Charles Schwab
Interactive Brokers
Fidelity
E*TRADE
Merrill Edge
TradeStation
tastytrade
Finviz
Stock Rover
TipRanks
TrendSpider
Trade Ideas
TraderSync
TradingView
Tradervue
TradeZellaBest Options Trading Platforms for 2025
Written by Jessica Inskip
Edited by Jeff Anberg
Reviewed by Blain Reinkensmeyer
Jessica InskipJessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research.
Options trading has never been more accessible. Retail options volume has even overtaken institutional trading, marking a fundamental shift in how the market operates. However, what makes options truly exciting isn’t just their growth but the versatility they can bring to your portfolio.
The best brokers for options trading go beyond seamless order tickets and low fees; they offer tools to manage positions, analyze risk, and refine options strategies. As someone who primarily trades options, I know firsthand how the right platform can make or break your user experience or even your portfolio. Here are my top brokerage picks for options trading in 2025, detailing what makes these platforms the best for options traders.
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Best Options Trading Platforms of 2025
To determine the best brokerage for options trading, I combined rigorous quantitative and qualitative testing across 30+ variables. I assessed whether brokers provide essential tools like detailed options chains, analysis features, access to the greeks, and seamless multi-leg order execution. More importantly, I evaluated how effectively these tools serve retail options traders. Many firms claim to be the best, but few truly deliver. Here are the top performers for options trading in 2025.
- Minimum Deposit: $0.00
- Stock Trades: $0.00
- Options (Per Contract): $0.50
The tastytrade platform is ideal for frequent options traders, with a per-contract commission that’s 23% less than top rivals. It also offers efficient workflow, useful risk management tools, great design and strong online content, and won our No. 1 Desktop Options Trading Platform award for 2025. Read full review
- Excellent layout
- Clear expertise with active trading
- Great stock options pricing
- Maverick approach makes initial learning curve a bit steep
- Few choices for long-term investing
- Minimum Deposit: $0.00
- Stock Trades: $0.00
- Options (Per Contract): $0.65
Schwab's acquisition of TD Ameritrade brings thinkorswim functionality to Schwab customers. Options traders will appreciate the powerful combo of Schwab's equity research and thinkorswim's phenomenal charts and Hacker tools. Read full review
- TD Ameritrade’s excellent thinkorswim trading platforms now available
- Trading-friendly app and browser enhancements
- Exceptional high net worth services
- No cryptocurrency trading
- Mutual fund fees are complex
- Minimum Deposit: $0.00
- Stock Trades: $0.00
- Options (Per Contract): $0.65
Trading tools within the Trader Workstation platform are built for professional options traders, encompassing algorithmic trading, Options Strategy Lab, Volatility Lab, Risk Navigator, Market Scanner and other features. The tradeoff is that TWS is not beginner-friendly. Read full review
- Astounding array of customizable tools
- Allows trading in foreign markets
- Convenient apps for individual investors
- Restrictive trading permissions
- Main platforms might feel cold
- Minimum Deposit: $0.00
- Stock Trades: $0.00
- Options (Per Contract): $0.65
Fidelity is a value-driven online broker offering $0 trades, industry-leading research, excellent trading tools and an easy-to-use mobile app. Read full review
- Excellent research and mobile app
- Top-notch education
- Decades of reliable client service
- No dedicated mobile app for active trading
- Minimum Deposit: $0.00
- Stock Trades: $0.00
- Options (Per Contract): $0.65
For beginner, casual, and active options traders, Power E*TRADE offers the perfect blend of usability, excellent tools and seamless position management — custom grouping, real-time streaming Greeks, risk analysis, and more. Read full review
- Watch lists are the best in the business
- Smooth mobile navigation
- High-quality high-net-worth Morgan Stanley proprietary research
- Cryptocurrencies not currently available
- Margin rates are high compared to other brokers
Compare trading platforms head-to-head
Use the broker comparison tool to compare over 150 different account features and fees.
