Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of tastytrade vs Robinhood, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Here’s the quick takeaway in the tastytrade vs Robinhood matchup: tastytrade edges ahead on overall range of investments thanks to offering forex alongside options and futures, while Robinhood stands out for OTC stocks, a larger crypto list, and optional advisor services. Both let you trade stocks, options, futures, crypto, and fractional shares with margin, and both support Traditional and Roth IRAs. Independent ratings mirror this: StockBrokers.com gives tastytrade 4 stars for Range of Investments (ranked #10 of 14) versus Robinhood’s 3.5 stars (ranked #12).
Investment options: Both brokers support stock trading, margin trading, and fractional shares. Only Robinhood offers OTC stocks. Neither broker offers mutual funds. Both offer options and futures trading. Forex is available only on tastytrade. Crypto is available on both, with 17 coins at tastytrade and 22 at Robinhood.
Accounts and services: Both platforms offer Traditional IRA and Roth IRA accounts. tastytrade does not provide advisor services, while Robinhood does. Choose tastytrade if you want forex alongside options and futures in one place; pick Robinhood if OTC stock access, a slightly wider crypto selection, or advisor support matters more to you.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| OTC Stocks | No | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | No | No |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Futures Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 17 | 22 |
| 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
Tastytrade edges out Robinhood on trading platforms and tools. According to StockBrokers.com, tastytrade earns 4 stars and ranks #8 of 14 brokers, while Robinhood scores 3.5 stars and ranks #9. Tastytrade’s strengths include downloadable desktop software and deeper chart studies, while Robinhood stands out for a huge set of drawing tools and a slightly wider watch list setup. Both offer solid web platforms, but neither supports paper trading.
Platform access differs: tastytrade offers downloadable platforms for both Windows and Mac in addition to a browser-based platform; Robinhood offers a browser platform only (no Windows or Mac downloads). Neither broker provides paper trading. For tracking and review, tastytrade includes a trading journal, while Robinhood does not. Watch lists are flexible on both—Robinhood supports 34 columns and tastytrade 33—and both let you adjust open orders directly on a chart.
On charting and analysis, tastytrade delivers 308 technical indicators versus Robinhood’s 90, plus custom studies and 7 fields when editing an SMA study (Robinhood offers 6 fields and no custom studies). Tastytrade can show historical trades and corporate events on charts; Robinhood lacks both. Both brokers let you add notes, set custom date ranges, save multiple chart profiles, and neither provides automated pattern recognition. If you want an enormous variety of drawing tools, Robinhood lists 2,326 compared with 31 on tastytrade.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | No |
| Paper Trading | No | No |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 33 | 34 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 308 | 90 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 31 | 2326 |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025
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tastytrade vs. Robinhood for education: both offer beginner-friendly lessons on stocks, ETFs, and options, and neither covers mutual funds. If you want bonds education, only Robinhood includes it. For learning formats, both provide videos, but tastytrade also runs webinars. Neither platform offers paper trading or quizzes. One standout difference is tracking progress—tastytrade lets you monitor what you’ve completed, while Robinhood does not.
Ratings are close: both earn 4 out of 5 stars for education. In StockBrokers.com’s rankings of 14 brokers, Robinhood places #8 and tastytrade is #9. Choose tastytrade if you value webinars and a way to track your learning. Pick Robinhood if bonds education is important to you. Either way, beginners will find clear entry points into markets.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No |
| Education (Fixed Income) | No | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No | No |
| Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Education |
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|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025
Here’s the takeaway: tastytrade and Robinhood both earn 4.5 stars for their stock trading apps, but Robinhood ranks higher (#7 of 14) than tastytrade (#10 of 14) on StockBrokers.com. Each covers the essentials—iPhone and Android apps, mobile options trading, streaming quotes, alerts, custom watchlists, and after-hours charting. Robinhood adds an Apple Watch app and a deep set of technical studies (90), while tastytrade’s notable edge is landscape charting on mobile, which Robinhood lacks. Pick Robinhood if you want Apple Watch support and lots of built-in indicators; pick tastytrade if landscape charts and a simple, focused workflow are priorities.
Apps and trading access: both offer iPhone and Android apps; Apple Watch is available with Robinhood and not with tastytrade. Mobile after-hours stock trading is available with tastytrade; the provided data does not specify this for Robinhood. Both apps support mobile options trading and provide streaming quotes. Neither offers streaming live TV or videos on demand.
