Compare the 9 best trading platforms for beginners in 2023

Our expert reviewing panel regularly assess each trading platform according to these six criteria:

• Its security and regulatory status
• The fees & cost of trading
• Whether the broker offers a demo account
• Access to global stocks and stock markets
• Access to beginner-friendly investment vehicles like ETFs and funds
• Availability of stock screeners and research tools

Stock trading platforms that score well in these categories are ideal choices for any casual trader who’s looking to invest in the stock market.

The reviewing panel is made up of a group of stock trading experts, including Dan Ashmore, CFA, Data Analyst, Prash Raval, Financial Writer and expert trader, and Jayson Derrick, Lead Editor of News. 

All the panel’s findings are independently verified by Richard Stutely, Economist and Fact Checker. Read more about our review process.

Best trading platforms overall for 2023

1. eToro: Best for beginners, copy-trading & demo-account
2. Public: Best for sharing beginner trading ideas

Editors picks: our top 3 trading platforms

Our panel picked out three online brokers that offer a service above and beyond the competition. These services had the best combination of security, low cost, and user experience.

Top 9 online brokers, reviewed

The top online brokers for your needs

What’s best for you depends on your level of experience, what you want to trade, and how often you want to do so. Here’s a run down of the best brokers for every type of trader.

What are the top 10 trading platforms?

These online brokers achieved the top rating across all our testing categories. Each reviewer gave each trading platform a score in every category. We put them all together to come up with this top 10 list:

1. eToro: Best for beginners, copy-trading & demo-account
2. Public: Best for sharing beginner trading ideas

What is the best trading platform for beginners?

eToro is the best beginner-friendly stock broker. Its CopyTrader and social trading features, combined with a low cost of trading, make it ideal for new traders.

A beginner-friendly web trading platform should be easy to use, with an intuitive interface that guides you through the most important information. It should offer lots of guides and tutorials to run you through how to trade. 

Here are the top trading platforms for beginners:

Online broker for beginners	Fees	No. of assets
eToro	0% commission	3100+
Skilling	From 0% commission	900+
Plus500	0% commission	2800+

What is the best demo trading account?

eToro has the best demo account. With eToro, you can switch between real money and demo accounts at the touch of a button and use the same features on each one. 

Brokers with quality demo accounts are the best trading platforms for paper trading too, because you can use the demo to practice on real-world markets. Here are more of the best trading brokers with demo accounts.

Demo broker	Demo dollars
eToro	$100,000
Capital.com	$10,000
Pepperstone	$50,000

Read more: best demo trading accounts

What is the best trading app?

Skilling has the best trading app. It’s simple and intuitive, with top-tier mobile support. The best apps let you trade with the same functionality as the desktop or browser version of the website. Here are more of the best mobile trading apps:

Mobile trading app	Operating system
Skilling	iOS, Android & tablet
eToro	iOS, Android & tablet
Capital.com	iOS, Android & tablet

Read more: the best stock trading apps

What is the best penny stock trading platform?

Degiro has the largest range of international markets where you can buy cheap stocks from around the world. Low fee trading in European markets and free trading on US stocks is another added bonus. Here are more trading platforms that trade penny stocks.

Penny stock trading platform	Fees	No. of assets
Degiro	From $0	7000+
eToro	0% commission	3100+
City Index	From 0.08%	13,500+

Read more: best penny stock trading apps

What is the best copy trading platform?

eToro is the best social and copy trading platform. You can share your trading tips and see what other people are thinking. 

