Is Firstrade better than Robinhood? After testing 11 of the best online brokers over three months, Firstrade (78.89%) is better than Robinhood (62.62%). While Firstrade is easy to use and terrific for Chinese-speaking investors, its overall offering struggles to stand out against brokers who also offer $0 stock trades.
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Firstrade vs Robinhood 2021
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Overall Rating
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Ease of Use | ||
| Firstrade Review | Robinhood Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading Fees
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $0.00 | N/A |
| Options (Base Fee) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Futures (Per Contract) | N/A | N/A |
| Broker Assisted Trades Fee | $19.95 | N/A |
Margin Rates
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
| Under $24,999.99 | 8.75% | 2.50% |
| $25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 8.25% | 2.50% |
| $50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 7.75% | 2.50% |
| $100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 7.25% | 2.50% |
| $250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 7.00% | 2.50% |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 5.10% | 2.50% |
| Above $1,000,000.00 | 4.50% | 2.50% |
Account Fees
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $55.00 | $75.00 |
| Account Transfer Out (Full) | $75.00 | $75.00 |
| Returned ACH Fee | $50.00 | $9.00 |
| Returned Wire Fee | $50.00 | $9.00 |
| Stock Certificate Processing Fee | $300.00 | N/A |
| Stock Certificate Delivery Fee | $300.00 | N/A |
| Paper Statement Fee | $5.00 | $5.00 |
| Paper Confirmation Fee | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| Domestic Wire Fee | $30.00 | $25.00 |
| International Wire Fee | $50.00 | $50.00 |
Investment Options
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Stock Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
Fractional Shares |
No | Yes |
|
OTCBB / Pink Sheets |
Yes | No |
|
Options Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
Complex Options Max Legs |
4 | 4 |
|
Futures Trading |
No | No |
|
Forex Trading |
No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | Yes |
|
Mutual Funds (No Load) |
11134 | 0 |
|
Mutual Funds (Total) |
18322 | 0 |
|
Bonds (US Treasury) |
Yes | No |
|
Bonds (Corporate) |
Yes | No |
|
Bonds (Municipal) |
Yes | No |
|
Advisor Services |
No | No |
|
International Trading |
No | No |
|
AI Assistant Bot |
No | No |
Order Types
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Order Type - Market |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Limit |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Contingent |
No | No |
|
Order Type - MultiContingent |
Yes | No |
|
Order Type - OCO |
Yes | No |
|
Order Type - OTO |
Yes | No |
|
Order Type - OTOCO |
No | No |
Customer Service
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) |
Yes | No |
|
Phone Support (Current Customers) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Email Support |
Yes | Yes |
|
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) |
Yes | No |
|
Live Chat (Current Customers) |
Yes | No |
|
24/7 Support |
No | No |
Trading Platforms
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
No | No |
|
Desktop Platform (Mac) |
No | No |
|
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
|
Paper Trading |
No | No |
|
Trade Journal |
No | No |
|
Heat Mapping |
Yes | No |
|
Watch Lists - Total Fields |
47 | 7 |
Charting Features
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Charting - Trade Off Chart |
No | No |
|
Charting - Indicators / Studies |
102 | 5 |
|
Charting - Drawing Tools |
8 | 0 |
|
Charting - Historical Trades |
No | No |
|
Charting - Corporate Events |
Yes | No |
|
Charting - Automated Analysis |
No | No |
|
Charting - Save Profiles |
No | No |
|
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis |
No | No |
|
Charting - Study Customizations |
6 | 2 |
|
Charting - Custom Studies |
No | No |
Day Trading
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields |
No | No |
|
Streaming Time & Sales |
No | No |
|
Streaming TV |
No | No |
|
Direct Market Routing - Stocks |
No | No |
|
Direct Market Routing - Options |
No | No |
|
Ladder Trading |
No | No |
|
Trade Hot Keys |
No | No |
|
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
No | No |
|
Level 2 Quotes - Options |
No | No |
|
Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
No | No |
|
Short Locator |
No | No |
|
Order Liquidity Rebates |
No | No |
Mobile Trading Apps
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
iPhone App |
Yes | Yes |
|
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
|
Apple Watch App |
No | Yes |
|
Trading - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
|
Trading - After-Hours |
Yes | Yes |
|
Trading - Conditional Orders |
No | No |
|
Trading - Mutual Funds |
No | No |
|
Trading - Simple Options |
Yes | Yes |
|
Trading - Complex Options |
Yes | Yes |
|
Trading - Option Rolling |
No | No |
|
Touch / Face ID |
Yes | Yes |
Mobile App Features
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Alerts |
No | No |
|
