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Tradier Brokerage Review

Sam Levine, CFA, CMT

Written by Sam Levine, CFA, CMT, Chris McKhann
Edited by Carolyn Kimball
Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis

February 23, 2023

If you’re trying out advanced charting applications and want to trade from them, Tradier Brokerage is a very logical choice. Tradier can link to dozens of third-party applications, including some of the most popular on the market. As a stand-alone broker, Tradier doesn’t offer many of the features industry leaders include for free.

Tradier
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.00
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Trade Options FREE For 1 Year

Pros & Cons

thumb_up_off_alt Pros

  • Power traders and investors can choose among an immense variety of compatible platforms.
  • If there’s nothing available on the marketplace that suits you, you can build your own platform.
  • U.S. citizens and permanent residents can open accounts from 120 countries.

thumb_down_off_alt Cons

  • Tradier doesn’t offer cryptocurrencies, futures, pink sheets or OTCBB stocks.
  • Mutual funds and fixed income require a phone call to the trading desk.
  • Third-party apps can add to cost.
  • Tradier charges inactivity and IRA fees.

Overall Summary

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Overall 4/5 Stars
Investment Options 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3.5/5 Stars
Research 2.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 3.5/5 Stars
Education 2/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 4.5/5 Stars

Investment options

As noted, offerings are narrow. This is clearly a broker for traders specifically interested in stocks, ETFs and options. Those looking for futures or crypto should check out competitors Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade or tastytrade.

Cryptocurrency: Tradier does not currently offer any cryptocurrencies.

Retirement services: While Tradier does offer IRAs, they carry an annual fee of $30 and a $60 fee if you close the account.

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Stock Trading Yes
Margin Trading Yes
OTC Stocks No
Options Trading Yes
Complex Options Max Legs 4
Bonds (US Treasury) No
Futures Trading No
Forex Trading No
Mutual Funds (Total) 0
Advisor Services No
Crypto Trading No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 0
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Commissions and fees

Tradier Brokerage has no commissions on stock or ETF trades. While most brokers are charging $0.65 for options trades, Tradier charges $0.35, or $0 with a $10 monthly subscription.

Other fees: As noted, IRAs have an annual fee of $30 and a closure fee of $60. Mutual fund trades cost $30. There are some additional fees: $10 for a broker-assisted trade and $9 for options exercise or assignment. A $50 inactivity fee kicks in for accounts under $2,000 and one or no trades in a year. International accounts have even higher inactivity fees.

Tradier’s Pro package offers the proprietary TradeHawk platform, which starts at $10 per month and includes no-commission option trades. Third-party packages have separate pricing.

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Minimum Deposit $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) N/A
ETF Trade Fee $0.00
Options (Base Fee) $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.00
Options Exercise Fee $9.00
Options Assignment Fee $9.00
Futures (Per Contract) $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $30
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $10
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Mobile trading apps

The mobile app is straightforward but trails the competition in terms of functionality, especially given that the company aims at the advanced trader. The charts are just OK and tools are basic.

Ease of use: The mobile app is easy to use, but not as straightforward as those of top competitors. Building multi-leg trades is simple and quick.

News feed: The news feed could be better curated. We checked the news on Apple stock and were bemused to find a Fox News article promoting eating an apple a day. As detailed as our broker reviews go, we don’t demand that brokers share dietary tips.

Watch lists: The watch list on mobile is more functional than that on the website. It links to the charts, which then have Level 1 data and a trade tab.

Charting: Charting on mobile is not as advanced as at many of Tradier’s competitors. You can change the time frame and toggle between line and candlestick, but you can’t zoom or scroll. There are no indicators to add. The chart is up off the right side of the screen, making it hard to see the current data.

Trading tools: Option chains on mobile offer the very basics, and calls and puts are listed separately. You can build multi-leg options trades easily — the best feature of the app.

Feature Tradier logoTradier
iPhone App Yes
Android App Yes
Apple Watch App No
Stock Alerts No
Charting - After-Hours No
Charting - Technical Studies 0
Charting - Study Customizations No
Watch List (Streaming) Yes
Watch Lists - Create & Manage Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization No

Other trading platforms and tools

The real value in Tradier Brokerage is its API and ability to link out to a variety of trading platforms. The functionality of these platforms is excellent, but there are monthly fees charged to use them (look for free trials). This makes Tradier great for advanced traders who are willing to pay for the platform of their choice or build their own app.

Platforms overview: The web-based trading is simple but effective for stocks and ETFs. Multi-leg strategies are easy to set up and trade. Some of the third-party platforms have excellent tools and functionality, but as they carry additional fees, we do not review them here. Investors will want to factor in any additional costs, because Tradier’s basic web trading is unlikely to suffice.

