Robinhood Alternatives

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Contributor, Benzinga
February 16, 2024

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best Robinhood alternatives are Webull, TradeStation and Coinbase.

Robinhood faced scrutiny from its users in early 2021 relating to the GameStop fiasco (that started on Benzinga Live). This sent many looking for an alternative.

We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite Robinhood alternatives that currently accept new users. Still learning about Robinhood’s low-cost platform? Check out our extensive Robinhood review for a crash course on what makes this broker unique.

Quick Look at the Best Robinhood Alternatives:

Best Alternatives

Take a look at the top Robinhood alternatives.

1. Interactive Brokers

If you’re a frequent trader who loves Robinhood’s cost-saving structure but who also needs more in the way of research tools and functionality, chances are, you’ll love Interactive Brokers.

Interactive Brokers offers some of the lowest trading fees on the market. Most users can expect to pay $0.005 per share when buying and selling, which is significantly lower than most other brokerage firms. 

Unlike Robinhood, Interactive Brokers has been designed with the frequent, professional trader in mind with fees for inactivity and a per-share fee, Interactive Brokers isn’t the brokerage platform for traders who are looking to dip their toes into investing. However, if you’ve been day trading on Robinhood and you’re looking to take your career to the next level with better research and analysis tools, Interactive Brokers may have what you need to up your game. 

  • Fees: $1, max. 1% of trade value. Free for US clients choosing IBKR Lite plan.
  • Minimum investment: $100

Pros:

  • Diverse investment options
  • Advanced trading tools
  • Global market access
  • Competitive pricing
  • Robust security measures

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Complex fee structure
  • Minimum balance requirements

2. Webull

Webull caters to intermediate and experienced self-directed investors and traders. Short-term and active traders can save a considerable amount on commissions compared to other online brokers.

The Webull platform’s intuitive features and design could be considered advanced for novice traders, but you can still learn the platform.

Webull offers a series of trading courses and a trading simulator or demo trading account with real-time data and advanced charting capabilities for U.S.-listed stocks. These features can suit beginning traders who want to learn more about the market and develop a trading plan.

  • Fees: $0; Sells only - $0.000008 * Total $ Trade Amount (Min $0.01)
  • Minimum investment: $5

Pros:

  • Extensive research tools and data analysis features
  • Commission-free trading for stocks, options, and ETFs
  • Access to cryptocurrency trading
  • Extended trading hours
  • Free stock promotions for new users

Cons:

  • Limited customer support options
  • Less intuitive user interface compared to Robinhood
  • No fractional share trading feature

3. TradeStation

TradeStation offers commission-free stock and options trading coupled with a technically advanced but easy-to-use trading platform. TradeStation beats Robinhood in the number of investable classes it offers. In addition to stocks and options, TradeStation users can trade futures, mutual funds, bonds and even cryptocurrency.

TradeStation has 2 offerings, TS GO and TS Select. We rate TS GO among the best as an exclusively mobile-only platform. Furthermore, TradeStation offers a plethora of educational materials to make users better and smarter investors.

  • Fees: $0; $5 per executed order for non-U.S. residents
  • Minimum investment: $0

Pros

  • Advanced trading platform with customizable tools and indicators
  • Access to a wide range of investment products including stocks, options, futures, and cryptocurrencies
  • Competitive pricing with low commissions and fees

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve for beginners due to the complexity of the platform
  • Minimum balance requirements for certain account types or features

4. Moomoo

Moomoo is an intuitive investment and trading platform with pro-grade, easy-to-use tools, data, and insights. Offering a pro-level trading experience for those of all levels of expertise.

You can reach out to the customer support team during the trading day via phone or email. For those who want the DIY approach, you can review the FAQs in the Help Center at any time.

There is also a large of educational tools, research options and a community with more than 20 million users across the globe.

  • Fees: $0
  • Minimum investment: $0

Pros

  • Commission-free trading
  • 6.8% margin rate
  • 5.1% APY in the Cash Sweep program for new and qualified customers
  • Free Level 2 data for funded brokerage accounts
  • Advanced charting tools with 100+ indicators

Cons

  • Doesn't support fractional stocks
  • No support for crypto
  • Doesn’t support retirement accounts or mutual funds

8. Public.com

Public offers a social network where you can own fractional shares of stocks and ETFs, follow others and share ideas inside a community of investors. Public makes the stock market relatable and inclusive so it's easy to collaborate as you build your confidence when you just start out with investing. Public offers stocks and options. You can buy stock with any amount of money, commission-free. You can own small portions of stock (fractional shares) with as little as $5. You can own ETFs by the slice as well, without commission fees.

