Do you intend to purchase shares of stocks from such famous business giants as Tesla (TSLA), Netflix (NFLX), Apple (AAPL) or Facebook (FB)? In this case you have to obtain a trading account with an online broker.
Each platform for trading stock is unique. Nowadays every broker offers trades with stock and ETF per $0, and the decision of which one to use depends on the differences in the total trading experience. When selecting a broker, investors must take into account such factors as trading tools, investment options, market research, customer service, education for starters, and the simplicity of use.
This year our specialists measured above 250 individual variables.
Best Trading Platforms to Be Used in 2021
These are the best online brokers you can use in 2021. They have been selected on the basis of 256 variables.
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E*TRADEBest web trading platform It was established in 1982 as one of the first brokerages in the USA. Nowadays it includes $0 trades and has the Power E*Trade platform and two mobile applications. It is perfectly suitable for active traders, options traders, and starters. |
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FidelityBest for everyday investors Fidelity is an online broker that offers $0 trades. It carries out industry research and offers perfect trading tools. Fidelity has a user-friendly mobile application and provides retirement services. This platform services above 32 mln clients. This is the best choice for everyday investors. |
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TD AmeritradeGenerally best, the most suitable for starters TD Ameritrade offers $0 trades. It offers perfect trading platforms and high-quality market research. Besides, it is reliable for clients and the best for training. Its outstanding experience makes TD Ameritrade the best broker in 2021. |
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Interactive BrokersBest for professionals In 2021 Interactive Brokers will again become the best choice for professionals because this is an institutional-grade desktop trading platform that has minimum margin rates. The Interactive Brokers platform attracts not only professional traders, but also casual investors interested in $0 trades with its convenient web platform. |
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Charles SchwabBest IRA accounts The Charles Schwab platform has clients’ assets in the amount of $6 trillion. That is why they know how to be profitable for its clients. It offers $0 trades, stock research and a wide range of trading tools, as well as the best services on financial planning. |
More Trading Platforms
These are other trading platforms you can use for efficient trading: Robinhood, Webull, Ally Invest, Firstrade, Merrill Edge, and TradeStation. Read further to learn more about them.
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RobinhoodRobinhood is user-friendly platform. It has an intuitive interface and easy to use. However, now when all online brokers offer $0 trades, Robinhood still has no trading tools and researches, which make it lag behind its competitors.
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WebullWebull is a wonderful platform for those who want to obtain the unique community experience and make use of trading platforms that meet the needs of most young investors. However, for everyday trading Webull lacks trading tools and functions, which disables it to compete with the leaders in the area.
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Ally InvestThis is a wonderful solution for the current platform clients who wish to invest in stock. The platform offers universal accounts and an easy-to-use website.
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FirstradeFirstrade is easy-to-use and is widely used by Chinese investors. It aims at being number 1 among the brokers offering $0 trades.
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Merrill EdgeLike many other platforms, Merrill Edge offers $0 trades by using the latest research tools (especially ESF research). It provides first class services, and knows the clients’ needs. Moreover, the Preferred Rewards Merrill Edge program developed by Merril Edge provides the clients of Bank of America with the best rewards as compared to other brokers we tested in 2021.
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TradeStationTradeStation is a leader in the area of trading technologies. It supports casual traders through its web platform and active traders through the desk platform rewarded many times. It offers $0 trades.
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General Ranking of Trading Platforms in 2021
These are 11 online brokers who participated in our 2021 review that was sorted by the general rating in terms of the following criteria:
| Brokers | Platforms & Tools | Commissions & Fees | Investments Offer | Research | Mobile Trading | Ease of Use | Education | Overall Rating | Open Account |
| TD Ameritrade |  |
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| Fidelity | |
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| Charles Schwab | |
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| Interactive Brokers | |
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| E*TRADE | |
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| Merrill Edge | |
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| Firstrade |  |
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| Ally Invest | |
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| TradeStation | |
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| Webull | |
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| Robinhood | |
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∗ Mind that because of the pandemic and the extensive market vitality caused by it, the Customer Service criteria was not included as the main category.
How to Choose a Stock Broker for a Beginner?
Based on than 30 variables, TD Ameritrade was defined as the best stock broker for beginners. TD Ameritrade offers both paper trading and the largest and most variable educational content. It includes more than 200 videos, numerous quizzes, more than 100 monthly webinars, progress monitoring, etc.
How to Find a Broker with the Lowest Fees?
According to our studies, if you want to purchase stock online, Fidelity is the most suitable platform because its fees are the lowest. In general, this is the only online brokerage that offers $0 stock trades and does not accept PFOF (payment for order flow). Every broker offers free stock trades. That is why hidden costs matter.
How to Choose the Best Platform?
There are three types of online trading platforms: desktop (download), mobile (application), and web (browser).
We have tested 11 brokers and collected 2,816 data points. As a result, we have determined that Fidelity has the best stock trading app, E*TRADE has the best web trading platform, and TD Ameritrade has the best desktop trading platform.