Research and charting: both brokers let you create custom watchlists and customize columns. For charts, both offer after-hours data and multiple time frames; tastytrade supports landscape viewing, while Robinhood does not. Technical studies differ sharply—tastytrade has 0, Robinhood has 90. Neither app supports stock comparisons on charts. Ratings are 4.5 stars for both; in the latest rankings, Robinhood is #7 of 14 and tastytrade is #10 of 14.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes |
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Watch App | No | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 0 | 90 |
| Mobile Trading Apps |
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|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025
When deciding between tastytrade and Robinhood for online trading, it's essential to consider various fees and charges to identify which platform best suits your needs. Both platforms offer commission-free trading on regular stock trades and have no minimum deposit requirements, making them accessible to a broad range of investors. However, the difference in options trading fees, margin rates, and other charges might influence your decision based on your trading habits and investment strategies.
Tastytrade and Robinhood cater to options traders, but Robinhood takes the edge here by offering commission-free options trading, while tastytrade charges $0.50 per options contract. Margin rates at tastytrade start at 11% for balances below $25,000 and decrease slightly for higher balances, while Robinhood provides more competitive rates, beginning at 5.75% for balances up to $49,999 and decreasing to 5.55% as balances increase. Additionally, while both platforms waive IRA annual fees, tastytrade imposes a $60 charge for closing an IRA, whereas Robinhood keeps this service free of charge.
For account transfers, tastytrade charges $75 for both partial and full ACAT transfers, which is slightly more favorable compared to Robinhood's $100 fee. Moreover, tastytrade applies fees for options exercises and assignments at $5 each, while Robinhood side-steps these costs entirely. While both platforms have their strengths, your choice may ultimately depend on how you prioritize fees associated with options trading, margin rates, and account management services.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.50 | $0.00 |
| Options Exercise Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Assignment Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $60.00 | $0.00 |
Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025
For day trading, tastytrade and Robinhood share a few core traits but differ in key tools. Both offer ladder trading, yet neither provides streaming time and sales, direct market routing, trading hotkeys, basic strategy backtesting, or maker/taker rebates. Robinhood stands out with level 2 quotes, useful for seeing market depth. tastytrade counters with streaming live TV, advanced strategy backtesting, and a short locator tool that shows real-time borrow availability for short sales.
If your priority is market depth via level 2 quotes alongside a simple ladder, Robinhood has an edge. If you value planning and execution tools like advanced backtesting, real-time short inventory insight, and live market commentary, tastytrade is stronger. Both platforms can handle quick order entry with a ladder, but active traders should weigh which missing features—such as hotkeys, direct routing, or time and sales—matter most to their style.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | No | No |
| Streaming TV | Yes | No |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No | Yes |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | Yes | No |
| Short Locator | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2025 for Beginners and Active Traders
Tastytrade vs Robinhood for market research: both cover the basics, but they shine in different ways. Robinhood holds a slight edge overall with a 2-star research rating and a #10 rank (vs tastytrade’s 1.5 stars and #13). Choose Robinhood if you want access to OTC/pink sheets research; pick tastytrade if screening tools for ETFs and bonds matter more to you.
Both brokers provide stock and ETF research and let you view portfolio allocation by asset class. Neither offers mutual fund or bond research, and both lack social media sentiment and ESG research. Downloadable PDF reports aren’t available for stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds at either broker.
For trade ideas, both include a stock screener. Tastytrade goes further with an ETF screener and a bond screener, which Robinhood does not offer. Robinhood’s key advantage is research for pink sheets/OTC securities, something tastytrade doesn’t support.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Screener - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Screener - ETFs | Yes | No |
| Research - Mutual Funds | No | No |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | No | No |
| Research - Fixed Income | No | No |
| Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
| Research |
|
|
When it comes to banking capabilities, neither tastytrade nor Robinhood provide traditional checking or savings accounts, which might be a drawback for those hoping to manage all their finances in one place. However, Robinhood offers a slight edge by providing debit cards and credit cards, adding some financial flexibility for its users. Tastytrade, in contrast, does not offer any debit or credit card options. Neither platform currently supports CDs or provides mortgage loans. For those seeking a more comprehensive digital banking experience, these offerings are important factors to consider when choosing between the two popular online brokers.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Robinhood
|
|---|---|---|
| Checking Accounts | No | No |
| Savings Accounts | No | No |
| Debit Cards | No | Yes |
| Credit Cards | No | Yes |
| Mortgage Loans | No | No |
| Brokerage CDs | No | 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 tastytrade is better than Robinhood. tastytrade finished with an overall score of 80.1%, while Robinhood finished with a score of 77.3%.
tastytrade isn’t for every investor, but its platform is ideal for frequent options and futures traders, offering efficient workflow, useful risk management tools, killer design, and online content that makes you feel like you’re on a trading desk.
