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The Top Trading Platforms of 2023
The top trading platforms offer high quality features, intuitive designs, and low costs to help you become the best possible trader. Easily compare our top picks below.
The content on this page is for educational purposes only. The writers here are not licensed to provide financial, securities, or investment related services or recommendations. Read our full disclaimer for more information.
Jump ahead to FAQs
E*Trade
Best For: Well-Balanced Platform
Fees
$0 on select assets
Minimum Deposit
$0
Notable Feature
Robo advisor
Take me to Etrade
Our Quick Review
E*Trade is best suited for:
Traders who want a balanced platform as Etrade offers a strong mix between costs, features, and educational support.
Read our full review here
WeBull
Best For: Ease of Use
Fees
$0 and 1% for crypto
Minimum Deposit
$0
Notable Feature
24/7 support
Take me to Webull
Our Quick Review
Webull is best suited for:
Traders of all levels interested in active trading who want easy to use interface, low costs and 24/7 customer support.
Read our full review here
Trade Station
Best For: Advanced Trading
Fees
$0 on select assets
Minimum Deposit
$0
Notable Feature
Advanced trading tools
Take me to TradeStation
Our Quick Review
Tradestation is best suited for:
Advanced traders due to a powerful trading platform, a wide range of tradable assets and relatively low costs.
Read our full review here
Interactive Brokers
Best For: Global Trading
Fees
$0 on select assets
Minimum Deposit
$0
Notable Feature
Global markets
Take me to IBKR
Our Quick Review
Interactive Brokers is best suited for:
Intermediate to advanced traders who want to be able to trade global markets from a single platform that offers powerful trading tools.
Read our full review here
Etoro
Best For: Social Trading
Fees
$0 and 1% for crypto
Minimum Deposit
$10
Notable Features
Social community
Take me to Etoro
Our Quick Review
Etoro is best suited for:
Traders of all levels who want to be in a social trading community while having a platform that is easy to use.
Read our full review here
Best for: Balanced platform
Notable feature: Robo advisor
Take Me to E*Trade
Fees
$0 on select assets
Minimum Deposit
$0
Our Quick Review
E*Trade is best suited for:
Traders who want a balanced platform as Etrade offers a strong mix between costs, features, and educational support.
Read our full review here
Best for: Ease of use
Notable feature: 24/7 support
Take Me to Webull
Fees
$0, 1% for crypto
Minimum Deposit
$0
Our Quick Review
Webull is best suited for:
Traders of all levels interested in active trading who want easy to use interface, low costs and 24/7 customer support.
Read our full review here
Best for: Advanced trading
Notable feature: Advanced trading tools
Take Me to Tradestation
Fees
$0 on select assets
Minimum Deposit
$0
Our Quick Review
Tradestation is best suited for:
Advanced traders due to a powerful trading platform, a wide range of tradable assets and relatively low costs.
Read our full review here
Best for: Global trading
Notable feature: Global markets
Take Me to IBKR
Fees
$0 on select assets
Minimum Deposit
$0
Our Quick Review
Interactive Brokers is best suited for:
Intermediate to advanced traders who want to be able to trade global markets from a single platform that offers powerful trading tools.
Read our full review here
Best for: Social trading
Notable feature: Social community
Take Me to Etoro
Fees
$0, 1% for crypto
Minimum Deposit
$10
Our Quick Review
Etoro is best suited for:
Traders of all levels who want to be in a social trading community while having a platform that is easy to use.
Read our full review here
FAQs
What is trading?
Trading is simply the process of buying and selling a variety of securities in order to make a profit. Securities can include stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds, crypto and more.
Is trading different from investing?
Trading and investing can be interchangeable, but with one key difference. Trading is more of a short term strategy where you are looking to quickly buy and sell securites based upon a trading strategy. Investing is more of a long term strategy in which you buy and hold securities over a period of time.
Is trading risky?
Any form of investing carries the inherent risk of losing money as positive returns are never guaranteed. However, trading is a high risk form of investing due to the frequent buying and selling of securities.
Advantages of trading?
Potential of high returns:
If you develop a strong trading strategy and consistently practice, trading can be very lucrative.
Flexibility:
Trading allows you to choose your own investments and have complete control over the assets within your portfolio.
Educational:
Even if you don't succeed with trading right away, it is a great opportunity to learn more about financial markets and investing as a whole.
Disadvantages of trading?
Very high risk:
Trading is a very high risk investment strategy due to the constant buying and selling of securities. Most people who try trading end up losing money as opposed to profiting.
Time consuming:
Trading is not an investing strategy that can be mastered overnight. You have to spend consistent time analyzing the markets to find opportunities to execute profitable trades.
Emotionally draining:
Trading can lead to high stress levels as you have the constant risk of losing money. This is one of the main reasons most people fail at trading.
Take a deep dive on trading platforms
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