-
Reviews By
Richard Berry
- Updated
We’ve compared and tested the best major American stock brokers that offer online stock trading and investing as well as other peripheral products such as ETFs (exchange-traded funds), options and futures.
| US Stock Trading Platform | US Stocks Available | Dealing Commission | Margin Rates | Customer Reviews | GMG Rating | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 17,913 | 0.003% | 5.33% – 6.33% | Visit Broker | ||
 | 6,000+ | 0% | ❌ | Visit Broker | ||
 | 5,000+ | 0% | 8% – 11% | Read Reviews | ||
 | 4,000+ | 0% | 10.2% – 13.2% | Read Reviews | ||
 | 4,000+ | 0% | 8.575% – 13.075% | Read Reviews | ||
 | 5,000+ | 0% | 8% (Flat) | Read Reviews | ||
 | 7,000+ | 0% | 8.5% – 12.075% | Read Reviews | ||
 | 5,000+ | 0% | 9.49% (Flat) | Read Reviews |
All US stockbrokers are different and the best way to figure out what broker is best for your investing goals is to compare the key account features and products on offer.
❓Here’s how we selected the US’s best stock brokers:
- Hands-on analysis: Our review team tests each stock broker using real money for a genuine trading experience
- Stand-out features: We compare what sets each stock trading platform apart to highlight their unique strengths
- Customer feedback: Over 30,000 votes from the Good Money Guide annual awards help shape our ratings
- Exclusive interviews: We speak directly with stock broker CEOs and senior management to get their insights
- Our process: Find out more about how we choose and rank providers on our How We Rate page
Interactive Brokers: Best Overall US Stock Broker
- US stocks available: 17,900+
- Margin rates: 5.33% – 6.33%
Interactive Brokers Stock Trading Review: Our Top Rated US Stock Broker
Product Name: Interactive Brokers Stock Trading
Product Description: Interactive Brokers lets you trade stock on 90+ international exchanges, with $0 commission and some of the lowest financing rates in the industry.
Is Interactive Brokers a good stock broker?
Yes, IBKR is an excellent stock broker, low costs, excellent market access and superb apps and platforms.
Pricing: Interactive Brokers are very cheap for trading stocks, especially in the IBKR Lite account, where commissions are $0 on US-listed stocks and fractional stocks. For more advanced traders IBKR Pro commissions are USD 0.0005 to USD 0.0035 per share, but you get significant price improvements from IB SmartRouting.
If you are trading stocks on margin, Interactive Brokers have some of the lowest margin loan financing rates in the industry from USD 4.83% to USD 5.83%.
You can also actually get IBKR to pay you by letting them borrow your fully paid up stocks and letting them lend them out to short sellers, through their stock yield enhancement program.
Market Access: IBKR probably has the best market access of all the stock brokers we compare. You can trade a huge range of international stocks and IBKR has local access to over 90 stock exchanges. There are very few stocks you cannot trade on IBKR.
Apps & Platforms: Interactive Brokers’ stock trading apps and platforms are seriously good. When I traded on the desktop workstation platform, I was able to pair trade two stocks against each other.
IBKR is one of the few platforms that allows you to do this. Probably because when I interviewed IBKR founder Thomas Peterffy before testing the platforms, he told me that he thinks the most successful stock traders are ones that trade one company against another.
Customer Service: Because Interactive Brokers is one of the largest stock brokers in the world, customer service is largely automated and they were even using automated chatbots before the AI revolution took over.
This is a good example of how they are at the forefront of stock trading technology. However, it can be a bit of a pain trying to get through to someone on the phone if you are not a large customer with a personal stock broker.
Research & Analysis: You get lots of research and analysis from Interactive Brokers, including the IBKR Campus, for beginners to improve their stock trading. For longer-term investors, there is fundamental data on 30,000 companies and over 5,000 analyst ratings to give you an indication of whether a stock is a buy or a sell.
