Tradable Assets and Accounts
TradeUP Securities, Inc. is a broker-dealer registered with FINRA and the SEC. It is also a member of SIPC. With these protections in place, the firm lets self-directed traders access the following asset classes:
• U.S.-listed stocks and over-the-counter (OTC) stocks
• Option contracts
• Exchange-traded funds
• Closed-end funds
Other products, such as mutual funds and cryptocurrencies, are not available right now. The same goes for managed portfolios, investment advice, and financial planning.
A TradeUP brokerage account can be opened either as an individual taxable account or as an IRA. Other registrations, such as joint accounts, are not available.
Opening an Account
On TradeUP’s website, it’s easy to submit an application for a brokerage account in just a few
minutes (although reading all of the disclosures could take 8½ hours). Just find the
account-opening button at the top of the site and follow the prompts on the screen. You’ll need to provide either a phone number or an email address to get into the application. During the process, you can also add margin and options if you want.
The account application does need approval. When we opened our test account, approval came through in around an hour.
To attract new customers, TradeUP has a bonus for new accounts. It will reimburse other brokers’
outgoing ACAT fees on transfers worth $3,000 or more.
TradeUP only opens accounts for U.S. residents. Non-U.S. residents can open accounts through the company’s sister brokerage, Tiger Brokers. Tiger Brokers accepts traders in many locations, including:
• Hong Kong
• New Zealand
• Uganda
• Belgium
• Singapore
• France
• And many others...
Cash Management
TradeUP does not provide checkwriting or a debit card. It also has no bank accounts and no FDIC sweep. What it does offer is something called the Cash+ Program.
Customers have to enroll through the special
Cash+ Program page. After an account is enrolled, it earns 4.07% APY for 90 days, although there is a 15-day wait before the promotional rate begins. After 105 days, the APY drops to 0.25%, although very large balances (above $1.5 million) earn 4.06%.
Uninvested cash, whether it’s inside the Cash+ Program or not, is eligible for SIPC protection up to $250,000. The standard APY is 0.10%.
Margin
Every taxable brokerage account at TradeUP can be opened as either a margin or cash account. Margin accounts
can short securities, trade option spreads, and purchase securities with borrowed money. The broker’s computer
platforms, which we’ll cover next, display margin details on entered ticker symbols. Here are a
few pieces of information that can be pulled up quickly:
• Long and short maintenance requirements
• Long and short initial requirements
• Number of shares available to short
• Short interest rate
The exact interest rate on short positions changes by day and by the stock being shorted. Long positions
are more stable. It’s a flat 5.99% right now, which is super cheap.
Mobile App
TradeUP’s mobile app is where our software review begins. The platform works on both Apple and Android phones. It comes with many useful tools, including:
• Multiple watchlists that sync with other TradeUP platforms
• News stories from several providers, including Bloomberg and Dow Jones
• Simulated trading
• Alerts based on many triggers, including volume, technical indicators, and bid and ask prices
• Vertical and horizontal charts with lots of tools
• Order ticket with four order types (market, limit, stop, and stop limit)
The trade ticket can be launched from a security’s profile. There is a drop-down menu in the upper-right corner that lets you switch between Lite (basic) and Pro (advanced) order entry.
Website
Next is TradeUP’s website. Like the mobile app, it can handle a lot of account-management tasks. Clicking the Web Trading button at the top of the site opens the trading platform. During our test run, we found it simple to navigate and equipped with some nice tools, including:
• Practice trading (click the person icon at the bottom of the left-side menu to create a demo account)
• Economic calendar (click the Discover icon in the left-hand menu)
As expected, charting is more advanced here than on the mobile app. This time, there is also a price ladder (look for it on the right-hand side).
Desktop Platform
TradeUP also has a desktop platform. It looks similar to the web-based system, but this version includes pre-built layouts and right-click trading. The demo ticket includes bracket orders, which don’t appear on the live order form.
TradeUP Fees
TradeUP has no account minimums. You can open an account with any deposit amount or with no deposit at all. Once the account is open, there are no trading minimums and no fees for inactivity or anything else.
On top of this very attractive pricing, TradeUP charges no commissions on stock and options trades. Even index options, which usually come with per-contract charges at most brokerage firms, are completely free at TradeUP; exchange and regulatory fees are passed onto the customer.
TradeUP does charge a commission on OTC trades; it is 0.02¢ per share with a maximum of 5% of trade value.
Bonus Features
Dividend Reinvestment Plan: Only manual reinvesting is available.
IPO Access: TradeUP clients can purchase shares of Initial Public Offerings before they begin trading on the secondary market. To see a list of upcoming stock launches, open the mobile app and tap the Portfolio icon in the bottom menu. Next, tap the blue More icon that appears in the middle of the Portfolio page. Finally, tap the green IPO button.
Extended-hours Trading: Pre-market and after-hours trading are both available at TradeUP. The early session starts at 4:00 am, EST. The post-market session ends at 8:00 pm. TradeUP also provides overnight trading in many stocks and ETFs; these securities trade 24/5.
Fractional Shares: Stock and ETF trades can be entered in whole-dollar amounts with a $5 minimum.
Individual Retirement Accounts: Roth, Traditional, and Rollover IRAs are available.
Fully-paid Securities Lending Program: Investors at TradeUP can generate extra income by lending out their stock shares.
Our Recommendations
Stock and ETF Trading: With OTC stocks, IPOs, margin, fractional shares, and multiple trading platforms, TradeUP is an easy recommendation.
Long-Term Investing & Retirement Planning: TradeUP is not an especially strong brokerage firm for
long-term investing. We suggest Charles Schwab instead.
Small Investors: TradeUP is a good choice for small accounts, thanks mainly to its zero-commission pricing, no account minimums, and fractional-share trading.
Mutual Funds: TradeUP does not offer mutual funds, but Charles Schwab does, and that’s our pick.
Beginners: New investors should make use of TradeUP’s simulated trading. An investment-advisory account at
another broker like Webull is also worth considering.
TradeUP Review Verdict
Self-directed stock and options traders will find a lot to like at TradeUP. Still, many other services are absent, and those gaps will push some investors to other firms.
Updated on 3/26/2026.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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