invoicing, expenses, and more all in one place

One tidy dashboard that gives an overview of your whole business

Take a weight off with automatic tax forecasts and reminders

Don't stress - our incredible support team is here to help

Janice, suzanne, ashley and cameron are just some of the friendly, UK-based support accountants who are ready to help when you get stuck.

Working with an accountant or going DIY?

Freeagent works great either way.

Find an accountant

If you’re looking for the support of an accountant, we’ve got you covered – choose an accountant from our directory of trusted partners.

Invite your accountant

No more swapping spreadsheets with your accountant - send them an invite and start working from the same set of books.

Do it yourself

No accountant? No problem. You can use freeagent accounting software without an accountant, especially if your books are straightforward.

Take your first step - try freeagent accounting software

No credit card details required. It's completely free for 30 days.

About L&C mortgages

At L&C, we believe that buying a home should be fun and remortgaging should be simple.

But unfortunately, the process of securing a mortgage can often be a real headache for some people. With so many to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start. If you go direct to a lender, it can take several hours just to fill in the paperwork and you need to book an appointment.

And there’s no guarantee you’ll be accepted.

And if you're turned down, you leave a papertrail that could jeopardise any future applications you make.

All this can add up to a lot of stress and hassle.

But there is another way.

. Because at L&C, we do all the hard work for you, from application all the way through to completion. And the best bit is, we won’t charge you a fee. That’s right, as the UK’s leading fee-free mortgage broker, we don’t charge customers a penny for our services. Absolutely nothing. And because we search across the market, we’re sure to find you a really great deal.

So how does it all work?

First off, we’ll need to get some information from you. You can do it online using our advanced online mortgage finder, or, in just 15-20 minutes, over the phone.

Next, we’ll scour the market to find the best deal for you, searching thousands of mortgages across reputable lenders, both big and small.

Then finally, when you’re ready, we’ll finish off the form filling, another 15-20 minutes either on the phone or online, and submit your application form for you.

You’ll be able to track your application online 24/7 or over the phone 7 days a week. And we’ll even appoint a dedicated case manager to you, who you can call with any questions.

But how can we offer all this for free?

Well that's quite simple too.

Like all other brokers, we receive a payment from the lender when the mortgage completes. The difference is that unlike others, we simply choose not to charge our customers a fee on top of this.

It’s an approach that has proved itself to work time and time again. In fact, we’ve won no less than 140 industry awards for our service since 2002.

In a nutshell, L&C saves you time. We save you hassle. And we save you money. We also commit to finding the very best remortgage deal for you so that you’ll want to tell your friends and family about us.

All in all, we put the fun back into buying a home.

Our people

With offices in bath, newcastle-upon-tyne and london, we’ve got the UK covered for mortgage advice. Our team of expert advisers are on hand 7 days a week to provide customers with tailored mortgage solutions that fit. We’re known for our fee-free mortgage advice and excellent service that guarantees customers a simple and cost-effective process. Service should be seamless so we make sure our customers work with the same expert mortgage adviser from start to finish.

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, remortgaging, buying to let, or simply buying a new home, our expert advisors are there to work out what’s best for you. Dedicated case managers handle every aspect of the process, from form filling to chasing things up. This dedication is paying off and has helped us win over 150 awards since 2002.

Doing a good job is important to us, so we’re always delighted to receive positive feedback from our customers.

Here's what some of them have been saying about us recently.

“our adviser was fantastic and made the process so simple and painless.”

“I was very happy with the service I received to find and secure a mortgage that was suited to my needs for my first buy-to-let property ”

“L & C found a mortgage for us after other lenders refused to lend on the new property. ”

The directors at L&C are mortgage experts with over 100 years experience between them. They're also passionate about providing our customers first class service.

Chairperson

The senior executive team

Here are some of our staff – they’re all committed to helping you secure your home or investment property.

We're always looking for talented and motivated people to join our team. Have you got what it takes? Are you hungry and ready for a challenge?

Take a look at the current range of opportunities to join us.

The UK’s award-winning fee-free mortgage and insurance experts - by your side when it comes to buying and remortgaging.

Step onto the property ladder with our expert help

Secure your dream home with stress-free mortgage advice

Switch your mortgage to suit your changing needs

Start out in the rental market or expand your portfolio

Some important information about our service

You can find out how we handle your data and read our privacy statement here. Our terms of business and our keyfacts also explain more about how we work and the service we offer, if you need any more information about this or would like a hard copy please let your mortgage adviser know.

At L&C, we fully support the introduction of the modern slavery act 2015 (the act) and the way it encourages businesses to tackle issues around modern slavery. You can view our policy in full here.

We believe in equal opportunities for men and women at L&C, and creating an inclusive environment where all employees can fulfil their potential. We support the requirement for businesses with over 250 employees to publish their gender pay gap data, and report on initiatives being undertaken to minimise the gap. You can read our report here.

After receiving fee-free mortgage advice or another financial product, 93% of L&C customers would recommend us based on 1355 reviews.Co.Uk respondents - as of 02/04/19. Read our reviews

At L&C, we understand that with the volumes of mortgage and insurance products we arrange, things won’t always go as smoothly as we want every time. Continually improving the service we offer and reducing the number of complaints we receive is very important to us. We regularly review the information we have about your complaints, which helps us to understand how we can make improvements. More information

Cheap mortgage finding

How to find the best deal for you

Getting the right mortgage or remortgage deal can save you £100s each month. But it can be a nightmare knowing how to get it spot on – especially during these uncertain times – without the advice of a qualified mortgage broker. To help navigate the mortgage maze, here's our step-by-step guide outlining how to find the best mortgage deal for you.

Step 1: choose what type of mortgage

Now you're ready to get a mortgage, you need to go about it the right way. There are several things you need to do before you're ready to check out deals:

Have you decided whether you want a REPAYMENT or INTEREST-ONLY mortgage (the latter is also nigh on impossible to get)?

If you pick interest-only, you NEED a separate plan to pay off your debt, as your payments only cover the cost of the interest. A repayment mortgage, while it costs more each month, pays off the original debt too.

