Broker comparison · Updated August 2026
Best Online Brokers of 2026
The 30 best investing platforms, side by side. Same 19 checks: costs, markets, cash interest, protection. Updated August 2026. No platform pays for its spot.
★ Editor’s Top Pick · 2026
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Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers · United States / GlobalOur highest-rated investing platform this year (4.9/5): 160 markets, 36 currencies, the widest reach in retail investing. Institutional-grade pricing with FX conversion from 0.002% (min $2). It scales from a first ETF to a global multi-asset portfolio.
Our rating4.9 ★
Platform fee$0
FX fee0.002% (min $2)
Minimum$0
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| Compare → | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 QQuestradeQuestradeCanada$0 platformView | #17 | #18 | #19 HHargreaves LansdownHargreaves LansdownUnited KingdomView | #20 mmoomoo (Futu)moomooSingapore / Global$0 platformView | #21 | #22 | #23 | #24 | #25 | #26 | #27 | #28 | #29 | #30 SSBI SecuritiesSBI SecuritiesJapan$0 platformView |
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| Product | Global multi-asset broker | Full-service, best US all-rounder | Full-service + thinkorswim | Zero-commission neobroker | Neobroker with full bank licence | Index-fund pioneer | US neobroker | Low-cost EU broker | Social & copy trading | Full-service + Power platform | Data-rich trading app | ETF savings-plan machine | Listed EU broker, xStation | Bank-integrated broker | Canada low-cost leader | Canada self-directed value | UK flat-fee platform | Premium global multi-asset | UK largest platform | Pro-grade tools, low cost | Options-first broker | Automated pie investing | All-in-one finance app | UK value platform | Asia-Pacific growth broker | Swiss banking-grade broker | India discount pioneer | Japan zero-commission leader | Australia market leader | Japan No.1 by accounts |
| Welcome offer | Refer-a-friend stock bonus (promos vary) | Occasional $100 account-open promos | Referral bonus up to $1,000 (promos) | Free share up to £100 (invite promos) | Saveback, 1% of card spending into your savings plan | None, the pitch is rock-bottom fund costs | 1-3% IRA match with Gold + transfer promos | Fee-credit welcome promos (vary) | CopyTrader, mirror top investors automatically | Deposit bonuses up to ~$1,000 (promos) | Free fractional shares on deposits (promos) | PRIME+ trial promos | Interest on cash from day one | Up to $600 deposit bonus + Preferred Rewards boosts | Transfer/match promos (up to ~2%) | Transfer-fee rebates (promos) | Monthly free trade credits on some plans | 2024-25 fee cuts across the board | Transfer cashback promos (vary) | Free-stock deposit bundles (promos) | Transfer bonuses up to $5,000 (promos) | Transfer/deposit bonuses (promos) | 1% IRA match + welcome promos | Transfer offers (vary) | Free stock + deposit rewards (promos) | Crypto + global markets from a Swiss bank | Free equity delivery forever | Rakuten points on trades & card savings plans | Instant settlement into CBA accounts | V-Points & Ponta point integration |
| Our rating | 4.9 ★ | 4.8 ★ | 4.8 ★ | 4.7 ★ | 4.7 ★ | 4.6 ★ | 4.6 ★ | 4.5 ★ | 4.5 ★ | 4.4 ★ | 4.4 ★ | 4.4 ★ | 4.3 ★ | 4.3 ★ | 4.3 ★ | 4.2 ★ | 4.2 ★ | 4.2 ★ | 4.1 ★ | 4.1 ★ | 4.1 ★ | 4.0 ★ | 4.0 ★ | 4.0 ★ | 3.9 ★ | 3.9 ★ | 3.9 ★ | 3.8 ★ | 3.8 ★ | 3.8 ★ |
