THE TOP TRADING PLATFORMS 2021
An online trading platform allows you to buy stocks of any company you want to invest in, but if you want to buy shares in companies like Facebook(FB), Netflix(NFLX), or Apple(AAPL), you need a trading account with an online broker.
Trading platforms offer multiple features and benefits to people looking to invest and trade online. $0 stock and ETF trades are common now with every broker offering them. But when choosing a trading platform, you must examine its features and functionality to choose the one that gives the best trading experience.
It all comes down to:
- Trading tools
- Market research
- Investment options
- Customer service
- Education for beginners
And most importantly, the user experience and performance.
I started stock trading at the tender age of 14 when I bought my first stock at Starbucks. Today I am in my thirties and up till now I have carried out around 2500 trades. Since starting the annual stock trading reviews 11 years ago, I have personally seen and experienced the evolution of the stock market industry. The whole trading experience fascinates me, and I like to delve into every detail to further examine it.
That’s why the research process for our reviews is so detailed and time intensive. This year alone we examined and measured 250 individual factors before publishing our review. I would like a moment here to appreciate my team who has helped me through with every step of the annual review process.
“THE” TRADING PLATFORMS TO USE IN 2021
Tradezone101.com used 256 variable factors to post a review of the best online brokers 2021. They are:
- IG – The best for everybody, even beginners
- Coinbase – The one to use for everyday investors
- Plus500 – Best IRA accounts
- Interactive Investors – The choice for professionals
- Flatex – The top web trading platform
IG – Best for everybody, even beginners
IG offers an excellent fit for both small traders and market professionals, with competitive spreads, thousands of trading instruments, and a state of the art news, research, and educational portal. IG has a proven track record of being a reputable and highly competent entity whose entrance into the U.S. online forex broker market should be seen as a boon for the American customer.
71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets & CFDs with the provider above.
Coinbase – Top app for crypto investors
Coinbase is an ideal tool for new crypto investors but it cannot provide other investment experience. Coinbase features like learn program and the ability to easily set up recurring purchases, provide the inexperienced traders with a clear path to becoming invested and actually understanding cryptocurrency. Coinbase Pro is a cheaper and more robust option for experienced traders. Coinbase is designed with the beginner in mind so educational material is one of the best.
Please check and review all terms and conditions before applying.
Plus500 – Best IRA accounts
Plus500 provides an interface for executing trades without the need for advanced functionality. The broker’s spreads are competitive, which keeps costs low, and the proprietary WebTrader platform is intuitively functional. Plus500 have the additional security of regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority. The lack of educational and research resources, not providing MT4 as an alternate platform, and no auto-trading make this broker unsuitable for beginners and technically oriented traders.
76.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets & CFDs with the provider above.
Interactive Investor – Top app for Professionals
Interactive Investor suits those brokers who want to manage their own investments or want to invest in more esortic investments beyond unit trusts, investment trusts and ETFs. Interactive investor has a fixed fee charge which is helpful to investors having a huge portfolio as they will be charged minimum amount in terms of fee. Apart from all this, Interactive investor website was not upto the mark as many traders faced difficulties while trading which leads to lot of negative reviews.
Please check and review all terms and conditions before applying.
Flatex – Top app for Options
Flatex is great for those who are looking for long-term investments and have a good command of German. Investing in stocks, funds, and ETFs is cheaper at flatex than at its German competitors. Also, it has extra savings and mutual fund plans for long-term investors. Because it is listed on the stock exchange, flatex’s financials are clear and transparent. It also offers high-quality educational materials.
Please check and review all terms and conditions before applying.
MORE TRADING APP OPTIONS
Including the apps given above, we’ve reviewed 2 more apps to give you a more in-depth idea of how each operates and how you can benefit from them.
Read on to find more about the apps and their different features.
Trading212
Trading 212 works as a CFD and forex broker regulated by multiple financial supervisory authorities. Trading 212 offers commission-free stocks and ETFs, while CFD fees and non-trading fees are low as well. The account opening process is seamless and the trading platforms are user-friendly. Trading 212 has a limited product portfolio, lacking popular asset classes such as bonds or options. Phone and live chat support, and forex fees are relatively high.
Please check and review all terms and conditions before applying.
etoro
eToro offers newcomers to cryptocurrency trading an attractive platform that is remarkably easy to use but research offerings are light and you’ll have to do some digging, and spawn a lot of new browser tabs, to access the education available. The ability to transfer crypto holdings to an external wallet is relatively rare, and may appeal to investors who want to use their Bitcoin holdings for uses other than trading.
Please check and review all terms and conditions before applying.
OVERALL SCORE 2021
Below is the overall rank of the 11 online brokers that took part in the 2021 Review, based on category.
Note: Customer service is not listed as a main category because of the pandemic and interrupted and volatile market conditions this year.
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| 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets & CFDs with the provider above. | |||||
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| 76.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets & CFDs with the provider above. | |||||
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| 71.2% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets & CFDs with the provider above. | |||||
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INDUSTRY AWARDS 2021
The participating brokers were assessed on 256 different factors with different variables. We collected 2,816 total data points. The 2021 category award winners for the main, secondary, and industry awards are given below:
BEST STOCKBROKER FOR BEGINNERS
IG took the winning position as the best online broker for beginners based on more than 30 variables. It offers the most diverse and comprehensive collection of educational resources and content.
IG has more than 200 videos, quizzes, progress tracking, and monthly webinars.
THE ONLINE BROKER WITH THE LOWEST FEES
Fidelity has the lowest fees for buying stocks online. It is the only brokerage that has no hidden fees like payments for order flow with $0 stock trades. It is essential to keep track of hidden charges when trading on the stock market as the fast pace makes it easy to miss such costs and they pile up to cut into profits.
BEST ONLINE TRADING PLATFORM
Online trading platforms come in three formats:
- Desktop (download)
- Web (browser)
- Mobile (app)
The 11 brokers were tested after colleting 2,818 data points. The results showed:
- TD Ameritrade as the best desktop trading app
- E*TRADE as the top web trading platform
- Fidelity had the best stock trading mobile app
OUR APPROACH AND PROCESS
For our annual best trading platforms review, we collected 2,816 data points over three months and used the results to rank brokers. Participation is mandatory for all the brokers included in the survey. Each participating broker completed a detailed data profile and had an annual meeting (live or web).
We have a comprehensive data validation process that has an error rate of 0.01%. each year. This gives our online readers credible and high-quality data.
Tradezone101.com has the largest database of information on the online broker industry. Our rigorous self-checks, combined with thorough research provides you the latest stock market information you can trust.