Unless you have a compelling reason, repayment is the way forward. It's also the one you're most likely to get as many lenders won't offer interest-only deals. Those that do will want evidence of a credible repayment plan and might limit the amount you can borrow.

Decide if you're going for a FIXED or VARIABLE rate mortgage?

The most important thing to remember is with a fixed rate, you have the surety of knowing EXACTLY what your mortgage repayments will be for that time.

In years past, variable rates were often significantly cheaper but right now the pendulum has swung more towards fixed deals, although these too are now slowly creeping up. But always pick the right deal for you – our what type of mortgage to choose? Guide has more information on how to decide.

Make sure you've got enough cash for any ASSOCIATED FEES

It's not just about the rate when picking a mortgage – a whole raft of fees could come as part of the package – stamp duty, solicitors' fees, valuation/survey costs, mortgage fees and more. Our what fees will you pay? Guide will give you the full information on what you'll need to pay and when.

Put as much towards your deposit/equity as you can. Especially if you're close to an LTV-RATE BOUNDARY

This may seem contrary to the point above, but mortgage rates drop in steps, known as loan-to-value (LTV) bands. So if you've a 9.75% deposit/equity, it's worth trying to get that up to 10% as you'll get a pick of lower interest rates.

If you've done all this, you're ready to follow the steps below to find the best mortgage for you. Remember that even if you've got an agreement in principle with a lender, you don't have to stick with it – especially if it is no longer offering the best deal.

Step 2: get an idea of what you can get

Whether you're going for a fixed or variable mortgage, you need to start looking at what rates you can get. This will depend on the size of your deposit and the value of the property.

But, in starting your search for the best deal, the first thing you need to know is:

'NEVER just go to your bank for a cheap deal.'

Your existing bank will only give you its tiny range of deals, not the array of alternatives, meaning it's highly unlikely you'll stumble across the best one for you.

Only check what it's offering as a starting point. Then use our mortgage best buys tool to check the whole market.

Comparing mortgages can be confusing. Before the onset of coronavirus, there were over 6,000 mortgage products. There are still plenty out there, so you need to know how to search through our comparison site to find the best deals for you. Click on the button below for a full how-to for mastering MSE's mortgage best buys.

Need to know how to find the best deals for you?

The steps below help you benchmark a rate – to get a good estimate of what your rate and payments would look like. This is pretty straightforward and shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes.

1. Go to our best buys to get a benchmark

No comparison site guarantees to show you all the deals available. This is because the mortgage market is complicated and some deals are only available through certain brokers, making it very difficult for a comparison site to know about every single deal at all times. But our mortgage best buys tool has all deals available direct, and most available to brokers, so it's a great place to start.

2. Enter your loan amount and property valuation accurately

At the top of the screen when you click onto best buys, you have the opportunity to select if you're a first-time buyer, remortgaging or moving home. You'll also need to put in how much you want to borrow, and how much the property is worth.

This calculates your loan-to-value ratio (LTV) and so influences which products you're shown.

3. Find the info you need on screen

There's a lot of information. Some details are more vital to read than others. The most important information's prominently displayed; choices about your deal are on the left, information about the mortgage products is in the table. Use the site to locate:

It's now time to select what type of mortgage you want.

Buyer type (first-time buyer/remortgage/moving home)

Mortgage type (eg, fixed/variable)

Initial deal length (eg, two years)

Interest rate (eg, 1.89%)

Fees (arrangement, booking and valuation – no others)

Monthly payment

4. Use the filters on the left to choose between fixed mortgages and variable mortgages

If you're already certain, then select the type you want. If you're still not sure, leave all options selected.

5. Use the filters on the left to select your initial deal length

The initial deal length is how long your deal will stay at the advertised interest rate. For a fixed mortgage, this is how long the rate is fixed for. For a variable mortgage, this'll be how long a discount applies to the rate. If you know how long a deal you want, pick that from the filter. If not, again, leave them all selected.

6. Find a realistic benchmark

We say realistic, because if you're looking at the product at the top of the table, it's probably not. You're probably looking at a lovely low rate with a fairly large fee.

One way around this is to change the sort filter on the right hand side of the tool. You're able to search products by monthly payment, initial rate, set up fees – and our MSE total cost assessment. This combines the rate and the fees to tell you which will be the cheapest mortgage overall; invariably it's not one with a large fee.

7. Choose your deal

Once you've found some deals that suit your circumstances and budget, click 'key information' to find out more. This will tell you other information about the product, such as how much you'll need to pay the lender for a valuation, and whether you're allowed to overpay.

8. Go get your deal

Once you're happy, you can click on 'next steps'. This will then give you two main options. The first is to contact a broker about the deal. The broker will be able to check that it actually is the best deal for you by doing a comparison with other deals out there.

If you're confident you've picked a winner, you can go for the second option, which is simply clicking through to the lender to start an application.

Has coronavirus made it more difficult to remortgage/get a good deal?

The mortgage market has shifted since lockdown began. Here's what you need to know:

It's harder to find deals for borrowers with small deposits or little equity.

There's stricter lending criteria for some. David hollingworth of L&C mortgages says that due to economic uncertainty, lenders are following stricter criteria. Many aren't factoring in variable portions of income, such as bonuses, overtime or commission (while they did in the past). And some borrowers on furlough might fall foul of affordability assessments if they're on a reduced income – as it might be trickier to demonstrate that the mortgage is affordable.

There are some positives – rates are still super-cheap (although slowly creeping back up) and lenders are eager to attract borrowers. While millions are asking for payment holidays, if you're keeping up payments, and you've still got full income, there are opportunities for huge savings by remortgaging. See our remortgage guide on when and when not to remortgage.

Step 3: talk to a mortgage broker

Important. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the financial impact it has had on the mortgage market – in particular that many mortgage lenders have tightened their lending criteria as a result of the economic fallout – it's arguably more important than ever to use the help of a qualified mortgage broker when you're looking to either remortgage or take out a mortgage.

However, demand on mortgage brokers and lenders is particularly high at the moment. For this reason, it's likely that you may experience delays when either instructing or working with a broker.

