Firstrade Review 2021: Pros, Cons and How It Compares

Firstrade appeals to experienced investors with $0 trading costs and no per-contract fees for options trades, while beginning investors will appreciate its $0 account minimum to begin investing. Investors looking for long-term investments enjoy commission-free trades for all mutual funds.

With mobile apps and three trading platforms, Firstrade offers a strong brokerage experience whether you are a day trader or a retirement investor looking to open an IRA.

Firstrade is best for:

• Beginning investors.

• Mutual fund investors.

• Options traders.

• Free commissions.

• Native Chinese speakers.

• International investors.

Firstrade at a glance

Where Firstrade shines

Commission-free trades: Firstrade was a pioneer in commission-free trading for stocks, options and ETFs before a broker price war at the end of 2019 made $0 trades the industry standard. Prior to that, Firstrade was also the only commission-free broker to offer retirement accounts (unlike the original free-trade brokerage, Robinhood, which offers only taxable brokerage accounts). Rare among brokers, Firstrade doesn’t charge any per-contract fees for options trades — only Robinhood has a similar deal.

Free trades on all mutual funds: Most brokers have a selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds, but then charge from $5 to $49.99 for buying or selling shares of funds not on that list. Not Firstrade. Uniquely among brokers we review, Firstrade doesn't charge a trading fee on any of the thousands of mutual funds it has on offer.

Trading platform: Firstrade has three trading platforms, including a desktop platform, Options Wizard and Firstrade Navigator.

Firstrade Navigator allows you to view your positions and balances and trade in your accounts all on one screen, with drop-and-drag customization of market-related information, charts and tracking.

A redesigned advanced screener helps narrow down your investment choices by categories like high-yielding quality stocks, large-cap growth stocks, “bargain basement” small-cap funds and dozens of other criteria. Options Wizard allows sophisticated analysis of potential losses and gains from options trading and more than 40 complex options strategies.

Research and education: Clients have access to free research from Morningstar, Benzinga, Zacks and Briefing.com. Firstrade’s new Market Heatmap gives a broad overview of the market trends, with bullish- and bearish-performing sectors visible at a glance. For options investors, Firstrade holds biweekly educational seminars to help newbies learn the ropes.

Mobile app: The Firstrade mobile app includes intuitive swipe actions, a consolidated portfolio dashboard and upgraded research with advanced charting capabilities. The app instantly syncs with desktop platforms, and users can trade, transfer funds among accounts, view order history and create a watchlist to follow trading opportunities. The app is available on both Android and iOS.

Open to international investors: Beyond the U.S., Firstrade also accepts clients from 60 nations and territories, including Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico. A U.S. Social Security number or tax ID number are not required.

Chinese-language options: Native Chinese speakers will appreciate that Firstrade’s platforms are available in traditional and simplified Chinese.

Referral program: Firstrade is offering new and existing customers a free stock for themselves and a friend they refer to the brokerage. One out of every 100 has a chance to receive a free stock in Apple, Facebook or Microsoft, the company says.

Where Firstrade falls short

Investment choice: Professional investors may be disappointed that Firstrade offers no forex, futures or futures options trading to complement its rock-bottom pricing on option trades. But retirement investors have more than enough options to build and manage their portfolio with Firstrade.

The bottom line