Tradable Assets and Accounts
TradeUP Securities, Inc. operates as a broker-dealer registered with FINRA and the SEC, and it also belongs to SIPC. Through this regulated brokerage business, customers can trade the following investment types:
• U.S.-listed stocks and over-the-counter (OTC) stocks
• Option contracts
• Exchange-traded funds
• Closed-end funds
• Mutual funds
TradeUP’s currently published Form CRS identifies mutual funds as one of the investments offered to retail clients. Nevertheless, the firm’s primary online service concentrates mainly on stocks, ETFs, and options. Other products, including cryptocurrencies, are not offered at present. TradeUP also does not provide managed portfolios, investment recommendations, or financial-planning services.
TradeUP accounts are available as individual taxable brokerage accounts or IRAs. The retirement-account lineup consists of Traditional, Roth, and Rollover IRAs. The firm does not currently promote joint accounts.
Opening an Account
TradeUP’s website has an online brokerage application that can be completed in only a
few minutes. Reviewing every disclosure and agreement, however, can add considerably more time. Find the
account-opening button near the top of the website and complete the instructions shown on the screen. A phone number or email address is required to enter the application. Applicants may also request options and margin authorization while opening the account.
Every application must go through an approval process. Our test account received approval in approximately one hour.
TradeUP uses account-opening promotions to bring in new customers. Its current transfer offer reimburses as much as $300 of ACATS fees on qualifying transfers valued at $3,000 or more. Customers may also qualify for additional cashback, depending on the promotion’s rules and required holding periods.
Eligibility is not restricted only to citizens of the United States. TradeUP’s application disclosures ask non-U.S. citizens for passport information, tax-identification details, and their country of residence. Whether an account, price schedule, or promotion is available depends on the applicant’s residence, tax classification, and jurisdiction. People who are unable to establish a TradeUP account may be eligible for the affiliated Tiger Brokers service. Tiger Brokers serves customers in numerous jurisdictions, including:
• Hong Kong
• New Zealand
• Uganda
• Belgium
• Singapore
• France
• And many others...
Cash Management
TradeUP does not provide checks, a debit card, or traditional bank accounts. Its regular brokerage account also lacks an FDIC-insured bank-sweep feature. The company does, however, have a service known as Cash+.
Enrollment is available through the dedicated
Cash+ Program page. Customers can participate with as little as $0.01, and the service has no monthly subscription or account-maintenance charge. The Cash+ yield is variable and follows the active program terms instead of remaining at one permanent promotional rate.
Before or outside Cash+ enrollment, TradeUP’s present pricing page shows a 0.1% annual rate on settled cash up to $1.5 million and a 3.1% annual rate on amounts exceeding $1.5 million. The smallest interest payment is $1, and TradeUP may change the rates.
Idle brokerage cash may be eligible for SIPC protection whether or not the account participates in Cash+. SIPC coverage is limited to $500,000 for each separate account capacity, including no more than $250,000 for cash. This coverage does not guarantee an interest rate or reimburse customers for market-related losses.
Margin
TradeUP allows taxable brokerage accounts to operate with either cash or margin features. Approved margin accounts
can sell eligible securities short, use permitted options spreads, and buy investments with borrowed funds. The company’s
trading platforms, discussed below, provide margin information for any ticker symbol that is entered. A
few examples of the available data include:
• Long and short maintenance requirements
• Long and short initial requirements
• Number of shares available to short
• Stock-borrow interest rate
Borrow fees for short positions can change daily and differ from one security to another. The rate charged on ordinary margin borrowing
is more stable. TradeUP currently promotes a flat yearly margin rate of 5.99%. The broker can revise this rate.
Mobile App
We will begin the software discussion with TradeUP’s mobile application. It is available for Apple and Android phones and includes many worthwhile tools, such as:
• Several watchlists that synchronize across TradeUP platforms
• Market news from multiple sources, including Bloomberg and Dow Jones
• A simulated-trading environment
• Alerts using triggers such as volume, technical studies, and bid or ask prices
• Tool-rich charts that work in vertical and horizontal views
• A trade ticket supporting market, limit, stop, and stop-limit orders
The order form can be opened from an investment’s profile. A menu in the upper-right corner lets users move between the simplified Lite ticket and the more advanced Pro ticket.
