Standout Investing Platforms of 2026
To buy stocks, you’ll first need a brokerage account, which you can set up in about 15 minutes. Then, once you’ve added money to the account, you can find, select and invest in individual companies. One of the easiest ways to buy stocks is through an online stockbroker. After opening and funding your account, you can buy stocks through the broker’s website in a matter of minutes. To make the search easier, we created this shortlist of picks from our partners.
NerdWallet, Inc. is not an investment advisor and does not provide advice, brokerage services, or recommendations to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. The information is for informative and educational purposes only.
When choosing an online brokerage, it’s a good idea to align your decision with your investment goals, preferred asset types, fees, tools, and retirement planning needs. Here's a detailed breakdown of some things to consider about stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds, index funds, and retirement:
| Broker | NerdWallet rating | Promotion | Fees | Account minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | |
4.4/5 Excellent for options trading costs | None no promotion available at this time | $0 | $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 | |
4.6/5 Excellent for advisor access | Get up to $1,000 in stock when you open & fund a new Active Invest account. Limited time offer. Terms & Conditions Apply. | $0 per trade | $0 | |
4.9/5 | Up to $500 when you make a qualifying net deposit | $0 per online equity trade | $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 | |
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 | |
4.3/5 | Up to $1,000 cash bonus when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account. | $0 per online trade | $0 |
| Broker | NerdWallet rating | Fees | Account minimum | Promotion | Learn more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | ||
4.4/5 Excellent for options trading costs | $0 | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreon Public'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 | ||
4.6/5 Excellent for advisor access | $0 per trade | $0 | Get up to $1,000 in stock when you open & fund a new Active Invest account. Limited time offer. Terms & Conditions Apply. | Learn moreon SoFi Invest®'s website | ||
4.9/5 | $0 per online equity trade | $0 | Up to $500 when you make a qualifying net deposit | Learn moreon Charles Schwab's 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 | ||
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 | ||
4.3/5 | $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 |
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- Robinhood: Excellent for general stock trading
- Public: Excellent for options trading costs
- Fidelity: Excellent for overall offering
- SoFi Active Investing: Excellent for advisor access
- Charles Schwab
- Vanguard: Excellent for passive investing
- Interactive Brokers IBKR Pro: Excellent for advanced stock trading
- J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing