Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025

Written by Jessica Inskip
Edited by Jeff Anberg
Reviewed by Blain Reinkensmeyer
Are you ready to start investing, but aren’t quite sure where to begin? The stock market itself is a lot to take in, and picking the right brokerage platform while learning the ropes can seem like an impossible task. But here’s the good news: today’s brokers are making it easier than ever to take your first steps with tools like fractional shares, educational resources, and even practice accounts to help you build confidence and your portfolio.
I spent months testing 16 online brokers — opening accounts, placing trades, and digging into their features to find the best broker for beginners. Each platform I’ve selected brings something unique to the table, from intuitive design to outstanding education. If you’re ready to start investing, this guide will help you find a brokerage platform that matches your needs, simplifies your learning curve, and gets you closer to your financial goals.
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Best Trading Platforms for Beginners
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Winners Summary
Best trading platform for beginners - Charles Schwab
Company | Minimum Deposit | Stock Trades | Options (Per Contract) |
|
$0.00 | $0.00 | $0.65 |
Why Charles Schwab is the best trading platform for beginners: Charles Schwab stands out as the ultimate platform for self-directed investors, whether you're a beginner or more advanced. No matter where you are in your investment journey, Schwab offers solutions designed to support you every step of the way. The platform is highly accessible and easy to navigate, thanks to its intuitive Schwab Mobile app and user-friendly web platform.
Investor Starter Kit: I found Schwab’s Investor Starter Kit to be the key differentiator. It provides $101 to invest across five top S&P 500 stocks when you fund your account. It is a beginner-friendly experience that combines education with action, helping you learn about investing while you’re actively participating. The Starter Kit is paired with Schwab Stock Slices, which allow you to buy fractional shares of S&P 500 companies starting at just $5.
Education: An award-winning beginner experience requires exceptional investor education, and Schwab delivers. Beginners can access an extensive library of articles, videos, and live webinars that simplify complex topics (like candlestick patterns), from building a diversified portfolio to understanding stock valuations. What impressed me most was how seamlessly Schwab integrates this education directly into its platform, allowing you to learn as you trade. Add to that best-in-class customer support, a wide range of account options (including IRAs and custodial accounts), and zero commissions on stock and ETF trades, and it’s clear why Charles Schwab is our go-to choice for anyone ready to start their investing journey.
Check out my comprehensive review of Charles Schwab to discover more about its features and offerings.
Screenshot tour of Charles Schwab's market research
Screenshot tour of Charles Schwab's educational resources
Beginner-friendly platform for goal planning - Fidelity
Company | Minimum Deposit | Stock Trades | Options (Per Contract) |
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$0.00 | $0.00 | $0.65 |
Why Fidelity is best for goal planning beginners: Fidelity is an outstanding choice for beginner investors, solidifying its position as the runner-up in this category. The Stocks by the Slice feature offers the ability to purchase fractional shares of thousands of stocks and ETFs with as little as $1, a budget-friendly way to build a diversified portfolio without requiring a large upfront investment. During my testing, I found Fidelity’s user experience to be incredibly intuitive and beginner-friendly, with a well-organized dashboard that simplifies portfolio management, market updates, and educational resources.
Fidelity's Learning Center: Fidelity’s Learning Center offers a vast library of tutorials, articles, videos, and webinars that cover essential topics like reading stock charts and understanding asset allocation. The Planning & Guidance Center is another standout tool, helping you craft a personalized roadmap to achieve your financial goals. Fidelity also provides exceptional customer support with knowledgeable representatives who are ready to assist 24/7, winning our top award for the category in our 2025 Annual Awards.
With its beginner-focused features, comprehensive educational offerings, and low-cost structure, Fidelity is an excellent choice for new investors. Visit my full review of Fidelity to learn more about its entire offering.
Screenshot tour of Fidelity's market research
Screenshot tour of Fidelity's educational resources
Best mobile trading app for beginners - E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
Company | Minimum Deposit | Stock Trades | Options (Per Contract) |
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$0.00 | $0.00 | $0.65 |
Why E*TRADE is the best trading app for beginners: E*TRADE is an excellent choice for beginner traders thanks to its intuitive platform and easy-to-use mobile apps. I’ve found the layout clean and straightforward, making it simple for new investors to manage portfolios, monitor quotes, and access market research. E*TRADE Mobile works well for basic trading, while Power E*TRADE offers more advanced tools, perfect for beginners ready to explore options or futures trading. However, it lacks fractional shares and cryptocurrency trading — investment options that some might miss.
Research and education: Another thing that sets E*TRADE apart is its access to detailed research from Morgan Stanley, giving investors a solid foundation for making informed decisions. The same can’t be said for its investor education, which I found to be a mixed bag in my testing. While the real-time data feature does require a $1,000 balance, the variety of customizable charts makes it worth considering. For me, the depth of Power E*TRADE’s charting and trading tools stands out, offering a perfect blend of functionality and simplicity for beginners stepping into more complex trades. The availability of free paper trading on the Power E*TRADE app is also a great benefit for beginners first trying out more complex strategies.
Read my entire E*TRADE review for more details about its platform suite.
Screenshot tour of E*TRADE's market research
Screenshot tour of E*TRADE's educational resources
Pricing and fees comparison
Here's a comparison of pricing across beginner trading platforms. To compare all our collected data side by side, check out our online broker comparison tool.
Company | Minimum Deposit | Stock Trades | Broker Assisted Trade Fee | Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | ETF Trade Fee | Mutual Fund Trade Fee | Options (Per Contract) | Futures (Per Contract) |
|
$0.00 | $0.00 | $25 | $6.95 | $0.00 | Varies | $0.65 | $2.25 |
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$0.00 | $0.00 | $32.95 | $0.00 | $0.00 | Varies info | $0.65 | (Not offered) |
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$0.00 | $0.00 | $25 | $6.95 info | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.65 | $1.50 |
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$0.00 | $0.00 | $29.95 | N/A | $0.00 | Varies info | $0.65 | (Not offered) |
|
$0.00 | $0.00 | Varies | $0.01 | $0.00 | $14.95 info | $0.65 | $0.85 |
|
$0.00 | $0.00 | Varies | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0 | $0.65 | (Not offered) |
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$0.00 | $0.00 | $20 | $4.95 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.50 | (Not offered) |
Beginner education comparison
Here's a comparison of the most popular educational features offered by beginner trading platforms. To compare all our collected data side by side, check out our online broker comparison tool.
Company | Education (Stocks) | Education (ETFs) | Education (Options) | Education (Mutual Funds) | Education (Bonds) | Education (Retirement) | Retirement Calculator | Investor Dictionary | Paper Trading | Videos | Webinars (Archived) | Progress Tracking | Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
|
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
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Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
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Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
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Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Trading platforms tested, data findings
As part of our research process, we create a list of features, set strict definitions for each so our testing is uniform, collect the data, then extrapolate the resulting data to see how common each feature is across the industry as a whole. Here's our findings. To compare all our collected data side by side, check out our online broker comparison tool.
Feature | % of trading platforms that offer each feature |
Education (Stocks) | 80% |
Education (ETFs) | 56% |
Education (Options) | 68% |
Education (Mutual Funds) | 40% |
Education (Bonds) | 36% |
Education (Retirement) | 48% |
Retirement Calculator | 36% |
Investor Dictionary | 60% |
Paper Trading | 46% |
Videos | 64% |
Webinars (Archived) | 60% |
Progress Tracking | 28% |
Interactive Learning - Quizzes | 28% |