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E*TRADE vs TradeStation 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

January 23, 2023

Is E*TRADE better than TradeStation? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, E*TRADE (96.39%) is better than TradeStation (78.24%). 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.

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Overall RatingE*TRADETradeStation
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.0/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review E*TRADE Review TradeStation Review
Trading FeesE*TRADETradeStation
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTCCB) $6.95 $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $0.00 $14.95
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.65 $0.60
Futures (Per Contract) $1.50 $1.50
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $25 $0
Margin RatesE*TRADETradeStation
Margin Rate Under $25,000 11.95% 11.00%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 11.45% 11.00%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 10.95% 10.00%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 10.45% 10.00%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 9.95% 10.00%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 9.45% 5.50%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 8.45% 5.50%
Account FeesE*TRADETradeStation
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $35.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $50.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $25.00 $125.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) $75.00 $125.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $14.95
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $5.95
Investment OptionsE*TRADETradeStation
Stock Trading Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares No No
OTCBB / Pink Sheets Yes Yes
Options Trading Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs 4 4
Futures Trading Yes Yes
Forex Trading No No
Crypto Trading No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 0 11
Mutual Funds (No Load) 6486 800
Mutual Funds (Total) 7242 4000
Bonds (US Treasury) Yes Yes
Bonds (Corporate) Yes Yes
Bonds (Municipal) Yes Yes
Advisor Services Yes No
International Countries (Stocks) 0 0
Order TypesE*TRADETradeStation
Order Type - Market Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop Yes Yes
Order Type - OCO Yes Yes
Order Type - OTO Yes Yes
Order Type - Broker Assisted Yes Yes
BeginnersE*TRADETradeStation
Education (Stocks) Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) Yes No
Education (Options) Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) Yes No
Education (Bonds) Yes No
Education (Retirement) Yes No
Retirement Calculator Yes No
Investor Dictionary Yes No
Paper Trading Yes Yes
Videos Yes Yes
Webinars Yes Yes
Webinars (Archived) Yes No
Progress Tracking No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes Yes No
Stock Trading AppsE*TRADETradeStation
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Apple Watch App Yes Yes
Trading - Stocks Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours Yes Yes
Trading - Simple Options Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options Yes Yes
Order Ticket RT Quotes Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes Yes Yes
Stock App FeaturesE*TRADETradeStation
Market Movers (Top Gainers) Yes Yes
Stream Live TV Yes No
Videos on Demand No No
Stock Alerts Yes Yes
Option Chains Viewable Yes Yes
Watch List (Real-time) Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Create & Manage Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Total Fields 95 335
Stock App ChartingE*TRADETradeStation
Charting - After-Hours Yes Yes
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally Yes Yes
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 10 45
Charting - Study Customizations Yes Yes
Charting - Stock Comparisons Yes No
Trading PlatformsE*TRADETradeStation
Active Trading Platform Power E*TRADE TradeStation 10
Desktop Trading Platform No Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) No No
Web Trading Platform Yes Yes
Paper Trading Yes Yes
Trade Journal No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 95 335
Stock Chart FeaturesE*TRADETradeStation
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies 119 290
Charting - Drawing Tools 31 23
Charting - Notes Yes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades Yes Yes
Charting - Corporate Events Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Date Range Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Time Bars No Yes
Charting - Automated Analysis Yes Yes
Charting - Save Profiles Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis Yes Yes
Charting - Study Customizations 6 12
Charting - Custom Studies No Yes
Day TradingE*TRADETradeStation
Streaming Time & Sales Yes Yes
Streaming TV Yes No
Direct Market Routing - Stocks Yes Yes
Ladder Trading No Yes
Trade Hot Keys Yes Yes
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting No Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv No Yes
Short Locator No Yes
Order Liquidity Rebates No Yes
Research OverviewE*TRADETradeStation
Research - Stocks Yes Yes
Research - ETFs Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds Yes No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB Yes Yes
Research - Bonds Yes No
Screener - Stocks Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds Yes No
Screener - Bonds Yes No
Misc - Portfolio Allocation Yes Yes
Stock ResearchE*TRADETradeStation
Stock Research - PDF Reports 6 0
Stock Research - Earnings Yes No
Stock Research - Insiders Yes No
Stock Research - Social Yes No
Stock Research - News Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings Yes No
ETF ResearchE*TRADETradeStation
ETFs - Strategy Overview Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings Yes No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings Yes No
ETFs - Sector Exposure Yes No
ETFs - Risk Analysis Yes No
ETFs - Ratings Yes No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap Yes No
ETFs - PDF Reports Yes No
Mutual Fund ResearchE*TRADETradeStation
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart No No
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis Yes No
Mutual Funds - Prospectus Yes No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings Yes No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown Yes No
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings Yes No
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation Yes No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation Yes No
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation Yes No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap Yes No
Options TradingE*TRADETradeStation
Option Chains - Basic View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Streaming Yes Yes
Option Chains - Total Columns 31 32
Option Chains - Greeks 5 5
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 - Greeks Streaming Yes Yes
Option Positions - Adv Analysis Yes Yes
Option Positions - Rolling Yes Yes
Option Positions - Grouping Yes Yes
BankingE*TRADETradeStation
Bank (Member FDIC) Yes No
Checking Accounts Yes No
Savings Accounts Yes No
Credit Cards Yes No
Debit Cards Yes No
Mortgage Loans Yes No
Customer ServiceE*TRADETradeStation
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) Yes No
Email Support Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) No Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) Yes Yes
24/7 Support Yes No
OverallE*TRADETradeStation
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review E*TRADE Review TradeStation Review
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E*TRADE vs TradeStation Comparison

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 17 brokerages to find the best online broker. Let's compare E*TRADE vs TradeStation.

Is E*TRADE or TradeStation better for beginners?

E*TRADE offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginner investors than TradeStation. E*TRADE offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, 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).

What about E*TRADE vs TradeStation pricing?

E*TRADE and TradeStation charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Option contracts are pricier at E*TRADE, costing $0.65 per contract versus $0.60 per contract at TradeStation. For a complete commissions summary, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does E*TRADE or TradeStation offer a wider range of investment options?

E*TRADE offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTCBB / Pink Sheets, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading and Advisor Services, while TradeStation offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTCBB / Pink Sheets, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading, neither have Fractional Shares and Forex Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, TradeStation trails E*TRADE in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with E*TRADE offering 4377 and TradeStation offering 0.

Which trading platform is better: E*TRADE or TradeStation?

To compare the trading platforms of E*TRADE and TradeStation, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, TradeStation offers a better experience. With research, E*TRADE offers superior market research. Finally, we found E*TRADE 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. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans are offered by E*TRADE while TradeStation offers neither of these.

Is E*TRADE good?

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.

Is TradeStation good?

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. TradeStation ranked among Best in Class in the Commissions and Fees and Investment Options categories in our 2023 Annual Review of online stockbrokers.

E*TRADE vs TradeStation Winner

Overall winner: E*TRADE

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