11 Best Options Trading Brokers and Platforms of September 2023
These brokers charge low or no options contract fees and offer investors the tools and research necessary for options trading.
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The best options brokers offer low (or in some cases, no) options contract fees, no trading commissions, quality trading tools, an abundance of high-quality research and the customer service necessary to support everyone from beginner investors to advanced traders.
While most of the brokers on our list of best brokers for stock trading would be a good pick for options as well, this list highlights brokers that excel in areas that matter most to options traders. Many of the below brokers also appear on our list of best online trading platforms for day trading.
Unsure what you’re looking for? See our guide to options trading for more on what can make or break an options trading experience.
The best options brokers offer low (or in some cases, no) options contract fees, no trading commissions, quality trading tools, an abundance of high-quality research and the customer service necessary to support everyone from beginner investors to advanced traders.
While most of the brokers on our list of best brokers for stock trading would be a good pick for options as well, this list highlights brokers that excel in areas that matter most to options traders. Many of the below brokers also appear on our list of best online trading platforms for day trading.
Unsure what you’re looking for? See our guide to options trading for more on what can make or break an options trading experience.
Investing can help outpace inflation — which is especially important when inflation is high.
Best Options Trading Brokers and Platforms
Broker | NerdWallet rating | Fees | Account minimum | Promotion | Learn more |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Webull Learn more on Webull's website | $0 per trade | $0 | Get up to 12 free fractional shares (valued up to $3,000) when you open and fund an account with Webull. | Learn more on Webull's website | |
![]() J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Learn more on J.P. Morgan's website | $0 per trade | $0 | Get $50 when you open & fund a new account with $5K on Chase.com or the Chase Mobile® app. | Learn more on J.P. Morgan's website | |
![]() Fidelity Learn more on Fidelity's website | $0 per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs | $0 | Get $100 when you open a new, eligible Fidelity account with $50 or more. Use code FIDELITY100. Limited time offer. Terms apply. | Learn more on Fidelity's website | |
![]() Robinhood Learn more on Robinhood's website | $0 per trade | $0 | 1 Free Stock after linking your bank account (stock value range $5.00-$200) | Learn more on Robinhood's website | |
![]() Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite Learn more on Interactive Brokers' website | $0 per trade | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn more on Interactive Brokers' website |
$0
per trade
$0
Get up to 12 free fractional shares (valued up to $3,000)
when you open and fund an account with Webull.
Pros
Low costs.
Easy-to-use platform.
Advanced tools.
Access to cryptocurrency.
Cash management.
Cons
No mutual funds.
Thin educational support.
Why We Like It
Webull is among the few brokerages that offer free options trades. Customers aren’t charged a per-trade commission nor a per-contract fee. Other costs include Webull’s transfer fee. Whether you’re transferring all of your assets from Webull to another brokerage or just a few, you’ll be charged a $75 transfer fee. However, you won’t pay any annual or inactivity fee at Webull. Despite a robust offering for active traders, Webull lacks access to some common securities, such as mutual funds and bonds. Webull offers 24/7 customer support via phone and email.
$0
per trade
$0
Get $50
when you open & fund a new account with $5K on Chase.com or the Chase Mobile® app.
Pros
Easy-to-use platform.
$0 commissions.
App connects all Chase accounts.
No account minimum.
Cons
Limited tools and research.
Portfolio Builder tool requires $2,500 balance.
Why We Like It
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing’s options pricing doesn't include a per-trade commission. However, you will pay $0.65 per contract. The costs to withdraw from your account are about average: Regardless of whether you're performing a full account closure or just transferring a portion of the securities out of your account, you’ll pay a $75 account transfer fee. Self-Directed Investing doesn’t support investing in futures or forex, nor does it offer fractional shares. J.P. Morgan customer support is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and the company has physical branches open during business hours.
$0
per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs
$0
Get $100
when you open a new, eligible Fidelity account with $50 or more. Use code FIDELITY100. Limited time offer. Terms apply.
Pros
Commission-free stock, ETF and options trades.
