The Trading Ecosystem Directory

Interactive Brokers Group was founded in 1978 by Thomas Peterffy and is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. One of the largest electronic brokerages in the world, it provides access to stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds, and funds across 150+ markets in 33 countries, serving individual investors, hedge funds, and institutions alike.

The professional standard for serious investors. No broker on this list matches IBKR for global market access — 150+ exchanges, stocks, options, futures, bonds, and forex from a single account at the lowest margin rates in retail. TWS takes time to learn but is exceptionally powerful.

Pepperstone was founded in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia, and has grown into one of the largest forex and CFD brokers globally by trading volume. Regulated across seven jurisdictions including the FCA and ASIC, it offers access to currencies, indices, commodities, and shares through MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView.

The benchmark for active CFD and forex trading. Raw spreads from 0.0 pips on Razor, six platforms including cTrader and MT5, seven regulatory licences, and explicit permission for scalping and HFT. No inactivity fees, no deposit or withdrawal fees.

Fidelity Investments was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. One of the largest financial services companies in the United States, it offers brokerage, retirement accounts, mutual funds, and wealth management to over 40 million individual and institutional investors.

The best all-round broker for long-term US investors. Zero commissions, excellent research, fractional shares from $1, and one of the best retirement account offerings in the industry. US investors have few better options.

Saxo Bank is a Danish investment bank founded in 1992 and headquartered in Copenhagen. Fully licensed as a bank and regulated by the Danish FSA, FCA, and ASIC, it offers trading across 71,000+ instruments spanning stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, futures, forex, and CFDs on 50+ exchanges worldwide.

A fully licensed Danish investment bank. 71,000+ instruments including real stocks, bonds, futures, options, and forex. FCA and ASIC regulated. Best for serious multi-asset investors who want professional-grade tools and real asset ownership.

Trading 212 was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in London, regulated by the FCA in the UK and CySEC in the EU. It offers commission-free stocks and ETF trading, a Stocks and Shares ISA, AutoInvest, and interest on uninvested cash to customers across the UK and Europe.

The best commission-free investment platform for European investors. Real stock and ETF ownership from £1, a free ISA, AutoInvest, and daily interest on uninvested cash. FCA regulated with funds held at JP Morgan and Barclays.

eToro was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, with offices in London, New York, and Sydney. Regulated by the FCA, CySEC, ASIC, and SEC, it operates as a globally regulated social trading platform with over 30 million registered users across more than 100 countries.

The world's largest social trading platform. CopyTrader lets you automatically mirror experienced investors. The 0.5%+ FX conversion fee on non-USD deposits is the main cost to watch. High spreads and a single proprietary platform are limitations for active traders.

Capital.com was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in London, regulated by the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC. It offers over 6,400 instruments across forex, indices, commodities, and shares, with TradingView integration and a $20 minimum deposit — one of the lowest in the CFD sector.

Commission-free CFD trading with a $20 minimum deposit, TradingView integration, and 6,400+ instruments. Best for retail traders wanting accessible, affordable market access with a good education offering.

Plus500 was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Haifa, Israel. Listed on the FTSE 250 and regulated by the FCA, ASIC, CySEC, and MAS, it is a publicly listed CFD provider offering over 2,800 instruments across shares, indices, forex, commodities, and crypto through its proprietary platform.

One of the most user-friendly CFD platforms — clean interface, excellent mobile app, 2,800+ instruments, FTSE 250 listed. Good for retail traders wanting simple global market access. Not built for professionals.

BlackBull Markets was founded in 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand, and is regulated by the FMA and FSA Seychelles. It specialises in ECN execution with infrastructure co-located at Equinix NY4, offering raw spreads from 0.0 pips across forex, indices, commodities, and shares via MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView.

A genuinely good ECN broker — Equinix NY4 colocation, raw spreads from 0.0 pips, scalping and HFT explicitly permitted. The limitation: FMA and FSA Seychelles only, no Tier-1 licence. For traders who have assessed that tradeoff, it delivers.

CMC Markets was founded in 1989 in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Regulated by the FCA, ASIC, MAS, and IIROC, it is one of the longest-established CFD and spread betting providers in retail trading, offering over 12,000 instruments through its proprietary Next Generation platform.

12,000+ instruments including option CFDs that most brokers simply do not offer. The Next Generation platform is the best proprietary CFD interface in retail. Best positioned for UK traders who want spread betting tax advantages alongside professional-grade tools.

Moomoo is operated by Futu Holdings, a company founded in 2012 with operations across the US, Australia, Singapore, and Canada. Regulated by FINRA, SEC, ASIC, and MAS, it is a commission-free platform offering stocks, ETFs, and options alongside free real-time Level 2 market data — a feature typically reserved for professional platforms.

Moomoo gives retail investors tools that were until recently institutional — free Level 2 data, IPO access at offer price, and full options trading. The interface is complex but rewarding. One of the strongest platforms for technically-minded active investors in the US, Australia, and Singapore.