Once you've benchmarked a good rate from using our mortgage best buys, see if a qualified mortgage broker can beat it.

They scour the market to find you a good mortgage deal. By using one, you swiftly cover a huge slew of lenders, and get added clout with them to ease your acceptance as well as an extra layer of protection if things go wrong.

Brokers will also be able to advise you on help to buy mortgages and other government mortgage schemes (incl shared ownership, equity loans etc) if you're eligible – tell your broker upfront if that's what you're looking for.

Qualified mortgage brokers are also worth their weight in gold, because they know key details about lenders' criteria. So they would know if the lender you're thinking of doesn't lend on properties above shops, or in council blocks – so they'd be able to recommend a different lender who does.

But, the key is to find a broker you're comfortable with. The estate agents you meet when house hunting will often recommend brokers. They may even work from the same office. But you are NOT tied to using these, even if you buy via that estate agent.

Ask friends who've moved for recommendations – many local brokers are fantastic. The aim's to find you the best broker for the lowest possible price. Not all brokers are the same. Some are limited in what they can offer you.

Here are the three crucial questions to ask.

1. Can you get me a mortgage from any UK lender, right now?

This finds out if your broker can source you ANY UK mortgage. Not all can so it's important to know which you're dealing with. Here are some of the possible answers:

'no.' some brokers are tied to one lender or operate off a small panel of lenders, so they search fewer deals. This makes it simpler and cheaper for them to operate.

'we check all products available to brokers.' the key point to note here is the last phrase – available to brokers. This used to be called 'whole of market'.

Many of these brokers will exclude lenders and products which are only offered directly to the public, mainly as they won't receive a commission. On top, they may not be able to submit an application on your behalf.

'we check all lenders.' some brokers do check lenders' direct-only deals too. However, they are more likely to charge a fee. In reality, it's unlikely a broker could guarantee you access to EVERY mortgage, as exclusive deals can be arranged between lenders and brokers (and clubs that brokers can join).

Just be clear on what your broker is offering. Weigh up the need to check every deal, your willingness to do some legwork yourself, and if you're happy paying a broker fee. Once you've found a broker you're happy with, you need to ask them the next questions to find out if they're the best broker for you.

Veeam agent
for microsoft windows FREE

Windows computer backup for free?

Virus and ransomware attacks are on the rise, and, if affected, your system and critical data are at risk. Be prepared so you can recover what you need in minutes — like it never happened.

The FREE standalone veeam® agent for microsoft windows provides a simple solution for backing up windows-based desktops, laptops and tablets with veeam agent for microsoft windows FREE. So, you can easily back up your computer to an external hard drive, network-attached storage (NAS) share or a veeam backup & replication™ repository.

FREE backup for windows desktops and laptop

Home users and IT professionals all need data protection for their own assets. Veeam has a solution; a free solution. Protect your physical windows-based systems and home labs with the same powerful capabilities that power our enterprise solution, veeam backup & replication.

Are you running a business and need to protect your endpoint devices? Check out veeam agent for microsoft windows, which is a part of veeam backup & replication and includes centralized agent management with multiple deployment methods to fit your IT administration needs.

Built on proven veeam technologies

What else is included in free windows backup?

Reliable backups: get image-based backups for your entire PC, volume-level backup, individual file-level backup or folder-level backup that’s built on proven veeam technologies.

Bootable recovery media: create a recovery image of your computer on several different kinds of media, including removable storage devices (e.G., USB flash drives, SD cards, etc.), CD/DVD/BD media or ISO image.

Flexible recovery: with options for bare-metal restores, instant VM recovery®, direct restore to microsoft azure and AWS and file-level restores, users have many options for recovering their data. Enjoy the peace-of-mind that comes with reduced downtime, reduced risk of data loss and confidence in meeting or exceeding recovery point objectives (rpos) every time.

Veeam continues to amaze me. Releases a free tool for backing up physical machines and simply makes it compatible with their current backup solutions. This enables us, at no additional cost other than bandwidth and storage, of course, to back up our end users, encrypt and transport the backups off site.

The ukвђ™s trusted mortgage broker

Free expert mortgage advice that could save ВЈ344 a month

90 lenders
12,000 mortgage deals

Get a mortgage through trussle

Apply in 15 mins and we recommend you a deal, usually within 24 hours. We do all the work with the lender.

Save money

Our customers save ВЈ344 on average a month, and our service is always completely free.

Protected

We check you can always pay your mortgage so youвђ™re protected against losing your home.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Not ready to get a mortgage? Explore our calculators and deals

What our customers say

Trustscore 4.8 | based on 3,766 reviews

Weвђ™ve got your back the whole way

Our team of expert mortgage advisers will compare 12,000 mortgage deals and find the right mortgage deal for you. You can chat with, call or email your adviser at any time.

Your adviser won't be paid a commission based on the size of your loan or choice of lender. Their only motivation is to help you get a mortgage quickly and easily.

And we do more than get you a mortgage. We check that you can still pay it if the unexpected happens so youвђ™re protected against losing your home.

We'll find the deal that suits you

We use unbiased algorithms to search 90 mortgage lenders and 12,000 deals to find the most suitable deal for you.

Weвђ™re champions for change

Save ВЈ344 per month on average

100% free forever (learn more)

No impact on your credit score (up to the point of mortgage submission)

Ongoing mortgage monitoring to find your best deal

You may have to pay an early repayment charge to your existing lender if you remortgage.

Trussle is a free mortgage broker

We guarantee that using trussle is and always will be 100% free. This means youвђ™ll never pay for expert mortgage advice or mortgage broking from us.

Trussle is a free mortgage broker, which means our team of mortgage advisers search 12,000 mortgages, find the right mortgage deal, and then do all of the hard work to arrange your mortgage with a lender - and weвђ™ll never charge you a penny.

Most mortgage brokers charge around ВЈ500 according to the money advice service, but we're free and always will be.

And even though we're a free broker, weвђ™re still one of the best online mortgage brokers in the UK with amazing customer service. We have a trustscore of 4.8 out of 5 from over 3,500 customer reviews!

