Firstrade vs tastytrade 2025
In this head to head comparison of Firstrade vs tastytrade, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
In this head to head comparison of Firstrade vs tastytrade, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
When comparing Firstrade and tastytrade, one thing becomes clear: both platforms offer a variety of investment options, yet Firstrade edges out tastytrade slightly when it comes to the overall range of investment opportunities. Firstrade receives a higher user rating of 4.5 stars, compared to tastytrade's 4 stars, for the range of investments available. StockBrokers.com ranks Firstrade at number 6 and tastytrade at number 10 out of 14 brokers, showcasing Firstrade's broader selection.
Both Firstrade and tastytrade provide users with the ability to trade stocks, margin, fractional shares, and options. However, Firstrade sets itself apart by offering access to OTC stocks and mutual funds, which tastytrade does not offer. On the other hand, tastytrade provides opportunities to delve into futures and cryptocurrency, with access to 17 different coins, whereas Firstrade does not offer these options. Both platforms support traditional and Roth IRA accounts but lack advisor services, which could be worth considering based on individual investor needs.
Ultimately, the best choice between Firstrade and tastytrade will depend on your specific investment interests. If you're looking for a broader range of stock market opportunities, Firstrade may be the way to go, thanks to its inclusion of OTC stocks and mutual funds. If futures and cryptocurrency are more aligned with your goals, tastytrade offers unique opportunities in these areas that Firstrade cannot match. Both brokers provide a sound platform for traditional stock and options trading, ensuring versatile choices for modern investors.
Feature |
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Stock Trading | Yes | Yes |
Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes |
Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
OTC Stocks | Yes | No |
Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Options Trading | Yes | Yes |
Futures Trading | No | Yes |
Crypto Trading | No | Yes |
Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 | 17 |
Range of Investments |
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Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market
When considering the overall efficacy of trading platforms and tools, tastytrade takes the lead over Firstrade with a more versatile and comprehensive suite of features. tastytrade earns a commendable four-star rating and ranks eighth among 14 brokers, while Firstrade garners a three-star score and places eleventh. This positions tastytrade as a more appealing choice for investors who prioritize diverse charting capabilities and advanced trading functionalities.
tastytrade stands out with its downloadable trading platforms for both Windows and Mac, while Firstrade sticks to a browser-based option. Investors using tastytrade can benefit from extensive charting tools, including over 308 technical indicators and 31 drawing tools, in contrast to Firstrade's 102 indicators and 8 drawing tools. Additionally, tastytrade offers the ability to add notes, show historical trades, and display corporate events on charts, which are not available when using Firstrade. Furthermore, with tastytrade, you can save multiple chart profiles and create custom studies, making it more suitable for traders who value customization and detailed analytics.
While both platforms lack features like paper trading and automated technical analysis, tastytrade's ability to let users directly adjust open orders on stock charts offers more flexibility in day-to-day trading activities. Also, their watch lists are robust, with Firstrade providing 50 fields compared to tastytrade's 33. However, despite Firstrade's edge in watch list capacity, tastytrade's overall advanced chart and trading capabilities make it the preferable choice for many traders looking for a comprehensive trading experience.
Feature |
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Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
Desktop Trading Platform | No | Yes |
Desktop Platform (Mac) | No | Yes |
Paper Trading | No | No |
Watch Lists - Total Fields | 50 | 33 |
Charting - Indicators / Studies | 102 | 308 |
Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 31 |
Platforms & Tools |
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Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025
When it comes to educating beginners, both Firstrade and tastytrade offer stock and options education, but tastytrade takes a slight edge by also providing resources on ETFs. For those looking to broaden their understanding through mutual funds or bonds education, unfortunately, neither platform offers these resources. While Firstrade excels with educational videos, tastytrade skips this but makes up for it with the capability to track learning progress. Both platforms offer webinars, though neither provides educational quizzes or paper trading options to practice new skills in a risk-free environment.
Looking at educational quality, tastytrade receives a commendable 4-star rating, compared to Firstrade's 3.5-star reputation. Tastytrade is also ranked higher for education by StockBrokers.com, coming in 9th out of 14 brokers, while Firstrade ranks 12th. For investors at the onset of their journey who value structured learning paths, tastytrade's learning progress tracking could be a crucial advantage. However, Firstrade’s strong video offerings might appeal to those who prefer visual learning.