EXANTE is a multi-asset prime broker founded in 2011 and headquartered in Valletta, Malta. Regulated by the FCA, CySEC, and MFSA, it offers access to over 1.7 million instruments across 50+ exchanges — stocks, bonds, ETFs, futures, options, and forex — with FIX API access for systematic and institutional traders.

A genuine prime broker for serious European investors. 1.7 million instruments across 50+ exchanges — real stocks, bonds, futures, options, and forex from one account. FCA, CySEC, and MFSA regulated. FIX API for systematic traders. Hard barrier: €10,000 minimum deposit.

Freetrade was founded in 2016 in London and is regulated by the FCA with FSCS protection up to £85,000. It offers commission-free trading in over 6,000 stocks and ETFs, a Stocks and Shares ISA, and a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), focused exclusively on the UK retail investment market.

UK-focused investment app with strong ISA and SIPP offering. ISA access requires a paid plan from £4.99/month. For investors who prioritise tax-efficient wrappers, Freetrade's implementation is excellent. FCA regulated with FSCS protection up to £85,000.

Robinhood Markets was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Regulated by FINRA, SEC, and SIPC, it pioneered commission-free investing for US retail investors and now offers stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrency trading alongside fractional shares from $1 and an IRA with a 3% contribution match via Gold.

Pioneered commission-free investing and remains the most recognisable investment app for US retail investors. No minimum deposit, fractional shares from $1. Gold ($5/month) adds a 3% IRA match and 5% interest on uninvested cash.

Revolut was founded in 2015 in London and is regulated by the FCA in the UK and the Central Bank of Ireland in the EU. Primarily a banking and payments platform with over 40 million customers globally, it offers an integrated investment product allowing users to trade stocks, ETFs, and crypto within the same app as their banking.

Revolut Invest makes most sense if you already use Revolut as your main bank — having investments and banking in one app is genuinely convenient. No ISA available. As a standalone investment platform it is not the strongest choice.

Acorns was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. Regulated by the SEC and FINRA and protected by SIPC, it is a micro-investing platform that rounds up everyday card purchases to the nearest dollar and automatically invests the spare change into a diversified ETF portfolio, with IRA accounts also available.

Acorns rounds up everyday purchases and invests the spare change into a diversified ETF portfolio automatically. The $3/month fee is proportionally expensive at small balances — makes more sense once you're investing several hundred dollars regularly.

Koyfin was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in New York. Built as an accessible alternative to institutional data terminals, it offers equity research, macro dashboards, fund flow analysis, earnings transcripts, and portfolio tools across global stocks, ETFs, and economic indicators, with a genuinely functional free tier and paid plans from $39 per month.

The Bloomberg alternative serious retail investors have been waiting for. Financial data, charting, and portfolio analytics across global equities, ETFs, crypto, and macro. The free tier is genuinely powerful — paid plans unlock real-time data and deeper fundamentals.

TrendSpider was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Chicago. It specialises in AI-powered charting and technical analysis automation, offering patented automated trendline detection, multi-timeframe analysis, no-code backtesting, and strategy bot deployment across stocks, forex, crypto, and futures — with annual plans from $54 per month.

AI-powered charting that eliminates the manual work of technical analysis. Automated trendline detection, multi-timeframe analysis, and robust backtesting. Best for active traders who use TA seriously and want to test strategies before going live.

tastytrade was founded in 2017 in Chicago by Tom Sosnoff, the creator of thinkorswim. Built from the ground up for active options and futures traders, it is regulated by FINRA and CFTC and offers one of the most competitive commission structures for derivatives in the US market — $0 to close options positions, capped commissions on futures, and a platform architecture designed around the mechanics of options trading rather than general investing.

The best-designed platform for serious US options traders. tastytrade was built by traders who understood what active derivatives traders actually needed — a platform centred on position management, risk visualisation, and trade mechanics rather than general brokerage features. The commission structure is genuinely competitive, especially for high-frequency options traders. Not the right choice for long-term equity investors or those outside the US.

Composer was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in San Francisco. It is a no-code algorithmic trading platform that allows US investors to build, backtest, and automate systematic investment strategies using a visual editor, with execution routed through Alpaca brokerage — removing the technical barrier to systematic investing without coding.

Build, backtest, and automate trading strategies without writing code. Visual strategy builder, direct execution via Alpaca, and a community library of strategies. Best for US investors who want systematic investing without a developer background.

Stock Rover was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in New Hampshire. It specialises in deep fundamental research and screening for US and Canadian stocks and ETFs, offering over 700 financial metrics, 20 years of historical data, dividend tracking, portfolio analysis, and brokerage import tools — with a free tier and premium plans from $34 per month.

The best fundamental research platform for long-term investors. Where Finviz is built for traders, Stock Rover is built for investors — 700+ metrics, 20 years of financial data, dividend tracking, and portfolio analysis. Unmatched depth at this price point.