Is J.P. Morgan Self-Directed better than TD Ameritrade? After testing 11 of the best online brokers over three months, TD Ameritrade (100%) is better than J.P. Morgan Self-Directed (68.86%). TD Ameritrade delivers $0 trades, fantastic trading platforms, excellent market research, industry-leading education for beginners, and reliable customer service. This outstanding all-around experience makes TD Ameritrade our top overall broker in 2021.
TD Ameritrade vs J.P. Morgan Self-Directed 2021
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Overall Rating
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Ease of Use | ||
TD Ameritrade Review | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Review | |
Winner | check_circle |
Trading Fees
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
ETF Trade Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $49.99 | $0.00 |
Options (Base Fee) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Options (Per Contract) | $0.65 | $0.65 |
Futures (Per Contract) | $2.25 | N/A |
Broker Assisted Trades Fee | $44.99 | $25.00 |
Margin Rates
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Under $24,999.99 | 9.50% | N/A |
$25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 9.00% | N/A |
$50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 8.00% | N/A |
$100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 7.75% | N/A |
$250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 7.50% | N/A |
$500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | N/A | N/A |
Above $1,000,000.00 | N/A | N/A |
Account Fees
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $75.00 |
Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $0.00 | $75.00 |
Account Transfer Out (Full) | $75.00 | $75.00 |
Returned ACH Fee | $25.00 | N/A |
Returned Wire Fee | $25.00 | N/A |
Stock Certificate Processing Fee | $0.00 | N/A |
Stock Certificate Delivery Fee | $500.00 | N/A |
Paper Statement Fee | $0.00 | $6.00 |
Paper Confirmation Fee | $0.00 | N/A |
Domestic Wire Fee | $25.00 | $30.00 |
International Wire Fee | $25.00 | $30.00 |
Investment Options
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Stock Trading |
Yes | Yes |
Fractional Shares |
No | No |
OTCBB / Pink Sheets |
Yes | Yes |
Options Trading |
Yes | Yes |
Complex Options Max Legs |
4 | 1 |
Futures Trading |
Yes | No |
Forex Trading |
Yes | No |
Crypto Trading | No | No |
Mutual Funds (No Load) |
8097 | 3500 |
Mutual Funds (Total) |
12330 | 3500 |
Bonds (US Treasury) |
Yes | Yes |
Bonds (Corporate) |
Yes | Yes |
Bonds (Municipal) |
Yes | Yes |
Advisor Services |
Yes | Yes |
International Trading |
Yes | No |
AI Assistant Bot |
Yes | No |
Order Types
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Order Type - Market |
Yes | Yes |
Order Type - Limit |
Yes | Yes |
Order Type - Stop |
Yes | Yes |
Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | No |
Order Type - Contingent |
Yes | No |
Order Type - MultiContingent |
Yes | No |
Order Type - OCO |
Yes | No |
Order Type - OTO |
Yes | No |
Order Type - OTOCO |
Yes | No |
Trading Platforms
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | No |
Desktop Platform (Mac) |
Yes | No |
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
Trade Journal |
Yes | No |
Heat Mapping |
Yes | No |
Watch Lists - Total Fields |
514 | 4 |
Charting Features
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Charting - Trade Off Chart |
Yes | No |
Charting - Indicators / Studies |
489 | 21 |
Charting - Drawing Tools |
22 | 0 |
Charting - Historical Trades |
Yes | No |
Charting - Corporate Events |
Yes | Yes |
Charting - Automated Analysis |
Yes | No |
Charting - Save Profiles |
Yes | No |
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis |
Yes | No |
Charting - Study Customizations |
9 | 1 |
Charting - Custom Studies |
Yes | No |
Day Trading
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | No |
Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields |
Yes | No |
Streaming Time & Sales |
Yes | No |
Streaming TV |
Yes | No |
Direct Market Routing - Stocks |
Yes | No |
Direct Market Routing - Options |
Yes | No |
Ladder Trading |
Yes | No |
Trade Hot Keys |
Yes | No |
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
Yes | No |
Level 2 Quotes - Options |
Yes | No |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
Yes | No |
Short Locator |
No | No |
Order Liquidity Rebates |
No | No |
Mobile Trading Apps
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
iPhone App |
Yes | Yes |
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
Apple Watch App |
Yes | No |
Trading - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
Trading - After-Hours |
Yes | No |
Trading - Conditional Orders |
Yes | No |
Trading - Mutual Funds |
No | Yes |
Trading - Simple Options |
Yes | Yes |
Trading - Complex Options |
Yes | No |
Trading - Option Rolling |
Yes | No |
Touch / Face ID |
Yes | Yes |
Mobile Trading |
Mobile App Features
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
Stock Alerts |
Yes | No |
Charting - After Hours |
Yes | No |
Charting - Drawing |
Yes | No |
Charting - Study Customizations |
Yes | No |
Heatmapping |
No | No |
Stream Live TV |
Yes | No |
Barcode Lookup |
Yes | No |
Mobile Trading |
Research Overview
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Research - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
Research - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
Research - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB |
Yes | No |
Research - Fixed Income |
Yes | No |
Screener - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
Screener - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
Screener - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
Screener - Options |
Yes | No |
Screener - Bonds |
Yes | Yes |
Misc - Portfolio Builder |
Yes | No |
Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
