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TD Ameritrade vs tastytrade 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

August 29, 2023

Is TD Ameritrade better than tastytrade? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, our analysis finds that TD Ameritrade (97.39%) is better than tastytrade (81.17%). TD Ameritrade delivers $0 trades, fantastic trading platforms, excellent market research, industry-leading education for beginners and reliable customer service. This outstanding all-around experience makes TD Ameritrade one of our top overall brokers in 2023, in which it placed among Best in Class in several categories including options trading and best for beginners. Note: TD Ameritrade was acquired in 2020 by Charles Schwab, and as of August 2023, TD Ameritrade client accounts are being migrated in batches to Schwab, which will retain the standout thinkorswim platform.

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Compare

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Overall Rating TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 1.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review TD Ameritrade Review tastytrade Review
Broker Screenshots TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Trading Platform & Tools Gallery (click to expand)
Research Gallery (click to expand)
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $6.95 N/A
Mutual Fund Trade Fee Varies N/A
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.65 $0.50 info
Futures (Per Contract) $2.25 $1.25
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $25 $0
Margin Rates TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Margin Rate Under $25,000 14.75% info 11.00%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 14.25% 10.50%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 13.25% 10.00%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 13.00% 9.50%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 12.75% 9.00%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 Varies info 8.50%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 Varies info 8.00%
Account Fees TD Ameritrade tastytrade
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $60.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $75.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $75.00 $75.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $5.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $5.00
Investment Options TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares info No Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes No
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 4 4
Futures Trading info Yes Yes
Forex Trading info Yes No
Crypto Trading info No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 25
Mutual Funds (No Load) info 3698 0
Mutual Funds (Total) info 5876 0
Bonds (US Treasury) info Yes No
Bonds (Corporate) info Yes No
Bonds (Municipal) info Yes No
Advisor Services info Yes No
International Countries (Stocks) info 0 0
Order Types TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Order Type - Market info Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit info Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours info Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop info Yes No
Order Type - OCO info Yes Yes
Order Type - OTO info Yes Yes
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes Yes
Beginners TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Bonds) info Yes No
Education (Retirement) info Yes No
Retirement Calculator info Yes No
Investor Dictionary info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Videos info Yes No
Webinars info Yes Yes
Webinars (Archived) info Yes Yes
Progress Tracking info Yes No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info Yes No
Stock Trading Apps TD Ameritrade tastytrade
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes No
Trading - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Trading - Simple Options info Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options info Yes Yes
Order Ticket RT Quotes info Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes info Yes Yes
Stock App Features TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Market Movers (Top Gainers) info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info Yes No
Videos on Demand info Yes No
Stock Alerts info Yes No
Option Chains Viewable info Yes Yes
Watch List (Real-time) info Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Create & Manage info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 514 33
Stock App Charting TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Charting - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes Yes
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes No
Charting - Technical Studies info 400 0
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons info Yes No
Trading Platforms TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Active Trading Platform info thinkorswim tastytrade
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes Yes
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Trade Journal info Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 514 33
Stock Chart Features TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 429 308
Charting - Drawing Tools info 24 19
Charting - Notes info Yes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes No
Charting - Historical Trades info Yes Yes
Charting - Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Custom Date Range info Yes No
Charting - Custom Time Bars info Yes No
Charting - Automated Analysis info Yes No
Charting - Save Profiles info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info Yes No
Charting - Study Customizations info 9 7
Charting - Custom Studies info Yes No
Day Trading TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes No
Streaming TV info Yes Yes
Direct Market Routing - Stocks info Yes No
Ladder Trading info Yes No
Trade Hot Keys info Yes No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info Yes No
Short Locator info No Yes
Order Liquidity Rebates info No No
Research Overview TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes No
Research - Bonds info Yes No
Screener - Stocks info Yes No
Screener - ETFs info Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Screener - Bonds info Yes No
Misc - Portfolio Allocation info Yes No
Stock Research TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 6 0
Stock Research - Earnings info Yes No
Stock Research - Insiders info Yes No
Stock Research - Social info Yes No
Stock Research - News info Yes No
Stock Research - ESG info No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings info Yes No
ETF Research TD Ameritrade tastytrade
ETFs - Strategy Overview info Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets info Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info No No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings info Yes No
ETFs - Sector Exposure info Yes No
ETFs - Risk Analysis info Yes Yes
ETFs - Ratings info Yes No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap info Yes No
ETFs - PDF Reports info Yes No
Mutual Fund Research TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Prospectus info Yes No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation info No No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info Yes No
Options Trading TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Option Chains - Basic View info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View info Yes No
Option Chains - Streaming info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Total Columns info 35 7
Option Chains - Greeks info 5 5
Option Chains - Quick Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes Yes
Option Probability Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Probability Analysis Adv info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Greeks info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Adv Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Rolling info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Grouping info Yes Yes
Banking TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Bank (Member FDIC) info No No
Checking Accounts info Yes No
Savings Accounts info No No
Credit Cards info Yes No
Debit Cards info Yes No
Mortgage Loans info No No
Customer Service TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) info Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
24/7 Support info Yes No
Overall TD Ameritrade tastytrade
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 1.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review TD Ameritrade Review tastytrade Review
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TD Ameritrade vs tastytrade Comparison

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 TD Ameritrade vs tastytrade.