Website
TradeUP’s website is the next platform in our review. Like the app, it supports a substantial amount of account administration. Selecting Web Trading near the top of the website opens the browser platform. We found the software straightforward to operate during our test and discovered several useful features, including:
• Paper trading—select the person icon at the bottom of the vertical menu on the left to establish a demo account
• An economic calendar—select Discover from the menu on the left
As expected, the browser platform offers more sophisticated charting than the mobile application. It also displays a price ladder along the right side.
Desktop Platform
A downloadable desktop program is available from TradeUP as well. Its design resembles the browser platform, but the desktop version adds preset layouts and right-click order entry. In our review, bracket orders appeared on the simulated-trading ticket but not on the live ticket.
TradeUP Fees
TradeUP does not require a minimum opening deposit. Customers may fund an account with any amount or leave it unfunded. The broker also has no inactivity charge or regular account-maintenance fee. Still, customers can incur regulatory, transfer, paper-delivery, corporate-action, wire, and other service charges.
Eligible online transactions in U.S.-listed stocks, ETFs, and options have no commission at TradeUP. A current promotion also reduces the contract charge to $0 for equity and index options in qualifying self-directed individual accounts owned by U.S. tax residents. Regulatory, OCC clearing, exchange, SEC, and FINRA assessments can still apply to options trades. TradeUP may change both the promotional conditions and its normal per-contract price.
OTC transactions are subject to a commission of 0.02¢ per share, limited to no more than 5% of the trade’s total value.
Additional listed charges include $50 for an outgoing wire, $75 for a complete outgoing ACATS transfer, $50 for a partial outgoing ACATS transfer, and $30 for an ACH reversal. Extra fees also apply to some security-transfer and corporate-action requests.
Bonus Features
Dividend Reinvestment Plan: Dividends must be reinvested manually.
IPO Access: TradeUP allows customers to request shares of Initial Public Offerings before secondary-market trading begins. A list of scheduled offerings is available in the app by opening Portfolio from the lower menu, selecting the blue More icon in the center of that page, and then choosing the green IPO button. Receiving an allocation is not guaranteed.
Extended-Hours Trading: TradeUP supports both pre-market and post-market sessions. Pre-market trading starts at 4:00 a.m. ET, and after-hours trading continues until 8:00 p.m. ET. Many qualifying stocks and ETFs can also trade overnight, creating 24-hour access from Sunday evening to Friday evening. Some securities do not qualify for overnight execution.
Fractional Shares: Customers can buy qualifying stocks and ETFs in whole-dollar amounts beginning at $1.
Individual Retirement Accounts: Available registrations include Traditional, Roth, and Rollover IRAs.
Fully-Paid Securities Lending Program: Qualifying customers can receive additional income by lending eligible fully paid or excess-margin securities. Shares participating in a loan lose SIPC coverage while loaned, although the borrower is required to supply collateral under the lending agreement.
Our Recommendations
Stock and ETF Trading: TradeUP is a strong possibility for active equity traders because it offers OTC trading, IPO participation, margin, fractional shares, extended sessions, and several software platforms.
Long-Term Investing & Retirement Planning: TradeUP does not provide the broad planning services expected from a complete brokerage firm for
long-term investors. We would look at Charles Schwab instead.
Small Investors: TradeUP may suit small accounts because it combines commission-free pricing, no opening minimum, and fractional purchases that begin at $1.
Mutual Funds: TradeUP’s Form CRS identifies mutual funds as an investment available to retail clients. Even so, mutual-fund trading and research receive little attention on the company’s primary website and platform. Charles Schwab has a much larger fund lineup and more capable research tools.
Beginners: People who are new to trading may want to practice with TradeUP’s simulated environment before risking real money. Investors seeking managed portfolios could instead consider an advisory service at
another company, such as Webull.
TradeUP Review Verdict
TradeUP has many appealing features for self-directed stock and options traders. Its offering includes commission-free trades, a low advertised margin rate, fractional investing, IPO requests, overnight sessions, and several capable platforms. Because comprehensive planning and wealth-management services are absent, however, long-term customers may prefer another brokerage firm.
Updated on 9/20/2026.
Chad Morris has been analyzing investment firms for Brokerage-Review.com since 2015. Backed by FINRA Series 65, 66, and SIE credentials, his work reflects a deep knowledge of the retail brokerage industry and digital trading tools.
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