The bottom line: You can choose how you want to invest. Build a portfolio on your own terms by investing in fractional shares of stock or buy full shares.

  • Fees: $0 commissions on stocks
  • Minimum investment: $0

Pros

  • Social investing platform allowing users to follow friends and influencers
  • Fractional share trading, making investing accessible with small amounts of money
  • Transparent company policies and commitment to responsible investing

Cons

  • Limited investment options compared to other platforms
  • No access to options or cryptocurrency trading

Why Robinhood Might Not Be Right for You

Consider opening an account with a Robinhood alternative if you’re looking for any of the following features Robinhood lacks:

Analytics and Tools

The best online brokerages want their traders to succeed, so they often offer a large library of trading resources and educational tools to help newcomers make profitable trades. Robinhood’s straightforward and simple platform comes at a price — it lacks a large number of trading analysis tools.

Robinhood allows you to create watchlists and view real-time market data but offers very little in the way of trading education, which is an interesting choice considering that Robinhood’s target audience is young investors, many of whom are eager to learn.

Candlestick Charting Options

Though Robinhood’s interface focuses on clean design and aesthetics, its candlestick charting options are difficult to view on mobile. Robinhood uses the standard green and red candle scheme similar to other brokers, but shadows are difficult to see on Robinhood’s white mobile background. Additionally, you cannot adjust candle periods to minutes or hours like on most other platforms.

Tax-Efficient Accounts

If you want to save for retirement or open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), start saving with a different broker. Robinhood offers only individual taxable accounts, and you cannot open an IRA or solo 401(k) through Robinhood.

Mutual Fund Purchasing Options

You cannot purchase mutual funds through Robinhood’s platform.

What to Look For

If you enjoy Robinhood’s basic functionality but are looking for a little more substance from your brokerage platform, consider looking for the following features:

Low Trading Fees

Though it’s hard to beat Robinhood’s $0 trades, there are a number of brokerages that allow you to buy and sell stocks, bonds, and ETFs for less than $7 a trade. Some brokerages also allow you to invest in mutual funds or index funds with no commission.

An Easy-To-Understand Platform

The best brokerage account in the world is useless if you can’t operate it. Before you commit to a broker, check out a few YouTube tutorials detailing how to use the app or online trading platform to make sure that you’re comfortable with its format. The best investing apps don’t limit functionality to their mobile platform; they offer complete desktop services in an easy-to-understand mobile format.

IRA Compatibility

If you’re looking to purchase stocks for long-term holding, you’ll want to minimize your tax liability by opening a traditional or Roth IRA instead of a taxable brokerage account like the ones that Robinhood offers as its only account type.

Automated Investing

Are you the type of investor who knows you want to save for retirement but aren’t sure where you should be putting your money? Robo-advisors offer low fees and commissions and are an inexpensive way to begin saving for retirement, your first home purchase, a child’s college fund or any other future financial goal.

Invest Online Today

For simple stock trading, few apps can fully mimic the free structure that Robinhood offers; if you’re trying to get serious about your trading, you’ll want to choose a more fleshed-out broker who offers market news, data, and analysis tools so you can continue to make informed trades. 

These features usually come along with a price tag in the form of commissions and fees, so make sure you do your research before you choose an account and brokerage firm. If you’re only interested in low-cost investing, choosing a robo-advisor or automated trading platform can be a simple and low-cost way to introduce yourself to various savings options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q

Why dont people like Robinhood?

A

Robinhood claim to have no fees, however, they still take a cut of each transaction behind the scenes and have been fined by the SEC.

Q

Why did Robinhood make staff cuts?

A

On August 2nd, 2022 Robinhood announced they cut around a quarter (23%) of their staff due to their sixth quarterly loss. This move is a bit of a surprised after laying off 9% of their staff in April of 2021.

About Sarah Horvath

Sarah is an expert in the insurance, investing for retirement and cryptocurrency space.