Best Discount Stock Brokers and Online Stock Brokers

Which stock broker does StockBrokers.com recommend for you? Every investor has different trading styles and investment preferences that can be used to help rate top online brokers to find a great match. Several of the currently best stock brokers include:

TD Ameritrade - Rated #1 Overall Broker in our 2012 Broker Review, clients pay $9.99 per trade but get a fantastic all-around experience. TD Ameritrade offers the largest variety of trade tools through its desktop platform thinkorswim and web based trading platform Trade Architect. Best of class investment research and options trading are also available for clients.

Current Offer: Trade free for 60 days + get up to $600 cash.


OptionsHouse - OptionsHouse was ranked the Best Broker for Discounted Trading 2011 and offers $3.95 flat fee trades with two flexible commission plans for trading options. OptionsHouse was the only online broker to receive five stars for both Ease-of-Use and Commissions and Fees in our 2012 review.

Current Offer: Receive 100 free trades by opening a new account today.


TradeKing - TradeKing offers $4.95 stock trades, was rated Best Customer Service 2012, and is home to over 200,000 traders sharing ideas and research via the TradeKing Trader Network.

Current Offer: Get up to $150 in transfer fees back when you switch to TradeKing.



E*TRADE - E*TRADE was rated Five Stars Overall in our 2012 Review and offers top rated trade platform Power E*TRADE Pro and E*TRADE Mobile Pro for trading on the go.

Current Offer: Trade free for 60 days + get up to $500 cash with any new account.




Scottrade - Scottrade offers $7 flat fee trades and access to over 500 local branch offices for in person customer service and account assistance. For investors seeking a personalized experience, Scottrade holds true to its commercials, giving clients direct access to professionals to help them succeed. Quality research, an easy to use website, and access to more than 14,000 mutual funds rounds out Scottrade's offering.

To read full broker reviews of the above brokers, you can do so by visiting their respective review pages here on StockBrokers.com: TD Ametirade Review, OptionsHouse Review, TradeKing Review, Etrade Review, Scottrade Review.

Broker Comparison Tool

Compare online brokers with the stock brokers comparison chart! Included are easy to read star ratings, pricing and fees information, and even a features overview section to see what every broker has to offer.

 

Choosing an Online Broker

There are different areas you will want to consider when choosing an online broker. The most common include the cost of placing trades, how easy the broker is to use, flexibility and depth of the trade platforms and tools, and the overall quality of investment research. Customer service, mobile trading, banking, international trading, and support for other trade types (options, futures, forex, bonds) are others.

Once you have narrowed down the factors that are most important to you, then you can begin looking for specific brokers that fit your needs. If an easy to use platform and cheap trades are most important to you, then OptionsHouse will make for a great fit. Want top notch customer service with discounted trades? If so, TradeKing is your best bet. If all you want is access to powerful platforms, tools, and research then TD Ameritrade will wow you. The list goes on and on. For a full review of all the brokers and categories head on over to our 2012 online broker review.

At one time most of the brokerages that offered IRA accounts charged an annual fee of $50 or more to deal with the regulatory hassles of holding your IRA assets. Today, many brokers offer IRA accounts with no setup fees and no annual maintenance fees. However, it is important to check first as brokers can charge $35 annual IRA fees and even a fee for closing an IRA in the future.

For international investors seeking to trade the U. S. Stock Markets, most major online stock brokers like Etrade Financial and MB Trading welcome foreign accounts. The highest regarded all around broker for trading international though is Interactive Brokers.

 

Need Help Deciding Which Broker?

If you need help decided which broker to choose or have a broker specific questions please feel free to email our team.