The StockBrokers.com annual review (9 years running) takes six months to complete and produces over 30,000 words of research each year. Here's how we test.
Is Ally Invest better than E*TRADE? Based on over 4,000 data points from our 2019 annual broker review, E*TRADE (83.68%) is better than Ally Invest (62.44%).
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Promo Offer
$0 Commissions for online stock, ETF & options trades. Join E*TRADE today! Open Account
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| Open Account |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
| Overall | ||
| E*TRADE Review | Ally Invest Review |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Trade Fee (per trade) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Base Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Per Contract Fee | $0.65 | $0.50 |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $19.99 | $9.95 |
| Broker Assisted Trades Fee | $25.00 | $20.00 |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature |
E*TRADE
Open Account |
Ally Invest |
| Under $24,999.99 | 10.50% | 9.75% |
| $25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 10.25% | 9.50% |
| $50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 9.75% | 8.75% |
| $100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 9.25% | 7.50% |
| $250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 8.75% | 6.50% |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 8.25% | 6.00% |
| Above $1,000,000.00 | 7.25% | 5.25% |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $60.00 | $50.00 |
| Returned ACH Fee | $0.00 | $30.00 |
| Returned Wire Fee | $0.00 | $30.00 |
| Stock Certificate Processing Fee | $0.00 | $300.00 |
| Stock Certificate Delivery Fee | $75.00 | $300.00 |
| Paper Statement Fee | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| Paper Confirmation Fee | $0.00 | $1.00 |
| Domestic Wire Fee | $25.00 | $30.00 |
| International Wire Fee | $25.00 | N/A |
| Commissions & Fees |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Stock Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
OTCBB / Pink Sheets |
Yes | Yes |
|
Options Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
Complex Options Max Legs |
4 | 4 |
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Futures Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Forex Trading |
No | Yes |
| Commission-Free ETFs | all | all |
|
Mutual Funds (No Load) |
6266 | 7200 |
|
Mutual Funds (Total) |
9062 | 14000 |
|
Bonds (US Treasury) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Bonds (Corporate) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Bonds (Municipal) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Advisor Services |
Yes | Yes |
|
International Trading |
No | No |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Order Type - Market |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Limit |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Contingent |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - MultiContingent |
No | No |
|
Order Type - OCO |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - OTO |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - OTOCO |
Yes | No |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | No |
|
Desktop Platform (Mac) |
Yes | No |
|
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
|
Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Trade Journal |
No | No |
|
Watch Lists - Total Fields |
125 | 21 |
|
Two-Factor Authentication Login |
Yes | Yes |
|
Heat Mapping |
No | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Charting - Trade Off Chart |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Indicators / Studies |
118 | 117 |
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Charting - Drawing Tools |
33 | 36 |
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Charting - Historical Trades |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Corporate Events |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Automated Analysis |
No | Yes |
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Charting - Save Profiles |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
6 | 5 |
|
Charting - Custom Studies |
No | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields |
No | No |
|
Streaming Time & Sales |
Yes | No |
|
Streaming TV |
Yes | No |
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Direct Market Routing - Stocks |
Yes | No |
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Direct Market Routing - Options |
Yes | No |
|
Ladder Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Trade Hot Keys |
Yes | No |
|
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
Yes | No |
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Level 2 Quotes - Options |
Yes | No |
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Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
Yes | No |
|
Short Locator |
No | No |
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Client Liquidity Rebates |
No | No |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
iPhone App |
Yes | Yes |
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Android App |
Yes | Yes |
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Apple Watch App |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - After-Hours |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Conditional Orders |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Mutual Funds |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Simple Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Complex Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Option Rolling |
No | No |
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Touch / Face ID |
Yes | Yes |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | No |
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Charting - After Hours |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Drawing |
No | No |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
Yes | No |
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Customizable Homescreen |
Yes | No |
|
Heatmapping |
Yes | No |
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Stream Live TV |
Yes | No |
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Barcode Lookup |
Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Research - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - Fixed Income |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - Stocks |
Yes | No |
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Screener - ETFs |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - Mutual Funds |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - Options |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - Bonds |
Yes | No |
|
Misc - Portfolio Builder |
Yes | Yes |
|
Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | No |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Stock Research - Reports |
4 | 2 |
|
Stock Research - Earnings |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - Insiders |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - Metric Comp |
No | No |
|
Stock Research - SEC Filings |
Yes | No |
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Stock Research - Social |
Yes | No |
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Stock Research - Balance Sheet |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - Cash Flows |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - News |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Research - ESG |
No | No |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
ETFs - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Sector Exposure |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Risk Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Performance Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Reports |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
|
Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
Yes | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Reports |
Yes | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | No |
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Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation |
Yes | No |
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Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Country Allocation |
Yes | No |
|
Mutual Funds - StyleMap |
Yes | No |
|
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Option Chains - Streaming |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Chains - Total Columns |
30 | 8 |
|
Option Chains - Greeks |
5 | 1 |
|
Option Chains - Quick Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Analysis - P&L Charts |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Probability Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Probability Analysis Adv |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Greeks |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Rolling |
Yes | No |
|
Option Positions - Grouping |
Yes | Yes |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Has Education - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - ETFs |
Yes | No |
|
Has Education - Options |
Yes | Yes |
|
Has Education - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
|
Has Education - Fixed Income |
Yes | Yes |
|
Has Education - Retirement |
Yes | Yes |
|
Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Videos |
Yes | No |
|
Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
12 | 17 |
|
Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | No |
|
Live Seminars |
Yes | Yes |
|
Progress Tracking |
No | No |
|
Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
Yes | No |
|
Investor Magazine |
No | No |
| Education | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
|
Retail Locations |
30 | 0 |
|
Member FDIC |
Yes | Yes |
|
Checking Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
|
Savings Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
|
Credit Cards |
No | Yes |
|
Debit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
|
Mortgage Loans |
No | Yes |
|
No Fee Banking |
No | Yes |
| Banking | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Ally Invest |
| E*TRADE Review | Ally Invest Review | |
| Overall | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
The StockBrokers.com annual broker review assesses more than a dozen different brokers over six months, surfacing the best online stock brokers. This review compares Ally Invest vs E*TRADE. Is Ally Invest or E*TRADE a better online broker?
First, we will make a comparison of the stock and option trading fees for trading with both brokers. Ally Invest and E*TRADE charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0. With options, the base fee is $0 for both Ally Invest and E*TRADE. Option contracts are pricier at E*TRADE, costing $0.65 versus $0.50 at Ally Invest. Note that some brokers charge a per-share fee instead of a flat-fee commission. For a full breakdown of commissions, read our online broker reviews.
For our next comparison of these two brokers, being able to trade the way you want is a must. E*TRADE offers clients Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading while Ally Invest offers Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds and Forex Trading. When it comes to mutual funds, E*TRADE trails Ally Invest by 4,938 total mutual funds, with Ally Invest offering 14000 and E*TRADE offering 9062.
Last but not least, by breaking down important features, tools, etc that each broker offers, we can really help to separate the two. E*TRADE offers virtual trading while Ally Invest does not. For mobile trading, Ally Invest and E*TRADE both have a iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Furthermore, some investors like to bank online, and multiple brokerages provide these services to clients. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts and Debit Cards are offered by E*TRADE while Ally Invest offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.
Overall, between Ally Invest and E*TRADE, E*TRADE is the winner.
All pricing data was obtained from a published web site as of 02/18/2019 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. For stock trade rates, advertised pricing is for a standard order size of 500 shares of stock priced at $30 per share. For options orders, an options regulatory fee per contract may apply.