| Platform / custody fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | £0 | €0 | $25/yr (waived with e-delivery) | $0 (Gold $5/mo optional) | €0 (+€2.50/yr per exchange connectivity) | $0 (inactivity $10/mo after 12m) | $0 | $0 | €0 (PRIME+ €4.99/mo optional) | €0 (inactivity €10/mo after 1y without trades) | $0 | C$0 | C$0 | From £4.99/mo flat | $0 custody in most regions (post-2024 cuts) | 0.45%/yr funds (shares in ISA capped £45/yr) | $0 platform (regional promos) | $0 | $3/mo (waived at $10k+ balance) | $0 | 0.25%/yr (shares in ISA capped £3.50/mo) | S$0 platform (promos) | ~CHF 80/yr custody (capped) | ₹300/yr AMC (₹0 basic tier) | ¥0 | A$0 | ¥0 |
| US stock commission | $0 (IBKR Lite) / from $0.0005 per share (Pro) | $0 | $0 | £0 / $0 | €1 flat per trade | $0 | $0 | €1-3 on core markets | $0 stocks & ETFs (some regions $1-2) | $0 | $0 | €0.99 (€0 in PRIME+) | 0% stocks & ETFs (up to €100k monthly volume) | $0 | C$0 stocks & ETFs | C$0 stocks & ETFs (since Feb 2025) | £3.99 per UK/US trade (plan-dependent) | US stocks from $1; low fixed EU rates | £11.95 per deal (falls with monthly volume) | US from US$0.99 (SG) / $0 promos (US app) | $0 stocks | $0 (set trade windows, not live) | $0 | £5 per deal (£3.50 frequent) | US from ~US$0.99; SG market low-cost | From CHF 3 (Invest Easy) / ~CHF 9 standard | ₹0 equity delivery / ₹20 or 0.03% intraday | ¥0 domestic stocks (Zero course) | From A$5 (trades ≤A$1k) to ~A$29.95 | ¥0 domestic stocks (Zero Revolution) |
| ETF & funds | $0 US ETFs; global ETFs at low fixed rates | $0 + 3,000+ no-transaction-fee funds & zero-fee index funds | $0 + broad no-fee fund list | £0 + AutoInvest pies (fractional, automated) | €0 savings plans on 2,000+ ETFs | $0 + the flagship low-cost index-fund lineup | $0 | €1 core ETF selection (+€1 handling) | $0 | $0 | $0 | €0 savings plans on thousands of ETFs | 0% + investment plans | $0 | C$0 | C$0 | Same flat dealing fees + free regular investing | Low fixed rates across markets | £11.95 (free via regular investing) | Same low commissions | $0 | $0 | $0 | Same + cheap regular investing | Same low commissions | Broad access incl. themes | ₹0 delivery | ¥0 + point investing with Rakuten points | Same tiered brokerage | ¥0 |
| Options & derivatives | Options from ~$0.15-0.65 per contract, plus global futures | $0.65 per contract | $0.65 per contract | No | Knock-outs & warrants for €1 | $1 per contract | $0, no per-contract fee | Yes · Eurex options & futures at low fees | US options in the eToro Options app (region-dependent) | $0.65 per contract ($0.50 active traders) | $0 equity options | Derivatives via gettex | CFDs on indices, FX & commodities (high risk) | $0.65 per contract | C$0-2 per contract (by tier) | C$0 commission (contract fees may apply) | No | Full suite, options, futures, FX, bonds | No | Low-fee US options | $1 to open, $0 to close (capped $10/leg) | No | $0, no contract fees | No | Low-fee US options | Full derivatives range | ₹20 flat per executed order | Low-fee JP derivatives | Exchange-traded options | Low-fee JP derivatives |
| Crypto | Yes, via partners (US) & crypto ETPs | Yes · BTC & ETH via Fidelity Crypto | No spot, futures & crypto ETFs | No (separate CFD product, avoid for investing) | Yes, 50+ coins | No | Yes, large in-app selection | No | Yes, 100+ coins (~1% spread) | No spot, futures & ETFs | Via Webull Pay (region-dependent) | Yes, crypto ETPs | Crypto CFDs only | No | Yes, integrated crypto | Crypto ETFs (no spot) | No | Crypto ETPs | No | No | Yes | Yes · M1 Crypto | Yes, relaunched 2025 | No | Selected regions only | Yes, 400+ assets via SQX | No (regulatory) | Via Rakuten Wallet | No | Group platform (SBI VC Trade) |
| Fractional shares | Yes · US, CA & EU stocks | Yes · Stocks by the Slice from $1 | S&P 500 Stock Slices from $5 | Yes, from £1 | Yes, savings plans from €1 | Vanguard ETFs only | Yes, from $1 | No | Yes | DRIP reinvestment only | Yes, from $5 | Savings plans from €1 | Yes | No | Yes | Fractional US & CA shares | US fractional shares | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes, from $5 | No | Yes | On major US names | No | Kabu-mini fractional shares | No | S-kabu fractional shares |
