Review of TradeZero International
TradeZero operates through separate regulated broker-dealers in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, and Europe. This review focuses on TradeZero International, the company’s Bahamian broker-dealer. TradeZero International is not subject to the former U.S. pattern-day-trader restrictions, although its margin accounts have several other rules and requirements. Here are the details:
Insurance and Regulations
TradeZero International is not headquartered in the United States or Canada. Its main office is in Nassau,
which means it is governed by securities regulators in the Bahamas. TradeZero International is registered with the Securities Commission of The Bahamas and is a member of the Bahamas Financial Services Board. It is not registered with the SEC or FINRA.
SIPC protection is also unavailable. TradeZero International does have insurance through Lloyd’s of
London and Bahamas First General.
Account Opening
A securities account with TradeZero International can be opened online through TradeZero’s
website. The current international website is available at TradeZero.com by selecting the International region. The company’s U.S., Canadian, and European customers are served through separate regulated affiliates.
There are several important restrictions. TradeZero International does not accept U.S. citizens, U.S. green-card holders, U.S. permanent residents, Canadian residents, Bahamian citizens, or people domiciled in the United States, Canada, or the Bahamas. U.S. and Canadian applicants are directed to the company’s American or Canadian affiliates. Those firms operate under the margin and trading rules of their respective countries. TradeZero America implemented FINRA’s new intraday-margin framework after the former U.S. pattern-day-trader designation and $25,000 minimum were eliminated on June 4, 2026.
TradeZero Available Countries
The TradeZero group serves customers through several regional affiliates. Depending on the applicable affiliate and local restrictions, TradeZero may be available to residents of countries including:
the United States, India, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand, South Africa, Singapore,
Hong Kong, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia,
Spain, Poland, and others. TradeZero International itself does not accept customers from the United States, Canada, or the Bahamas. Account availability is determined by the applicant’s citizenship, residence, domicile, tax status, and local regulations. As an alternative, the U.S. broker Zacks Trade
accepts customers from many countries.
Asset Classes
TradeZero International clients can buy and sell the following investment vehicles:
- Warrants
- Stocks
- Exchange-traded funds
- Option contracts
These are the main financial instruments currently available. TradeZero International does not offer mutual funds, bonds, futures, forex, or cryptocurrency trading.
Day Trading
Direct-access routing: Multiple TradeZero platforms have routing menus. TradeZero also offers Select Routes, including smart routes, algorithmic routing, and direct exchange access. Route-specific charges may apply.
Shorting: Not only can TradeZero customers short eligible securities, but the brokerage firm also has a patented short-locate system that lets customers mark eligible unused locates for credit and potentially recover part of the locate cost.
Level II quotes: Real-time Level II data for the major U.S. exchanges is available to nonprofessional users through TradeZero’s platforms. OTC market data costs extra.
Routing fees and rebates: Fees depend on the route selected. TradeZero’s current disclosures also provide professional market-data discounts based on account equity and monthly trading volume.
Margin Trading
TradeZero International accounts can be funded with as little as $500, and eligible margin accounts can receive up to 6:1 intraday leverage. Overnight positions are generally limited to 2:1 leverage. Accounts using leverage must be reduced to no more than 2:1 before the regular market closes. TradeZero’s trading rules currently require accounts to reach this level by 3:45 p.m. ET, while the company reserves the right to liquidate positions that exceed the permitted leverage at the close. Accounts below $500 cannot short securities or continue using leverage.
Long positions in stocks priced below $2 require full cash payment. Securities priced below $0.05 cannot be traded. Short positions have separate requirements: stocks below $2.50 generally require $2.50 of equity per share, while other securities may qualify for higher leverage. TradeZero may impose stricter requirements on individual high-risk securities at any time.
TradeZero International currently charges 9% annually on margin debt. Separate overnight stock-borrow fees apply to short positions, and these rates change daily according to market conditions.
TradeZero International Pricing
In line with its name, TradeZero charges zero dollars on some trades. To qualify, an order must be a nonmarketable limit order for at least 100 shares of a stock listed on the NYSE, Nasdaq, or NYSE American and priced above $1. Buy, sell, and short orders can qualify. The order must not create an immediate match.
Paid orders of at least 100 shares cost 0.5¢ per share. Market orders and marketable limit orders also cost 0.5¢ per share, with a minimum commission of $0.49.
Paid orders containing fewer than 100 shares have a flat commission of $0.49. Additional pricing rules apply to OTC securities and stocks trading below $1.
Option trades cost 59¢ per contract. Cash-settled index options have an additional 49¢ flat charge. OCC, regulatory, and other applicable fees are charged separately. Exercises and assignments cost $35.
ZeroPro costs $59 per month and includes access to the other TradeZero platforms. TZ1, ZeroFree, and ZeroMobile are available without a monthly platform fee. Nonprofessional OTC market data costs $8 per month for Level I or $20 per month for Level II.