Feature |
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Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
Education (ETFs) | No | Yes |
Education (Options) | Yes | Yes |
Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No |
Education (Fixed Income) | No | No |
Paper Trading | No | No |
Videos | Yes | No |
Webinars | Yes | Yes |
Education |
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Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025
When it comes to user satisfaction for stock trading apps, both Firstrade and tastytrade come highly rated with a solid 4.5 stars each. According to StockBrokers.com, Firstrade edges ahead slightly, securing the #9 spot out of 14 brokers, while tastytrade follows closely at #10. This suggests that both apps are reliable and offer valuable features for traders, but Firstrade might have a slight edge in overall ranking.
Both Firstrade and tastytrade provide iPhone and Android apps, ensuring accessibility across major mobile platforms. However, neither offers an Apple Watch app nor streaming live TV or video on demand, indicating similar limitations in these areas. Both apps support mobile options trading and give users the ability to create and customize watch lists. Streaming quotes are available on both platforms, providing real-time data for active traders.
In terms of additional features, Firstrade offers more technical studies for charting, boasting 81 compared to tastytrade's none. While Firstrade does not offer after-hours charting, a feature available on tastytrade, it compensates with stock alerts—a feature tastytrade does not provide. Overall, both platforms support multiple chart time frames and viewing charts in landscape mode, catering to different user needs and preferences.
Feature |
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iPhone App | Yes | Yes |
Android App | Yes | Yes |
Apple Watch App | No | No |
Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
Charting - After-Hours | No | Yes |
Charting - Technical Studies | 81 | 0 |
Mobile Trading Apps |
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Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025
When looking to open an account with either Firstrade or tastytrade, investors will find that both platforms offer attractive, fee-free structures for stock trading. Neither broker requires a minimum deposit to get started, making them accessible for newbies and experienced traders alike. However, when it comes to certain fees, Firstrade and tastytrade have notable differences. Firstrade excels in offering zero-cost options contracts, whereas tastytrade charges $0.50 per contract. For margin balances under various tiers, tastytrade tends to offer lower interest rates than Firstrade. Overall, Firstrade may be advantageous for those focusing on options trading without the extra charges, while tastytrade could be a more cost-effective option for those utilizing margin trading.
Both Firstrade and tastytrade do not charge IRA annual fees, providing a low-cost way to invest for retirement. However, potential account closures come with different costs: Firstrade charges nothing for IRA closure, whereas tastytrade imposes a $60 fee. This could be a consideration for those who might see a need to close their IRA accounts in the future. In terms of account transfers via Automated Customer Account Transfer (ACAT), both brokers charge $75 for a full transfer, but Firstrade slightly edges out with a $55 fee for partial transfers, compared to tastytrade's $75.
For options trading, Firstrade stands out by not charging any fees for exercise and assignment, making it an appealing choice for options traders who are cost-sensitive. On the other hand, tastytrade charges $5 each for options exercise and assignment, which could add up depending on trading frequency. These differences underscore the importance of considering not just upfront costs but also potential fees when options are a part of your portfolio strategy. With these insights, you can better assess which platform aligns more closely with your personal trading needs and financial goals.
Feature |
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Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Options (Per Contract) | $0.00 | $0.50 |
Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $5.00 |
Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $5.00 |
IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $60.00 |
Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025
When considering Firstrade and tastytrade for day trading, each platform presents unique features and limitations. Firstrade lacks streaming time and sales data, live TV, direct market routing, ladder trading, trading hotkeys, level 2 quotes, strategy backtesting, and a short locator tool. In contrast, tastytrade offers some additional resources for day traders, notably streaming live TV and ladder trading, which might benefit those who prefer visual tools and more dynamic methods for tracking market trends and performing trades.
