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eToroAlly Invest Review
Written by Sam Levine, CFA, CMT, Blain Reinkensmeyer
Edited by Carolyn Kimball
Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis
Ally Invest has zeroed out transaction fees on mutual funds, which makes it an easy choice for fund investors. Its universal accounts experience and easy-to-use website offer a convenient, attractively priced solution. Its website is stronger than the mobile app.
-
Minimum Deposit:
$0.00 -
Stock Trades:
$0.00 -
Options (Per Contract):
$0.50
Pros & Cons
Pros
- As far as banking and brokerage combinations go, Ally delivers universal account access and instant money transfers between accounts. The broker ranked among our Best in Class for banking services for 2023.
- Ally offers $0 mutual fund, stock and ETF trades alongside a $0 minimum deposit; options trades are $0.50 per contract.
Cons
- Ally Invest's trading tools trail those of industry leaders TD Ameritrade, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab.
- Considering it’s focused on everyday investors, we think Ally comes up a bit short in investor education and commentary.
Overall summary
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Overall |
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| Investment Options |
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| Commissions & Fees |
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| Mobile Trading Apps |
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| Platforms & Tools |
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| Research |
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| Customer Service |
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| Education |
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| Ease Of Use |
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Ally Invest Trading Platform Screenshots
Website:
Mobile app:
Customer service
To score Customer Service, StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research firm Confero to conduct phone tests from locations throughout the United States. For our 2023 Broker Review, 168 customer service tests were conducted over six weeks, with wait times logged for each call.
Customer service representatives were asked for assistance or details in several areas of broker services, including account opening, trading tools, apps, rollovers, active trading, and more. Here are the results for Ally Invest, which ranked among our Best in Class in this category.
- Average Connection Time: 1-2 minutes
- Average Net Promoter Score: 8.4 / 10
- Average Professionalism Score: 8.4 / 10
- Overall Score: 8.3 / 10
- Ranking: 5th of 14 brokers
Is Ally Invest a good broker?
Current Ally customers who are willing to accept a limited roster of features to manage most of their finances at the same firm will find Ally Invest to be, well, convenient. We were pleasantly surprised by the research available on the website, less so on the mobile app. Ally brokerage also has excellent fixed-income market access and research and offers a very wide choice of mutual funds. Short-term traders, mobile-only, and tool-hungry investors should consider other brokers.
Is Ally Invest good for beginners?
For beginners looking to bank and invest under one roof, Ally Invest could be a good place to start, especially if you already have ties to Ally. We wish Ally would put more effort into education; the content is a bit bland and there’s not enough of it.
Does Ally charge brokerage fees?
Ally does not charge commissions on most stock and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with the exception of stocks priced under $2, which have a minimum of $4.95 a trade and a maximum of 20% of the principal value. Options trades are 50 cents per contract, with no exercise or early assignment fees. That’s lower than some industry leaders. Bond trades are $1 per bond.
Is Ally Invest good for day trading?
Ally Invest doesn’t charge stock commissions (like almost all brokers today) but is missing features many traders rely upon, such as Level 2 quotes, adjusting trades on charts, low margin rates, and detailed option data, among many others. Happily, day traders do have some excellent choices open to them. We’ve chosen the five best in our 2023 Best Day Trading Platforms guide.
Is Ally Invest trustworthy?
Ally Invest is a member of both FINRA and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, or SIPC, which carries protection for customer accounts in the event of a broker’s bankruptcy. It’s important to understand that, as with any broker, SIPC insurance does not protect against market losses — investing is a risky endeavor.
How does Ally Invest make its money?
Ally Invest makes money in the same way that other banks and brokers do. On brokerage accounts, Ally makes money from the practice of payment for order flow, or PFOF, as do nearly all other brokers in this age of $0 trades. Read more about PFOF.
About Ally Invest
Ally Invest is the online brokerage arm of Ally Financial (publicly traded, "ALLY"), which also operates Ally Bank. Ally Financial is best known for its FDIC insured banking services through Ally Bank, which includes online banking (you can read a review of Ally’s high-yield savings account on our sister site, investor.com), auto financing, and home loans.
Compare Ally Invest Competitors
Select one or more of these brokers to compare against Ally Invest.
