Standout Investing Platforms of 2026
| Broker | NerdWallet rating | Promotion | Fees | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
4.3/5 | Up to $1,000 cash bonus when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account. | $0 per online trade | $0 | |
5.0/5 Excellent for overall offering | None no promotion available at this time | $0 per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs | $0 | |
4.4/5 Excellent for options trading costs | None no promotion available at this time | $0 | $0 | |
4.5/5 Excellent for general stock trading | None no promotion available at this time | $0 on trades of stocks, ETFs and their options. Other fees may apply. | $0 | |
5.0/5 Excellent for advanced stock trading | Exclusive! U.S. residents who open a new IBKR Pro account will receive a 0.25% rate reduction on margin loans. Terms apply. | $0.005 per share; as low as $0.0005 with volume discounts | $0 | |
4.2/5 Excellent for passive investing | None no promotion available at this time | $0 per trade for online stocks, ETFs and Vanguard Funds. | $0 | |
4.6/5 Excellent for advisor access | Get a 1% Match on contributions to a SoFi non-retirement Active Invest account. | $0 per trade | $0 |
| Broker | NerdWallet rating | Fees | Account minimum | Promotion | Learn more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.3/5 | $0 per online trade | $0 | Up to $1,000 cash bonus when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account. | Learn moreon J.P. Morgan's website | ||
5.0/5 Excellent for overall offering | $0 per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon Fidelity's website | ||
4.4/5 Excellent for options trading costs | $0 | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon Public's website | ||
4.5/5 Excellent for general stock trading | $0 on trades of stocks, ETFs and their options. Other fees may apply. | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon Robinhood's website | ||
5.0/5 Excellent for advanced stock trading | $0.005 per share; as low as $0.0005 with volume discounts | $0 | Exclusive! U.S. residents who open a new IBKR Pro account will receive a 0.25% rate reduction on margin loans. Terms apply. | Learn moreon Interactive Brokers' website | ||
4.2/5 Excellent for passive investing | $0 per trade for online stocks, ETFs and Vanguard Funds. | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon Vanguard's website | ||
4.6/5 Excellent for advisor access | $0 per trade | $0 | Get a 1% Match on contributions to a SoFi non-retirement Active Invest account. | Learn moreon SoFi Invest®'s website |
Stocks: What To Look For
Commission-free trading: Many major brokers now offer $0 commissions on stock trades.
Research tools: Screeners, analyst ratings, news, and charting tools.
Order types: Ensure the platform supports limit, stop-loss, and conditional orders.
Good for: Active traders, investors who want to pick individual companies.
ETFs: What To Look For
Commission-free ETFs: Many brokers offer a wide selection of no-commission ETFs.
Fractional shares: Helpful for buying expensive ETFs with smaller amounts.
Automatic reinvestment: DRIP (dividend reinvestment plan) availability can help compound returns.
Good for: Diversification, low-cost passive investing, beginners.
Bonds: What To Look For
Access to various bond markets: Government, municipal, and corporate bonds.
Bond screeners and ratings: Tools for evaluating credit quality and yields.
Ease of laddering: If you want to build a bond ladder, make sure it’s easy to do on the platform.
Good for: Conservative investors seeking income and lower volatility.
Mutual Funds: What To Look For
No transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds: Many brokers offer a list of funds without fees.
Fund minimums: Some brokers have lower minimums than fund companies themselves.
Fund variety: Availability of both in-house and third-party funds.
Good for: Long-term investors looking for professional management by fund managers.
Index Funds: What To Look For
Low expense ratios: A fund’s expenses directly reduce your long-term returns, as the fees are deducted from your investment assets annually. This reduction has a compounding effect, meaning even a small difference in fees can result in a significant loss of potential growth over several decades
Broad market access: Look for index funds tracking major benchmarks (S&P 500, total market, international).
Accessibility: Some platforms offer broad-based index funds with low minimums and ultra-low fees, creating a low barrier to entry for young or novice investors.
Good for: Passive investors aiming to match market returns.
Retirement Accounts (IRA, Roth IRA, etc.): : What To Look For
Account types: Ensure the broker offers the retirement accounts you need (traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA).
No maintenance or account fees: Many top brokers waive these.
Automatic investing & rebalancing: Helps manage long-term retirement goals.
Investment selection: Depending on your investment preference this could include access to active investing selections or target-date funds for retirement investing.
Good for: Long-term, tax-advantaged investing.
Other Considerations When Choosing a Brokerage:
Ease of use: Clean interface, mobile app, customer service.
Educational resources: Especially valuable for beginners.
Customer support: Availability of chat/phone support or advisors.
Cash management: Some brokers offer high-yield savings or cash sweep accounts.Reputation and security: SIPC insurance, data encryption, and long-standing market presence.
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Standout Investing Platforms of 2026- J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
- Fidelity: Excellent for overall offering
- Public: Excellent for options trading costs
- Robinhood: Excellent for general stock trading
- Interactive Brokers IBKR Pro: Excellent for advanced stock trading
- Vanguard: Excellent for passive investing
- SoFi Active Investing: Excellent for advisor access