Both platforms, however, share some limitations. Neither Firstrade nor tastytrade provides direct market routing for stocks, trading hotkeys for quick trade entry, level 2 quotes, or basic or advanced strategy backtesting. Additionally, there's no offer of order liquidity rebates on either platform, and neither includes streaming time and sales for stocks. Despite these mutual limitations, tastytrade introduces a short locator tool, offering real-time availability of short-able shares, a marked difference that could influence a trader looking for comprehensive short-selling capabilities.
Feature |
|
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Streaming Time & Sales | No | No |
Streaming TV | No | Yes |
Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No |
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No | No |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No | No |
Short Locator | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms for 2025
In the realm of market research offerings, Firstrade emerges as a significantly more comprehensive option compared to tastytrade. Catering to a wide array of investor needs, Firstrade provides an impressive variety of research capabilities across numerous financial instruments, including stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, Pink Sheets/OTCBB, and bonds. In stark contrast, tastytrade's research resources are comparatively limited, with insights mainly concentrated on stocks and ETFs, omitting critical areas like mutual funds and bonds. Moreover, Firstrade's additional resources such as portfolio allocation insights, social media sentiment data, and ESG research further bolster its position as a leading choice for market research.
Firstrade's capabilities extend into providing downloadable PDF research reports, which are accessible for stocks and ETFs, adding layers of valuable data for informed decision-making. Its tools include screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds, granting investors a flexible and thorough way to explore trade ideas. On the other hand, tastytrade does not offer downloadable PDF reports nor screeners across these categories, limiting investors' ability to conduct intricate research and analysis within their platform.
Reflective of these marked differences, user ratings and analyst rankings underline Firstrade's superior market research capabilities—earning an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars and a respective #6 rank out of 14 brokers by StockBrokers.com. Contrary to this, tastytrade garners a notably lower rating of 1.5 stars and ranks #13, highlighting the disparity in market research resources between these two online brokers.
Feature |
|
|
---|---|---|
Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
Screener - Stocks | Yes | No |
Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
Screener - ETFs | Yes | No |
Research - Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Screener - Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Research - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
Research |
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When comparing the banking capabilities of Firstrade and tastytrade, it's clear that Firstrade provides more options for those interested in specific banking features. Firstrade offers checking accounts and debit cards, which tastytrade does not. Furthermore, Firstrade offers certificates of deposit (CDs) to its users, another feature not available with tastytrade. Neither Firstrade nor tastytrade provides savings accounts, credit cards, or mortgage loans, making them similar in these respects. Overall, Firstrade might be a better choice for someone looking to integrate certain banking services with their brokerage account.
Feature |
|
|
---|---|---|
Checking Accounts | Yes | No |
Savings Accounts | No | No |
Debit Cards | Yes | No |
Credit Cards | No | No |
Mortgage Loans | No | No |
Brokerage CDs | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2025
After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that Firstrade is better than tastytrade. Firstrade finished with an overall score of 81.8%, while tastytrade finished with a score of 80.1%.
With steady innovation and a growing feature set, Firstrade is quickly climbing the ranks to earn its place among the best online brokers. Firstrade’s $0 contract fee, no exercise/assignment fees, and top-tier options trade ticket make it one of the most cost-effective and well-designed platforms for options trading.
Firstrade does not offer crypto trading, whereas tastytrade provides access to trading 17 different cryptocurrency coins, making it a more diverse option for crypto enthusiasts.
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025
Firstrade and tastytrade both offer traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual fees, but while Firstrade charges no closure fee when closing IRA accounts, tastytrade imposes a $60.00 closure fee.
Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025
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0 of 5Overall Rating | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
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Overall |
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Mobile Trading Apps |
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Research |
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Customer Service |
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Education |
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Ease of Use |
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Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | Firstrade Review | tastytrade Review |
Broker Screenshots | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
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Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
Trading Fees | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
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Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | $0.00 | N/A | |
Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $0 | N/A | |
Options (Per Contract) | $0.00 | $0.50 | |
Futures (Per Contract) | (Not offered) | $1.00 | |
Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $19.95 | $0 |
Margin Rates | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
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Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 13.75% | 11% | |
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 13.50% | 10.5% | |
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 13.00% | 10% | |
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 12.50% | 9.5% | |
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 12.50% | 9% | |
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | 12.50% | 8.5% | |
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | 12.50% | 8% |
Account Fees | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
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IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $60.00 | |
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 Options | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Stock Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
OTC Stocks | Yes | No | |
Options Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Complex Options Max Legs | 4 | 4 | |
Futures Trading | No | Yes | |
Forex Trading | No | No | |
Crypto Trading | No | Yes | |
Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 | 17 | |
Fixed Income (Treasurys) | Yes | No | |
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) | Yes | No | |
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) | Yes | No | |
Traditional IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
Roth IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
Advisor Services | No | No | |
International Countries (Stocks) | 0 | 0 |
Order Types | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
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 | No | |
Order Type - OCO | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - OTO | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - Broker Assisted | Yes | Yes |
Beginners | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
Education (ETFs) | No | Yes | |
Education (Options) | Yes | Yes | |
Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No | |
Education (Fixed Income) | No | No | |
Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
Retirement Calculator | Yes | No | |
Investor Dictionary | Yes | Yes | |
Paper Trading | No | No | |
Videos | Yes | No | |
Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
Progress Tracking | No | Yes | |
Interactive Learning - Quizzes | No | No |
Stock Trading Apps | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
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 | Yes | |
Trading - Complex Options | Yes | Yes | |
Order Ticket RT Quotes | Yes | Yes | |
Order Ticket SRT Quotes | Yes | Yes |
Stock App Features | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Market Movers (Top Gainers) | Yes | Yes | |
Stream Live TV | No | No | |
Videos on Demand | No | No | |
Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
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 |
Stock App Charting | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Charting - After-Hours | No | Yes | |
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Technical Studies | 81 | 0 | |
Charting - Study Customizations | Yes | No | |
Charting - Stock Comparisons | No | No |
Trading Platforms | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Active Trading Platform | N/A | tastytrade | |
Desktop Trading Platform | No | Yes | |
Desktop Platform (Mac) | No | Yes | |
Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
Paper Trading | No | No | |
Trade Journal | No | No | |
Watch Lists - Total Fields | 50 | 33 |
Stock Chart Features | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | No | Yes | |
Charting - Indicators / Studies | 102 | 308 | |
Charting - Drawing Tools | 8 | 31 | |
Charting - Notes | No | Yes | |
Charting - Historical Trades | No | Yes | |
Charting - Corporate Events | No | Yes | |
Charting - Custom Date Range | No | No | |
Charting - Custom Time Bars | No | No | |
Charting - Automated Analysis | No | No | |
Charting - Save Profiles | No | Yes | |
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | Yes | No | |
Charting - Study Customizations | 6 | 7 | |
Charting - Custom Studies | No | Yes |
Day Trading | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Streaming Time & Sales | No | No | |
Streaming TV | No | Yes | |
Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No | |
Ladder Trading | No | Yes | |
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 | Yes | |
Order Liquidity Rebates | No | No |
Research Overview | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
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 - Fixed Income | Yes | No | |
Portfolio Asset Allocation | Yes | Yes |
Stock Research | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Stock Research - PDF Reports | 1 | 0 | |
Stock Research - Earnings | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - Insiders | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - Social | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - News | Yes | Yes | |
Stock Research - ESG | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - SEC Filings | Yes | No |
ETF Research | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
ETFs - Investment Objective | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Total 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 | Yes | |
ETFs - Ratings | Yes | No | |
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | Yes | No | |
ETFs - PDF Reports | Yes | No |
Mutual Fund Research | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective | 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 Trading | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 5 | |
Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes | Yes |
Banking | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Bank (Member FDIC) | No | No | |
Checking Accounts | Yes | No | |
Savings Accounts | No | No | |
Credit Cards | No | No | |
Debit Cards | Yes | No | |
Mortgage Loans | No | No |
Customer Service | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
Phone Support (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
Email Support | Yes | Yes | |
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
Live Chat (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
24/7 Support | No | No |
Overall | Firstrade | tastytrade | |
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Overall |
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Range of Investments |
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Platforms & Tools |
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Mobile Trading Apps |
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Research |
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Education |
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Ease of Use |
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Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | Firstrade Review | tastytrade Review |