Our door is always open.

Find an answer

Explore our mortgage guide and find answers to the most common mortgage questions

Ask us anything

Can't find the info you're looking for? Chat to one of our mortgage experts and ask them anything!

Affording a mortgage

Buying or moving home

Mortgage and insurance types

About trussle

Trussle services are provided at no cost to you, we will receive a fee from the lender once the mortgage completes.

For insurance business we offer products from a choice of insurers.

You may have to pay an early repayment charge to your existing lender if you remortgage. Your savings will depend on personal circumstances.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

There is no guarantee that it will be possible to arrange continuous letting of the property, nor that rental income will be sufficient to meet the cost of the mortgage.

Trussle is a trading name of trussle lab ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority under firm reference number 924229. You can check this on the financial services register by visiting the FCA website.

1-3 dufferin street, london, EC1Y 8NA. Registered in england and wales: 09459339.

Award-winning accounting software for small businesses

Nail the admin, take care of tax and see the bigger picture. 50% off your first 6 months.

You could get freeagent for free

If you're a natwest, royal bank of scotland or ulster bank NI business current account holder, you can get full access to freeagent for free, as long as you retain your bank account.

Simply start a free trial to begin the journey.

Self assessment software, sorted

Freeagent auto-populates up to 90% of your self employment form for you and allows you to file directly to HMRC.

Are you ready for MTD for VAT?

Check out our making tax digital guides and resources to learn more about what you need to do to prepare and how freeagent can help.

Run your entire business from anywhere

Snap an expense, fire off an invoice, check your cashflow, stay on top of your tax. Take care of business, anywhere.

Voted the UK's #1 accounting software for small businesses!

Take your first step - try freeagent accounting software

No credit card details required. It's completely free for 30 days.

No more mess - invoicing, expenses, and more all in one place

One tidy dashboard that gives an overview of your whole business

Take a weight off with automatic tax forecasts and reminders

Don't stress - our incredible support team is here to help

Janice, suzanne, ashley and cameron are just some of the friendly, UK-based support accountants who are ready to help when you get stuck.

Working with an accountant or going DIY?

Freeagent works great either way.

Find an accountant

If you’re looking for the support of an accountant, we’ve got you covered – choose an accountant from our directory of trusted partners.

Invite your accountant

No more swapping spreadsheets with your accountant - send them an invite and start working from the same set of books.

Do it yourself

No accountant? No problem. You can use freeagent accounting software without an accountant, especially if your books are straightforward.

Take your first step - try freeagent accounting software

No credit card details required. It's completely free for 30 days.

Best brokers for free stock trading 2021

The stockbrokers.Com best online brokers 2021 review (11th annual) took three months to complete and produced over 40,000 words of research. Here's how we tested.

When it comes to free stock trading in 2021, investors need to look beyond the price of stock and ETF trades. Why? Because all brokers offer free trades. However, not all brokers have excellent education, a great trading platform, or robust market research. Also, most brokers accept payment for order flow (PFOF), a hidden fee that generates over $1B each year in profits for the industry.

For our 2021 annual review, we scored 11 different online brokers that offer free trading. To assess each platform, we tested well over 100 features, broke down miscellaneous account fees, and researched each firm's order execution practices.

Best brokers for free stock trading 2021

Fidelity - best free trading platform

TD ameritrade - free trading, best education

Interactive brokers - free trading, best pro tools

E*TRADE - free trading, best trader app

Charles schwab - free trading, best research

Best free trading platform

Fidelity is the best free trading platform for 2021 because it offers $0 trades while also NOT accepting payment for order flow (PFOF). This guarantees customers get the absolute best price on every stock and ETF trade. Pricing aside, fidelity offers industry-leading research, excellent trading tools, and a feature-rich trading app built for everyday investors. Read full review

Free trading, best education

TD ameritrade delivers $0 trades, fantastic trading platforms, excellent market research, industry-leading education for beginners, and reliable customer service. This outstanding all-around experience makes TD ameritrade our top overall broker in 2021. Read full review

Free trading, best pro tools - open account
exclusive offer: new clients that open an account today receive a special margin rate.

Traditionally known for its leading offering of platforms, tools, and pricing for professionals, interactive brokers has made significant strides in recent years and today also appeals to casual investors, thanks to $0 trades and its client portal web platform. Read full review

Free trading, best trader app

Founded in 1982 as one of the first online brokerages in the united states, E*TRADE highlights include $0 trades, two excellent mobile apps, and the power E*TRADE platform, which is great for beginners, active trading, and options trading. Read full review

Free trading, best research

With more than $6 trillion in client assets, charles schwab understands how to consistently deliver value to its customers. Highlights include $0 trades, excellent stock research, a diverse selection of trading tools, and an industry-leading offering of financial planning services. Read full review

Other trading platforms for free stock trading

Beyond our top five free trading platforms for 2021, here are high-level takeaways for merrill edge, tradestation, webull, and robinhood. To dive deeper, read our full reviews.

Merrill edge

Merrill edge offers $0 trades with industry-leading research tools (especially ESG research) and excellent customer service. Better yet, for current bank of america customers, merrill edge's preferred rewards program provides the best rewards of any best bank broker we tested in 2021. Read full review

Tradestation

As a trading technology leader, tradestation supports casual traders through its web-based platform and active traders through its award-winning desktop platform, all with $0 stock and ETF trades. Like its other active-trader focused competitors, tradestation lacks in its offering of fundamental company research for casual investors. Education is also a mixed bag, making it just an "ok" choice for beginners. Read full review

Webull
while webull's mobile app offers more features than robinhood, it struggles to compete with the extensive amount of trading tools provided by the best stock trading apps. Also, like robinhood, webull's top source of revenue is payment for order flow (PFOF), making hidden trading costs a substantial drawback to using the app. Read full review

Robinhood
robinhood's stock app is very easy to use; however, now that all online brokers offer $0 stock and ETF trades, robinhood's lack of trading tools and research leaves it a step behind the competition. In addition, robinhood's top source of revenue is payment for order flow (PFOF), making hidden trading costs a substantial drawback to using the app. Read full review

Trading fees comparison

Using our online brokerage comparison tool, here's a comparison of the trading and account fees for the best free trading platforms.

