Top 10 Online Stock Brokers

Choosing an online stock broker is one of the most important decisions you'll make as in investor. Every investor has a different investment style that can help determine which online broker may be the best fit.

The staff at StockBrokers.com has compiled a quick review of the 10 top online stock brokers. Every broker is known for something different which makes it unique to its competitors. The goal of this review is to exploit those unique factors whether it be discounted trades, great customer service, or an overall highly rated platform.

1. ETRADE - ETRADE was voted the #1 Online Broker by SmartMoney for three years in a row (2007 - 2009)*. ETRADE Mobile Pro offers arguably the best mobile trading platform today.

Current Offer: Trade free for 60 days + get up to $500 with your new account!



2. TD Ameritrade - Offers one of the largest varieties of trade tools through Thinkorswim and the Trade Architect platform. Best of class investment research is also provided for all clients. All online equity trades are $9.99 regardless of account balance or trade size.

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


3. - Rated as the #1 Online Broker for Customer Service by SmartMoney* in 2010. Their online investor community, the Trader Network, is home to over 200,000 traders sharing ideas and research.




4. OptionsHouse - Offers $2.95 flat fee stock trades and options trades for either $8.50 + $.15 per contract or up to 5 contracts for $5.

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



5. MB Trading - Advanced trading platform with direct market access to major indexes and its own proprietary routing system, MBTX. MB Trading has two commissions plans with its flat rate plan offering $4.95 equity trade commissions.




6. Scottrade - Offers its clients $7 flat fee trades and over 450 local branch offices. Scottrade is seen in a variety of commercials, most notably the iconic Scottrade helicopter and most recently featuring a broker salesman named "Chad Ridgeway".




7. OptionsXpress - Rated 4 stars in the Barron's Annual Broker Review* nine years in a row. The broker provides their investors with a wide spectrum of investments including equities, options, mutual funds, futures, ETFs, and bonds.




8. tradeMONSTER - Received 4.5 stars and "Best for Options Traders" in Barron's 2010 Annual Broker Review*. All stock trades are a flat $7.50 and all options trades have no base fee and are just $.50 per contract with a $12.50 minimum.




9. Zecco - Known as the broker offering free stock trades traders can earn 10 free equity trades each month they make 25+ trades or have a minimum balance of $25,000. Zecco has flat fee commissions at $4.50 per trade and only $.50 per options contract.




10. ShareBuilder - Designed for investors looking for auto investing retirement accounts and portfolios, ShareBuilder offers such services for as low as $4 per trade. ShareBuilder clients can also link their portfolios to their savings accounts for easy transfers.

When looking for any new online stock broker it is important to make sure to meet your most important needs as an investor. Are low cost trade commissions most important? What about customer service, the trade platform, mobile trading, active trading, or a community to trade alongside? With many brokers specializing in different areas comparing all the possibilities is key.

Compare Online Brokers

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

 

 

 

*Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company © 2010. SmartMoney is a registered trademark of SmartMoney, a joint publishing venture between Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and HearstSM Partnership.

** – thinkorswim was rated #1 overall online broker, “best for frequent traders,” and “best for options traders” in the 2009 Barron’s ranking of online brokers (3/16/2009), and the 2010 Barron’s ranking of online brokers (3/15/2010). Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company © 2010.

thinkorswim, Division of TD Ameritrade, Inc. and Reink Media Group LLC are separate, unaffiliated companies and are not responsible for each other’s services and products.