Popular day trading platform tools include ladder trading, Level II quotes, trade hot keys, direct market routing, stock alerts, streaming time and sales, customizable watch lists, and backtesting, among many others.
Below you can find a trading platform comparison table of common tools and features. For a full comparison of 150+ features, use our comparison tool.
Here's a comparison of pricing across the best brokers for day trading. For more comparisons, use the online broker comparison tool.
Most brokers charge commissions and/or per-contract fees on options trades. If you day trade options, those commissions can pile up quickly. Firstrade, Robinhood and Webull don’t charge for trading and exercising options. We found Webull’s desktop platform to be very friendly to beginners; while if you’re willing to pay commissions, then E*TRADE offers the best balance between ease of use and useful tools.
What app do most day traders use?
Every day trader has unique needs. That’s why we highlight the strengths and weaknesses of many brokers. E*TRADE and TD Ameritrade allow you to choose between basic apps and special ones tailor-made for active traders on the go.
Can you day trade on multiple platforms?
Yes. It is not uncommon for day traders to have multiple brokerage accounts and use several trading platforms simultaneously. Common reasons why traders use multiple platforms include having a backup in case of an outage, running dedicated trading strategies, or accessing specific trading tools not available elsewhere.
What are the risks of day trading?
Because day trading involves actively buying and selling stocks throughout the day using margin (borrowed capital), it is inherently risky. Like poker, losing streaks can cause traders to take undisciplined risks, magnifying losses. Some day trading software — for example, a trading journal — can help identify your strengths and weaknesses, provided you’re diligent in entering your trades.
Can you start day trading with $500?
If you do not have at least a $25,000 balance, margin approval, and Pattern Day Trader status, you can only place four day trades over a period of five business days before your account becomes restricted.
Is day trading illegal?
In the U.S., day trading is legal. To day trade, you must have at least a $25,000 minimum account balance and be approved as a Pattern Day Trader. Once classified as a PDT, you gain access to 4:1 margin intraday and 2:1 margin for holding open positions overnight.
Is day trading worth it?
In today's market, hedge funds running sophisticated algorithms make it very difficult to day trade profitably. Most day traders are also severely undercapitalized and get suckered into paying for expensive chat room memberships, educational courses, and newsletter subscriptions on social media. Here's a breakdown of what I learned from day trading.
What is the best platform for day trading?
For the lowest pricing, Fidelity's Active Trader Pro (ATP) is the best day trading platform thanks to $0 trades with no payment for order flow (PFOF). Fidelity aside, TradeStation and TD Ameritrade offer the most trading tools and platform customizations. Finally, for the lowest margin rates and most order types, the Trader Workstation (TWS) trading platform from Interactive Brokers is best.
What is the fastest trading platform?
The fastest trading platforms are TradeStation, TD Ameritrade thinkorswim, and Interactive Brokers Traders Workstation (TWS) because they are desktop-based.
More details: With a desktop trading platform, the base code runs locally on your computer, maximizing speed. That said, web-based trading platforms built with modern code can match desktop platforms in overall speed. Software aside, like esports, the most common bottleneck for any trading platform is the internet connection.
2022 Overall Ranking
Here are the Overall rankings for the 15 online brokers who participated in our 2022 Review, sorted by Overall ranking.
Methodology
For the StockBrokers.com 12th Annual Review published in January 2022, a total of 3,075 data points were collected over three months and used to score 15 top brokers. This makes StockBrokers.com home to the largest independent database on the web covering the online broker industry.
In order to assess the overall day trading experience, we test across a wide range of devices and operating systems.
Testing was done on devices for both Apple and Android operating systems. For Apple: iPhone XS with the most current iOS. For Android: Samsung Galaxy S9+, 6.2" 4K Super AMOLED (2960x1440) 64-bit Octa-Core Snapdragon 835 Processor 2.7GHz, 6GB RAM 6.2" with the most current operating system.
Our research team rigorously tests the most important features sought by day traders, such as trading costs — including margin rates and order execution quality — and factors such as ladder trading, stock alerts, streaming time and sales and customizable watch lists, among others. In total, we evaluate more than 200 variables for each broker.
As part of our annual review process, all brokers had the opportunity to provide updates and key milestones and complete an in-depth data profile, which we hand-checked for accuracy. Brokers also were offered the opportunity to provide executive time for an annual update meeting.
Our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .001% each year, providing site visitors quality data they can trust. Learn more about how we test.
Read Next
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About the Author
Blain Reinkensmeyer
Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.
Carolyn Kimball
Carolyn Kimball is managing editor for Reink Media and the lead editor for the StockBrokers.com Annual Review. Carolyn has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience at major media outlets including NerdWallet, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. She specializes in coverage of personal financial products and services, wielding her editing skills to clarify complex (some might say befuddling) topics to help consumers make informed decisions about their money.
Steven Hatzakis
Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. Steven is an active fintech and crypto industry researcher and advises blockchain companies at the board level. Over the past 20 years, Steven has held numerous positions within the international forex markets, from writing to consulting to serving as a registered commodity futures representative.
1 Fidelity Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal. Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.
TD Ameritrade, Inc. and StockBrokers.com are separate, unaffiliated companies and are not responsible for each other’s services and products.
*Webull Disclaimer View Disclaimer.
Interactive Brokers
Charles Schwab
eToro
TD Ameritrade
Fidelity
Merrill Edge
E*TRADE
TradeStation
Charles Schwab 
Merrill Edge 
Firstrade 
Ally Invest 
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing 
Tradier 
Webull 
Robinhood 
Vanguard 
Sofi Invest 
