Is E*TRADE better than Interactive Brokers? After testing 15 of the best online brokers over five months, E*TRADE (91.53%) is better than Interactive Brokers (90.58%). Founded in 1982 as one of the first online brokerages in the United States, E*TRADE understands what investors need to succeed in the market. E*TRADE highlights include $0 trades, two excellent mobile apps, and the Power E*TRADE platform, which is great for options trading.
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Interactive Brokers vs E*TRADE 2020
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Exclusive Offer
New clients that open an account today receive a special margin rate Open Account
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Promo Offer
Get $100 when you deposit just $5,000 into a new E*TRADE account! Open Account
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| Open Account | Open Account |
Overall Rating
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
| Overall | ||
| Interactive Brokers Review | E*TRADE Review |
Trading Fees
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Trade Fee (per trade) | N/A | $0.00 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $0.01 | $0.00 |
| Options Base Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Per Contract Fee | $0.65 | $0.65 |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $14.95 | $19.99 |
| Broker Assisted Trades Fee | $30.00 | $25.00 |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Margin Rates
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
| Under $24,999.99 | 3.08% | 10.00% |
| $25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 3.08% | 9.75% |
| $50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 3.08% | 9.25% |
| $100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 2.58% | 8.75% |
| $250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 3.18% | 8.25% |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 2.75% | 7.75% |
| Above $1,000,000.00 | 2.08% | 6.75% |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Account Fees
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $60.00 |
| Returned ACH Fee | N/A | $0.00 |
| Returned Wire Fee | N/A | $0.00 |
| Stock Certificate Processing Fee | N/A | $0.00 |
| Stock Certificate Delivery Fee | N/A | $75.00 |
| Paper Statement Fee | N/A | $2.00 |
| Paper Confirmation Fee | N/A | $0.00 |
| Domestic Wire Fee | $10.00 | $25.00 |
| International Wire Fee | $10.00 | $25.00 |
| Commissions & Fees |
Investment Options
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Stock Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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Fractional Shares |
Yes | No |
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OTCBB / Pink Sheets |
Yes | Yes |
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Options Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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Complex Options Max Legs |
8 | 4 |
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Futures Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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Forex Trading |
No | No |
| Commission-Free ETFs | 96 | all |
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Mutual Funds (No Load) |
8534 | 6663 |
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Mutual Funds (Total) |
12 | 9291 |
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Bonds (US Treasury) |
Yes | Yes |
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Bonds (Corporate) |
Yes | Yes |
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Bonds (Municipal) |
Yes | Yes |
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Interest Sharing |
Yes | No |
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Advisor Services |
No | Yes |
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International Trading |
Yes | No |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Order Types
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Order Type - Market |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Limit |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Stop |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Contingent |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - MultiContingent |
Yes | No |
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Order Type - OCO |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - OTO |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - OTOCO |
Yes | Yes |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading Platforms
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | No |
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Desktop Platform (Mac) |
Yes | No |
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Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
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Paper Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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Trade Journal |
Yes | No |
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Watch Lists - Total Fields |
494 | 125 |
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Heat Mapping |
Yes | No |
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AI Assistant Bot |
Yes | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Charting Features
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Charting - Trade Off Chart |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Indicators / Studies |
121 | 119 |
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Charting - Drawing Tools |
9 | 32 |
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Charting - Historical Trades |
Yes | Yes |
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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 | 6 |
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Charting - Custom Studies |
No | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Day Trading
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields |
No | No |
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Streaming Time & Sales |
Yes | Yes |
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Streaming TV |
Yes | Yes |
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Direct Market Routing - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Direct Market Routing - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Ladder Trading |
Yes | No |
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Trade Hot Keys |
Yes | Yes |
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Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Level 2 Quotes - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
Yes | No |
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Short Locator |
Yes | No |
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Order Liquidity Rebates |
Yes | No |
| Winner | check_circle |
Mobile Trading Apps
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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iPhone App |
Yes | Yes |
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Android App |
Yes | Yes |
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Apple Watch App |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - After-Hours |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Conditional Orders |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
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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 |
Mobile App Features
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - After Hours |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Drawing |
No | No |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
