Best Stock Trading Platforms For Beginners – March 2024

So you’re ready to start investing but aren’t too sure where to start? Thankfully, it’s easier than ever to get started with a regulated online brokerage to start buying and selling stocks. Many brokers in the market today now have beginner friendly solutions to investing such as practice (demo) accounts, educational resources, and even fractional shares for micro investing regardless of your budget. 

The best stock trading platforms for beginners can and should be ranked by location, below you’ll find the best stock trading platforms in the United States, Canada, and best overall for international investors. New investors should weigh the pros and cons of each platform and make a decision that is in their own best interest.

 Best Trading Platforms In The United States

•  Fidelity: Pros – Rated best overall for beginners, commission free trading, and great customer service. Cons – High broker-assisted trading fees.
• Robinhood: Pros – Rated best for ease of use (mobile app), commission free trading, and access to cryptocurrency trading. Cons – Poor customer service, payment for order flow (PFOF), and poor trade execution as a result of PFOF.

Best Trading Platforms In Canada

•  Questrade: Pros – Low trade fees ($4.95/ trade), great research tools, variety of investment options, and great customer service. Cons – Mediocre mobile app, $9.95 + $1 per contract fee on option trades, and no fractional trades.
• Wealthsimple: Pros – Commission free trading on stocks and ETFs, some cryptocurrency trading, some fractional trade opportunities (small subset of stocks), easy to use mobile app. Cons – No access to IPOs, poor customer service, and high currency conversion fees when purchasing U.S. stocks in the basic (no fee) account tier.

Best Trading Platforms Internationally

•  Interactive Brokers: Pros – Rated best for global investors, large investment selection, advanced research and analytical tools, high order execution quality. Cons – High minimums to earn interest on uninvested cash, complex web and mobile app architecture, account inactivity fees.
• XTB: Pros – Commission free trading on stocks and ETFs (up to 100k EUR per month), great trading academy featuring instructional videos and articles, easy to use mobile app, fast account opening. Cons – High currency conversion fees, account inactivity fees.