| Interest on uninvested cash | ~4% on cash above $10k (benchmark-linked, varies) | ~4% via automatic money-market sweep (varies) | ~0.4% default sweep (low, park cash in MMFs instead) | ~4% on GBP cash via QMMFs (varies; EUR/USD lower) | 2.75% on cash from the first euro (ECB-linked) | ~4% via VMFXX settlement fund (varies) | 3.35% APY on cash with Gold (varies) | None | Tiered interest on cash via eToro Club (conditions) | ~0.1-0.5% default sweep (low) | ~3.5% on cash management (varies) | PRIME+: ~2%+ on cash up to a cap (ECB-linked) | ~2-4% on uninvested cash (currency-dependent, varies) | ~0.3% default sweep (low) | ~2-2.75% on cash accounts (tiered, varies) | None on idle cash (use HISA/MMF ETFs) | ~2-3% on cash (tiered, varies) | Tiered interest on larger cash balances | ~2-3% on cash (tiered) | ~3% via Cash Plus (varies) | None meaningful on idle cash | ~3-4% high-yield cash (varies) | Via SoFi banking (~3.8% APY with direct deposit) | ~2% on cash (tiered) | ~3% via Tiger Vault (varies) | Low on CHF (SNB-linked) | None | ~0.1-0.3% via Rakuten Bank sweep | Low, via linked CDIA cash account | ~0.1-0.2% via bank sweep |
| Account minimum | $0 | $0 | $0 | £1 | €1 | $0 | $0 | €0 | $50-200 depending on country | $0 | $0 | €1 | €0 | $0 | C$0 | C$0 | £0 | $0 (Classic tier) | £1 | $0 | $0 | $100 | $0 | £500 lump sum (or £25/mo) | S$0 | CHF 0 | ₹0 | ¥0 | A$500 first trade | ¥0 |
| Markets & exchanges | 160 markets, 36 currencies, the widest reach in retail investing | US + ~25 international markets | US + Schwab Global Account (12 markets) | UK, US & EU stocks and ETFs | German/EU venue (LS Exchange) incl. US stocks | US | US (separate UK/EU apps) | 50 exchanges across 30 countries | US, UK, EU + ~20 exchanges | US | US + HK/SG/JP apps | gettex & Xetra (DE/EU) incl. US stocks | US + 16 European exchanges | US | Canada + US | Canada + US | UK, US + international | 70+ exchanges, 20+ currencies | UK, US & EU | US, HK, SG, JP, AU, CA | US (+ futures) | US | US | UK, US & EU | US, SG, HK, AU + China connect | 60+ exchanges | NSE & BSE (India) | Japan + US & China stocks | ASX + international desk | Japan + 9 international markets |
| FX conversion fee | 0.002% (min $2) | ~1% on international orders | ≈1% via Global Account | 0.15% | Included in spread (EUR-based) | US-listed only | US-listed only | 0.25% AutoFX | USD-based account; deposit conversion ~0.75-1.5% | US-listed only | US-listed (US app) | EUR-based | 0.5% | US-listed only | 1.5% (free USD conversion on higher tiers) | ~1.5-1.75% | 1.5% (steps down with size) | 0.25% | 1% (tiered down) | Spot rate + small spread | US-listed only | US-listed only | US-listed only | 0.75% (tiered down) | Spot rate + small spread | 0.95% | INR only | ~0.17% (25 sen per USD) | ~0.55%+ | ~0.17% (25 sen per USD) |
| Regulation & protection | SEC/FINRA, SIPC $500k; regulated entities in UK, EU, AU, HK & more | SIPC + excess coverage; decades-old trust | SIPC + excess; one of the largest US brokers | FCA, FSCS £85k (UK); CySEC (EU) | BaFin full banking licence, €100k German deposit guarantee | SIPC; investor-owned structure | SIPC (securities); crypto not SIPC-covered | AFM/BaFin (flatexDEGIRO Bank), €100k deposit guarantee | FCA, CySEC, ASIC entities; FSCS on UK entity | SIPC; Morgan Stanley backing | SIPC, FINRA | BaFin; deposits at partner banks (€100k) | KNF, FCA, CySEC; Warsaw-listed company | SIPC; Bank of America group | CIRO, CIPF C$1M | CIRO, CIPF | FCA, FSCS £85k | Danish FSA; systemically important bank | FCA, FSCS £85k; FTSE-listed | MAS (SG), SEC/SIPC (US), ASIC (AU) entities | SIPC, FINRA | SIPC | SIPC | FCA, FSCS £85k; FTSE-listed | MAS (SG); SIPC on US custody | FINMA-licensed bank; SIX-listed | SEBI; India No.1 by active clients for years | JFSA; investor protection fund | ASIC; Commonwealth Bank group | JFSA; SBI group |