Show all2023 Review methodology
Our mission at StockBrokers.com is simple: provide thorough and unbiased reviews of online brokers, based on an extraordinary level of hands-on testing and data collection. Our ratings and awards are based on this data and our experts’ deep authority in the field; brokers cannot pay for preferential treatment. Here’s more about trustworthiness at StockBrokers.com.
For the StockBrokers.com 13th Annual Review published in January 2023, a total of 3,332 data points were collected over three months and used to score 17 top brokers. This makes StockBrokers.com home to the largest independent database on the web covering the online broker industry.
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.
Ally Invest 2023 Results
For the StockBrokers.com 2023 Review, all U.S. equity brokers we reviewed were assessed on 196 different variables across eight areas: Commissions & Fees, Investment Options, Platforms & Tools, Research, Mobile Trading, Education, Ease of Use, and Overall.
StockBrokers.com also presented “Best in Class” awards to brokers for additional categories Beginners, Options Trading, Futures Trading, Active Trading, IRA Accounts, Investor Community, Penny Stock Trading, Banking Services and Customer Service. A “Best in Class” designation means finishing in the top five brokers for that category.
For more information, see how we test.
Primary categories
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Ally Invest
|
Overall | Commissions & Fees | Research | Platforms & Tools | Mobile Trading Apps | Investment Options | Education | Ease of Use |
| Rating |
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| Rank #1 | ||||||||
| Streak #1 | ||||||||
| Best in Class | ||||||||
| Best in Class Streak |
Secondary categories
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Ally Invest
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Active Trading | Banking Services | Beginners | Customer Service | Futures Trading | Investor Community | IRA Accounts | Options Trading | Penny Stocks |
| Rank #1 | |||||||||
| Streak #1 | |||||||||
| Best in Class | |||||||||
| Best in Class Streak | 6 |
Ally Invest fees and features data
The data collection efforts at StockBrokers.com are unmatched in the industry. The following tables show a deeper dive into the offerings available at this broker. You can also compare its offerings side-by-side with those of other brokers using our Comparison Tool.
In addition to meticulous annual data collection by our in-house analyst, every broker that participates in our review is afforded the opportunity to complete an in-depth data profile. We then audit each data point to ensure its accuracy.
Trading fees
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $0.00 |
| Options (Base Fee) | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.50 |
| Futures (Per Contract) | N/A |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $20 |
Account fees
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $25.00 |
| Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $50.00 |
| Account Transfer Out (Full) | $50.00 |
| Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 |
| Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 |
Margin rates
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 10.75% |
| Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 10.50% |
| Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 9.75% |
| Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 8.50% |
| Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 7.50% |
| Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | 7.00% |
| Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | 6.25% |
Investment options
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Stock Trading | Yes |
| Margin Trading | Yes |
| Fractional Shares | No |
| OTC Stocks | Yes |
| Options Trading | Yes |
| Complex Options Max Legs | 4 |
| Futures Trading | No |
| Forex Trading | Yes |
| Crypto Trading | No |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 |
| Mutual Funds (No Load) | 13500 |
| Mutual Funds (Total) | 15000 |
| Bonds (US Treasury) | Yes |
| Bonds (Corporate) | Yes |
| Bonds (Municipal) | Yes |
| Advisor Services | Yes |
| International Countries (Stocks) | 0 |
Order types
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Order Type - Market | Yes |
| Order Type - Limit | Yes |
| Order Type - After Hours | Yes |
| Order Type - Stop | Yes |
| Order Type - Trailing Stop | No |
| Order Type - OCO | No |
| Order Type - OTO | No |
| Order Type - Broker Assisted | Yes |
Beginners
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes |
| Education (Options) | Yes |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes |
| Education (Bonds) | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes |
| Retirement Calculator | No |
| Investor Dictionary | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No |
| Videos | No |
| Webinars | No |
| Webinars (Archived) | Yes |
| Progress Tracking | No |
| Interactive Learning - Quizzes | No |
Stock trading apps
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| iPhone App | Yes |
| Android App | Yes |
| Apple Watch App | No |
| Trading - Stocks | Yes |
| Trading - After-Hours | Yes |
| Trading - Simple Options | Yes |
| Trading - Complex Options | Yes |
| Order Ticket RT Quotes | Yes |
| Order Ticket SRT Quotes | No |
Stock app features
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Market Movers (Top Gainers) | Yes |
| Stream Live TV | No |
| Videos on Demand | No |
| Stock Alerts | No |
| Option Chains Viewable | Yes |
| Watch List (Real-time) | Yes |