Feature	fidelity	TD ameritrade	interactive brokers open account	*ETRADE**	charles schwab
minimum deposit	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
stock trade fee (per trade)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
ETF trade fee	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
options base fee	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
options per contract fee	$0.65	$0.65	$0.65	$0.65	$0.65
mutual fund trade fee	$49.95	$49.99	$14.95	$19.99	$49.95
broker assisted trades fee	$32.95	$44.99	$30.00	$25.00	$25.00

feature	fidelity	TD ameritrade	interactive brokers open account	*ETRADE**	charles schwab
IRA annual fee	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
IRA closure fee	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$60.00	$50.00
returned ACH fee	$0.00	$25.00	N/A	$0.00	$25.00
returned wire fee	$0.00	$25.00	N/A	$0.00	$25.00
stock certificate processing fee	$0.00	$0.00	N/A	$0.00	$100.00
stock certificate delivery fee	$100.00	$500.00	N/A	$75.00	N/A
paper statement fee	$0.00	$0.00	N/A	$2.00	$0.00
paper confirmation fee	$0.00	$0.00	N/A	$0.00	$0.00
domestic wire fee	$0.00	$25.00	$10.00	$25.00	$25.00
international wire fee	$0.00	$25.00	$10.00	$25.00	$25.00

What is commission free trading?

Commission-free trading means there is no charge for placing a stock or ETF trade. In october 2019, a pricing war led to the full-service brokerages cutting their stock and ETF commissions to $0 to compete with free trading platforms such as robinhood.

How do brokers make money on commission free trades?

For startup brokers such as robinhood and webull, payment for order flow (PFOF) is the primary way they make money. Meanwhile, for larger full-service brokers such as fidelity and schwab, their largest revenue source comes from sweeping the idle cash sitting in customer accounts into subsidiary banks each night.

More details: when online brokers sweep uninvested cash overnight into their subsidiary banks, they earn a tiny bit of interest. Brokers claim they share this with their customers, but the reality is, most keep the majority of interest for themselves. While it may not seem like much, earned interest adds up when conducted across millions of accounts and billions in idle cash.

What is the best free trading platform?

The best free trading platforms offer $0 stock and ETF trades, easy to use trading apps, quality market research and education, and a diverse selection of trading tools. Our top picks for free stock trading in 2021 are fidelity, TD ameritrade, interactive brokers, E*TRADE, charles schwab.

Summary

To recap, here are the best brokers for free stock trading.

Best brokers for free stock trading 2021

Methodology

For the stockbrokers.Com 11th annual best trading platforms review published in january 2021, a total of 2,816 data points were collected over three months and used to score brokers. This makes stockbrokers.Com home to the largest independent database on the web covering the online broker industry.

Participation is required to be included. Each broker completed an in-depth data profile and offered executive time (live in person or over the web) for an annual update meeting. Our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .001% each year, providing site visitors quality data they can trust. Learn more about how we test.

About the author: blain reinkensmeyer as head of research at stockbrokers.Com, blain reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 1,000 trades placed during that time. Referenced as a leading expert on the US online brokerage industry, blain has been quoted in the wall street journal, the new york times, and the chicago tribune, among others.

All pricing data was obtained from a published web site as of 01/19/2021 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. For stock trade rates, advertised pricing is for a standard order size of 500 shares of stock priced at $30 per share. For options orders, an options regulatory fee per contract may apply.

1 $0.00 commission applies to online U.S. Equity trades, exchange-traded funds (etfs), and options (+ $0.65 per contract fee) in a fidelity retail account only for fidelity brokerage services LLC retail clients. Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee (from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal). There is an options regulatory fee (from $0.03 to $0.05 per contract), which applies to both option buy and sell transactions. The fee is subject to change. Other exclusions and conditions may apply. See fidelity.Com/commissions for details. Employee equity compensation transactions and accounts managed by advisors or intermediaries through fidelity clearing & custody solutions® are subject to different commission schedules.

Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Before trading options, please read characteristics and risks of standardized options. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.

TD ameritrade, inc. And stockbrokers.Com are separate, unaffiliated companies and are not responsible for each other’s services and products. View terms.

Advertiser disclosure: stockbrokers.Com helps investors across the globe by spending over 1,000 hours each year testing and researching online brokers. How do we make money? Our partners compensate us through paid advertising. While partners may pay to provide offers or be featured, e.G. Exclusive offers, they cannot pay to alter our recommendations, advice, ratings, or any other content throughout the site. Furthermore, our content and research teams do not participate in any advertising planning nor are they permitted access to advertising campaign data. Here is a list of our partners.

Disclaimer: it is our organization's primary mission to provide reviews, commentary, and analysis that are unbiased and objective. While stockbrokers.Com has all data verified by industry participants, it can vary from time to time. Operating as an online business, this site may be compensated through third party advertisers. Our receipt of such compensation shall not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation by stockbrokers.Com, nor shall it bias our reviews, analysis, and opinions. Please see our general disclaimers for more information.

Broker free

As the UK’s top rated mortgage broker, we believe everyone has the right to free impartial mortgage advice.

That’s why we’re opening more branches and making ourselves more available to you than ever before. Whether you prefer to deal with us online, over the phone, or in branch over a hot cup of coffee – the choice is yours!

100% free service

We search 10,000+ products

We do all the paperwork

We don’t believe there’s a “one size fits all” approach to mortgages, and we take the time to understand you and your circumstances, putting everything we have into making sure you walk away happy, every single time.

Not quite ready?

That's alright, we know it's not everyday that you get a mortgage.

How much can I borrow?

Find out how much you could borrow

Payment calculator

Calculate your repayments

Stamp duty calculator

Work out how much stamp duty you’d need to pay

We're blushing.

Say goodbye to fees

We won't charge you a penny. Ever.