To find a great social platform, look for an interface that mixes social media with a trading platform and where you can follow and copy your favourite traders. Here are more copy trading platforms:

Copy trading platform	Copy trading features
eToro	Yes
Zulutrade	Yes

Read more: best copy trading platforms

What is the best futures trading platform?

eToro is our top rated futures platform. You can trade futures, along with options and other derivatives on a large range of international stock markets. Here are more of the best futures platforms:

Futures broker	Fees	No. of assets
eToro	0% commission	3100+
Pepperstone	0% commission	1200+
Skilling	From 0% commission	900+

Read more: best futures brokers

What is the best options trading platform?

eToro is our best broker for trading options. It offers a downloadable options trading platform where options trades benefit from 0% commission. Here are more top options platforms:

Options trading platform	Fees	No. of assets
eToro	0% commission	3100+
Pepperstone	0% commission	1200+
Skilling	From 0% commission	900+

Read more: best options brokers

What is the best Islamic broker for stock trading? 

AvaTrade offers a dedicated Islamic account, while the likes of Degiro and eToro can comply with Islamic law, as long as you don’t trade CFDs, use leverage, or allow your shares to be loaned for shorting. 

‘Traditional’ stock brokers like Hargreaves Lansdown or Interactive Investor also comply, although it’s worth checking with a religious leader if you aren’t sure. Here are our top Islamic trading accounts:

Islamic brokers	Fees	No. of assets
AvaTrade	0% commission	90+
Degiro	From $0	7000+
eToro	0% commission	3100+

Read more: best Islamic trading platforms

What is the best robo-advisor?

Nutmeg is the best robo-advisor. Nutmeg offers a huge range of options to manage risk tolerance, set goals, and adjust settings on the go.

With any automated trading platform you want the freedom to closely manage the type of investments it chooses, or set loose guidelines and leave it to work. Here are more of the best auto trading platforms.

Robo-advisor	Management fees
Nutmeg	0.75%
Moneybox	0.45%
Acorns	From $3 per month

Read more: best robo-advisors

What is the best day trading platform?

AvaTrade is the top day trading platform. With competitive spreads, over 1000 assets available, and the opportunity to place trades through MetaTrader4, it’s the top option for any fast-paced day trading strategy. Here are the best day trading platforms:

Trading platform	Fees	No. of assets
AvaTrade	0% commission	90+
City Index	From 0.08%	13,500+
Admirals	From $0.15 per lot	5,000+

What is the safest trading platform?

eToro and AvaTrade rate as our safest platforms. They are regulated by financial authorities across the world, have been around for many years, and are transparent about the risks of trading. 

They also offer SSL encryption and secure storage for your money, which makes us confident they can be relied upon. Here are more of the most secure trading platforms.

Safe trading platform	Regulation
eToro	FCA, CySEC
AvaTrade	MiFiD, ASIC, FSA Japan, SAFCA, CBI
Admirals	FCA, MiFiD

What is the cheapest trading platform?

eToro offers stock trading with zero commission. Many platforms now offer free, or very low fee, trading, but often have higher spreads or other hidden fees. 

eToro offers the best balance between low fees and low spreads, which is ideal if you want to day trade. Here are more of the best low fee trading platforms.

Cheap trading platform	Fees	No. of assets
eToro	0% commission	3100+
Degiro	From $0	7000+
Pepperstone	0% commission	1200+

What is the best leveraged trading platform?

Pepperstone is the best trading platform with the most leverage. However, leverage is limited by law in most countries. In the EU and the UK, the maximum leverage a broker can offer is 30:1. As a result, most stock brokers offer a similar service when it comes to leverage.

Here are more top leveraged trading platforms:

Leverage trading platform	Leverage
Pepperstone	30:1
City Index	30:1
Skilling	30:1

What is the best margin trading platform?

Pepperstone is the best broker for margin trading. When you trade on the margin, you borrow money from your broker and use it to place trades. Here are more top trading margin trading platforms:

Margin trading platform	Fees	No. of assets
Pepperstone	0% commission	1200+
AvaTrade	0% commission	90+
City Index	From 0.08%	13,500+

What is the best automated trading platform?

eToro is the best automated trading broker, thanks to its CopyTrader feature where you can copy other people’s trades onto your own account. Here are some more of the top auto trading platforms:

Auto trading platform	Fees
eToro	0% commission
Zulutrade	No fees

What is the best swing trading platform?

