[00:00] So guys, I've spent the last 10 years reviewing and testing different brokerage accounts here on YouTube and over on my blog, InvestingSimple.com. And after using everything from old school brokerage accounts to platforms that look like they were designed for think traders with six monitors, I have learned one thing in particular.
[00:16] The best brokerage account for you is going to depend heavily on how you actually plan to invest. So in this video, we're going to be ranking 16 popular platforms from S-tier down to potentially D-tier status. Before we dive in, make sure you drop a like on this video and subscribe for
[00:31] more tier list videos coming soon. We're going to start off with one of the easiest rankings on the list. First up is Fidelity. I'm going to put this one straight into the S tier status. This is by far my favorite brokerage platform to
[00:43] recommend. If somebody came to me and said I want a brokerage platform that I can open up today and potentially use for the next 30 years, Fidelity would be at the very top of that list. There is no minimum to open a standard brokerage account, online U.S. stock and ETF trades are commission-free, and fractional shares start at
[01:00] as little as just a dollar. But the bigger advantage with Fidelity is everything you can potentially grow into. We're talking stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, bonds, CDs, IPOs, retirement accounts. Fidelity covers a tremendous amount of ground. And they've also continued to
[01:16] invest on the trading side of the equation, too, with tools like Fidelity Trader Plus for people who eventually want something a bit more advanced. So you could literally start out with buying 25 bucks worth of an index fund and eventually have your HSA account,
[01:29] Roth IRA, bonds, active trading account, and even cash management under one single roof. But the biggest weakness for Fidelity has to be their overall user interface. To put it simply, Fidelity is functional,
[01:41] but it's not necessarily the most attractive user interface. But keep in mind, this is investing, an activity that's supposed to be boring, so in many cases, boring can actually be a feature. And on that note, you're also not going to find new age investments on Fidelity either,
[01:57] like prediction markets or perpetuals, which many argue are closer to gambling than actually investing. At the end of the day, you really can't go wrong with Fidelity, and if you want to learn more about them, I'll put my full tutorial in the corner for later.
[02:09] Next up, we have Webull. This is a newer age brokerage platform designed for a more active trader. I'm going to go ahead and put this one in the A tier, and here's why. You get commission-free U.S. stock and ETF trading, access to options, futures, fractional shares, IRAs, and some genuinely powerful charting and screening tools.
[02:27] But one of my personal favorite features here with Webull is their paper trading simulator where you can practice using fake money. You can use this on both their trading app and their desktop platform, which is more of a full-blown trader workstation.
[02:39] workstation. And overall, guys, I think Webull is one of the best platforms on this list here for somebody who might start off with the basics, but eventually wants things like advanced order types, robust data, and dozens of technical indicators available at their fingertips. For active traders,
[02:54] there is a ton of value here, but I'm going to stop at the A tier because if you're just looking to passively invest in index funds for retirement, for example, there might be some unnecessary complexity. It's a great brokerage with great features, but you should be aware of what you're
[03:08] signing up for here. But one thing worth mentioning is that they do offer Webull Lite, which is a more basic version of their platform for a more simplified user-friendly experience. And in addition, you can also get free stocks when you open up a new Webull account with my link. Currently
[03:23] 12 free fractional shares. I'm going to leave that link down below as well as links to other free bonuses depending on who you actually sign up with. And guys, this does help to support my channel and make videos like this one possible. So I genuinely do appreciate your use of my links.
[03:38] I'm also going to put my full Webull tutorial in the corner for later. Next up, we have Interactive Brokers, or IBKR. This is another A-tier platform in my book, but for the right type of investor, this could easily be S-tier status.
[03:52] Interactive Brokers gives you access to stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, funds, cryptocurrencies, and prediction markets across more than 170 markets globally. You also get advanced order types, algorithmic trading tools, APIs, and Trader Workstation, which is their professional-grade desktop trading platform.
[04:11] In addition, they also have multiple different versions of their platform, including IVKR Global Trader, which is intentionally designed to be simpler for newer investors. But let's be real here. Interactive Brokers' greatest strength is also a weakness for some people.
[04:25] This thing can do almost anything, which is awesome if you're trading assets across multiple different countries, slightly less awesome if you're just looking to buy three shares of Coca-Cola. So this platform can do it all, but for the basics, you might be better suited with a simpler investing platform.