We’re not just any mortgage broker – we’re a free, award winning mortgage broker with access to the best deals out there. And there’s no catch. While most mortgage brokers will charge you a hefty fee for using their service, we don’t. Our service is funded entirely by mortgage lenders, so you can bid farewell to advice fees. Did we mention we’ll even do all the paperwork for you?

Our promise

Because your peace of mind matters to us.

We’re so confident in finding the best mortgage deal available to you that every mortgage we source comes fully backed by our one of a kind mortgage guarantee.

If you can get a better mortgage offer from anywhere else, we’ll give you £500.

Advice nationwide

If you're lucky enough to live near one of our branches, we'd love to meet you! Alternatively, give us a call and we'll be happy to handle your case over the phone, no matter where you are in the UK.

Whether that's face to face or over the phone - you choose how you want to deal with us.

Aberdeen

Birmingham

Bristol and bath

Dalkeith

Darlington

Dundee

Durham

Edinburgh

Elgin

Falkirk

Fife

Gateshead

Glasgow

Liverpool

London

Manchester

Middlesbrough

Musselburgh

Newcastle

Southampton & portsmouth

Sunderland

West yorkshire

York

We run circles around the others

So that you don't have to.

Award winning

Our clients love to shout about our award winning service. Over 70% in fact. A hefty seventy percent of our new clients come from friends and family recommendations, which is tangible proof we’re doing something right.

100% free

You won’t pay us any fees. Ever. That’s because we only receive a commission from the mortgage lender and leave off the unnecessary fees some other mortgage brokers charge – which saves you hundreds of pounds.

Unbeatable choice

With over 10,000 mortgage products on the market, and more being added every day, basic comparison sites just aren't up to it. That’s why our brokers use sophisticated mortgage search tools, designed specifically for finding you the best deal, based on your individual circumstances. And to top it all off, we’ll fill in every form on your behalf.

Impartial advice

We work for you, not the banks. And that means we can give you advice on over 10,000 products from hundreds of lenders.

Have a question?

That's alright, we know it's not everyday that you get a mortgage.

Latest articles

First mortgage supporting oor wullie’s BIG bucket trail

Buyer story: edward - first time buyer

Buyer stories: sarah - remortgage

We don’t charge any fees. Ever.

All mortgage brokers get paid a fee by the lender upon completion of a mortgage. In addition to this, most of these brokers will also charge you a hefty fee.

This fee typically ranges from £300 to £500 per client, with some brokers charging as much as £1,250.

We know you don’t like fees, and we don’t either.

Our service is funded entirely by mortgage lenders, which doesn’t affect your mortgage in any way, and means you won’t ever have to pay us a penny. Combined with our best in market mortgage guarantee – where we’ll pay you £500 if you get a better deal elsewhere – we can confidently say there is no better place to go for your mortgage needs.

So whether you simply want to know what options are available to you, what you can afford or you’ve found the house of your dreams, get in touch and we’ll get the right deal in place for you.

Firstmortgage.Co.Uk
the right mortgage for you. Every time.

Our 'best in market' mortgage promise

At first mortgage, we’re so confident in our choice of products and our advice, that we provide every customer with a simple guarantee – should you receive a better offer from another lender than the mortgage offer issued by the first mortgage applied for lender, we’ll happily pay you £500!

This promise is offered exclusively to first mortgage clients who receive a better mortgage offer from another lender, on a like for like product basis, than the mortgage offer already issued by the first mortgage applied for lender.

It’s really that simple

We are so confident that our range of products and advice cannot be beaten that we provide this gimmick-free offer to all our clients. Simply provide us with a copy of the alternative mortgage offer at least 10 days prior to completion/entry date, which confirms eligibility for a mortgage product that has a lower true cost over the special rate period than the mortgage recommended by first mortgage, and we will pay you £500.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.
FMD and first mortgage direct are trading names of first mortgage limited which is an appointed representative of mortgage advice bureau limited and mortgage advice bureau (derby) limited which are authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority.
First mortgage limited. Registered office: 30 walker street, edinburgh, scotland, EH3 7HR. Registered in scotland number: SC177681.
IN ENGLAND AND WALES YOU MAY BE REFERRED TO AN ADVISOR FROM FIRST MORTGAGE (NE). FIRST MORTGAGE (NE) IS A SEPARATE ENTITY AND IS A TRADING STYLE OF M&R FM LTD, WHO ARE AUTHORISED AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY.
Calls to and from first mortgage may be monitored and recorded for record-keeping, supervisory, training and quality-assurance purposes.

Getting a mortgage doesn't need to be a complicated process. Our mortgage brokers will do everything they can to make your home buying experience quick, easy, and enjoyable.

Contact your local branch for free mortgage advice. Give us a call today.

Best free broker apps

Sarah horvath

Contributor, benzinga

Anyone from online brokers to robo advisors offer free stock trading for new account holders. And now, with robinhood finding wild success, you’ll find another new class of online brokerages looking to compete in the free stock trading world. With new brokerages and free stock trading promotions popping up, they can be hard to keep track of.

Every month, benzinga hunts down where you can trade for free and puts the brokers in the list below. You can check back on the 1st of each month for more exclusive deals, promotions and other opportunities for free trades. If you’re looking for a new brokerage, it’s also worth it to check out benzinga’s picks for the best online brokers to compare services, fees, and other features.

Best free stock trading brokers and apps:

Best for active stock traders: tradestation

Best mobile brokerage: webull

Best for day traders: TD ameritrade

Best mobile app: moomoo

Best for all levels: charles schwab

Best for retirement savers: E*trade

Simplest platform: vanguard

Best for access to foreign markets: interactive brokers

Best for passive traders: M1 finance

Best for free trades: firstrade

Best for beginners: robinhood

Best free broker apps:

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

1. Tradestation

Signing up for an account with tradestation is intuitive and simple. You’ll begin by choosing the type of account you want, entering a little personal information, answering a few questions about your experience level and agreeing to the company’s terms of service.

A tradestation representative will review your application and open your account. As soon as your account is open you can begin funding your account and making trades.