Degiro is the best broker for swing trading. Swing trading means holding a stock for several days. You want to avoid brokers that charge overnight fees in favour of those where you can buy and hold without additional fees. 

Here are more of the best swing trading platforms:

Swing trading platform	Overnight fees?
Degiro	No
IG	No
Charles Schwab	No

What is the best algorithmic trading platform?

The best algorithmic trading platform is 3Commas. Algo trading runs automatically using a computer program to identify and place trades for you. 3Commas is the best in the business at this, and here are some more top algo trading platforms: 

Algo trading platform	Subscription fees
3Commas	From $22 per month
1000Pip Climber System	$97 lifetime
ZenTradingStrategies	From $600 lifetime

What is the best free trading platform?

Degiro is the best free trading platform, at least for US stocks. It offers $0 trading fees on US equities. However, most ‘free’ platforms still charge you elsewhere, either through higher spreads or via things like overnight fees.

Here are some of the best zero fee brokers:

Free trading broker	Fees	No. of assets
Degiro	From $0	7000+
eToro	0% commission	3100+
Pepperstone	0% commission	1200+

What is the best CFD trading platform?

eToro is the best CFD trading platform. A CFD broker should allow you to use leverage, go long or short, and sometimes even let you buy fractional shares in big companies. Here are some more top CFD platforms:

CFD broker	Fees	No. of assets
eToro	0% commission	3100+
Skilling	From 0% commission	900+
Plus500	0% commission	2800+

Read more: best cfd brokers

What is the best international share dealing platform?

Degiro is the best trading platform for international stocks. It offers equities from more than 50 exchanges around the world, giving you access to thousands of international stocks. Here are more of the best brokers for international stocks:

Share dealing platform	Fees	No. of assets
Degiro	From $0	7000+
eToro	0% commission	3100+
Plus500	0% commission	2800+

What is the best ETF & funds platform?

Plus500 is the best platform for investing in ETFs and funds. You can buy shares in the most popular funds, including SPY, VOO, and QQQ. Here are more of the best fund brokers:

ETF trading platform	Fees	No. of assets
Plus500	0% commission	2800+
Degiro	From $0	7000+
City Index	From 0.08%	13,500+

Read more: best ETF platforms

More about trading platforms

Which trading platforms offer the most stocks?

Degiro has the widest range of stocks. You can buy and sell shares on 50 exchanges across 30 different countries, which gives you access to thousands of companies in total. 

Just note that you should be more interested in which stocks a broker offers, rather than how many. If you’re interested in a particular country or industry, focus on that rather than the total quantity available. 

Which trading platform is best in my country?

There’s no one perfect answer and it depends on your needs, budget, and investing goals. Our experts have rated the best brokers in different countries to help you find one that works for you.

• Best trading platforms in Austria
• Best trading platforms in Australia
• Best trading platforms in Belgium
• Best trading platforms in Brazil
• Best trading platforms in Canada
• Best trading platforms in France
• Best trading platforms in Germany
• Best trading platforms in Hong Kong
• Best trading platforms in India
• Best trading platforms in Ireland
• Best trading platforms in Italy
• Best trading platforms in Malaysia
• Best trading platforms in the Netherlands
• Best trading platforms in New Zealand
• Best trading platforms in Nigeria
• Best trading platforms in Pakistan
• Best trading platforms in the Philippines
• Best trading platforms in Poland
• Best trading platforms in Romania
• Best trading platforms in Singapore
• Best trading platforms in South Africa
• Best trading platforms in Switzerland
• Best trading platforms in the UAE
• Best trading platforms in the UK
• Best trading platforms in USA

Which trading platform offers the most payment methods?

eToro lets you deposit with a bank transfer, debit/credit card payment, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or with PayPal in USD, GBP, EUR, or AUD. A range of other payment methods are available too but only for some users, including Neteller, Skrill, Klarna, and IDEAL.