[04:40] But when it comes down to global investing, advanced features, and a wide asset selection, it's really second to none. You can learn more by visiting ryanoscribner.com slash idkr, and I'm also going to leave my full tutorial for them in the corner for later.
[04:53] Next up, we have Charles Schwab. This is an easy one, guys. Another S-tier ranking in my book. And Schwab is one of the only platforms out there where I think the born long-term investor and the borderline-obsessed active trader could both be very happy with it.
[05:07] On the traditional brokerage side, you have, of course, stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, retirement accounts, research tools, great customer support, and more. In addition, U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs trade online for a $0 trading commission
[05:21] with no minimum required for a standard brokerage account. But then you also have Thinkorswim built right in, which is an entirely different trading platform. Regular Schwab is like that uncle of yours who talks to you about retirement investing
[05:33] and S&P 500 index funds. Meanwhile, Thinkorswim is like that college friend who decided to drop out and professionally trade options for a living. Schwab has continued to upgrade their products and features
[05:45] and they now offer 24-5 trading on more than 1,300 eligible tickers through its trading platform. You can start out simple and have an enormous amount of room to grow, and it's really another one of those brokerage platforms
[05:57] you could use for multiple decades. I also leave my full tutorial for them down in the description below Next up on the list here we have Public This is another newer age investing platform that I going to be putting into the A Public has quietly turned itself into one of the broadest modern brokerage platforms available
[06:14] today, and in a few years, it could be among the greats in the S-tier club. You can, of course, invest in stocks and ETFs, but Public also supports the trading of options in addition to treasuries, direct bonds investments, crypto IRAs, direct indexing, and a high-yield cash account.
[06:31] And I think fixed income is where public really differentiates itself from a lot of the other brokerage platforms available today, especially the newer age investing apps. Most of the newer age investing apps out there follow the same development plan.
[06:43] They get started with stocks and dive into maybe options or crypto, and then apparently, because nobody asked for it, prediction markets. Public is different because, yes, they do offer things like options and crypto, but they've also put a substantial amount of effort into things like treasuries and other types of bond investments.
[07:00] And that's going to make it easier to build something that resembles more of a diversified portfolio rather than six stocks on a watch list that your cousin mentioned during Thanksgiving, sports bets, and, of course, Bitcoin. The main thing keeping them from S-tier in my book right now is just the track record
[07:15] because they've only been around since 2019, but I wouldn't be surprised if this ranking changes in a few years. You can also get a $20 bonus investment when you open up a new account with my link and my referral code down below,
[07:27] and I'm also going to leave a link to my full public tutorial where you can learn more. Next up on the list here we have Moomoo. This is going to be another A-tier ranking for me, especially when you're looking at this through the lens of active traders.
[07:39] Moomoo supports commission-free trades for U.S. stocks and ETFs for U.S. customers, along with options, fractional shares, paper trading, which is a plus, and an enormous amount of market data. And there's really two things that separate Moomoo from the others on this list.
[07:54] That is going to be data and technical indicators. Eligible accounts can unlock free level 2 market data showing dozens of bid and ask levels, and the platform includes more than 60 different technical indicators.
[08:06] And guys, that is fantastic if you're an active trader looking to get as much DINGA as possible to make informed decisions, not so important if you're just looking to buy the S&P 500 through an index fund every Friday. At that point, it's kind of like buying a gaming PC with three monitors just to check your email,
[08:22] But I will say, Moomoo knows exactly who they've designed this platform for. Research, charting, data, and active trading are the entire point here. And for active traders, you could really make a strong argument here for SQ.
[08:35] The only thing that's, again, holding them back here, like others, is going to be track record, as they have only launched in 2018. They also have a bonus promotion when you sign up with my link. You can currently get up to $1,000 in NVIDIA stock for free, so you can check that out, as well as my full tutorial down below.
[08:52] Next up is Vanguard. This was genuinely one of the most difficult brokerage platforms to rank on the entire list, and I have to put this one in the B tier, but before I get a bunch of bobbleheads roasting me in the comments, let me tell you why this is.
[09:05] If you're a long-term investor who primarily wants to hold Vanguard index funds and index mutual funds for the long term, this could easily be an S tier brokerage account. This is a company that basically made low-cost passive investing mainstream,
[09:18] And the investment products themselves, like the BOO ETF, are obviously S-tier, but that is not what we're talking about here. We are ranking the Vanguard brokerage platform itself here, which offers access to commission-free online stock and ETF trading,
[09:32] access to Vanguard's huge mutual fund ecosystem, and no minimum initial investment for the brokerage account. And guys, don't get me wrong, this is great for old-school, no-frills passive investing.
