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Firstrade vs Sofi Invest 2023

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Written by StockBrokers.com

April 11, 2023

Is Firstrade better than Sofi Invest? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, Firstrade (87.80%) is better than Sofi Invest (67.99%). Firstrade scored well in our 2023 Annual Review for ease of use, and is a great choice for Chinese-speaking investors. However, it lags behind the competition in certain areas, especially platforms, tools and education.

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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFidelity
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Overall RatingFirstradeSofi Invest
Overall 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Customer Service 3.0/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Firstrade Review Sofi Invest Review
Trading FeesFirstradeSofi Invest
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $5.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) $0.00 N/A
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $0 $0
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.00 $0.00
Futures (Per Contract) N/A $0.00
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $19.95 $0
Margin RatesFirstradeSofi Invest
Margin Rate Under $25,000 13.25% 8.50%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 13.00% 8.50%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 12.50% 8.50%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 12.00% 8.50%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 11.75% 8.50%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 9.85% 8.50%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 9.25% 8.50%
Account FeesFirstradeSofi Invest
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $20.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $55.00 $75.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) $75.00 $75.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $5.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $5.00
Investment OptionsFirstradeSofi Invest
Stock Trading Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares No Yes
OTC Stocks Yes Yes
Options Trading Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs 4 0
Futures Trading No No
Forex Trading No No
Crypto Trading Yes Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 38 30
Mutual Funds (No Load) 13777 0
Mutual Funds (Total) 19027 0
Bonds (US Treasury) Yes No
Bonds (Corporate) Yes No
Bonds (Municipal) Yes No
Advisor Services No No
International Countries (Stocks) 0 0
Order TypesFirstradeSofi Invest
Order Type - Market Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop Yes No
Order Type - Trailing Stop Yes No
Order Type - OCO Yes No
Order Type - OTO Yes No
Order Type - Broker Assisted Yes No
BeginnersFirstradeSofi Invest
Education (Stocks) Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) No Yes
Education (Options) Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) No Yes
Education (Bonds) No Yes
Education (Retirement) Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator Yes No
Investor Dictionary Yes Yes
Paper Trading No No
Videos Yes No
Webinars Yes Yes
Webinars (Archived) Yes Yes
Progress Tracking No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes No No
Stock Trading AppsFirstradeSofi Invest
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Apple Watch App No No
Trading - Stocks Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours Yes Yes
Trading - Simple Options Yes No
Trading - Complex Options Yes No
Order Ticket RT Quotes Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes Yes No
SB Gallery - Mobile Apps
Stock App FeaturesFirstradeSofi Invest
Market Movers (Top Gainers) Yes Yes
Stream Live TV No No
Videos on Demand No No
Stock Alerts Yes No
Option Chains Viewable Yes No
Watch List (Real-time) Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) Yes No
Watch Lists - Create & Manage Yes No
Watch Lists - Column Customization Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 50 3
Stock App ChartingFirstradeSofi Invest
Charting - After-Hours No No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally Yes No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 81 0
Charting - Study Customizations Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons No No
Trading PlatformsFirstradeSofi Invest
Active Trading Platform Firstrade Navigator N/A
Desktop Trading Platform No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) No No
Web Trading Platform Yes Yes
Paper Trading No No
Trade Journal No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 50 3
Stock Chart FeaturesFirstradeSofi Invest
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 102 0
Charting - Drawing Tools 8 0
Charting - Notes No No
Charting - Index Overlays Yes No
Charting - Historical Trades No No
Charting - Corporate Events Yes No
Charting - Custom Date Range No No
Charting - Custom Time Bars No No
Charting - Automated Analysis No No
Charting - Save Profiles No No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis No No
Charting - Study Customizations 6 0
Charting - Custom Studies No No
Day TradingFirstradeSofi Invest
Streaming Time & Sales No No
Streaming TV No No
Direct Market Routing - Stocks No No
Ladder Trading No No
Trade Hot Keys No No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv No No
Short Locator No No
Order Liquidity Rebates No No
Research OverviewFirstradeSofi Invest
Research - Stocks Yes No
Research - ETFs Yes No
Research - Mutual Funds Yes No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB Yes No
Research - Bonds Yes No
Screener - Stocks Yes No
Screener - ETFs Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds Yes No
Screener - Bonds Yes No
Misc - Portfolio Allocation Yes Yes
Stock ResearchFirstradeSofi Invest
Stock Research - PDF Reports 1 0
Stock Research - Earnings Yes No
Stock Research - Insiders Yes No
Stock Research - Social No No
Stock Research - News Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings Yes No
ETF ResearchFirstradeSofi Invest
ETFs - Strategy Overview Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings Yes No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings Yes Yes
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 ResearchFirstradeSofi Invest
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart Yes 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 TradingFirstradeSofi Invest
Option Chains - Basic View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View Yes No
Option Chains - Streaming No No
Option Chains - Total Columns 8 0
Option Chains - Greeks 5 0
Option Chains - Quick Analysis No No
Option Analysis - P&L Charts Yes No
Option Probability Analysis No No
Option Probability Analysis Adv Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks No No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming No No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis No No
Option Positions - Rolling Yes No
Option Positions - Grouping No No
BankingFirstradeSofi Invest
Bank (Member FDIC) No Yes
Checking Accounts Yes Yes
Savings Accounts No Yes
Credit Cards No Yes
Debit Cards Yes Yes
Mortgage Loans No Yes
Customer ServiceFirstradeSofi Invest
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) Yes Yes
Email Support Yes No
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) Yes Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) Yes Yes
24/7 Support No No
OverallFirstradeSofi Invest
Overall 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Firstrade Review Sofi Invest Review
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Firstrade vs Sofi Invest 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 Firstrade vs Sofi Invest.

Is Firstrade or Sofi Invest better for beginners?

Sofi Invest offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginner investors than Firstrade. Firstrade offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (Options) and Education (Retirement), while Sofi Invest offers investors access to Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement). Neither have Paper Trading. See our guide to Best Paper Trading Platforms for more.

What about Firstrade vs Sofi Invest pricing?

Firstrade and Sofi Invest charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Firstrade and Sofi Invest both charge $0.00 per option contract. For a complete commissions summary, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does Firstrade or Sofi Invest offer a wider range of investment options?

Firstrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks and Mutual Funds, while Sofi Invest offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading and OTC Stocks. Neither have Futures Trading, Forex Trading and Advisor Services. Looking at Mutual Funds, Sofi Invest trails Firstrade in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with Firstrade offering 3767 and Sofi Invest offering 0.

Which trading platform is better: Firstrade or Sofi Invest?

To compare the trading platforms of Firstrade and Sofi Invest, 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 Firstrade 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 Sofi Invest offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.

Is Firstrade good?

Firstrade scored well in our 2023 Annual Review for ease of use, and is a great choice for Chinese-speaking investors. However, it lags behind the competition in certain areas, especially platforms, tools and education.

Is Sofi Invest good?

SoFi Invest offers a wide range of services, including access to cryptocurrencies, IPOs and automated investing. It is relatively easy to use, and gets high marks for its mobile app. However, its lack of research, as well as its lagging education and trading tools, leave it a step behind industry leaders.

Firstrade vs Sofi Invest Winner

Overall winner: Firstrade

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