Watch lists: Adding stocks to the watch list is done through the quote feature on the homepage. The watch list also doesn’t link to the research page and the other functionality doesn’t work as well as it should.

Charting: Charting on the website is excellent and provides a solid library of studies and drawing tools. Housing it under research and not making it accessible though the watch list, however, is odd and makes for a less-than-seamless experience.

Trading tools: Trading tools on the website are simple but effective for stock, ETF and options trading. The trade ticket allows for building a wide variety of multi-leg strategies, with a maximum of four legs, a customary limit among options brokers.

Options trading: The options chains are not customizable, other than changing the number of strikes.

Futures trading: Tradier does not offer futures trading.

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Active Trading Platform TradeHawk
Desktop Trading Platform Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) Yes
Web Trading Platform Yes
Paper Trading Yes
Trade Journal No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 15
Charting - Indicators / Studies 95
Charting - Drawing Tools 0
Charting - Study Customizations 7
Charting - Save Profiles No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis No
Streaming Time & Sales No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting No
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Research

Tradier Brokerage’s research includes an overview of the stock, a listing of financial metrics, a news feed and a technical analysis rating for different time periods. Third-party research PDFs, a TipRanks widget or earnings consensus information are notably missing.

Stock research: There is a description of the stock, basic fundamental data and a technical rating. It’s unclear what factors drive the technical rating, which makes us reluctant to rely on it.

Market commentary: Tradier offers its own OptionsBrewTV with some market commentary. It can be found through the login page and on a YouTube channel.

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Research - Stocks Yes
Stock Research - ESG No
Stock Research - PDF Reports 0
Screener - Stocks No
Research - ETFs Yes
Screener - ETFs No
Research - Mutual Funds No
Screener - Mutual Funds No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB No
Research - Bonds No

Education

There are some educational videos offered through OptionBrewTV and paper trading, but little beyond that, other than a poorly written blog that is doing Tradier’s brand no favors. Tradier is aimed at a sophisticated audience and its market commentary should reflect that. Many other brokers are making great strides in investor education these days. If you want robust educational content, consider Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab and, for advanced traders, Interactive Brokers.

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Education (Stocks) No
Education (ETFs) No
Education (Options) No
Education (Mutual Funds) No
Education (Bonds) No
Education (Retirement) No
Paper Trading Yes
Videos No
Webinars No
Webinars (Archived) No
Progress Tracking No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes No
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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 Tradier.

  • Average Connection Time: <1 minute
  • Average Net Promoter Score: 7.4 / 10
  • Average Professionalism Score: 6.4 / 10
  • Overall Score: 7.4 / 10
  • Ranking: 11th of 14 brokers

Final thoughts

Tradier Brokerage targets a very specific audience: advanced, active stock, ETF and option traders who don’t mind paying for the platform of their choice. If you fall into this category, Tradier could be a solid choice. If you don’t, look for a broker that offers the tools and instruments you are looking for. (We offer guides and a comparison tool that can help you narrow down your choices.) Here are our top takeaways for Tradier for 2023.

  1. Tradier may appeal to advanced traders, especially those looking to use their own programming skills.
  2. Traders who like to platform-shop will feel like kids in a candy store at Tradier.
  3. Beginner traders who are still building skills will find a better fit with an industry leader like Fidelity or E*TRADE.

About Tradier

Tradier, Inc., is a cloud-based financial services provider and brokerage API company. The company’s platform services providers, advisors, developers and individual investors. It was founded in 2012 in North Carolina.

Is Tradier a brokerage?

Yes, Tradier is a registered broker that trades stocks, exchange-traded funds and options. Our research found that it could be an appealing choice for active traders looking to use their own programming skills or those looking for a specific trading platform.

How does Tradier make money?

Tradier does not charge commissions on stock and ETF trades. Instead, exchanges and other parties pay Tradier to execute customers’ trades, a common practice called payment for order flow (PFOF). Tradier also offers margin lending and charges incidental fees.

Does Tradier have paper trading?

Yes, Tradier provides a virtual portfolio that can be accessed on the account tab. Paper trading, which not all brokers offer, allows you to practice stock trading by simulating a stock purchase or sale without risking real money. Paper, or virtual, trading can be a useful tool for learning about buying and selling stocks.

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2023 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.