[09:44] But if you're an active trader or new age investor looking for cutting edge software, advanced features, and a sleek user interface, this might even be seeked here depending on who you ask. Vanguard knows exactly what it wants you to do and who they designed the platform for.
[09:59] It's for those who want to buy diversified investments, hold them for approximately 900 years, and then basically not even look at them. For that type of investor, it is a fantastic platform. And real quick guys, before I get into the next ranking, make sure you drop a like on this video and subscribe if you haven't already.
[10:15] Next up we have a brokerage that wouldn't have been eligible for this video a short time ago, that is Coinbase, and I'm going to have to put this one in the B tier for now, but this ranking could definitely change in the future. Coinbase Capital Markets now lets US customers trade thousands of stocks and ETFs directly within their existing Coinbase account.
[10:34] Stock trades have zero trading commissions, eligible securities support fractional investing starting at around $1, and eligible stocks can trade 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. And obviously, guys, the biggest selling point here is having stocks and cryptocurrencies in one unified account.
[10:52] Coinbase is definitely an A or S tier cryptocurrency exchange, but they are brand new to the stock trading realm, so it's hard to rank them any higher right now without seeing what they do from here. And there are some meaningful limitations here with Coinbase, especially when you compare them to those in our S-tier club, one of the biggest being the lack of retirement account availability.
[11:12] So I wouldn't put Coinbase in the same category as Fidelity or Schwab just yet, but for something that just launched, it is pretty compelling. If you want to check them out, you can get up to $2,000 in free Bitcoin when you open a new account with my link and trade your first $50 of cryptocurrency.
[11:27] I'll put that link as well as my tutorial down in the description below. Next up, we have M1 Finance, and overall, I'm going to have to put this one in the B tier, but if you're a long-term investor who has more than $10,000 to invest,
[11:40] this could easily be an A or F tier investing platform. M1 Finance is probably best known for its pies, where you can build a diversified portfolio of stocks and ETFs, and then set a target allocation percentage to each investment.
[11:54] So maybe you want 50% in one ETF, 30% of your money in another, and then the remaining 20% split up into a handful of individual stocks. With M1 Finance, you just have to build the portfolio once, and then M1 handles all of the ongoing maintenance for you New deposits are going to be automatically directed towards allocations that are below their target percentage which brings you back closer to your original target allocations
[12:17] something called automated rebalancing. You can also set up recurring deposits in AutoInvest, and they also support fractional shares, which means small deposits can be spread across your portfolio instead of requiring you to buy individual whole shares.
[12:31] So M1 basically sits in a unique position between a self-directed brokerage account and a robo-advisor service. You get to choose the investments, and then M1 Finance helps you to automate everything.
[12:43] And if you don't want to be in the driver's seat, well, they also have pre-built portfolios, too. They also have a wide variety of account types. You have individual and joint brokerage accounts, also traditional Roth and SEP IRAs,
[12:55] trust accounts, and custodial accounts. But there are two important downsides for some associated with M1 Finance, and the first is that this is not designed for active trading. With M1 Finance, trades are going to be executed during set trading windows
[13:09] rather than whenever you press a buy button, so this is much more designed for something like long-term investing, not trading in and out of NVIDIA stock. And the biggest downside for me is the potential for a monthly platform fee.
[13:22] M1 Finance currently charges $3 per month unless you have an active M1 personal loan or your total M1 assets reach at least $10,000 during the billing cycle. And don't get me wrong, $36 a year isn't exactly catastrophic,
[13:36] but if you're a beginner who only has $1,000 invested, for example, that's effectively 3.6% of your starting balance every year just to access the platform. Once you cost $10,000, and it could be in your investing account or their high-yield savings account,
[13:51] that fee disappears, and I think at that point in time, this becomes a much more compelling platform for long-term investors. Next up, we have Robinhood, the OG commission-free stock trading app. And based on what Robinhood has turned into in 2026,
[14:05] I'm going to go ahead and put this one in the S-tier status. Robinhood is no longer just a beginner-friendly investing app where you can buy fractional shares of a stock or ETF, because let's be honest, that's pretty basic today.
[14:17] You can now trade thousands of stocks and ETFs in addition to options and other securities. and in addition, Robinhood has expanded into more advanced and active trading platforms like Robinhood Legend with fully customizable layouts and a trading workstation.
