Best Brokerage Accounts for Online Investing and Stock Trading in 2026

Commissions: Commissions or other stock trading fees are rare among online brokers these days, but they can still pop up on stock options trades as a per-contract fee. If charged, this fee usually runs between around $.50 to $.65. (Learn more about brokerage fees and how to minimize them.)

Account fees: You may not be able to avoid them entirely, but you can certainly minimize them. Most brokers will charge a fee for transferring out investments, or for closing your account entirely. If you’re transferring to another broker, that new brokerage firm may offer to reimburse your transfer fees, at least up to a limit. Most other fees can be sidestepped by simply choosing a broker that doesn’t charge them, or by opting out of services that cost extra. Common fees to watch out for include annual fees, inactivity fees, trading platform subscriptions and extra charges for research or data.

Execution quality: Most casual stock traders won't notice differences in execution quality between brokers, as they tend to be relatively minor, especially if you're placing a few trades. But active traders, particularly those who frequently trade large quantities of shares, often do. For our reviews, we look at each broker's self-reported execution quality, which is defined as the percent of a broker's orders that are executed at or better than the National Best Bid and Offer.

Tools, education and research: If you’re new to investing, it may be best to look for a brokerage that offers free educational resources, such as live webinars, thorough how-to guides, video tutorials, glossaries and more. And, if you’re interested in continued learning around advanced trading strategies, be sure to research how well the broker supports its clients in helping them understand the risks of such strategies. This may mean guidance from an on-call customer support team, a live chat function or clear and in-depth instructions on how to use these investment products responsibly.

Fractional shares: Another great feature to look for is fractional shares, which let investors purchase stock or ETFs by the dollar amount, rather than by the number of shares. This is especially helpful for investors who don’t have much money to invest but want to build a diversified portfolio, or are looking to set up a dollar-cost averaging strategy, which entails regularly investing over time. (Learn more about fractional shares.)

Platforms: Active traders may want a little more out of their brokerage account. Some brokers offer highly customizable downloadable platforms with in-depth analysis tools or access to additional research and data for an extra cost. If these aren’t the types of tools and resources you’ll need, be sure to avoid paying extra for them.

Interest rate on uninvested cash: Even if you've carefully selected investments, idle cash can start to accrue in your brokerage account from activities like dividend payments. Though the Federal Reserve has started to cut interest rates, overall rates remain high — it still pays to consider what rate your brokerage firm pays on this uninvested cash.

Reliability: There’s a wide range of brokers out there. Some have been around for decades, while others are relatively new to the scene. That doesn’t mean these newcomers are untrustworthy — if they’re handling trades for other people, then they’re regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and are members of a self-regulatory body, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. But it does mean they may be unproven during a variety of stock market scenarios. If this concerns you, you may want to consider investing with a large institution. But if all you need is a no-frills investment account, then trimmed-down apps or relatively new brokerage firms are likely fine for you.

Promotions: Online brokers, like many companies, frequently entice new customers with deals, such as a cash bonus on certain deposit amounts. It isn’t wise to choose a broker solely on its promotional offer — a high commission over the long term could easily wipe out any initial bonus or savings — but if you’re stuck between two options, a promotion may sway you one way or the other.