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Best Options Trading Brokers of 2024

Ashley Jackson

Trade put and call options and set yourself up for success by selecting a broker that understands your needs. Weā€™ve considered the best options trading brokers based on commissions, account minimums, ease of use, and overall quality.

Discover new ideas from an active investing community

$0

Fee Per Trade

$0

Account Minimum

Overview

Public provides access to a powerful suite of tools, daily insights from millions of investors, and curated content and news, so all members can have the tools and resources needed to invest with context.

What we like

  • All-in-one investing platformĀ 
  • Wide selection of product offeringsĀ 
  • Commission-free
  • Insights from an investing community of millions
  • Invest in any fractional asset
  • Live in-app shows about the markets

What we don't

  • Limited account types
  • No in-person customer support

Get up to $625 when you open and fund an account

$0

Fee Per Trade

$0

Account Minimum

Overview

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers beginners and seasoned investors free trades and a portfolio tool to help build out their asset allocation.

What we like

  • Unlimited trades with $0 commissions
  • No minimum investment
  • Manage investments from a mobile app
  • Portfolio builder tool to help with asset allocation
  • Access to research and insights

What we don't

  • Limited accounts, such as no SEP-IRA
  • No fractional share trading

INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE PRODUCTS ARE: NOT A DEPOSIT ā€¢ NOT FDIC INSURED ā€¢ NO BANK GUARANTEE ā€¢ MAY LOSE VALUE

Copy investments from successful traders

$0

Fee Per Trade

$0

Account Minimum

Overview

eToro is a multi-asset platform that offers both investing in stocks, cryptocurrencies, and trading in CDF assets. It provides an innovative approach to ā€˜Social Trading,ā€™ also known as ā€˜Copy Trading.ā€™ Social trading allows users to connect, share their trades, and copy successful tradersā€™ trades for potential gains.

What we like

  • Commission-free real stock trading
  • Offers money and risk management tools
  • A lot of learning materials available
  • Offers a free demo account
  • Copy successful traders investments

What we don't

  • Higher spreads and rollover fees
  • High non-trading fees

Margin trading available with premium account

$0 - $9.95

Fee Per Trade

$0

Account Minimum

Overview

Axos Self-Directed Trading provides investors commission-free trades and an all-in-one solution for banking and investments.

What we like

  • Commission free trading on most assetsĀ 
  • Easy to use platform
  • Wide selection of product offeringsĀ 
  • No minimum deposit required
  • Extended market hours for premium accounts
  • Joint accounts available

What we don't

  • Crypto not supported
  • Premium account required for certain features
  • No in-person customer support

Offers fractional share trading

$0

Fee Per Trade

$0

Account Minimum

Overview

SoFi allows you to trade cryptocurrencies, stocks, and ETFs. It also uses the SIPC protection scheme and offers up to $500,000 in insurance coverage.

What we like

  • Free trading on ETFs and stocks
  • Offers fractional shares
  • A wide variety of cryptocurrencies
  • Free financial advice
  • No account minimum

What we don't

  • Does not offer mutual funds, bonds and options
  • Limited track record

What do options trading brokers do?

An options trading broker is a company that provides clients with online access to the stock market, including the ability to trade options. The broker facilitates buying and selling options. It collects commissions from both buy and sell orders.

Options brokers don’t make trades. They just facilitate them between buyers and sellers so that both parties can access each other’s information. This means that when you buy an option through a broker and pay them a commission, they don’t buy it on your behalf. They simply send out notices to sellers telling them what price they want to pay for options contracts and what quantity of contracts they want to buy or sell. If someone agrees with your terms, the broker will complete the transaction by sending orders back through their network until one side agrees.

Why use options trading brokers?

Options trading brokers have become popular. Here are a few of the most common reasons:

  • More informative: These platforms offer more information about what’s going on in the world of financial markets than any other platform does. For example, many brokers offer access to real-time quotes on various assets such as currencies and commodities and stocks and indices.
  • Offer several strategic alternatives: Options trading brokers provide access to many different types of investment strategies. You can choose between stocks, bonds, futures, currencies, or trade indices like the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). Some brokers even allow you to invest in commodities like gold or silver bullion bars.

You can also choose between long-term investments, buy & hold or short-term trades. This is important because some people prefer one over another, depending on their personal goals and risk tolerance levels.

Are options trading brokers safe?

Most brokers are safe, but some are riskier than others. The best way to find out if a broker is safe is to read reviews from other traders and see what they say about the service offered by the broker. You can also check if the government regulates the broker. If it is regulated, you will have access to the services of a government agency that will help you recover your money if something goes wrong with your brokerage account.

What are the fees for options trading brokers?

Commission on the first 100,000 contracts is usually $0.65 per contract. The fee decreases for high-volume traders, promising a competitive price for high-frequency traders. Fees vary widely from broker to broker, so comparing them before you open an account is essential.

Types of trading options

There are basically two types of trading options:

  • Put options: Put options are contracts that allow you to sell a security at a given price before the expiration date. If the underlying stock price falls, your put option will increase in value and if it rises, your put option will decrease in value.
  • Call options: Call options give you the right to buy a security at a given price before the expiration date. If the underlying stock price falls, your call option will decrease in value and if it rises, your call option will increase in value.

Benefits of options trading brokers

Some key benefits of options trading brokers include:

  • Easy to use: Options trading brokers offer their clients access to a variety of platforms that are easy to use. This means that whether you are new to options trading or an experienced investor, you will be able to access your account easily and make trades with ease.
  • Access to top-tier tools: These brokers also offer their clients access to top-tier tools that they can use in order to analyze stocks and make more informed decisions when trading options. These tools can help investors determine which options are worth buying or selling at any given time.
  • Access to multiple markets: Most brokerage firms offer access to multiple markets such as forex and CFDs which allows traders to open positions on assets such as stocks, commodities, or currencies without actually buying them outright.

How to choose the best options trading brokers

Here are some factors to consider when selecting a broker:

  • Put your brokerā€™s customer service to the test: When choosing an options broker, you must ensure they offer high-quality customer service. The first step is to reach out and talk to them directly. If they donā€™t answer your questions or return your call, that might not be a good sign.
  • Make sure there are no hidden fees or commissions: You should also look at how much commission each broker charges for opening and closing trades on their platform because some charge more than others. It can add up over time if you donā€™t know how much it costs ahead of time.
  • Make sure the trading platform is easy to use: The best brokers offer intuitive interfaces that make placing trades simple and quick. If you don’t like using the platform provided by your broker, see if it offers any third-party alternatives.
  • Assess the breadth, depth, and cost of data and tools: Some may offer more types of data than others at no additional cost. Also, look at how much each broker charges for research reports from third parties such as S&P Capital IQ and Thomson Reuters.