[14:33] Robinhood also supports retirement accounts with both traditional and Roth IRAs, and a big plus for many is their IRA match, which is either 1% to 3% depending on whether or not you subscribe to Robinhood Gold.
[14:45] The biggest advantage here for me is that Robinhood has added all of this to their overall experience while still maintaining an investing app that is simple and easy to use. A lot of investing apps continue adding features until it basically looks like an airplane cockpit,
[15:00] whereas Robinhood still feels very approachable. Now, the downside for some is that Robinhood does make trading very easy, including some more speculative products like prediction market contracts. But if you can avoid those riskier investments and focus on the tried and tested investing strategies,
[15:16] Robinhood can be a fantastic place to invest. You can even get a free stock worth up to $200 when you open a new Robinhood account with my link below, and I'm also going to link out to my full tutorial as well.
[15:28] Next up, we have E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. I'm going to go ahead and put this one in the A tier, but if we're ranking them solely based on their marketing strategy, this is going to be S-plus tier, because who doesn't remember the E-Trade baby commercials?
[15:41] E-Trade is interesting because it sits in between being a traditional full-service brokerage and a more serious active trading platform. You can invest in stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, bonds, and more.
[15:53] There's also traditional Roth, rollover IRAs, and even more account types available. U.S. listed stock and ETF trades are going to be $0 commission online. And for more serious traders, Power E-Trade is going to give you a much more robust experience.
[16:08] My biggest gripe with E-Trade is that I really can't identify what exactly they do that is just miles ahead of everybody else. E-Trade is really good at everything, but not necessarily the best at any one thing, which might sound like an insult, but honestly, guys, it really isn't.
[16:23] Next up is probably one of the most underrated brokerages on our entire list, Firstrade. I'm going to put this one in the A tier, and it's because their pricing is extremely competitive. Firstrade currently charges $0 trading commissions for online stock, ETF, and mutual fund trades,
[16:39] but unlike Fidelity, Schwab, E-Trade, and others, they currently charge $0 per options contract as well. In addition, there is no account minimum and no inactivity fees. With Firstrade, you get access to more than 11,000 different mutual funds,
[16:54] fixed income products, retirement accounts, extended hours trading, and even overnight stock trading is available. The only real downside is that Firstrade doesn't have the same polished brand, ecosystem, or advanced trading software as some of the bigger names.
[17:09] If your priority is to minimize trading costs while having access to a broad pool of different investments, the value is excellent here. Next up, we have Trade Zero, one that you probably haven't heard of before. And overall, I am going to have to put this one in the C tier, but it really depends on what type of trading you are doing.
[17:26] If you're a serious trader, especially one who's focused on short selling, you could easily make an argument for A tier or S tier status. Trade Zero puts a huge emphasis on active trading tools. hotkeys, advanced order types, and direct routing and locating shares to borrow for short sales.
[17:43] They're going to offer several different platforms, including Xero Pro, Xero Free, and mobile options as well. U.S. customers can currently place qualifying stock orders commission-free, while options have no commission but do carry a per-contract fee.
[17:57] Now, shorting hard-to-borrow stocks, which is something many do on their platform, can include additional fees like locate fees that do change based on availability. Now guys this is absolutely not the brokerage platform I recommend for somebody whose strategy is to buy index funds for long retirement someday But again that is not what Trades Zero is designed for It is primarily designed around short selling and if it what you looking for this specialized trading brokerage could be a perfect fit for you You can learn more about them linked down
[18:26] in the description below. Next up, we have Merrill Edge, and I'm going to go ahead and put this one in the B tier, but if you're a Bank of America customer, this might jump up to A or even S tier for you. Merrill gives you unlimited online $0 stocking ETF trades plus $0 base commission options
[18:42] trades with a $0.65 per contract fee. You can also invest in bonds, mutual funds, and fixed income investments in addition to accessing research from Bank of America. Traditional Roth rollover and
[18:55] several other IRA types are available, but the killer feature here is going to be their integration with Bank of America. If you already bank with Bank of America, you can see and manage your banking as well as your investments all in one place, and that can make managing your financial
[19:09] life substantially easier. But the reason why they're in the B tier for me is because outside of Bank of America and the convenience that exists there, I just don't see a compelling reason why they would be among the greats like Schwab, Fidelity, and others. It's good at almost everything,
[19:24] just like E-Trade, but unless you're a Bank of America customer, I just don't know why somebody would say, yep, that's the one for me. All right, guys, next up is Tasty Trade, and this is without about another brokerage account where you really need to understand the target customer. I'm going
[19:38] to put TastyTrade in the A tier, but that's primarily because it is really good at what it is designed to do, and that is options and derivatives trading. The platform was built with active derivatives traders in mind, so you're able to trade stock and ETF options, index options,
[19:53] futures, micro futures, and even options on futures. That's going to give you exposure to everything from the S&P 500 and NASDAQ to commodities like oil and gold, interest rates, and even Bitcoin and Ethereum futures.
