Interactive Brokers vs E*TRADE

Interactive Brokers is a good discount broker for experienced, high volume traders. . How does it compare to E*TRADE? Read our comparison chart below.

Interactive Brokers offers trades starting at just 0.5 cents per share. It also offers a tiered pricing plan that awards high volume traders with even lower rates. There is a $10,000 opening account minimum ($3,000 for clients 25 and younger). There is a monthly activity fee unless required commission minimums are met.

While E*TRADE offers stock trades at $0 per trade. There is a $500 minimum deposit, no maintenance fee and no inactivity fee.

Compare Interactive Brokers with E*TRADE, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

	Interactive Brokers	E*TRADE
	Earn $200 with Referrals - Learn More Read Interactive Brokers Review	SPECIAL OFFER Learn more about E*TRADE - Learn More Read E*TRADE Review
	Benefits and Features
Stock Trading	Fixed pricing: $0.0005 - $0.0035 per share (min $0.35 per order, max 1.0% of trade value). Tiered pricing: Starts at $0.0035 per share for less than 300,000 shares (min $0.35 per order, max 1% of trade value)	$0 per trade
Options Trading	$.15-$.70 per contract ($1 minimum per order)	$0 per trade + $0.65 per contract $0 per trade + $0.50 per contract if you make 30+ trades a quarter
Minimum Deposit	$10,000 for individual accounts; $5,000 for IRAs; $3,000 for clients 25 and under	$0 for self-directed brokerage accounts; Managed portfolios start at $500 minimum
Mutual Fund Trading	$0 for no-transaction-fee funds. For transaction-fee funds, 3% trade value OR $14.95, per transaction, whichever is less, for transaction-fee funds	$0 for no-load, no-transaction-fee funds; $19.99 for transaction-fee funds
Commission Free ETFs	48	250+
Penny Stocks
Broker Assisted Trades	$30	$25 + Regular Commission
Customer Service	United States: Monday-Friday 8am - 10pm ET; Sunday 1pm - 7pm ET (24/7 Weekday service available in other countries)	800-387-2331
Inactivity Fee	$10/month for accounts under $100,000; $20/month for accounts under $2,000; $3/month for clients 25 and younger	$0
Maintenance Fee	Waived if account value is at least $100,000 OR if monthly commission requirements are met. If not met, the activity fee is the difference. For accounts less than $100,000: the commission requirement is $10/month. For accounts less than $2,000: the commission requirement is $20/month. For clients 25 and younger: the commission requirement is $3/month.	$0
Banking	No	Checking account offers no minimum balance requirements, free online bill pay, and unlimited debit card and check transactions.
Mobile App	Yes
Desktop App	Yes	E*TRADE Pro (requires you to execute at least 30 trades during a calendar quarter or maintain brokerage account balance of at least $250,000)
Forex Trading	Available for qualified customers
Futures Trading	Yes	$1.50 per contract, per side + fees (excluding bitcoin futures)
Locations	No
Online Community	Yes
Seminars	Yes
Virtual Trading	Yes
	CreditDonkey® Reviews
Stock Trading
Options Trading
Mutual Fund Trading
Online Platform
Banking
Mobile App
Commissions and Fees
Ease of Use
Research
Online Community
Trading Platform
Pros & Cons	Pros: Large number of investments, including options, futures, and forex Customize trading platform Tools and opportunities for research Cons: $10,000 minimum to open an account. Platform can be too much for a beginner to understand Inactivity fees if you don't meet the trade commission requirements.	Pros: Expansive set of resources and tools Easy to use website Industry leader Cons: Trade fees
Bottom Line	Good discount broker for experienced, high volume traders... Read full review	Online broker with one of the best user interfaces... Read full review
		Learn more about E*TRADE E*TRADE Account - Up to $1,200 Bonus E*TRADE Account - Up to $2,500 Bonus
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. Interactive Brokers: Pricing information from published websites as of 09/15/2019. E*TRADE: Pricing information from published website as of 12/05//2020.

Which is Better: Interactive Brokers or E*TRADE?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing Interactive Brokers or eToro.

In short: Interactive Brokers' stock trading, options trading, and banking are notable. In particular, the stock trading and options trading are outstanding. E*TRADE's ease of use is outstanding.

Articles on Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers Review

Do you have $10,000 and plenty of trading knowledge? Interactive Brokers may provide you with a solid trading platform. With their competitive fees and robust trading options, they are a common choice for the experienced trader.

• Interactive Brokers vs Robinhood

Articles on E*TRADE

E*TRADE

E*TRADE is a highly well-known name, but does that mean it is better than its competitors? Read our in-depth review and see how it compares.

Which Do You Think is Best?

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