ZeroPro
At the top of the platform lineup is ZeroPro. This is the broker’s flagship downloadable trading system, and it comes with many useful tools. These include:
- Full-screen charting with more than 80 technical indicators and multiple drawing tools
- Color-coded Level II data
- Advanced order ticket with conditional orders, a separate short-sale button, and more
- Watchlists that update in real time
- Market-mover lists, such as NYSE Most Active
- Hotkeys
- Color-coded time-and-sales data
- Options trading window
- High/Low Ticker showing securities reaching new highs or lows
ZeroPro requires Windows 10 or later. The minimum requirements include 4 GB of RAM, 60 MB of free storage, an Intel Core i3, AMD Ryzen 3, or equivalent processor, a full-HD display, and an internet connection of at least 25 Mbps. ZeroPro is not directly compatible with macOS, although it may run through Windows-emulation software such as Parallels. TradeZero does not provide support for the emulation software.
TZ1
TradeZero’s current advanced browser platform is TZ1. It has replaced ZeroWeb in the company’s primary platform lineup. Because it runs in a browser, TZ1 works on different operating systems without requiring a separate desktop installation.
TZ1 includes 12 prepared workspaces and allows users to build and save customized layouts with drag-and-drop widgets. It also provides TradingView-powered charts, customizable hotkeys, real-time news and audio alerts, an integrated scanner, watchlists, fundamentals, Level II data, and direct chart trading.
TZ1 supports stocks, ETFs, and single-leg options. Its option chain includes live data and filters. The platform also has TradeZero’s short-locate system, including regular locates, pre-borrows, Single Use Locates, and the ability to request credits for eligible unused locates.
TZ1 is free to use. It works in modern browsers and can save a customer’s layouts and settings across sessions and devices.
ZeroFree
ZeroFree is an HTML5 platform that operates within a browser window. As the name implies, the platform is free to use. However, advanced hotkeys are available as a $15-per-month add-on.
ZeroFree can display one Level II window at a time. ZeroPro and TZ1 can display more than 10 Level II windows. The number of chart windows is also reduced on ZeroFree. Two can be used at the same time within a workspace, while the more advanced platforms support more than 10 chart windows.
ZeroMobile
Finally, we come to the mobile app. Like TZ1 and ZeroFree, this platform is free to use. ZeroMobile now offers many features that were previously missing, including Level II data, options trading, hotkeys, trailing stops, market-mover lists, and technical indicators.
Highlights on the mobile platform include:
- Locate tool for hard-to-borrow stocks
- Trades and positions that synchronize with other TradeZero platforms
- Compatibility with Apple and Android devices
- Streaming watchlists
- News articles, including Benzinga’s “Why Is It Moving?” feed
- Portrait and landscape charts with candlestick, OHLC, and line formats
- Technical indicators, including moving averages, Bollinger Bands, RSI, MACD, ATR, and volume
- Option chains containing calls and puts for available strikes and expirations
- Market, limit, stop-market, stop-limit, range, and market-on-close or limit-on-close orders
- Top lists showing active securities, gainers, and losers
Other Services
Extended-Hours Trading: TradeZero International offers a 16-hour trading day. Pre-market trading runs from 4:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET, and after-hours trading runs from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.
Dividend Reinvesting: TradeZero does not have a DRIP system.
Fractional Shares: Only whole shares can be traded at the moment.
Cash Management Features: Debit cards and check-writing services are not available.
Initial Public Offerings: IPO access is not available.
Individual Retirement Accounts: No retirement accounts are available through TradeZero International.
Recommendations
Mutual Funds: TradeZero does not offer mutual funds.
Charles Schwab offers thousands of funds.
Small Accounts: TradeZero International has a $500 account minimum and charges commissions on some orders. Investors who want fractional shares and no required opening balance may prefer Webull.
Long-Term Investors and Retirement Savers: A brokerage account at
Zacks Trade could be a better option for customers who need IRAs, mutual funds, bonds, and a broader selection of international investments.
Beginning Investors: We cannot strongly recommend TradeZero International for beginners because it focuses on active trading, margin, options, and short selling. A managed account at another firm may be a better choice for investors who need portfolio guidance.
Active ETF and Stock Trading: Frequent equity traders may find TradeZero useful,
especially because of its ZeroPro and TZ1 platforms, short-locate system, direct routing, extended hours, and high intraday leverage.
Comparison
Compared with other Caribbean brokers, TradeZero is competitive in several areas. Capital Markets
Elite Group currently offers both U.S. stocks and ETFs, although its platforms, commissions, account requirements, and available products differ from TradeZero’s. SureTrader closed in 2019.
When comparing TradeZero with
Zacks Trade,
we get a different picture. Unlike TradeZero International, Zacks Trade offers mutual funds, IRAs,
free trading platforms, and access to many markets around the world. Its current lowest published margin rate is also slightly below TradeZero International’s 9% margin-debit rate.
TradeZero International Review Summary
TradeZero International offers some valuable services for highly active stock and options traders, including up to 6:1 intraday leverage, advanced short-selling tools, extended-hours trading, and several capable platforms. However, it has a limited selection of investment products, does not offer retirement accounts or fractional shares, and charges for ZeroPro and some trades. These limitations make it less suitable for many long-term and beginning investors.
Updated on 6/18/2026.
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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