Our deep, independent analysis of online brokers sorts through key account details to find and evaluate the information investors want when choosing an account. To see our full methodology and learn more about our process, read our criteria for evaluating brokers.
Over 60 investment account providers reviewed and rated by our expert Nerds.
More than 50 years of combined experience writing about finance and investing.
Hands-on testing of the account funding process, broker websites and stock-trading platforms.
Dozens of objective ratings rubrics, and strict guidelines to maintain editorial integrity.
A discount broker is an online broker with rock-bottom pricing — generally, discount brokers charge no commission to buy or sell stocks, and keep other fees as low as possible. Those fees include inactivity fees, annual fees and account transfer fees.
Here, we’ve sorted through the top online brokers to surface the ones with the best low-fee discount brokerage accounts — none of these brokers charge commissions, and all charge options contract fees of $.50 per contract or less (in fact, many don’t charge an options contract fee at all). They will help you keep transaction costs down without hindering your ability to trade stocks, exchange-traded funds or options.