Both tastytrade and Robinhood offer crypto trading to their users; however, while tastytrade provides access to 17 different coins, Robinhood slightly outpaces with a selection of 22 coins, making it a more diversified option for cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025
Both tastytrade and Robinhood offer traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual fees, but tastytrade charges a $60 closure fee while Robinhood does not.
Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
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| Review | tastytrade Review | Robinhood Review |
| Broker Screenshots | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
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| Trading Fees | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | N/A | N/A | |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.50 | $0.00 | |
| Futures (Per Contract) | $1.00 | $0.75 | |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $0 | N/A |
| Margin Rates | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 11% | 5.75% | |
| Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 10.5% | 5.75% | |
| Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 10% | 5.55% | |
| Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 9.5% | 5.25% | |
| Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 9% | 5.25% | |
| Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | 8.5% | 5.25% | |
| Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | 8% | 5% |
| Account Fees | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| IRA Closure Fee | $60.00 | $0.00 | |
| Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $75.00 | $100.00 | |
| Account Transfer Out (Full) | $75.00 | $100.00 | |
| Options Exercise Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 | |
| Options Assignment Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 |
| Investment Options | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| OTC Stocks | No | Yes | |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Complex Options Max Legs | 4 | 4 | |
| Futures Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex Trading | Yes | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 17 | 22 | |
| Fixed Income (Treasurys) | Yes | No | |
| Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) | No | No | |
| Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) | No | No | |
| Traditional IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
| Roth IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes | |
| International Countries (Stocks) | 0 | 1 |
| Order Types | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | Yes | |
| Order Type - OCO | Yes | No | |
| Order Type - OTO | Yes | No | |
| Order Type - Broker Assisted | Yes | No |
| Beginners | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No | |
| Education (Fixed Income) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Retirement Calculator | No | No | |
| Investor Dictionary | Yes | Yes | |
| Paper Trading | No | No | |
| Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Progress Tracking | Yes | No | |
| Interactive Learning - Quizzes | No | No |
| Stock Trading Apps | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple Watch App | No | 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 Features | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Movers (Top Gainers) | Yes | Yes | |
| Stream Live TV | No | 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 |
| Stock App Charting | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 0 | 90 | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Comparisons | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Trading Platform | tastytrade | Robinhood Legend | |
| Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | No | |
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Paper Trading | No | No | |
| Trade Journal | Yes | No | |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 33 | 34 |
| Stock Chart Features | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 308 | 90 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 31 | 2326 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Historical Trades | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Custom Date Range | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Custom Time Bars | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Automated Analysis | No | No | |
| Charting - Save Profiles | Yes | Yes | |
| Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | No | No | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | 7 | 6 | |
| Charting - Custom Studies | Yes | No |
| Day Trading | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | No | No | |
| Streaming TV | Yes | No | |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No | |
| Ladder Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Trade Hot Keys | No | No | |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No | Yes | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | Yes | No | |
| Short Locator | Yes | No | |
| Order Liquidity Rebates | No | No |
| Research Overview | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Mutual Funds | No | No | |
| Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB | No | Yes | |
| Research - Fixed Income | No | No | |
| Screener - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
| Screener - ETFs | Yes | No | |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | No | No | |
| Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Asset Allocation | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Research | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Research - PDF Reports | 0 | 0 | |
| Stock Research - Earnings | No | Yes | |
| Stock Research - Insiders | No | Yes | |
| Stock Research - Social | No | No | |
| Stock Research - News | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - ESG | No | No | |
| Stock Research - SEC Filings | No | No |
| ETF Research | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs - Investment Objective | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings | No | Yes | |
| ETFs - Top 10 Holdings | No | Yes | |
| ETFs - Sector Exposure | No | Yes | |
| ETFs - Risk Analysis | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - Ratings | No | No | |
| ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | No | No | |
| ETFs - PDF Reports | No | No |
| Mutual Fund Research | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual Funds - Investment Objective | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Chart | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Prospectus | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Country Allocation | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - StyleMap | No | No |
| Options Trading | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 5 | |
| Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes | Yes |
| Banking | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank (Member FDIC) | No | No | |
| Checking Accounts | No | No | |
| Savings Accounts | No | No | |
| Credit Cards | No | Yes | |
| Debit Cards | No | Yes | |
| Mortgage Loans | No | No |
| Customer Service | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone Support (Prospective Customers) | Yes | No | |
| Phone Support (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
| Email Support | Yes | Yes | |
| Live Chat (Prospective Customers) | Yes | No | |
| Live Chat (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
| 24/7 Support | No | Yes |
| Overall | tastytrade | Robinhood | |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | tastytrade Review | Robinhood Review |
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