Stock Research
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Stock Research - Reports |
7 | 1 |
Stock Research - Earnings |
Yes | No |
Stock Research - Insiders |
Yes | No |
Stock Research - Metric Comp |
Yes | No |
Stock Research - SEC Filings |
Yes | No |
Stock Research - Social |
Yes | No |
Stock Research - Balance Sheet |
Yes | No |
Stock Research - Cash Flows |
Yes | No |
Stock Research - News |
Yes | Yes |
Stock Research - ESG |
No | No |
ETF Research
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
ETFs - Strategy Overview |
Yes | No |
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | Yes |
ETFs - Sector Exposure |
Yes | Yes |
ETFs - Risk Analysis |
Yes | No |
ETFs - Performance Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
ETFs - Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap |
Yes | Yes |
ETFs - Reports |
Yes | No |
Mutual Fund Research
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
Yes | No |
Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
Yes | No |
Mutual Funds - Reports |
Yes | No |
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown |
Yes | No |
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | Yes |
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation |
No | Yes |
Mutual Funds - StyleMap |
Yes | Yes |
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
Options Trading
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Option Chains - Streaming |
Yes | No |
Option Chains - Total Columns |
35 | 6 |
Option Chains - Greeks |
5 | 0 |
Option Chains - Quick Analysis |
Yes | No |
Option Analysis - P&L Charts |
Yes | No |
Option Probability Analysis |
Yes | No |
Option Probability Analysis Adv |
Yes | No |
Option Positions - Greeks |
Yes | No |
Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
Yes | No |
Option Positions - Rolling |
Yes | No |
Option Positions - Grouping |
Yes | No |
Beginners
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Education (Stocks) |
Yes | Yes |
Education (ETFs) |
Yes | No |
Education (Options) |
Yes | No |
Education (Mutual Funds) |
Yes | No |
Education (Fixed Income) |
Yes | No |
Education (Retirement) |
Yes | Yes |
Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
Videos |
Yes | Yes |
Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
500 | 0 |
Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | No |
Live Seminars |
Yes | No |
Progress Tracking |
Yes | Yes |
Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
Yes | Yes |
Banking
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Retail Locations |
261 | 5000 |
Member FDIC |
No | Yes |
Checking Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
Savings Accounts |
No | Yes |
Credit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
Debit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
Mortgage Loans |
No | Yes |
No Fee Banking |
Yes | No |
Overall
Feature | TD Ameritrade | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed |
Overall | ||
Commissions & Fees | ||
Offering of Investments | ||
Platforms & Tools | ||
Mobile Trading | ||
Research | ||
Education | ||
Ease of Use | ||
TD Ameritrade Review | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Review | |
Winner | check_circle |
Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2021 annual broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 11 brokerages to find the best online broker. Let's compare J.P. Morgan Self-Directed vs TD Ameritrade.
Is J.P. Morgan Self-Directed or TD Ameritrade better for beginners?
TD Ameritrade is better for beginner investors than J.P. Morgan Self-Directed. TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Fixed Income) and Education (Retirement).
What about J.P. Morgan Self-Directed vs TD Ameritrade pricing?
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed and TD Ameritrade charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0. Looking at options, the base fees charged are the same for both brokers, $0. Option contracts cost $0.65 each at both brokerages. For a complete commissions summary, see our best discount brokers guide.
Does J.P. Morgan Self-Directed or TD Ameritrade offer a wider range of investment options?
TD Ameritrade offers a more diverse selection of investment options than J.P. Morgan Self-Directed. TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, OTCBB / Pink Sheets, Options Trading, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading, Forex Trading, Advisor Services and International Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, TD Ameritrade offers its clients access to 12330 different mutual funds while J.P. Morgan Self-Directed has 3500 available funds, a difference of 8,830.
Which trading platform is better: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed or TD Ameritrade?
To compare the trading platforms of both J.P. Morgan Self-Directed and TD Ameritrade, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, TD Ameritrade offers a better experience. With research, TD Ameritrade offers superior market research. Finally, we found TD Ameritrade to provide better mobile trading apps.
Does either broker offer banking?
Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Clients can have Checking Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards at TD Ameritrade while customers at J.P. Morgan Self-Directed can have Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.
Overall winner: TD Ameritrade
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All pricing data was obtained from a published web site as of 01/19/2021 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.
TD Ameritrade, Inc. and StockBrokers.com are separate, unaffiliated companies and are not responsible for each other’s services and products. View terms.
*INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT A DEPOSIT · NOT FDIC INSURED · NO BANK GUARANTEE · MAY LOSE VALUE