Is TD Ameritrade or tastytrade better for beginners?

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 TD Ameritrade offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than tastytrade. TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement), while tastytrade offers investors access to Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs) and Education (Options).

What about TD Ameritrade vs tastytrade pricing?

TD Ameritrade and tastytrade charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Option contracts are pricier at TD Ameritrade, costing $0.65 per contract versus $0.50 per contract at tastytrade. For futures, TD Ameritrade charges $2.25 per contract and tastytrade charges $1.25 per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does TD Ameritrade or tastytrade offer a wider range of investment options?

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that TD Ameritrade offers a more comprehensive offering than tastytrade. TD Ameritrade ranks #3 out of 17 brokers for our Investment Options category, while tastytrade ranks #12.

TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading, Forex Trading and Advisor Services, while tastytrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading and Futures Trading Looking at Mutual Funds, tastytrade trails TD Ameritrade in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with TD Ameritrade offering 3610 and tastytrade offering 0.

Do TD Ameritrade and tastytrade offer cryptocurrency?

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 neither TD Ameritrade and tastytrade offer crypto trading.

Which trading platform is better: TD Ameritrade or tastytrade?

To compare the day trading platforms of TD Ameritrade and tastytrade, 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, TD Ameritrade offers a better experience.

Does TD Ameritrade or tastytrade offer a better stock trading app?

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of TD Ameritrade and tastytrade, we found TD Ameritrade to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. TD Ameritrade ranks #1 out of 17 brokers, while tastytrade ranks #11.

TD Ameritrade Trading App Gallery

tastytrade Trading App Gallery

Which broker is better for researching stocks?

For research, TD Ameritrade offers superior market research than tastytrade. TD Ameritrade ranks #5 and tastytrade ranks #17.

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.

How do TD Ameritrade and tastytrade compare in terms of minimum deposit required?

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

Which broker offers better margin rates for accounts under $25,000?

TD Ameritrade charges 14.75% for accounts under $25,000 while tastytrade charges a margin rate of 11.00%. The industry average of the 17 brokers we track is 11%.

Does TD Ameritrade offer fractional shares? Does tastytrade?

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.

Can you trade penny stocks with TD Ameritrade or tastytrade?

Neither TD Ameritrade nor tastytrade allow you to trade penny stocks. 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.

Does either broker offer banking?

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Checking Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards are offered by TD Ameritrade while tastytrade offers neither of these. Neither have Savings Accounts and Mortgage Loans.

Which broker offers stronger customer service?

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.

TD Ameritrade was rated 1st out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 9.3 out of 10.

Tastytrade was rated 9th out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 7.6 out of 10.

Is TD Ameritrade good?

TD Ameritrade delivers $0 trades, fantastic trading platforms, excellent market research, industry-leading education for beginners and reliable customer service. This outstanding all-around experience makes TD Ameritrade one of our top overall brokers in 2023, in which it placed among Best in Class in several categories including options trading and best for beginners. Note: TD Ameritrade was acquired in 2020 by Charles Schwab, and as of August 2023, TD Ameritrade client accounts are being migrated in batches to Schwab, which will retain the standout thinkorswim platform.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, TD Ameritrade was rated No. 1 for Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Ease of Use, Beginners, and Customer Service. It also ranked among Best in Class for Commissions & Fees, Research, Investment Options, Education, Active Trading and Overall. TD Ameritrade also won two StockBrokers.com Industry Awards: No. 1 for Phone Support and Trader App.

Is tastytrade good?

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 make you feel like you’re on a trading desk.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, tastytrade ranked among Best in Class for Active Trading, Futures Trading, Investor Community, and Options Trading. Tastytrade also won one StockBrokers.com Industry Award: No. 1 Desktop Trading Platform.

TD Ameritrade vs tastytrade Winner

Overall winner: TD Ameritrade

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tastytrade, Inc. (“tastytrade”) has entered into a Marketing Agreement with Marketing Agent (“Marketing Agent”) whereby tastytrade pays compensation to Marketing Agent to recommend tastytrade’s brokerage services. The existence of this Marketing Agreement should not be deemed as an endorsement or recommendation of Marketing Agent by tastytrade and/or any of its affiliated companies. Neither tastytrade nor any of its affiliated companies is responsible for the privacy practices of Marketing Agent or this website. tastytrade does not warrant the accuracy or content of the products or services offered by Marketing Agent or this website. Marketing Agent is independent and is not an affiliate of tastytrade. tastytrade was previously known as tastyworks, Inc.

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