[20:07] And the platform includes tools specifically designed around analyzing risk, probability, buying power, and potential profit and losses. So guys, this is not a brokerage account that just happens to offer access to options and futures.
[20:19] This one is quite literally designed around these products. But you don't just have to trade futures contracts on crude oil at 3 in the morning. In addition, they also support regular stocks and ETFs that trade commission-free, including fractional shares.
[20:34] Now, if you're just looking to do this type of traditional buy and hold investing, there's not really too much that makes TastyTrade a more compelling option than something like Fidelity or Charles Schwab. For options and futures traders, you may have quite literally found your perfect match.
[20:49] Now, guys, before we get into the final ranking here, feel free to leave me a comment down below if I missed any platforms you wanted me to cover, or if you just straight up disagree with my rankings. This is going to help me with future tier list videos, and I would love to hear from
[21:03] you, and I'll read each comment personally. Last on our list here is Acorns. I'm going to have to put this one in the B tier, and it's pretty much the complete opposite of something like Interactive Brokers, Moomoo, or Webull. The whole idea here is to make investing as simple and automatic as
[21:18] possible. Acorns is going to recommend an expert-built diversified ETF portfolio that's based on your goals. They're going to automatically rebalance it for you and even allow you to reinvest your dividend. You can even set up recurring investments and use their famous
[21:33] roundups feature, which is going to allow you to invest your spare change. So if you buy something for $4.25, it can take that 75 cents and put it into your investment. And for somebody who
[21:45] struggles with finding money to set aside for investments, I think this can be a genuinely useful feature. You can also open up an Acorns later retirement account in their higher subscription tier, which also includes additional features like IRA contribution matches and even access
[22:00] to investment accounts for kids. But here is the biggest reason why this is going to stop at B tier for me. That is because Acorns requires a monthly subscription. The bronze plan currently starts at
[22:12] four bucks a month, silver is eight dollars, and then gold is going to be twelve dollars a month. And four dollars a month might not sound like much, but if you only have five hundred dollars invested, you're going to be paying almost ten percent of your total investments in fees over
[22:26] the course of one year. Now, obviously, the percentage of your account that you're paying in fees is going to become smaller as your account grows, but my issue here is that Acorns is designed for people who are just starting out, who might even be struggling to find extra money to invest.
[22:42] And that right there is the trade-off. You're paying for the simplicity, the automation, and basically having Acorns protect you from getting in your own way. And if that's what helps you to actually start investing and do it more consistently,
[22:54] the platform fee could be more than worth it. But if you're comfortable buying diversified ETFs yourself and setting up recurring investments somewhere like Fidelity or Robinhood, you can accomplish the exact same thing pretty much without paying a monthly subscription fee.
[23:08] So it's a great platform for complete beginners or hands-off investors. I just wish it was a little bit cheaper or, you know, free. So there you have it, guys. That is my ranking of 16 brokerage accounts in 2026.
[23:20] And I think the biggest takeaway here is that there is no one-size-fits-all for every single investor out there. If you're looking for a brokerage account you could use for multiple deckings, it's really hard to argue against Fidelity or Charles Schwab.
[23:33] If you're looking for a simple, modern investing app, Robinhood is significantly more capable than it used to be, and Public is a very solid contender. Active traders, on the other hand, might lean towards something like Webull, Moomoo, or interactive brokers for something more established.
[23:48] And if you're purely looking for a long-term, passive investing platform, something like Vanguard could be in your S tier. So let me know if you guys agree or disagree down in the comments, and make sure you subscribe while you're at it for more tier list videos coming soon.
[24:02] You can also check out my description down below to score a free bonus depending on who you open up an account with. This also helps to support my channel, and I have links to all of my full-length tutorial videos down there as well.
[24:14] Be sure to check out this next video where I rank the best high-yield savings accounts of 2026, and I'll see you in the next video.