The figures that matter for long-term investing, and the arithmetic that produced each position under this page’s weights. The same brokers rank differently elsewhere on this site because a different question is being asked; the sub-scores do not change, the weights do.
1.Fidelity
9.2/10FIDELITY BROKERAGE SERVICES LLC · CRD 7784 · SIPC member
- Mutual funds
- $0
- Account fee
- None published
- Inactivity
- None published
Leads this ranking on 9.2/10. The largest single contribution is 10/10 on account types and features, weighted 30% here and worth 3.0 of the total. Its 8/10 on investment selection adds 1.1 at 14%.
On account types and features: Widest published lineup in our set: taxable, joint, all IRA variants, custodial, trust, solo 401(k) and HSA.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Fidelity2.Interactive Brokers
8.8/10INTERACTIVE BROKERS LLC · CRD 36418 · SIPC member
- Mutual funds
- $0 on no-transaction-fee funds; otherwise the lesser of 3% of trade value or $14.95
- Account fee
- None published
- Inactivity
- None published
Ranks 2nd on 8.8/10. The largest single contribution is 9/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.9 of the total. Its 10/10 on investment selection adds 1.4 at 14%.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-47257), FINRA member, SIPC member, and part of a US-listed group. No headline retail enforcement matter identified in our sourced review.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Interactive Brokers3.Charles Schwab
8.8/10CHARLES SCHWAB & CO., INC. · CRD 5393 · SIPC member
- Mutual funds
- $0
- Account fee
- $0
- Inactivity
- None published
Ranks 3rd on 8.8/10. The largest single contribution is 9/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.9 of the total. Its 9/10 on investment selection adds 1.3 at 14%.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-16514) with one of the lowest CRD numbers in our set, indicating long registration history. SIPC member. No headline retail enforcement matter identified in our sourced review.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Charles Schwab4.E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
8.3/10MORGAN STANLEY · CRD 149777 · SIPC member
- Mutual funds
- $0
Ranks 4th on 8.3/10. The largest single contribution is 9/10 on account types and features, weighted 30% here and worth 2.7 of the total. Its 8/10 on investment selection adds 1.1 at 14%.
On account types and features: Full retail lineup including all IRA variants, custodial, trust and managed Core Portfolios, backed by integrated banking through Morgan Stanley Private Bank.
Every fee, source and sub-score for E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley5.Merrill Edge Self-Directed
7.8/10MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED · CRD 7691 · SIPC member
- Mutual funds
- $0 no-load NTF and load-waived; $19.95 no-load transaction-fee funds
- Account fee
- None published
- Inactivity
- None published
Ranks 5th on 7.8/10. The largest single contribution is 9/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.9 of the total. Its 6/10 on investment selection adds 0.8 at 14%, and is what holds it back here.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-7221) — the lowest SEC file number in our set, indicating a very long registration history — and a SIPC member within Bank of America. No headline retail enforcement matter identified in our sourced review.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Merrill Edge Self-Directed6.Vanguard
7.6/10VANGUARD MARKETING CORPORATION · CRD 7452 · SIPC member
- Mutual funds
- $0 Vanguard and non-Vanguard NTF; $20 non-Vanguard transaction-fee funds
- Account fee
- $25 per year
- Inactivity
- None published
Ranks 6th on 7.6/10. The largest single contribution is 9/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.9 of the total. Its 6/10 on investment selection adds 0.8 at 14%, and is what holds it back here.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-21570) with a low CRD number indicating long registration history, and a SIPC member. No headline retail enforcement matter identified in our sourced review.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Vanguard7.tastytrade
7.3/10TASTYTRADE, INC. · CRD 277027 · SIPC member
- Account fee
- None published
- Inactivity
- None published
Ranks 7th on 7.3/10. The largest single contribution is 8/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.6 of the total. Its 7/10 on investment selection adds 1.0 at 14%.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-69649), FINRA member and SIPC member. Scored below the incumbents on operating history — its CRD number places registration in the mid-2010s — with no enforcement matter identified in our sourced review.
Every fee, source and sub-score for tastytrade8.Public
6.8/10OPEN TO THE PUBLIC INVESTING, INC. · CRD 127818 · SIPC member
- Account fee
- $0
- Inactivity
- $3.99 per month
Ranks 8th on 6.8/10. The largest single contribution is 8/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.6 of the total. Its 6/10 on investment selection adds 0.8 at 14%, and is what holds it back here.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-66049), FINRA member and SIPC member, with no enforcement matter identified in our sourced review. Its CRD number, 127818, is lower than those of Robinhood, Webull, tastytrade and eToro, which means the legal entity has been registered longer than the appâs launch date suggests. Still well short of the multi-decade registration records that earn a 9 here.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Public9.TradeStation
6.8/10TRADESTATION SECURITIES, INC. · CRD 39473 · SIPC member
- Inactivity
- $10 per month
Ranks 9th on 6.8/10. The largest single contribution is 8/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.6 of the total. Its 7/10 on investment selection adds 1.0 at 14%.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-48711) and SIPC member with a registration history predating the newer app-first firms. No enforcement matter identified in our sourced review.
Every fee, source and sub-score for TradeStation10.Webull
6.7/10WEBULL FINANCIAL LLC · CRD 289063 · SIPC member
- Account fee
- None published
- Inactivity
- None published
Ranks 10th on 6.7/10. The largest single contribution is 7/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 2.2 of the total. Its 6/10 on investment selection adds 0.8 at 14%, and is what holds it back here.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-69978) and SIPC member. Scored below the incumbents on operating history alone — its CRD number places its registration well after the established firms — not on any enforcement matter we identified.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Webull11.Robinhood
6.2/10ROBINHOOD FINANCIAL, LLC · CRD 165998 · SIPC member
- Account fee
- $0
- Inactivity
- None published
Ranks 11th on 6.2/10. The largest single contribution is 6/10 on safety and regulation, weighted 32% here and worth 1.9 of the total. Its 6/10 on investment selection adds 0.8 at 14%, and is what holds it back here.
On safety and regulation: Active SEC-registered broker-dealer (8-69188) and SIPC member, so custody protection is equivalent to the rest of the set. Scored well below its peers because of two settled 2025 enforcement matters totalling roughly $75 million, one of which involved disclosure to customers about how their orders were handled.
Every fee, source and sub-score for Robinhood