Last year was an extremely difficult one for investors and their brokers. Did brokers help their customers navigate the choppy waters, or could they have done more? Our customer-driven rankings of the Best Online Brokers for 2023 can help you decide.
In our 11th annual study, IBD and polling partner TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence asked thousands of investors to rate their online broker. Out of seven major brokers included in the survey analysis, we recognize three as the Best Online Brokers overall. We also recognize the top three in 18 key performance categories that investors deemed important.
The best brokers are shown in the order of their customer ratings, starting with the highest. Check the lists to see how your online broker compares with others in the areas that matter to you. And read our overview story for this year's report, Online Brokers Battled The Bear Market And Each Other In 2022.
Best Online Stock Brokers 2023: Best Overall Customer Experience
|
| Broker |
Strengths |
| Charles Schwab |
Charles Schwab is back on top this year, after ceding the podium to Fidelity for the past three years. It ranked No. 1 in seven of the 18 performance categories, and it was in the top three in 12 categories. Schwab is the only broker to stand among the top three in overall customer experience in all 11 years of IBD's surveys. It ranked first in customer service, a coveted attribute. And its top scores for timely information on market shifts, trade ideas for a down market and up-to-the-minute data on inflation and other market influencers helped its customers get through a grueling year. Read more about Schwab in this year's profile. |
| Fidelity |
Fidelity ranked in the top three in 13 of our of 18 performance categories this year, and it won the availability of account types category. Fidelity scored the No. 2 ranking on six key traits (see below). The investment powerhouse also has a loyal following, boosted by enhanced educational offerings, expanded services (including crypto trading) and its growing army of customer service reps. See our Fidelity profile for more information.
|
| TD Ameritrade |
TD Ameritrade (part of Charles Schwab, but still operating independently in 2022) knocked E-Trade out of the No. 3 position in our 2023 ranking. Not only that, it took the No. 1 position in six of our 18 categories, and came in at the top in the very important categories of trade executions/speed/price, equity trading platform and site performance. Check out TD Ameritrade's profile to learn more about its newest features.
|
Best Online Stock Brokers: Website Security
|
| Protects clients' assets and personal data with strong password and user ID features; uses technologies and procedures to prevent unauthorized account access. |
|
TD Ameritrade |
|
E-Trade |
|
Fidelity |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Site Performance
|
| Provides fast access to website; always available when you log in. Site is easy to use and navigate. |
|
TD Ameritrade |
|
E-Trade |
|
Fidelity |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Customer Service
|
| Responds to questions and requests in a way that serves your needs; may include phone, email, chat, online FAQs, or automated AI-driven tools. Short wait times. |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
TD Ameritrade |
|
Fidelity |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Investment Research
|
| Offers information that helps you understand and select investments, such as analyst stock research reports, profit forecasts, buy and sell ratings, or research on ETFs, mutual funds, options, etc. |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Fidelity |
|
E-Trade |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Research Tools
|
| Offers screening tools and data that let you find stocks, bonds, ETFs or mutual funds based on earnings, sales, yield, duration, investing style, performance, ESG rating, social community lists, etc. |
|
E-Trade |
|
Fidelity |
|
TD Ameritrade |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Mobile Trading Platforms
|
| Mobile website and apps provide a convenient way to conduct trades, perform research, track holdings and access news, with data security you trust. |
|
Robinhood |
|
TD Ameritrade |
|
Fidelity |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Portfolio Analysis & Reports
|
| Provides tools and information for you to stay on top of your portfolio, such as monthly/quarterly reports that show gains and losses, asset allocation and performance. See our story for what's new in portfolio analysis.
|
|
Vanguard |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Fidelity |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Timely Information On Market Shifts
|
| Provides information to customers on the trends driving shifts in the equities markets. |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Robinhood |
|
Fidelity |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Coverage Of Premarket/After-Hours Trading
|
| Allows investors to make trades on certain securities that are tradable before markets open or after hours. |
|
Robinhood |
|
E-Trade |
|
Charles Schwab |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Incentives/Discounts/Pricing
|
| Broker may offer discounts, cash rewards or other incentives; also, includes evaluation on various other fees that you may pay. What rewards can you earn? Read our story about incentives from brokerages.
|
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Vanguard |
|
E-Trade |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Options Trading Platform
|
| Provides breadth of tools to find ideas, set up complex trades, test strategies, measure risk/reward and meet your educational needs. |
|
TD Ameritrade |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
E-Trade |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Trade Ideas
|
| Provides buy and sell ideas such as analyst recommendations, access to investor forums or watchlists. Check out our story on how brokerages helped customers with trade ideas in last year's bear market. |
|
Robinhood |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Vanguard |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Educational Resources
|
| Assistance in learning how to invest via articles, tutorials, web tools, downloadable software, webinars, videos and consultations with advisors. |
|
TD Ameritrade |
|
Fidelity |
|
Charles Schwab |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Up-To-The-Minute Data On Inflation And Other Market Influences
|
| Helps investors stay up to date on and understand key market-influencing statistics. |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Fidelity |
|
E-Trade |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Availability Of Account Types
|
| Provides access to various types of accounts from which an investor can trade, such as Roth, 529s, Coverdell, UTMA, HSAs, charitable accounts, etc. |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Fidelity |
|
TD Ameritrade |
Best Online Stock Brokers: Trade Ideas For A Down Market
|
| Offers information and ideas that help investors select investments in a down market. |
|
Charles Schwab |
|
Robinhood |
|
Vanguard |
Results are based on a two-phase study conducted by Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica. Between Aug. 19, 2022, and Sept. 08, 2022, an online survey of 538 visitors to IBD's Investors.com website (phase 1) determined which features and services offered by online brokers investors consider most important. In phase 2, conducted from Sept. 9, 2022 to Nov. 19, 2022, 3,446 investors ranked their primary broker on the 18 attributes listed above.
Licensing & Reprints
The 2023 Best Online Brokers logo and accolades are available for licensing through IBD's partner, The YGS Group, at IBDlicensing@theYGSgroup.com or 800-290-5460.
IBD/TIPP Poll
To view the latest Economic Optimism Index, Presidential Leadership Index and other polls by IBD/TIPP, a collaboration between Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica, visit www.investors.com/ibdtipp.
