Whether you manage a long-term stock portfolio or trade complex options strategies, your broker is an important partner in your investing journey. The best online brokers offer a comprehensive and user-friendly trading platform, fast trade execution, competitive fees and commissions, free investment research, and a large selection of investments.

Best brokers for trading you’re an active trader, look for a broker that offers a low cost per trade and a high volume-based discount. Brokers that combine these features into a flat-rate pricing model, like Tastytrade and Schwab, are among the most attractive choices for traders.

A good choice for beginner traders is Merrill Edge, which has a low minimum deposit, a robust mobile app, and a well-rounded set of tools. Its strong suit is its excellent research package, which includes in-depth analyst reports for all stocks it covers.

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For more advanced traders, the pro-level platforms at Interactive Brokers and TD Ameritrade are enticing. Those brokers are notable for their deep bench of investment products—including stocks, ETFs, options, forex, and cryptocurrencies. They also have top-notch, customizable technical analysis and charting tools.

Robo-advisors, which are essentially automated investment services, have become increasingly popular among investors. Typically, they use machine learning to build a portfolio of low-cost ETFs that match your investment goals. Some even take on the role of active manager, managing your assets according to your desired risk tolerance and time horizon. Nevertheless, they aren’t suitable for all investors, as they often have limited trading capabilities and won’t allow you to invest in individual securities.