If you’re new to trading, you’ll love tradestation’s simulated trading tool. Its simulated trading tool allows you to practice entering buy and sell orders, using tradestation’s suite of charting and analysis tools and using your trading strategy without risking any of your own money. Though it was originally aimed at professional investors, tradestation now offers a wealth of education options that brand new traders can understand and use.

Tradestation offers traders a variety of affordable equity and contract trading options. You can currently trade stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etfs, futures, options and cryptocurrencies on tradestation’s platform. For each asset, you can use tradestation’s comprehensive platform to inform your trades and screen by your chosen set of indicators.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

2. Webull

Webull is a mobile app-based brokerage that features commission-free stock and exchange-traded fund (ETF) trading. It’s regulated by the securities and exchange commission (SEC) and the financial industry regulatory authority (FINRA).

Webull offers economic calendars, ratings from research agencies, margin trading and short-selling. Its intuitive trading platform is complete with technical and fundamental analysis tools. Its a solid option for active intermediate and advanced traders.

You’ll enjoy commission-free trading for more than 5,000 different stocks and etfs. There are no maintenance or software platform fees, and no charge to open or maintain an account.

Commissions

Account minimum

3. TD ameritrade

TD ameritrade offers the best of both worlds. On one hand, 0-commission trading and a vast library of educational articles and videos make TD ameritrade ideal for a new investor’s first brokerage account. On the other hand, technology like the thinkorswim platform gives accomplished traders the tools needed to pull off labyrinthine options trades or sell livestock futures at 3 a.M.

TD ameritrade has developed a user-friendly platform and tries to appease investors of all shapes and sizes. From account signup to trade execution, the process is smooth and painless. New accounts can be opened in minutes and a variety of different options are available, including retirement vehicles like roth iras and custodial accounts like UTMA/UGMA and 529 plans.

TD ameritrade has several ways to get in contact with their support staff. The easiest way to get in touch is via phone. Ameritrade offers 24/7 phone support for both new and existing clients. Finding an exact email address is difficult though — you’ll just be directed to a form located on the website, which means a back-and-forth email conversation is difficult. Text support is also available, but live chat options only occur during normal working hours.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

4. Moomoo

Moomoo’s powerful app, complete with an intuitive investing platform, isn’t just for first-time investors. In fact, you can get level 2 market data, charts and technical indicators, 3rd-party ratings and insights, capital flows, graphs and more.

Don’t miss out on conditional alerts, its customizable stock screener and more. It’ll improve your trading experience. Don’t miss out on moomoo’s great deals on U.S stocks, adrs, etfs and options. Learn more.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

3 trading platforms perfectly in sync makes matching your platform to your skill level a snap

Excellent futures trading education for new traders

$0 account minimum means anyone can start trading

5. Charles schwab

Charles schwab’s primary desktop trading application, streetsmart edge, is a customizable trading platform you can use to chart, track and place informed trades. The platform is responsive, updating market data on a second-by-second basis. Streetsmart edge is completely customizable.

You can set individual stocks, funds or watchlists to populate immediately when you load up your app. You can also customize your layout by dragging and dropping different windows into specific areas of your screen.

Charles schwab offers traders both online and in-app education tools you can use to improve your trading strategies and learn how to more effectively save for retirement. Let’s take a look at 3 unique education tools offered by charles schwab

Charles schwab offers you full access to the U.S. Stock market, allowing you to buy and sell over 11,000 stocks and 2,000 etfs with no commissions. Charles schwab’s smartstreet edge includes a number of screening tools, including average expert rating, daily movement, average daily trading volume, price, beta rating and much more.

In addition to U.S.-based equities, traders can also invest in 30 foreign markets and a separate set of screening tools are available for foreign and developing markets. Charles schwab also offers access to over 3,000 mutual funds — though few funds come with $0 commissions.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

6. E*TRADE

E*TRADE leverages multiple platforms, 2 different mobile apps and a variety of account types and financial services to provide an inclusive brokerage experience. Most brokers aim their platform toward a specific type of investor, but ETRADE offers a little something for everyone. Does this overburden the trading system? Not at all.

E*TRADE offers 3 main avenues for providing clients with research and education to improve not only their trading acumen, but to better understand investing and markets. E*TRADE will walk you through the process of trading on their platform in a way no other broker does.

Stocks, etfs, and (most) mutual funds are free to trade on E*TRADE, but that doesn’t stand out much anymore. Mutual fund and ETF screeners are also free, even if you don’t have an E*TRADE account. Search through over 2,300 etfs and 9,000 mutual funds, sorted by asset allocation, leverage, expense ratio, morningstar rating and more.

Use the advanced search feature to look for securities based on risk profiles and technical indicators. E*TRADE’s standard E*TRADE mobile app and power E*TRADE are free to clients on both ios and android, but they serve different purposes. E*TRADE web mobile is aimed at the buy-and-hold, “set-and-forget-it” type of investor, while power E*TRADE mobile seeks out the day trading and derivatives crowds.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

Retirement savers

Buy-and-hold investors

Investors looking for a simple stock trading platform

7. Vanguard

Vanguard was the 1st to offer low-commission trading on inexpensive index funds based on consumer-friendly investment principles. Day traders might not find vanguard’s old-school style appealing, but retirement savers, buy-and-hold investors and companies that seek employer-sponsored programs might want to take a gander.

Vanguard is the right place to be if investing is new and scary to you. The company offers a host of step-by-step guides to inform and educate clients about proper investment practices. Vanguard takes its fiduciary duty very seriously — you won’t be pushed into expensive investment products that benefit a salesperson more than you.

Vanguard offers a wealth of education and research materials, including some of the most in-depth reports on retirement planning you’ll find. Vanguard has the process down pat — an automated system asks about your retirement goals and makes suggestions pertinent to your situation. (in a way, vanguard was the first robo-advisor.)

Vanguard’s customer service reps are helpful and dedicated to serving clients. However, vanguard’s contact methods are a bit outdated. Email support can only be reached with an active account and phone support is only available during the week, from 8 a.M. To 8 p.M. Text and chat support options are also unavailable. Vanguard’s ahead of the curve in so many ways — but its customer support structure could use a facelift.