Tradier 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

Tradier logoTradier Overall Commissions & Fees Research Platforms & Tools Mobile Trading Apps Investment Options Education Ease of Use
Rating 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars 2/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Rank #1
Streak #1
Best in Class
Best in Class Streak

Tradier 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 Tradier logoTradier
Minimum Deposit $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $30
Options (Base Fee) $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.00
Futures (Per Contract) $0.00
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $10

Account fees

Feature Tradier logoTradier
IRA Annual Fee $30.00
IRA Closure Fee $60.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $75.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) $75.00
Options Exercise Fee $9.00
Options Assignment Fee $9.00

Margin rates

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Margin Rate Under $25,000 8.75%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 8.75%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 8.75%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 8.75%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 8.75%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 8.75%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 8.75%

Investment options

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Stock Trading Yes
Margin Trading Yes
Fractional Shares No
OTC Stocks No
Options Trading Yes
Complex Options Max Legs 4
Futures Trading No
Forex Trading No
Crypto Trading No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 0
Mutual Funds (No Load) 0
Mutual Funds (Total) 0
Bonds (US Treasury) No
Bonds (Corporate) No
Bonds (Municipal) No
Advisor Services No
International Countries (Stocks) 0
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Order types

Feature Tradier logoTradier
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 Yes
Order Type - OTO Yes
Order Type - Broker Assisted Yes

Beginners

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Education (Stocks) No
Education (ETFs) No
Education (Options) No
Education (Mutual Funds) No
Education (Bonds) No
Education (Retirement) No
Retirement Calculator No
Investor Dictionary No
Paper Trading Yes
Videos No
Webinars No
Webinars (Archived) No
Progress Tracking No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes No
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Stock trading apps

Feature Tradier logoTradier
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 Tradier logoTradier
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) Yes
Watch Lists - Create & Manage Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 15

Stock app charting

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Charting - After-Hours No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 0
Charting - Study Customizations No
Charting - Stock Comparisons No

Trading platforms overview

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Active Trading Platform TradeHawk
Desktop Trading Platform Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) Yes
Web Trading Platform Yes
Paper Trading Yes
Trade Journal No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 15

Trading platform stock chart features

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 95
Charting - Drawing Tools 0
Charting - Notes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays No
Charting - Historical Trades Yes
Charting - Corporate Events No
Charting - Custom Date Range No
Charting - Custom Time Bars No
Charting - Automated Analysis No
Charting - Save Profiles No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis No
Charting - Study Customizations 7
Charting - Custom Studies No
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Day trading features

Feature Tradier logoTradier
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 Tradier logoTradier
Research - Stocks Yes
Research - ETFs Yes
Research - Mutual Funds No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB No
Research - Bonds No
Screener - Stocks No
Screener - ETFs No
Screener - Mutual Funds No
Screener - Bonds No
Misc - Portfolio Allocation No

Stock research features

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Stock Research - PDF Reports 0
Stock Research - Earnings No
Stock Research - Insiders No
Stock Research - Social No
Stock Research - News No
Stock Research - ESG No
Stock Research - SEC Filings No

ETF research features

Feature Tradier logoTradier
ETFs - Strategy Overview No
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio No
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings No
ETFs - Sector Exposure No
ETFs - Risk Analysis No
ETFs - Ratings No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap No
ETFs - PDF Reports No
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Mutual fund research features

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart No
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis No
Mutual Funds - Prospectus No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown No
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings No
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation No
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap No
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Options trading overview

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Option Chains - Basic View Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View No
Option Chains - Streaming Yes
Option Chains - Total Columns 8
Option Chains - Greeks 1
Option Chains - Quick Analysis Yes
Option Analysis - P&L Charts No
Option Probability Analysis No
Option Probability Analysis Adv No
Option Positions - Greeks No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis No
Option Positions - Rolling No
Option Positions - Grouping No
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Banking features

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Bank (Member FDIC) No
Checking Accounts No
Savings Accounts No
Credit Cards No
Debit Cards No
Mortgage Loans No

Customer service options

Feature Tradier logoTradier
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) Yes
Email Support Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) No
Live Chat (Current Customers) No
24/7 Support No

About the Editorial Team

Sam Levine, CFA, CMT
Sam Levine, CFA, CMT

Sam Levine has over 30 years of experience in the investing field as a portfolio manager, financial consultant, investment strategist and writer. He also taught investing as an adjunct professor of finance at Wayne State University. Sam holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Chartered Market Technician designations and is pursuing a master's in personal financial planning at the College for Financial Planning. Previously, he was a contributing editor at BetterInvesting Magazine and a contributor to The Penny Hoarder and other media outlets.


Chris McKhann
Chris McKhann

Chris McKhann has been in the industry for more than 20 years. He has worked for many of the top names in the online trading space, including TD Ameritrade and optionMONSTER, which later became part of E*TRADE. His work has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, the Financial Times, Forbes, CNBC, Nasdaq.com and Nikkei. He has also been an advisor and outside trader for several hedge funds. He was one of the first traders to delve into the VIX tradable products and to write about them (back in 2006). Chris is also an educator who teaches high school statistics, finance and computer science.


Carolyn Kimball
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

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.


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