Find brokers by your preferred deposit & withdrawal method: 

• Buy stocks with PayPal
• Buy stocks with credit card
• Buy stocks with debit card
• Buy stocks with AMEX
• Buy stocks with Apple Pay
• Buy stocks with Google Pay
• Buy stocks with Neteller
• Buy stocks with Payoneer
• Buy stocks with Paysafecard
• Buy stocks with Skrill
• Buy stocks with Venmo

Brokers that didn’t make it into our top recommendations

There are lots more stock brokers out there and many have plenty of great features. However, some of these trading platforms didn’t stand out to us as right for the normal retail trader.

• Hargreaves Lansdown. HL is a big name broker but charges a lot in fees; up to £11.95 per trade if you don’t trade very often.
• Interactive Brokers. Interactive Brokers is a solid option for casual investors but it falls short as a trading platform. With no real-time trading data available, it’s a no-go if you want to day trade regularly.
• Interactive Investor. II is another platform that is relatively expensive. It charges £9.99 per month just to open a trading account, and another £7.99 per trade after the first one every month.
• Fidelity. Fidelity one of many well-established stock brokers that works better as a long-term investment vehicle than a trading platform. It’s better for ETF or fund investing than for retail stock trading.
• WeBull. WeBull is only available to US customers or those based in Hong Kong, so doesn’t offer a great day trading service to a worldwide audience.
• Freetrade. Freetrade offers a large number of stocks and relatively cheap trading fees, but to access some of its best features you have to subscribe to Freetrade plus.
• Charles Schwab. While Charles Schwab is a solid option for US customers who only want to invest in stocks listed in America, it makes it much more difficult to day trade international stocks without a premium account.
• AJ Bell. AJ Bell Youinvest is a good option to build your own investment portfolio, based around exchange traded funds, but is one of the most expensive options we came across. For just a single trade every month you would pay over £150 per year.
• TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade is another broker that focuses exclusively on the US and isn’t available anywhere in the EU or UK.
• Trading212. Trading212’s range of trading options is more limited than the competition and it has previously restricted trading in popular stocks, like GameStop.

How should I choose the best trading platform for me?

Platform security and regulation are vital, while cost is an important factor for everyone. The features below give you an idea of what to look for and how to compare brokers.

Top-tier regulation

Stock trading platforms must be regulated with an appropriate financial authority in your country. For example, if you live in the UK or the USA, it should be the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) or SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission).

The more financial authorities that have regulated a broker, the better. Do not deposit money to any unregulated broker. 

FCA regulated brokers must keep all customer funds in a separate and secure account, and you are entitled to up to £85,000 in cover per account through the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK if the broker becomes insolvent. 

You can still lose money, and there is no guarantee that the value of your investments will go up, but it’s imperative that you use a regulated trading platform to protect you from any nefarious activity”

Dan Ashmore, CFA, Data Analyst

Platform fees and the cost of trading

Some online trading platforms offer zero fee trading but it isn’t universal. With some you may have to pay a flat fee per trade, which can range up to £2 – £5 per transaction.

If you plan on trading often, prioritise low fees, or a subscription package where you get a certain number of free trades included.

Mobile app availability

The stock market can move quickly and you might have to make decisions at speed, wherever you are in the world. A day trading platform that offers a quality stock trading app is worth signing up for, as we spend more and more time managing our money from our phones.

Demo accounts

The best day trading platforms offer a demo or ‘virtual’ account. Follow the account opening process as normal and switch to the virtual account in your settings to access it. 

Demo accounts let you practice trading without risking real money. You can use them to get used to the stock market, test out your charting tools and trial a day trading app without committing to anything.

Anyone who’s new to stock trading should start out with a demo account. It gives you the chance to learn the rhythms of the markets without putting precious money at risk. 

