Interactive Brokers vs Merrill Edge Review
The StockBrokers.com annual broker review assesses more than a dozen different brokers over six months, surfacing the best online stock brokers. This review compares Interactive Brokers vs Merrill Edge. Is Interactive Brokers or Merrill Edge a better online broker?
First, we will make a comparison of the stock and option trading fees for trading with both brokers. Merrill Edge, with its regular stock trades costing $6.95, is more expensive than Interactive Brokers's rate of $0 (the broker charges a per share rate instead) per trade. Looking at trading options, Interactive Brokers's base fee is $0 while Merrill Edge's is $6.95. Option contracts are pricier at Merrill Edge, costing $0.75 versus $0.70 at Interactive Brokers. Note that some brokers charge a per-share fee instead of a flat-fee commission. For a full breakdown of commissions, read our online broker reviews.
For our next comparison of these two brokers, being able to trade the way you want is a must. Merrill Edge provides its clients with Stock Trading, Options Trading and Mutual Funds while Interactive Brokers provides clients access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading. When it comes to mutual funds, Interactive Brokers offers its clients access to 10051 different mutual funds while Merrill Edge has 3688 available funds, a difference of 6,363. Commission free ETFs can also be a nice plus, with Merrill Edge falling behind Interactive Brokers, offering 0 commission free ETFs compared to Interactive Brokers's 45.
Last but not least, by breaking down important features, tools, etc that each broker offers, we can really help to separate the two. Interactive Brokers offers virtual trading while Merrill Edge does not. For mobile trading, Both Interactive Brokers and Merrill Edge offer clients access to an iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Furthermore, some investors like to bank online, and multiple brokerages provide these services to clients. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans are available to clients of Merrill Edge while Interactive Brokers offers customers Debit Cards. On the whole, when it comes to tools, research, and mobile trading, Interactive Brokers finished with awards Best in Class - Mobile Trading, while Merrill Edge came up with none of these.
Overall, both Interactive Brokers and Merrill Edge hold a 4.50 star rating.
First, we will make a comparison of the stock and option trading fees for trading with both brokers. Merrill Edge, with its regular stock trades costing $6.95, is more expensive than Interactive Brokers's rate of $0 (the broker charges a per share rate instead) per trade. Looking at trading options, Interactive Brokers's base fee is $0 while Merrill Edge's is $6.95. Option contracts are pricier at Merrill Edge, costing $0.75 versus $0.70 at Interactive Brokers. Note that some brokers charge a per-share fee instead of a flat-fee commission. For a full breakdown of commissions, read our online broker reviews.
For our next comparison of these two brokers, being able to trade the way you want is a must. Merrill Edge provides its clients with Stock Trading, Options Trading and Mutual Funds while Interactive Brokers provides clients access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading. When it comes to mutual funds, Interactive Brokers offers its clients access to 10051 different mutual funds while Merrill Edge has 3688 available funds, a difference of 6,363. Commission free ETFs can also be a nice plus, with Merrill Edge falling behind Interactive Brokers, offering 0 commission free ETFs compared to Interactive Brokers's 45.
Last but not least, by breaking down important features, tools, etc that each broker offers, we can really help to separate the two. Interactive Brokers offers virtual trading while Merrill Edge does not. For mobile trading, Both Interactive Brokers and Merrill Edge offer clients access to an iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Furthermore, some investors like to bank online, and multiple brokerages provide these services to clients. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans are available to clients of Merrill Edge while Interactive Brokers offers customers Debit Cards. On the whole, when it comes to tools, research, and mobile trading, Interactive Brokers finished with awards Best in Class - Mobile Trading, while Merrill Edge came up with none of these.
Overall, both Interactive Brokers and Merrill Edge hold a 4.50 star rating.
