TD Ameritrade vs E*TRADE 2023

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 TD Ameritrade vs E*TRADE.

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 2023, our review finds that TD Ameritrade offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than E*TRADE. Both TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE offer Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement).

TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE both charge $0.65 per option contract. For futures, TD Ameritrade charges $2.25 per contract and E*TRADE charges $1.50 per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that TD Ameritrade offers a more comprehensive offering than E*TRADE. TD Ameritrade ranks #3 out of 17 brokers for our Investment Options category, while E*TRADE ranks #4.

TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading, Forex Trading and Advisor Services, while E*TRADE offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading and Advisor Services. Neither have Fractional Shares Looking at Mutual Funds, TD Ameritrade trails E*TRADE in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with E*TRADE offering 4377 and TD Ameritrade offering 3610.

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 TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE offer crypto trading.

To compare the day trading platforms of TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE, 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, TD Ameritrade offers a better experience.

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE, we found TD Ameritrade to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. TD Ameritrade ranks #1 out of 17 brokers, while E*TRADE ranks #3.

TD Ameritrade Trading App Gallery

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E*TRADE Trading App Gallery

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For research, E*TRADE offers superior market research than TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade ranks #5 and E*TRADE ranks #2.

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.

TD Ameritrade requires a minimum deposit of $0.00, while E*TRADE requires a minimum deposit of $0.00. From our testing, we found that SoFi is the only broker that requires a minimum deposit.

TD Ameritrade charges 14.75% for accounts under $25,000 while E*TRADE charges a margin rate of 14.20%. The industry average of the 17 brokers we track is 11%.

Fractional shares are not offered by either broker. Our research has found that 41% 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 TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE allow you to trade penny stocks. TD Ameritrade charges $6.95 per trade while E*TRADE charges $6.95. 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, Debit Cards and Credit Cards are offered by TD Ameritrade while E*TRADE offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.

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.

TD Ameritrade was rated 1st out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 9.3 out of 10.

eToro’s customer service could not be tested or rated due to the fact it does not offer phone support for prospective customers.

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 one of our top overall brokers in 2023, in which it placed among Best in Class in several categories including options trading and best for beginners. Note: TD Ameritrade was acquired in 2020 by Charles Schwab, and as of August 2023, TD Ameritrade client accounts are being migrated in batches to Schwab, which will retain the standout thinkorswim platform.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, TD Ameritrade was rated No. 1 for Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Ease of Use, Beginners, and Customer Service. It also ranked among Best in Class for Commissions & Fees, Research, Investment Options, Education, Active Trading and Overall. TD Ameritrade also won two StockBrokers.com Industry Awards: No. 1 for Phone Support and Trader App.

E*TRADE is a top-performing broker whose highlights include $0 trades, two excellent mobile apps and the Power E*TRADE platform. Crypto, however, is not available.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, E*TRADE ranked among Best in Class for Research, Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Investment Options, Education, Ease of Use, Banking Services, Beginners, Futures Trading, Options Trading, IRA Accounts, Penny Stocks, and Overall. E*TRADE also won two StockBrokers.com Industry Awards: No. 1 Investor App and Web Trading Platform.