Pros
- Low trading fees
- Advanced platforms
- Global market access
Cons
- Potentially complex for beginners
- High cash balance requirement
- Limited customer support
-
Pricing
(5)
-
Market Access
(5)
-
App & Platform
(5)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(5)
Overall
4.8eToro: Good For Beginner US Stocks Traders
- US stocks available: 6,000+
- Margin rates: n/a
eToro Stock Trading Review: An easy way to start buying US companies
Is eToro a good stock broker?
Yes, overall, we rate eToro as a recommended stock broker in the US as they are correctly regulated and offer a wide range of US stocks to trade.
Pricing: It’s free to trade US stocks on eToro. There is 0% commission and $0 withdrawal fees for transactions over $30 and instead makes it’s money from interest on cash balances and payment for order flow (PFOF).
Market Access: You can trade about 3,000 US stocks in America with eToro which isn’t as much as other US stock brokers like Interactive Brokers, but it is enough for most investors that want to buy shares in major companies like Tesla, Nvidia and Microsoft. However, US traders do not have access to international stocks.
App & Platform: These are great for beginners, I found them really simple to use and quite intuitive. However, for more advanced or high-frequency stock traders it may be a bit too basic. They are geared more towards people investing in the long term or running copy portfolios.
Customer Service: eToro provides very good customer service. Most of it is automated, but we found that we received quick responses when asking questions about stock trading.
Research & Analysis: This is where eToro really excels. There is some great analysis on their social channels, but the best part of eToro is being able to see what stock other people are buying. There is also a good social fee so you can get stock trading ideas too.
Pros
- Commission-free US stock trading
- Copy other stock portfolios
- No withdrawal costs above $30
Cons
- Only 3,000 US stocks
- Limited account types
- No margin stock trading
-
Pricing
(5)
-
Market Access
(4)
-
App & Platform
(4)
-
Customer Service
(4.5)
-
Research & Analysis
(4.5)
Overall
4.4US Stock Broker FAQs
Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions by people searching for the best stock brokers in America.
If you looking to open your first brokerage account or need an additional broker for diversification there are a few key questions you need to ask yourself. You can read our full guide on how to open a brokerage account or use our US stock broker comparison tables to find your perfect broker.
- There are three different types of account
- Self-directed – you make your own investment decisions
- Managed portfolio – a professional manages your investments
- Robo-advisor – an automated investment account
If you want to buy US stocks you need a US stock broker to buy them on your behalf. This is by far the most efficient way of getting exposure to a companies share price.
These are the main things to compare when choosing a US stock broker:
- Commissions
- This is how much the broker charges your for each trade. Despite online stock trading being highly competitive there is actually quite a significant difference between broker commissions.
- Account fees
- One top of commission some brokers will also charge a fees for market access, live pricing, research, inactivity and administration.
- Trade frequency
- The more you trade the lower your costs. If you are a regular trade look out for brokers with frequent trade promotions.
- Support
- When something goes wrong you need to know that you can get through to the right person on the phone. In investing mistakes can be costly if not dealt with promptly.
- Minimums
- Some brokers will ask you to make a deposit when you open an account, whilst other will let you get an account in place before you are ready to make your first trade and deposit.
- Investment products
- Read our guide to brokerage accounts to see the difference between trading through stocks, futures, options and ETFs etc.
- Experience
- Some brokers are better for beginners and other brokers offer investment products that are only suitable to experienced traders with a high risk appetite. Make sure you choose a broker that is best for your level of investment experience.
As a rule you should think in percentages of your net worth. The higher the risk the lower the percentage of you net worth you should allocate to it. All investments (even the safest) come with risk so be prepared to lose money as well as profit from the stock market.
Always stay within your comfort zone and never invest money you cannot afford to lose.
Investing in two stocks for example is more risky that investing in twenty. This is because you are diluting your exposure to things going wrong. For example if you hold a stock which has a profit warning and loses 50% of it’s value. It will have a greater impact on your net worth if you have a portfolio of two stocks rather than twenty because you will hold a greater value of it.