Overall
Commissions & Fees
Offering of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Research
Customer Service
Mobile Trading
Ease of Use
Education
Order Execution
Banking
Minimum Deposit
Stock Trade Fee (flat)
Options Base Fee
Options Per Contract Fee
Mutual Fund Trade Fee
Broker Assisted Trades Fee
IRA Annual Fee
IRA Closure Fee
Stock Trading
OTCBB / Pink Sheets
Options Trading
Complex Options Max Legs
Futures Trading
Forex Trading
Commission-Free ETFs
Mutual Funds (No Load)
Mutual Funds (Total)
Bonds (US Treasury)
Bonds (Corporate)
Bonds (Municipal)
Advisor Services
International Trading
Advantage
Order Type - Market
Order Type - Limit
Order Type - Stop
Order Type - Trailing Stop
Order Type - Contingent
Order Type - MultiContingent
Order Type - OCO
Order Type - OTO
Order Type - OTOCO
Order Type - Algo
Advantage
Desktop Platform (Windows)
Desktop Platform (Mac)
Web Platform
Virtual Trading
Watch Lists - Total Fields
Two-Factor Authentication Login
Charting - Trade Off Chart
Charting - Drawing Tools
Charting - Indicators / Studies
Charting - Historical Trades
Charting - Save Profiles
Charting - Study Customizations
Charting - Custom Studies
Option Chains - Total Columns
Option Chains - Greeks Viewable
Option Analysis - P&L Charts
Option Positions - Rolling
Heat Mapping
Advantage
Stock Alerts - Basic Fields
Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields
Streaming Time & Sales
Streaming TV
Direct Market Routing - Stocks
Direct Market Routing - Options
Ladder Trading
Trade Hot Keys
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks
Level 2 Quotes - Options
Trade Ideas - Backtesting
Client Liquidity Rebates
Advantage
Research - Stocks
Research - ETFs
Research - Mutual Funds
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB
Research - Fixed Income
Research - Futures
Research - Forex
Screener - Stocks
Screener - ETFs
Screener - Mutual Funds
Screener - Options
Screener - Bonds
Misc - Portfolio Allocation
Misc - Portfolio Builder
Stock Research - Earnings
Stock Research - SEC Filings
Stock Research - Insiders
Stock Research - Social
Stock Research - Reports
ETF Research - Top 10 Holdings
ETF Research - Reports
ETF Research - Ratings
Mutual Fund Research - Reports
Advantage
iPhone App
Android App
Apple Watch App
Trading - Stocks
Trading - After-Hours
Trading - Conditional Orders
Trading - Mutual Funds
Trading - Simple Options
Trading - Complex Options
Trading - Option Rolling
Touch / Face ID
Watch List Syncing
Stock Alerts - Basic Fields
Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields
Charting - After Hours
Charting - Study Customizations
Customizable Homescreen
Heatmapping
Stream Live TV
Barcode Lookup
Advantage
Retail Locations
Member FDIC
Checking Accounts
Savings Accounts
Credit Cards
Debit Cards
Mortgage Loans
No Fee Banking
Advantage
Under $24,999.99
$25,000.00 to $49,999.99
$50,000.00 to $99,999.99
$100,000.00 to $249,999.99
$250,000.00 to $499,999.99
$500,000.00 to $999,999.99
Above $1,000,000.00
Has Education - Stocks
Has Education - ETFs
Has Education - Options
Has Education - Mutual Funds
Has Education - Fixed Income
Has Education - Retirement
Videos
Webinars (Monthly Avg)
Webinars (Archived)
Live Seminars
Progress Tracking
Interactive Learning - Quizzes
Magazine
Advantage
Overall
Advantage
Comparing 2 brokers
Interactive Brokers
Exclusive Offer
New clients that open an account today receive a special margin rate Learn More
Yes
Yes
Yes
8
Yes
No
48
7558
11000
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
check_circle
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
check_circle
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
453
Yes
Yes
9
121
Yes
Yes
6
No
37
4
Yes
Yes
Yes
check_circle
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
check_circle
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
1
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
check_circle
0
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
3.68%
3.68%
3.68%
3.18%
3.18%
3.18%
2.68%
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
20
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
check_circle
Merrill Edge
Special Offer
Invest in a new account and get up to $600 Learn More
Yes
Yes
Yes
2
No
No
0
2471
3709
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
285
Yes
Yes
22
95
Yes
Yes
8
No
69
5
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
3
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
check_circle
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
4400
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
check_circle
10.63%
9.50%
9.50%
8.13%
8.13%
7.88%
7.25%
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
0
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
check_circle
All pricing data was obtained from a published web site as of 09/01/18 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. The StockBrokers.com staff is constantly working with its online broker representatives to obtain the latest pricing data. If you believe any data listed above is inaccurate, please contact us using the link at the bottom of this page. 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.
