Ally Invest vs TradeStation 2024

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. We spend hundreds of hours each year testing the platforms, mobile apps, trading tools and general ease of use among online brokerages, as well as comparing commissions and fees, to find the best online broker.

Though many U.S. brokers offer basic trading features, such as an app, charting tools, stock research and educational content, the depth of those features can vary widely. Let's compare Ally Invest vs TradeStation.

In stock trading, the more you know, the better you’ll do. Taking advantage of resources like articles, webinars, videos and interactive elements is a great way to shorten the learning curve. In our analysis, we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials.

For 2024, our review finds that Ally Invest offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than TradeStation. Ally Invest offers investors access to Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement), while TradeStation offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks) and Education (Options).

Ally Invest and TradeStation charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Option contracts are pricier at TradeStation, costing $0.60 per contract versus $0.50 per contract at Ally Invest. For futures, TradeStation charges $1.50 per contract and Ally Invest charges (Not offered) per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading or options trading guides.

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that TradeStation offers a more comprehensive offering than Ally Invest. Ally Invest ranks #8 out of 18 brokers for our Investment Options category, while TradeStation ranks #5.

Ally Invest offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Advisor Services, while TradeStation offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading. Neither have Fractional Shares and Forex Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, TradeStation trails Ally Invest in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with Ally Invest offering 3900 and TradeStation offering 0.

In our analysis of top U.S. brokerages, we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum. Though crypto has risen steadily in popularity, availability still varies from broker to broker. Our review finds that neither Ally Invest or TradeStation offer crypto trading.

To compare the day trading platforms of Ally Invest and TradeStation, we focused on trading tools and functionality across both web and desktop-based platforms. Popular day trading platform tools include streaming real-time quotes, stock alerts, trading hotkeys, direct market routing, streaming time and sales, customizable watch lists, backtesting, and fully functional charting packages, among many others. For day trading, TradeStation offers a better experience.

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of Ally Invest and TradeStation, we found TradeStation to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. Ally Invest ranks #13 out of 18 brokers, while TradeStation ranks #8.

Ally Invest Trading App Gallery

TradeStation Trading App Gallery

For research, Ally Invest offers superior market research than TradeStation. Ally Invest ranks #7 and TradeStation ranks #10.

Over the years, we've found that the best brokers provide rich market commentary, a variety of third-party research reports, and thorough quote screens that are not just easy to navigate, but that also include a comprehensive selection of fundamental data. Robust stock, ETFs, and mutual fund screeners are also must-haves for trade idea generation.

Ally Invest requires a minimum deposit of $0.00, while TradeStation requires a minimum deposit of $0.00. From our testing, we found that SoFi is the only broker that requires a minimum deposit.

Ally Invest charges 13% for accounts under $25,000 while TradeStation charges a margin rate of 13.5%. The industry average of the 18 brokers we track is 9%.

Fractional shares are not offered by either broker. Our research has found that 46% of brokers offer fractional shares investing. Fractional shares allow traders to buy a part of a whole share of stock. For example, if Amazon is trading at $1,000, you could buy half a share for $500.

Both Ally Invest and TradeStation allow you to trade penny stocks. Ally Invest charges $4.95 per trade while TradeStation charges $0.01. Penny stocks are companies whose shares trade for under $5 and are listed over the counter (OTC). For brokers that do offer penny stock trades, the average commission is $3.

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans are offered by Ally Invest, while TradeStation offers neither of these.

StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research group Confero to conduct phone tests from locations across the United States to thoroughly evaluate the quality and speed of brokerage customer service. (Read more about How We Test.) Here are the results of our current testing.

Ally Invest was rated 4th out of 13 brokers, with an overall score of 8.69 out of 10.

TradeStation was rated 7th out of 13 brokers, with an overall score of 7.98 out of 10.

For current Ally customers looking to invest in stocks, Ally's universal-accounts experience and easy-to-use website offer a convenient solution. Its website is far stronger than the mobile app.

In the 2024 StockBrokers.com Annual Awards, Ally Invest ranked among Best in Class for Bank Brokerage and Customer Service.

TradeStation supports casual traders through its web-based platform and active traders through its desktop platform. We like the web-based platform and mobile app, but the flagship desktop platform could use a refresh.

In the 2024 StockBrokers.com Annual Awards, TradeStation placed among Best in Class for Day Trading, Futures Trading, Investment Options, and Penny Stock Trading.