| Platforms | IBKR Desktop, TWS, GlobalTrader, web & mobile | Web, Active Trader Pro, mobile | Web, thinkorswim desktop/mobile | Slick mobile-first + web | Mobile-first + web | Simple web + app (deliberately basic) | Slick mobile + web + Legend desktop | Web + mobile | Web + mobile | Power E*TRADE web/desktop/mobile | Advanced charting on mobile & desktop | Mobile-first + web | xStation 5 web/desktop/mobile | Web + app, integrated with BofA banking | Beautiful mobile-first app + web | Questrade Edge web/desktop/mobile | Web + mobile | SaxoTraderGO & PRO | Web + strong mobile app | Free Level-2 US data, desktop & mobile | Purpose-built options platform | Pies & rebalancing automation | One app for banking, loans & investing | Web + Dodl app | Tiger Trade app + desktop | Web + mobile + advanced tools | Kite, famously clean UX | iSPEED app + web | Web + app, CBA integration | Web + apps |
| Demo / paper trading | Yes, full paper-trading account | No official demo | Yes, thinkorswim paperMoney | Yes, practice mode | No official demo | No official demo | No official demo | No official demo | Yes, $100k virtual portfolio | Yes · Power paper trading | Yes, paper trading | No official demo | Yes, full demo | No official demo | No official demo | Yes, practice account | No official demo | Yes, full demo | No official demo | Yes, paper trading | Yes | No official demo | No official demo | No official demo | Yes, demo account | Yes | No official demo | No official demo | No official demo | No official demo |
| Research & education | IBKR Campus + institutional-grade research | Outstanding research & learning center | Top-tier in-house research & coaching | In-app basics | In-app basics | Long-term, evidence-based guidance | Robinhood Learn | Investor academy basics | Academy + the social feed itself | Strong options education | Solid in-app courses | Good German-language content | Extensive trading academy | BofA Global Research access | Clear beginner content | Solid how-to library | Super 60 curated fund lists | Quality research & analysis | Huge research & fund library | Active courses & community | tastylive, best free options education | Basics blog | Beginner-friendly content | Shares magazine & guides | Community & courses | Solid research | Varsity, outstanding free education | Rich JP-language content | Good market research | Broad JP-language resources |
| Support | 24/5 phone & chat | 24/7 phone & chat | 24/7 phone & chat | In-app chat | In-app support | Phone (business hours) | 24/7 in-app chat | Phone & email | Tickets & chat | 24/7 phone | In-app tickets | Email & chat | 24/5 phone & chat | 24/7 phone | Chat & phone | Phone & chat | UK phone & chat | 24/5 phone | Highly-rated UK phone support | 24/5 chat | Phone & chat (trade desk) | Chat & phone | UK phone | Chat | Phone & email | Ticket-based | Phone & chat | AU phone | Phone & chat | |
