Robinhood vs TradeStation 2023

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. We spend hundreds of hours each year testing the platforms, mobile apps, trading tools and general ease of use among online brokerages, as well as comparing commissions and fees, to find the best online broker.

Though many U.S. brokers offer basic trading features, such as an app, charting tools, stock research and educational content, the depth of those features can vary widely. Let's compare Robinhood vs TradeStation.

In stock trading, the more you know, the better you’ll do. Taking advantage of resources like articles, webinars, videos and interactive elements is a great way to shorten the learning curve. In our analysis, we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials.

For 2023, our review finds that Robinhood offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than TradeStation. Robinhood offers investors access to Education (Stocks) and Education (Options), while TradeStation offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks) and Education (Options). Neither have Education (ETFs), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement).

Robinhood and TradeStation charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Option contracts are pricier at TradeStation, costing $0.60 per contract versus $0.00 per contract at Robinhood. For futures, TradeStation charges $1.50 per contract and Robinhood charges (Not offered) per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that TradeStation offers a more comprehensive offering than Robinhood. Robinhood ranks #14 out of 18 brokers for our Investment Options category, while TradeStation ranks #5.

Robinhood offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading and OTC Stocks, while TradeStation offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading. Neither have Forex Trading and Advisor Services Looking at Mutual Funds, Robinhood and TradeStation both provide customers access to 0 no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds.

In our analysis of top U.S. brokerages, we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum. Though crypto has risen steadily in popularity, availability still varies from broker to broker. Our review finds that both Robinhood and TradeStation offer crypto trading.

To compare the day trading platforms of Robinhood and TradeStation, we focused on trading tools and functionality across both web and desktop-based platforms. Popular day trading platform tools include streaming real-time quotes, stock alerts, trading hotkeys, direct market routing, streaming time and sales, customizable watch lists, backtesting, and fully functional charting packages, among many others. For day trading, TradeStation offers a better experience.

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of Robinhood and TradeStation, we found TradeStation to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. Robinhood ranks #9 out of 18 brokers, while TradeStation ranks #8.

Robinhood Trading App Gallery

TradeStation Trading App Gallery

For research, TradeStation offers superior market research than Robinhood. Robinhood ranks #14 and TradeStation ranks #10.

Over the years, we've found that the best brokers provide rich market commentary, a variety of third-party research reports, and thorough quote screens that are not just easy to navigate, but that also include a comprehensive selection of fundamental data. Robust stock, ETFs, and mutual fund screeners are also must-haves for trade idea generation.

Robinhood requires a minimum deposit of $0.00, while TradeStation requires a minimum deposit of $0.00. From our testing, we found that SoFi is the only broker that requires a minimum deposit.

Robinhood charges 12% for accounts under $25,000 while TradeStation charges a margin rate of 13.5%. The industry average of the 18 brokers we track is 9%.

Fractional shares are not offered by either broker. Our research has found that 41% of brokers offer fractional shares investing. Fractional shares allow traders to buy a part of a whole share of stock. For example, if Amazon is trading at $1,000, you could buy half a share for $500.

Both Robinhood and TradeStation allow you to trade penny stocks. Robinhood charges N/A per trade while TradeStation charges $0.00. Penny stocks are companies whose shares trade for under $5 and are listed over the counter (OTC). For brokers that do offer penny stock trades, the average commission is $3.

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Debit Cards are offered by Robinhood while TradeStation offers none. Neither have Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.

StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research group Confero to conduct phone tests from locations across the United States to thoroughly evaluate the quality and speed of brokerage customer service. (Read more about How We Test.) Here are the results of our current testing.

Robinhood’s customer service could not be tested or rated due to the fact it does not offer phone support for prospective customers.

TradeStation was rated 10th out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 7.5 out of 10.

Robinhood is very easy to use and its educational content is a joy to read. But, in today’s competitive market for your investing dollars, there are several more compelling options among brokerages.

TradeStation supports casual traders through its web-based platform and active traders through its desktop platform. We like the web-based platform and mobile app, but the flagship desktop platform could use a refresh. TradeStation ranked among Best in Class in the Commissions and Fees and Investment Options categories in our 2023 Annual Review of online stockbrokers.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, TradeStation ranked among Best in Class for Commission & Fees, Investment Options, Active Trading, Futures Trading, and Penny Stocks. TradeStation also won one StockBrokers.com Industry Award: No. 1 for Crypto Technology.