Top picks for options brokers
Best broker for options trading - tastytrade
| Company | Minimum Deposit | Stock Trades | Options (Per Contract) |
 tastytrade
|
$0.00 | $0.00 | $0.50 |
Why tastytrade is the best broker for options trading in 2025: tastytrade gives serious options traders exactly what they need: smarter tools, faster execution, and unmatched education. It’s not just low-cost, it’s purpose-built by industry veterans who understand the real challenges of trading options. From live trade analysis on tastylive to instant feedback on strategy risk and exposure, everything on the platform helps you trade better. In my experience, tastytrade doesn’t just support options trading; it teaches you to master it.
Platform features:
- Real-time net greeks: As you build or adjust trades, net greeks update instantly, helping you manage directional exposure and volatility risk before executing.
- Visual order building: The interactive options chain makes trade construction intuitive by allowing you to click and build complex spreads directly from the chain.
- Full-featured mobile app: The mobile experience mirrors the desktop platform, letting you analyze trades, adjust positions, and monitor risk on the go.
Best full-service broker for options and stock investors - Charles Schwab
| Company | Minimum Deposit | Stock Trades | Options (Per Contract) |
 Charles Schwab
|
$0.00 | $0.00 | $0.65 |
Why Charles Schwab is the best full-service brokerage firm for options traders: With the Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade merger now fully integrated, we’re seeing the best of both platforms come together. Any gaps that existed before have been filled, creating one of the most comprehensive trading experiences available today. Schwab is my pick for the best overall brokerage firm, although when it comes to options, it lands at second-place, only behind tastytrade, which is itself hyper-focused on primarily options trading.
Platform features:
- thinkorswim integration: Schwab now offers the full thinkorswim suite, including advanced tools like the Earnings Analyzer and custom strategy backtesting.
- Options pairing and visualization: Positions are automatically grouped, and the platform supports side-by-side P&L charts and volatility graphs for trade review.
- Institutional-grade research: Schwab’s in-house equity and options research tools are among the best for fundamental and technical idea generation.
Best for professional options traders - Interactive Brokers
| Company | Minimum Deposit | Stock Trades | Options (Per Contract) |
 Interactive Brokers
|
$0.00 | $0.00 | $0.65 |
Why Interactive Brokers is the best broker for professional options traders: Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is the ultimate options trading platform for serious traders who need institutional-grade tools. Every part of the platform is built for risk management, efficiency, and advanced strategy execution and monitoring.
Platform features:
- Risk Navigator: This tool allows you to beta-weight your entire portfolio and run stress tests to model exposure across various market scenarios.
- Smart order routing: IBKR's algorithm seeks best price execution across exchanges, optimizing fill prices for multi-leg trades.
- Global access: Trade options are available across the U.S. and international exchanges within the same platform, with support for multiple currencies and markets.
Options trading platform pricing comparison
Here's a summary of the pricing for the best options trading brokers.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Charles Schwab
|
Interactive Brokers
|
 Fidelity
|
 E*TRADE
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.50 | $0.65 | $0.65 | $0.65 | $0.65 |
| Futures (Per Contract) | $1.00 | $2.25 | $0.85 | (Not offered) | $1.50 |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $0 | $25 | Varies | $32.95 | $25 |
Options trading platform tools comparison
Here's a summary of the primary options trading features offered by the best options trading brokers.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Charles Schwab
|
Interactive Brokers
|
Fidelity
|
E*TRADE
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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About the Editorial Team
Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research, appears regularly on CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg, and hosts the Market MakeHer podcast.
Jeff Anberg is a Senior Editor at StockBrokers.com. Along with years of experience in media distribution at a global newsroom, Jeff has a versatile knowledge base encompassing the technology and financial markets. He is a long-time active investor and engages in research on emerging markets like cryptocurrency. Jeff holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature with a minor in Philosophy from San Francisco State University.
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.