Large selection of research providers.
Strong customer service.
Expense-ratio-free index funds.
Highly rated mobile app.
Cons
Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Why We Like It
Fidelity doesn't charge a commission on options trades, but they still carry a contract charge, which is $0.65. Fidelity doesn’t offer volume discounts on options. More broadly, Fidelity has done away with nearly all account fees, including the transfer and account closure fees that are commonly charged by brokers. Fidelity earns strong marks for its educational tools and customer service options, including a network of more than 200 branches for in-person advice and educational options, and 24/7 phone, chat and email support.
$0
per trade
$0
1 Free Stock
after linking your bank account (stock value range $5.00-$200)
Pros
No account minimum.
Streamlined interface.
Cryptocurrency trading.
Cons
No mutual funds or bonds.
Limited customer support.
Why We Like It
Robinhood’s commitment to low-cost trading is especially apparent in its options trading offering — Robinhood is among the handful of brokers that don’t charge a per-contract fee. One of the biggest fees Robinhood charges is the $75 fee for transferring your investments to another broker. There's no fee for selling your investments and having the money transferred via ACH to your bank. The securities available to trade at Robinhood are limited: The platform doesn't support mutual funds and bonds, which can help build a diversified portfolio. For customer support, Robinhood lets users request a representative to call them back 24/7 for anything they need.
$0
per trade
$0
None
no promotion available at this time
Pros
Large investment selection.
Strong research and tools.
Over 18,000 no-transaction-fee mutual funds.
NerdWallet users who sign up for IBKR Pro get a 0.25 percentage point discount on margin rates.
Cons
Website is difficult to navigate.
Why We Like It
Options trading prices with Interactive Brokers are competitive, with a $.65 charge per contract and no base, plus discounts for larger volumes. The minimum options trade commission is $1 per order. Interactive Brokers charges no annual, account, transfer or closing fees, which is relatively rare among brokers reviewed by NerdWallet. The platform's selection ranges from standard offerings of stocks, options and ETFs to precious metals, forex, warrants and futures. Interactive Brokers also offers fractional shares of stock and 24-hour phone, email and chat support, six days a week.
$0
per trade
$0
None
no promotion available at this time
Pros
Commission-free stock and ETF trades.
Free research.
High-quality trading platforms.
No account minimum.
Good customer support.
Large investment selection.
Cons
No fractional shares.
Why We Like It
TD Ameritrade meets the needs of both active traders and beginner investors with quality trading platforms; $0 commissions on online stock and ETF trades; and a large selection of mutual funds.
Want to compare more options? Here are our other top picks:
More on the best brokers for options trades
Understand options fees
Options trades can come with two fees charged by online brokers: A trade commission, which is generally the same as the broker's stock trading commission, and a per-contract fee.
The trade commission is typically charged once for the transaction, no matter how many shares you trade. As you can see, none of the brokers on our list charge trade commissions; at most online brokers, these are largely a thing of the past.
The per-contract fee is still common among brokers, though for this, too, some have opted to eliminate it completely. An options contract typically represents 100 shares of the stock that underlies the contract, and the contract fee is charged per share of stock. If the broker charges an options contract fee of $0.50, one option would cost $50 (100 shares of stock X $.50).
Broker | Trade commission | Options contract fee |
---|---|---|
$0 | IBKR Lite: $0.65 per contract. IBKR Pro: $0.15-$0.65 per contract depending on commission structure. | |
$0 | $0 | |
$0 | $0.65 per contract | |
$0 | $0.65 per contract | |
$0 | $0.65 per contract | |
$0 | $0 | |
$0 | $0.50 per contract | |
$0 | $0.65 per contract for fewer than 30 trades per quarter; $0.50 per contract for those who trade 30 or more times per quarter. | |
$0 | $0 | |
$0 | $0.65 per contract | |
$0 | $0.65 per contract |
Last updated on September 5, 2023
Methodology
How do we review brokers?
NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks the largest U.S. brokers 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.
To recap our selections...