Yes | Yes |
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Heatmapping |
No | No |
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Stream Live TV |
Yes | Yes |
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Barcode Lookup |
No | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Research Overview
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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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 | Yes |
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Screener - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - Mutual Funds |
No | Yes |
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Screener - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - Bonds |
Yes | Yes |
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Misc - Portfolio Builder |
Yes | Yes |
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Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Stock Research
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Stock Research - Reports |
2 | 5 |
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Stock Research - Earnings |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Insiders |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Metric Comp |
Yes | No |
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Stock Research - SEC Filings |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Social |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Balance Sheet |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Cash Flows |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - News |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - ESG |
Yes | No |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
ETF Research
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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ETFs - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Sector Exposure |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Risk Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Performance Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap |
No | Yes |
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ETFs - Reports |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Mutual Fund Research
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Reports |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation |
No | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Country Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - StyleMap |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Options Trading
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Option Chains - Streaming |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Chains - Total Columns |
37 | 30 |
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Option Chains - Greeks |
4 | 5 |
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Option Chains - Quick Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Analysis - P&L Charts |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Probability Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Probability Analysis Adv |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Greeks |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Rolling |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Grouping |
Yes | Yes |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Beginners
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Education (Stocks) |
Yes | Yes |
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Education (ETFs) |
Yes | Yes |
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Education (Options) |
Yes | Yes |
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Education (Mutual Funds) |
No | Yes |
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Education (Fixed Income) |
Yes | Yes |
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Education (Retirement) |
No | Yes |
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Paper Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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Videos |
Yes | Yes |
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Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
20 | 12 |
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Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | Yes |
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Live Seminars |
No | Yes |
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Progress Tracking |
Yes | No |
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Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
Yes | Yes |
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Investor Magazine |
Yes | No |
| Education | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Banking
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
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Retail Locations |
0 | 30 |
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Member FDIC |
Yes | Yes |
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Checking Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
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Savings Accounts |
No | Yes |
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Credit Cards |
No | No |
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Debit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
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Mortgage Loans |
No | No |
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No Fee Banking |
Yes | No |
| Banking |
Overall
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | E*TRADE |
| Interactive Brokers Review | E*TRADE Review | |
| Overall | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. For our annual broker review, we assess over a dozen brokers on hundreds of different variables to find the best online broker. Yielding a database of over 4,000 data points, let's compare E*TRADE vs Interactive Brokers.
To start this comparison, first, we will take a look at the online broker commission rates for placing regular stock and options trades. E*TRADE and Interactive Brokers charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0. With options, the base fee is $0 for both E*TRADE and Interactive Brokers. Option contracts run $0.65 a piece at both brokerages. It's important to note that not all brokers charge a flat fee per trade. Thus, it is important to read the full commission notes for each broker, which we include with each online broker review.
Next to commission rates, being able to trade what you want is important. E*TRADE and Interactive Brokers provide clients with Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading. Looking at mutual funds, E*TRADE boasts an offering of 9291 mutual funds compared to Interactive Brokers's 12 available funds.
Trading access aside, by comparing popular features and functionality, we can break down relevant differences between both brokers. Both E*TRADE and Interactive Brokers offer virtual trading. Taking a look at mobile trading, E*TRADE along with Interactive Brokers both support the iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Not to be left out, online banking is also a nice benefit for many investors, and some brokerages provide these services to clients. Checking Accounts and Debit Cards are offered by Interactive Brokers while E*TRADE offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts and Debit Cards.
Overall, between E*TRADE and Interactive Brokers, E*TRADE is the winner.
All pricing data was obtained from a published web site as of 01/20/2020 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.
