Top 10 Online Brokers in 2025

Trading Commissions	Products Offered	Broker Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: $49.95 to buy, $0 to sell Options: $0.65 per contract	Stocks Options Mutual Funds Bonds CDs Annuities ETFs Futures Forex	Charles Schwab Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: na Options: $0	Stocks Options ETFs Crypto	Robinhood Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: $49.95 to buy, $0 to sell Options: $0.65 per contract	Stocks Options Mutual Funds Bonds CDs Annuities ETFs Crypto	Fidelity Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: $0 Options: $0	Stocks Options Mutual Funds Bonds CDs ETFs	Firstrade Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: na Options: $0	Stocks Options ETFs Bonds Futures	Webull Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: $0 Options: $0.65 per contract	Stocks Options Mutual Funds Bonds Futures ETFs CDs	Etrade Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: na Options: $0.50 per contract	Stocks Options Futures ETFs Cryptocurrencies	Tastytrade Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: na Options: $0	Stocks Options ETFs	Moomoo Review
Stocks, ETFs: $1+ Mutual Funds: $27.5 Options: $0.75	Stocks Options Mutual Funds Bonds ETFs	ZacksTrade Review
Stocks, ETFs: $0 Mutual Funds: $19.95 Options: $0.65 per contract	Stocks Options Mutual Funds Bonds CDs Annuities ETFs	Merrill Edge Review

Overview of Top 10 Brokerage Firms

The top 10 stock brokerages have changed a lot in recent years. A fierce price war is still under way, many companies have rolled out robo-advisory accounts, and some firms have been bought by larger rivals. Let’s look at the latest moves and see where the industry stands today.

Top 10 Stock Brokers

Price War

A fierce price war among the top 10 brokers began in 2019. Schwab led the way by cutting its stock commission from $4.95 to $0 and trimming its option fee from 75¢ to 65¢. Fidelity quickly matched both moves.

With Schwab and Fidelity at $0, Firstrade and E*Trade soon dropped their own $4.95 stock charge to $0.

Firstrade had already been at $0 for stocks and ETFs—and it also charges nothing on mutual funds, bonds, and options, the only broker to do so right now.

WellsTrade held back at first but finally joined in, moving its equity commission to $0, lowering its option fees, and raising the Portfolio customer discount from $2 to $3.

10 best brokers for stocks

Robo Accounts

Another big shift has been the surge of automated investing. Betterment and Wealthfront started the trend in 2008, and discount brokers soon built their own robo services so they would not fall behind.

Today many top brokers offer both self-directed and robo choices. Schwab’s Intelligent Portfolios robo is free; Schwab covers its costs by holding more cash than average and using ETFs that earn it revenue.

WellsTrade’s Intuitive Investor costs 0.50% a year and needs a $10,000 minimum. The firm markets it to Millennials and Wells Fargo bank clients.

top ten stock brokerage firms

Mobile Trading

As investors have become more mobile, most top brokers have upgraded their apps for phones, tablets, and even watches. Quality varies a lot.

Robinhood’s charts are basic—one style and no indicators. Charles Schwab’s app offers hundreds of studies and several chart types. E*Trade provides 11 indicators plus price comparisons with indexes or other stocks. Firstrade lets users change chart colors, which most apps skip.

Some apps allow mutual-fund trades; Fidelity does, for instance, while Firstrade’s app does not.

Several brokers—Fidelity, E*Trade, Merrill Edge, and Schwab—now have Apple Watch apps. Schwab even runs two separate watch apps, and Fidelity has an Apple TV app as well.

Top 10 online stock brokerage firms in U.S.

Reaching an investment goal can feel more like art than science. Many beginners know they need to invest and may already have accounts, yet key questions remain:

- What is the exact target, and how do you know you’ll hit it?

- How can you keep fees from eroding long-term returns?

- Are you truly diversified, and what level of risk suits you?

New investment services aim to answer these questions, and the most popular appear in this article.

At the top of this page we list our 2025 top 10 highest-rated online stock brokers in the U.S. The table shows firm ratings, links, prices for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options, products each broker offers, and links to full reviews.

All 10 brokers let clients buy U.S.-listed stocks or reduce risk with ETFs and many kinds of mutual funds.

Practicing with a paper trading account is a smart step many investors skip. Not many brokers offer it, but provides one of the best demo platforms.

Each broker has strengths and weaknesses, so research carefully before opening an account. Several firms require no minimum deposit, giving you the chance to open more than one account and decide which you prefer.

The top ten brokers also entice new customers with perks such as ACAT-fee rebates, commission-free trades for a limited time, cash bonuses, or gift cards. Check our promotions page to grab the best deal.

Summary

The top 10 stock brokers have changed rapidly over the past few months, and further tech advances are likely. Staying informed will help you choose the right platform as the industry continues to evolve.

Updated on 4/22/2025.

About the Author

Arthur Chachuna is a professional personal finance blogger, and the owner of Brokerage-Review.com. He has been an avid investor for 25 years, and has a background in both applied math and programming.