Pricing

Account minimum

Best for

Access to foreign markets

Detailed mobile app that makes trading simple

Wide range of available account types and tradable assets

8. Interactive brokers

Interactive brokers (IBKR) is a comprehensive trading platform that gives you access to a massive range of securities at affordable prices. With access to over 125 global markets, you can buy assets from all around the world from the comfort of your home or office. Options, futures, forex and fund trading are also available — and most traders won’t pay a commission on any purchase or sale.

IBKR is geared primarily toward experienced investors. The platform offers limited assistance and can be a challenge for new users to become acclimated to. The broker’s tiered pricing strategy can also be frustrating for traders who focus on hourly or daily price movements.

IBKR has always been a top choice for professional brokers, but its new IBKR lite accounts can appeal to new investors looking to test the waters of trading. However, IBKR still maintains its host of professional tools and charting software. Outside of its trading platform, interactive brokers offers a wide range of educational tools and resources you can use to learn more about trading. Let’s take a look at a few of the free resources it offers to help you learn more about the markets.

Interactive brokers offers trades full access to the U.S. Stock market on both its pro and lite platforms. You can even access stocks listed on european and asian stock exchanges to buy and sell foreign securities. Most traders will pay $0 on all of their commissions, but high-value pro account holders may pay a fraction of 1 cent per share.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

Don’t want to take an active role in portfolio management

Need a large amount of hand-holding when it comes to selecting investments

Want the option to invest in a socially responsible portfolio

9. M1 finance

M1 finance uses pies, which allow you to show your holdings as slices of a pie. All you need to do is assign a percentage to each slice, fund your pie and you have a portfolio of stocks. You also have the option to take advantage of M1’s ‘expert pies’ feature.

M1 finance has an in-house asset management team for those who prefer to invest passively but maximize returns. This feature is great for investors who are transitioning from a robo-advisor.

M1 really introduces something more than passive investing and other brokers might adopt the same or similar concept. Its strategy is based on a vision of its founder, who believes that in the future customers are not going to compare brokers based on fees. Instead, they are going to compare platforms. If this vision becomes a reality, investing is going to become more approachable and a lot more fun for retail investors.

It is difficult to diversify small accounts if you are trading with brokerage firms that allow only whole shares investing. M1 finance offers fractional shares investing. When you receive a dividend or when you add a small amount of money to your account, you don’t have to wait until you have enough to buy a whole share. M1 allows you to put your money to work immediately.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

New traders looking for a simple platform layout

Native chinese speakers seeking research and education tools in chinese

Mobile traders who needs a secure and well-designed app

10. Firstrade

Firstrade’s platform offers the following:

Manage and trade from one screen

Adjustable layouts

Customizable widgets

Advanced technical charting

Helpful graphs

Position simulator

Guides and podcast available for education purposes

You can monitor your portfolio’s performance easily with the firstrade mobile trading app, which offers a more dexterous option compared to a desktop. You’ll be exposed to a touch ID screen for ios devices, equity ratings and fundamental data, advanced charts, comprehensive dashboard and improved research and trading interface.

Firstrade offers varied customer service options, including live chat with a registered customer service representative monday through friday, 8 a.M. To 6 p.M. ET, or you can use the firstrade chatbot (named sammi), which is available 24/7.

Commissions

Account minimum

Best for

11. Robinhood

Robinhood is the broker for traders who want a simple, easy-to-understand layout without all the bells and whistles other brokers offer. Though its trading options and account types are limited, even an absolute beginner can quickly master robinhood’s intuitive and streamlined platform. On the other hand, more advanced traders might be frustrated by robinhood’s lack of technical analysis tools, a feature that’s now nearly universal across other platforms.

Robinhood only offers basic research tools. Though the brokerage has been making an effort to improve its options in recent months, the level of fundamental and technical analysis tools still pale in comparison to almost every other competing broker.

Robinhood gives traders access to the U.S. Equity markets, so you can buy and sell over 5,000 individual stocks and etfs. You can also buy and sell over 250 stocks listed on foreign exchanges — though the platform doesn’t give you access to full foreign markets like some competitors. All trades are made with $0 commissions, whether you’re using robinhood gold or a standard robinhood account.

One of robinhood’s strongest assets is its mobile app. Like the desktop platform, robinhood’s mobile app is streamlined, so even new traders can quickly buy and sell on the go.

Every commission-free stock trading broker app

With robinhood’s ever-increasing popularity, you may be curious where else you can trade stocks for free. Luckily, there are a number of new online brokers and robo advisors that offer free stock trading.

Robo advisors, like acorns and wisebanyan, offer managed accounts with zero commissions and low account minimums. These may be a great option for you if you’re looking to venture in the investing world and have goals, but might be too intimidated to pick your investments.

Other online brokers that offer self-directed trading accounts, like webull, M1 finance, firstrade and matador, give you the power to make their own trading decisions. These brokers aren’t bare-bones, either. They’re equipped with news feeds, great mobile experiences and investor education.

All free stock trading promotions for new account holders

While some brokers are completely free, a number of larger, more traditional online brokers offer free trades through other means. These free trades or cash bonuses through promotions for new customers or commission-free electronic funds transfers (etfs) for the life of the account.

The 1st offer is free stock trading for new account holders. The free stock trading windows will last anywhere from 2 to 6 months. While the free trading period doesn’t last forever, it can help users learn the platform, take time to absorb educational content and get more comfortable executing trades. After the period is up, account holders will be charged the standard commission rates.

Some brokers may even offer cash bonuses for initial deposits. Some brokers like ally invest will offer up to $3,500 for a large deposit. The bigger your deposit, the higher the cash bonus. The bonuses are usually deposited directly into your account.

Outside of the 2 offers above, many brokers offer commission-free etfs from ishares, wisdom tree and other popular ETF providers. In some cases, ETF fees can be as high as $20, so the savings can make a serious impact over time.

Hire a pro: compare financial advisors in your area

Finding the right financial advisor that fits your needs doesn't have to be hard. Smartasset's free tool matches you with fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by smartasset and is legally bound to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that will help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.