Charting - After Hours |
No | Yes |
|
Charting - Drawing |
No | No |
|
Charting - Study Customizations |
Yes | No |
|
Heatmapping |
No | No |
|
Stream Live TV |
No | No |
|
Barcode Lookup |
No | No |
Research Overview
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Research - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
|
Research - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
|
Research - Mutual Funds |
Yes | No |
|
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB |
Yes | No |
|
Research - Fixed Income |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - Stocks |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - ETFs |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - Mutual Funds |
Yes | No |
|
Screener - Options |
No | No |
|
Screener - Bonds |
Yes | No |
|
Misc - Portfolio Builder |
No | No |
|
Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
Stock Research
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Stock Research - Reports |
1 | 0 |
|
Stock Research - Earnings |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Research - Insiders |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - Metric Comp |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - SEC Filings |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - Social |
No | 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 | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
ETFs - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Sector Exposure |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Risk Analysis |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Performance Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Ratings |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Reports |
Yes | No |
Mutual Fund Research
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
Yes | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
Yes | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Reports |
No | 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 |
|
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings |
Yes | No |
Options Trading
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Option Chains - Streaming |
No | Yes |
|
Option Chains - Total Columns |
8 | 6 |
|
Option Chains - Greeks |
5 | 5 |
|
Option Chains - Quick Analysis |
No | No |
|
Option Analysis - P&L Charts |
No | No |
|
Option Probability Analysis |
No | No |
|
Option Probability Analysis Adv |
No | No |
|
Option Positions - Greeks |
No | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
No | No |
|
Option Positions - Rolling |
Yes | No |
|
Option Positions - Grouping |
No | Yes |
Beginners
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Education (Stocks) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Education (ETFs) |
No | No |
|
Education (Options) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Education (Mutual Funds) |
No | No |
|
Education (Fixed Income) |
No | No |
|
Education (Retirement) |
Yes | No |
|
Paper Trading |
No | No |
|
Videos |
Yes | No |
|
Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
6 | 0 |
|
Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | No |
|
Live Seminars |
No | No |
|
Progress Tracking |
No | No |
|
Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
No | No |
Banking
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
|
Retail Locations |
1 | 0 |
|
Member FDIC |
No | No |
|
Checking Accounts |
Yes | No |
|
Savings Accounts |
No | No |
|
Credit Cards |
No | No |
|
Debit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
|
Mortgage Loans |
No | No |
|
No Fee Banking |
No | No |
Overall
| Feature | Firstrade | Robinhood |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Ease of Use | ||
| Firstrade Review | Robinhood 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 Firstrade vs Robinhood.
Is Firstrade or Robinhood better for beginners?
Firstrade is better for beginner investors than Robinhood. Firstrade offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (Options) and Education (Retirement).
What about Firstrade vs Robinhood pricing?
Firstrade and Robinhood 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 each at both brokerages. For a complete commissions summary, see our best discount brokers guide.
Does Firstrade or Robinhood offer a wider range of investment options?
Firstrade offers a more diverse selection of investment options than Robinhood. Firstrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, OTCBB / Pink Sheets, Options Trading and Mutual Funds. Looking at Mutual Funds, Firstrade offers its clients access to 18322 different mutual funds while Robinhood has 0 available funds, a difference of 18,322.
Which trading platform is better: Firstrade or Robinhood?
To compare the trading platforms of both Firstrade and Robinhood, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Firstrade offers a better experience. With research, Firstrade offers superior market research. Finally, we found Robinhood 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 and Debit Cards are offered by Firstrade while Robinhood offers Debit Cards.
Overall winner: Firstrade
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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.
