8 Best Online Brokers for Bonds of July 2025
The best brokers for bonds offer a range of different types of bond products – including individual bonds and ETFs — as well as low trading fees and high cash sweep rates.
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Bonds are often an important part of a balanced investment portfolio — they add an element of stability when the stock market gets volatile. They can also be used as a source of fixed income. Brokers range in the types of bonds they offer, from simple products like bond ETFs to extensive offerings of government, corporate and international bonds and bond funds.
The following brokers score highest among all brokers we review for the types of bonds on offer, the fees charged for trading bonds, the level of customer support they provide and their interest rate on uninvested cash.
We've also included two offerings that differ from the rest:
Public's Treasury account, which invests in Treasury bills, holds them to maturity and then reinvests the proceeds.
Wealthfront's two automated bond products: The Automated Bond Ladder, a portfolio of U.S. Treasurys that mature at different times, and the Automated Bond Portfolio, which invests in bond ETFs, including corporates.
Note: All of the brokers on this list allow you to purchase U.S. Treasurys with no commission or trade fee except for Interactive Brokers, which charges a small percentage of face value. Other types of bonds at these brokers may carry a different fee — often, brokers require a minimum commission of $10 and limit commissions to $250 per trade.
Best Online Brokers for Bonds
| Broker | NerdWallet rating | Fees | Account minimum | Promotion | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.8/5 | $0 per online equity trade | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon partner's site on Charles Schwab's website | |
5.0/5 | 0.002% | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon partner's site on Interactive Brokers' website | |
4.5/5 | $0 per trade | $0 | Get up to $700 when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money. | Learn moreon partner's site on J.P. Morgan's website | |
 Wealthfront Automated Bond Portfolio Learn moreon partner's site on Wealthfront's website AD Paid non-client promotion | 5.0/5 Reviewed in: Oct. 2024Period considered: Aug. 2024 - Oct. 2024 | 0.25% management fee | $500 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon partner's site on Wealthfront's website AD Paid non-client promotion |
4.6/5 | $0 | $0 | Earn up to $10,000 when you transfer your investment portfolio to Public. | Learn moreon partner's site on Public's website |
Fees
$0
per online equity trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Our Take
No commission for U.S. Treasurys.
Commission-free bond ETFs.
Over 155,000 individual bonds.
Free access to fixed-income specialists to help clients choose products.
$1 per online bond trade for secondary issues of non-Treasurys.
$10 minimum trade fee; $250 maximum.
Charles Schwab has earned its strong reputation: The broker offers high-quality customer service, four free trading platforms, a wide selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds and $0 commissions for stocks, ETFs and options.
Fees
0.002%
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Our Take
Access to sovereign bonds.
One of the widest bond selections of any broker NerdWallet reviews.
Minimum commission is only $5.
Commission of 0.002% of face value for Treasurys up to $1M (0.001% over $1M).
No maximum commission.
Interactive Brokers has one of the most extensive bond offerings in the business, giving investors access to Treasury bonds, corporates, municipal bonds and even foreign sovereign bonds, as well as bond funds.
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
Get up to $700
when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money.
Our Take
No commission for U.S. Treasurys.
Commission-free bond ETFs.
$10 per trade + $1 per bond over 10 bonds for non-Treasurys. $250 maximum trade fee.
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is a clear-cut investment platform that is great for beginners looking to learn how to buy and sell investments. More advanced investors, however, may find it lacking in terms of available assets, tools and research. INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Our Take
No commission for U.S. Treasurys.
Commission-free bond ETFs.
$1 per $1,000 face amount on non-Treasurys. $250 maximum trade fee.
Vanguard is the king of low-cost investing, making it ideal for buy-and-hold and retirement investors. It offers a top-notch selection of proprietary, low-cost mutual funds, including many ESG options. Despite its $0 trade commission, active traders will find the broker falls short due to the lack of a strong trading platform.
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Our Take
No commission for U.S. Treasurys.
Over 100,000 individual bonds.
Commission-free bond ETFs.
$1 per online bond trade for non-Treasurys.
Fidelity offers $0 trading commissions, a selection of more than 3,300 no-transaction-fee mutual funds and top-notch research tools and trading platform. Its zero-fee index funds and strong customer service reputation are just icing on the cake.
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
Get up to $600
when you invest in a new Merrill account
Our Take
No commission for U.S. Treasurys.
Commission-free bond ETFs.
$1 per online bond trade for non-Treasurys.
$10 minimum trade fee for non-Treasurys; $250 maximum.
Merrill Edge's extensive research and educational offerings, its Idea Builder investment-finder tool, and its seamless integration with other Bank of America accounts make it a solid choice for beginner investors.
Our pick for
automated bond accounts
Both Wealthfront and Public offer hands-off, approachable ways to invest in bonds, by automatically buying U.S. Treasurys for you and reinvesting in them as needed.
Fees
0.25%
management fee
Account minimum
$500
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Our Take
Automated Bond Ladder is an easy way to invest in U.S. Treasurys.
Automated Bond Portfolio offers access to a number of different bonds, including corporates.
Both products currently offer high interest rates.
Treasurys are exempt from state and local taxes.
.25% management fee.
$500 minimum.
Wealthfront offers two notable bond products: An Automated Bond Ladder, which is a portfolio of U.S. Treasurys that mature at different times, and an Automated Bond Portfolio, which is a mix of bond ETFs (including corporates) so it aims for higher returns. Wealthfront's standard .25% management fee applies.
Fees
$0
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
Earn up to $10,000
when you transfer your investment portfolio to Public.
Our Take
Easy way to invest in U.S. Treasurys.
Currently offers high interest rate.
Treasurys are exempt from state and local taxes.
.05% management fee.
Public's Treasury account automatically invests and reinvests in Treasury bills, holding them to maturity. The account charges a .05% management fee.
Last updated on June 16, 2025
Methodology
NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks the largest U.S. brokerage firms by assets under management, along with emerging industry players. Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgements on which ones will best meet your needs. We adhere to strict guidelines for editorial integrity.
We collect data directly from providers through detailed questionnaires, and conduct first-hand testing and observation through provider demonstrations. The questionnaire answers, combined with demonstrations, interviews of personnel at the providers and our specialists’ hands-on research, fuel our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance across more than 20 factors. The final output produces star ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars).
For more details about the categories considered when rating brokers and our process, read our full methodology.
NerdWallet's Best Online Brokers for Bonds of July 2025
- Charles Schwab
- Interactive Brokers IBKR
- J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
- Wealthfront Automated Bond Portfolio: Best for automated bond accounts
- Public: Best for automated bond accounts
- Vanguard
- Fidelity
- Merrill Edge® Self-Directed