| Watch List (Streaming) | No |
| Watch Lists - Create & Manage | Yes |
| Watch Lists - Column Customization | No |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 21 |
Stock app charting
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Charting - After-Hours | No |
| Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | Yes |
| Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 17 |
| Charting - Study Customizations | No |
| Charting - Stock Comparisons | Yes |
Trading platforms overview
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Active Trading Platform | N/A |
| Desktop Trading Platform | No |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | No |
| Web Trading Platform | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No |
| Trade Journal | No |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 21 |
Trading platform stock chart features
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 117 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 36 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
| Charting - Historical Trades | No |
| Charting - Corporate Events | No |
| Charting - Custom Date Range | No |
| Charting - Custom Time Bars | No |
| Charting - Automated Analysis | Yes |
| Charting - Save Profiles | Yes |
| Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | Yes |
| Charting - Study Customizations | 5 |
| Charting - Custom Studies | No |
Day trading features
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Streaming Time & Sales | No |
| Streaming TV | No |
| Direct Market Routing - Stocks | No |
| Ladder Trading | No |
| Trade Hot Keys | No |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No |
| Short Locator | No |
| Order Liquidity Rebates | No |
Investment research overview
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Research - Stocks | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes |
| Research - Mutual Funds | Yes |
| Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No |
| Screener - Stocks | No |
| Screener - ETFs | Yes |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | No |
| Screener - Bonds | Yes |
| Misc - Portfolio Allocation | No |
Stock research features
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Stock Research - PDF Reports | 2 |
| Stock Research - Earnings | Yes |
| Stock Research - Insiders | Yes |
| Stock Research - Social | Yes |
| Stock Research - News | Yes |
| Stock Research - ESG | No |
| Stock Research - SEC Filings | Yes |
ETF research features
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| ETFs - Strategy Overview | Yes |
| ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | Yes |
| ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | Yes |
| ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets | Yes |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings | Yes |
| ETFs - Top 10 Holdings | Yes |
| ETFs - Sector Exposure | No |
| ETFs - Risk Analysis | Yes |
| ETFs - Ratings | Yes |
| ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | No |
| ETFs - PDF Reports | Yes |
Mutual fund research features
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview | Yes |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Chart | Yes |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis | Yes |
| Mutual Funds - Prospectus | No |
| Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings | Yes |
| Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown | Yes |
| Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings | Yes |
| Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation | No |
| Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation | Yes |
| Mutual Funds - Country Allocation | No |
| Mutual Funds - StyleMap | No |
Options trading overview
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Option Chains - Basic View | Yes |
| Option Chains - Strategy View | Yes |
| Option Chains - Streaming | Yes |
| Option Chains - Total Columns | 8 |
| Option Chains - Greeks | 1 |
| Option Chains - Quick Analysis | Yes |
| Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes |
| Option Probability Analysis | Yes |
| Option Probability Analysis Adv | No |
| Option Positions - Greeks | Yes |
| Option Positions - Greeks Streaming | No |
| Option Positions - Adv Analysis | Yes |
| Option Positions - Rolling | Yes |
| Option Positions - Grouping | Yes |
Banking features
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Bank (Member FDIC) | Yes |
| Checking Accounts | Yes |
| Savings Accounts | Yes |
| Credit Cards | No |
| Debit Cards | Yes |
| Mortgage Loans | Yes |
Customer service options
| Feature |
Ally Invest
|
| Phone Support (Prospect Customers) | Yes |
| Phone Support (Current Customers) | Yes |
| Email Support | Yes |
| Live Chat (Prospect Customers) | Yes |
| Live Chat (Current Customers) | Yes |
| 24/7 Support | Yes |
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About the Editorial Team
Sam Levine is a longtime writer, investor and educator with nearly three decades of experience in the investing industry. His specialty is making even the most complicated investing concepts easy to understand for beginning and intermediate investors. He holds two of the most widely recognized certifications in the investment management industry, the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Chartered Market Technician designations. Previously, he was a contributing editor at BetterInvesting Magazine and a contributor to The Penny Hoarder and other media outlets.
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 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 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.