E-Trade review 2025

E-Trade was one of the original online discount brokers and remains one of the top brokerages in the industry for both active traders and long-term buy-and-hold investors.

The $0 account minimum and commission-free trading on stocks and ETFs — plus a newer lineup of no-minimum and no-fee index funds that charge no management fees — make E-Trade a top choice for cost-conscious investors. More active traders will appreciate the broker's powerful trading platforms and mobile apps that make it easy to invest from anywhere. You’ll also get access to a wide range of investment research and educational resources.

A few areas that hurt E-Trade in our scoring were account fees (you'll pay $75 for a full transfer out), the lack of fractional share investing and margin rates that skew higher than the competition.

Pros: Where E-Trade stands out

Power E-Trade platform

Power E-Trade is the broker’s flagship trading platform, which it brought over from rival broker OptionsHouse, acquired years ago. The well-regarded web-based platform provides more than 100 technical studies and drawing tools to help investors analyze the trading action.

It also provides tools to help you trade more profitably:

• Overlay technical patterns on the stock chart to help you understand what’s going on
• Show your risk-reward on options trades, as well as the breakeven and more
• Scan for unusual stock activity, such as high-volume stock and option trades

Other tools include a snapshot analysis, which provides a visual representation of the risk and reward of an options trade. Similarly, a spectral analysis tool offers visual representations of potential options scenarios. The platform also offers streaming of Bloomberg TV right onto your desktop, as well as paper trading capabilities to test the waters before putting real money on the line.

Funds without transaction and management fees

E-Trade offers nearly 6,000 no-load, no-transaction-fee mutual funds, among the upper echelon in the industry and more than enough choice for even the most discerning investor. Plus, with the benefit of automatic investing, you can set up a recurring investment for as low as $25.

E-Trade recently entered zero-fee fund territory with the launch of its No Fee Index Funds. Like Fidelity ZERO funds, E-Trade's index fund lineup is free of commissions, investment minimum requirements and, most importantly, charges no management fees (or expense ratios).

Discounted options commissions

Commission-free stock and ETF trading is the norm across the industry, but unlike many rivals, E-Trade also offers discounted commissions on options trades. The standard $0.65 per-contract price drops to $0.50 if you make more than 30 stock, ETF or options trades each quarter. So there’s definitely some incentive for high-volume traders to operate here.

Range of tradable securities

E-Trade offers the standard range of investment choices, including stocks, bonds, ETFs, options and mutual funds. That’s the case for most brokers, but E-Trade also provides futures, a less commonly offered asset class.

Only a handful of brokers allow customers to trade one of the fastest-paced and high-risk securities in the market. While that has limited appeal for newer investors, more advanced traders may find the addition a bonus.

E-Trade does not currently offer trading in cryptocurrencies directly, but you can purchase investments related to crypto, such as futures or ETFs. The broker says it plans to offer more crypto investment options once the regulatory environment more fully develops. In the meantime, here is our roundup of the best brokers for buying and selling crypto.

Multiple trading platforms

E-Trade offers multiple highly rated trading platforms. In addition to its flagship platform (Power E-Trade, described above), the broker’s base platform — E-Trade Web — offers a solid package. It’s for investors who don’t require all the advanced trading analysis but are still looking for a platform that helps source ideas.

The web platform provides streaming quotes, charts and market commentary. Its screeners will help you select the stocks, bonds or funds that meet your needs. You can analyze options trades and backtest trading strategies, and you’ll have access to research here, too.

Mobile traders can take their strategy on the go with E-Trade's mobile offerings, which were recognized as the best investing apps as part of the 2025 Bankrate Awards. 

E-Trade Mobile, the base trading app, allows you to trade stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds and multi-legged options, and you’ll be able to access Bloomberg TV, research and news as well. You can also use the app for a few more mundane financial tasks, such as depositing checks, transferring money and paying bills, so it’s not all about trading.

The Power E-Trade mobile app offers many of the same tools and features as its fully featured namesake platform.

Research and education

E-Trade gets high marks here, too. The broker provides its own daily commentary on the markets and offers third-party research. Independent research includes stock reports from Thomson Reuters, Morgan Stanley, Argus and TipRanks, as well as fund analysis from Morningstar, among others. It’s a broad array of research that’s offered to clients at no additional charge.

If you’re just getting started, E-Trade has you covered with tons of articles, videos and classes, as well as a library of finance topics. You’ll be able to attend webinars or live events on investing topics, from the basics to complex trading strategies for those looking for an edge. Plus, you’ll get E-Trade’s commentary on what’s trending.

Cons: Where E-Trade could improve

Account fees

E-Trade still charges those pesky “transfer out” fees when you want to move your money to another brokerage. And frankly, it’s hard to blame brokers too much, because it’s a charge that may incentivize you to stay. E-Trade charges you $75 for a full transfer. However, rival Fidelity has eliminated that fee, in line with its investor-friendly reputation.

Lack of fractional shares

E-Trade does not allow investors to purchase partial shares of stock, so you’ll need to have enough money in your account to cover the entire cost of a share. This will be limiting for investors who don't have the upfront capital to buy a share of a high-priced stock. However, once you own a share, E-Trade allows you to reinvest your dividends (if the company pays one) into fractional shares of the same stock.

The lack of fractional share investing puts the broker at a disadvantage to Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments, both of which offer fractional shares on both dividend reinvestment and purchases. Rivals Robinhood and tastytrade also permit fractional share purchases.

That said, E-Trade does allow you to buy partial shares of ETFs with a minimum of $25 if you’re using its Automatic Investing program. So this setup may be an option for you if you’re a fund investor.

High margin rates

For advanced traders who are interested in using margin in their portfolio, E-Trade’s margin rates may send them looking elsewhere. Traders will pay a margin rate of around 13 percent for balances up to about $50,000 as of June 2025. These rates can fluctuate as interest rates move around, but this level is significantly higher than margin rates at competitors such as Interactive Brokers and Robinhood.