| Best for | Global reach & lowest FX costs | Long-term investors & retirement | Active traders wanting full service | Beginners in the UK & EU | Effortless ETF savings plans | Buy-and-hold index investors | Mobile-first beginners | Cheap access to many EU exchanges | Social investing & copy portfolios | Options-curious mainstream investors | Chart-focused self-directed traders | Automated monthly ETF investing | EU stock & ETF buyers who also trade | BofA customers consolidating money | Canadian beginners | Cost-conscious Canadian DIY investors | Larger UK portfolios (flat fee wins) | Serious global multi-asset investors | UK service & research depth | Data-hungry traders in Asia-Pacific | Dedicated options & futures traders | Set-and-forget portfolio automation | Beginners who want everything in one app | Cost-conscious UK ISA/SIPP investors | Asia-based investors buying US & HK | Investors wanting a Swiss bank custodian | Indian equity investors | Rakuten-ecosystem investors in Japan | Australian blue-chip investors | Japanese NISA & US-stock investors |
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Why your broker matters
Investing decides how much of your money you keep
1602the year the first shares were traded, in Amsterdam
about 1/3of your final wealth lost to ONE extra percent of yearly costs over 40 years
0.002%the cheapest currency exchange in our table. The priciest charges about 750× more
Costs grow with the same patience as returns. Only against you.— Debt & Dynasties
Buying a share means owning a small piece of a company. People have done this since 1602, when the first shares traded in Amsterdam. The idea is old and simple. Only the apps are new.
Brokers earn from small costs: trading fees, currency exchange, monthly fees, and the interest on your idle cash. Each cost looks tiny. Over the years they add up to real money.
How much? One extra percent in yearly costs takes about a third of your final wealth over 40 years. Same market, same savings, a third less for you. That is just math.
So picking your platform is a one-time job that pays for decades. Our table compares 30 platforms with the same 19 checks: what a trade costs, what your cash earns, and who protects your account.
How to use this page
01
Pick your level honestly. Beginner platforms are simpler, not worse.
02
Add up your real cost: trade fee + currency fee + monthly fee.
03
Check the interest on cash row. Your idle money should earn, not the broker.
Why this matters today
Saving alone is not enough anymore
24 yearsuntil cash loses half its buying power at ~3% inflation
$1enough to start investing today with fractional shares
$0trading fees at many top brokers. The excuses are gone
Prices rise around 3% in a normal year. Money that just sits there buys less every year. After about 24 years it buys only half. Investing is how normal people keep up.
Pensions moved onto your shoulders. Your employer or state will cover some, but the comfortable part comes from what you invest yourself. The account you open is your personal pension fund.
The good news: it has never been easier or cheaper. Trades cost $0 at many brokers. You can start with $1 through fractional shares. A monthly automatic plan does the discipline for you.
What still matters is the platform’s own price tag: fees, currency costs, and what your idle cash earns. That is exactly what the table above compares.
Ready to choose?
Frequently asked questions
How much do broker fees really cost over time?
One extra percentage point in annual costs takes roughly a third of your final wealth over 40 years. That is why this table separates trading commissions, currency conversion and the interest a broker pays on idle cash instead of showing a single headline fee.
Is my money safe with an online broker?
US brokers in this comparison carry SIPC protection up to $500,000 per customer, including $250,000 for cash. That covers broker failure, not market losses. The protection row lists the scheme and limit for every platform, including non-US ones.
How much do I need to start investing?
Most platforms here have no account minimum and support fractional shares from about $1, so the real barrier is choosing a platform rather than the amount you begin with.