Only experienced traders should use real funds to trade, and we don’t recommend that you graduate beyond a demo account until you fully understand the risks of trading.“

James Knight, Editor of Education

Range of assets available

The more stocks, ETFs, and funds available on a platform, the more opportunities to trade and invest you’re likely to find. This is particularly important if you want to trade a specific type of stock, like penny stocks, or companies from a certain country.

Most brokers offer major US stocks from the NASDAQ and the NYSE, the two leading stock exchanges. If you want to trade stocks from outside the US, then check what’s available from each broker before you sign up. 

As time goes on, you may also want to trade other assets, like cryptocurrency, funds, or ETFs. In that case, you need a broker that offers these assets. It’s why eToro is so popular: it offers all types of assets in one simple platform.

Access to ETFs and mutual funds

ETFs and funds are investment vehicles where you can invest in lots of stocks at the same time. They’re a great way to create an immediately diversified portfolio, without having to pick companies individually.

The range of ETFs and funds varies from broker to broker. A traditional stock broker is more likely to offer fund investing than an online stock trading platform.

Availability of managed accounts and robo advisors

Managed accounts and robo advisors effectively automate your investing. You set your investing goals and the platform – either through a professional financial manager or a computer algorithm – decides what to invest in.

These tend to only be available through specialist platforms, such as Nutmeg. However, some brokers are designed so that you can connect them to a third-party platform which manages the account for you.

Research tools like stock screeners

Stock screeners help you identify trading opportunities by showing you companies that meet a set of defined criteria. For example, you could use one to find only stocks with a market cap over $500 billion, who pay a dividend yield over 2%, or where the price chart is in a particular pattern.

Third-party stock screeners like Finviz are available, but some brokerage services offer them as part of the package. This is particularly the case for brokers which charge a subscription fee, and can be a reason to choose a subscription package over a broker that charges commission.

Leveraged trading

Leverage allows you to stretch your money out by putting up a small deposit as collateral and borrowing the rest from your broker. 

Leverage is particularly important for high frequency traders or scalpers, who make lots of trades that only aim to make a few pence each time, as it means you can magnify the value of the trade many times over. If you plan on trading like that, look for day trading platforms that offer high leverage.

Charting and analysis tools

Most trading strategies are based on technical analysis. This involves studying charts to identify trends, then using that information to plot future price moves and trading accordingly. 

Charting and analysis is crucial to day trading stocks successfully and it’s important to find a desktop platform that allows you to perform your own technical analysis.

The more tools an online broker has to help you do this, such as alerts or indicators that you can use to notify you when a price move happens, the better.

Trading options

In addition to looking for lots of different stocks many investors seek numerous different trading options for their asset of choice. 

• Some investors may want to go short (betting that the price of an stock will go down), in addition to going long (betting that the price of a stock will go up). If you want to bet on the market to fall (as it has done throughout 2022!), you need a platform that specifically offers shorting, as not all brokers do.
• Other investors may favour hedging, which is when you make an investment designed to limit the potential downside of another investment you’ve already made. 
• Another trading option popular with certain investors is scalping. This is a method of arbitrage in which you attempt to make money by taking advantage of small price gaps between the bid price and the ask price of a specific stock on different platforms.

Quick answers to key questions

Do trading platforms charge commissions?

Many platforms offer 0% commissions on stock trades. However, that doesn’t mean it’s totally free to trade. Instead, the cost is in the ‘spread’ – the difference between the buy and sell price for a stock.

Other brokers charge a fixed fee for the trade and have tighter spreads. The fixed fee can vary but between £0-£5 is most common.

Here are the trading fees charged by each of our top ranked brokers.

Online broker	Trading fees
eToro	0% commission
Capital.com	0% commission
AvaTrade	0% commission
Skilling	0% commission
Public	$0 for trades made with the market open $2.99 for trades made with the market closed
Degiro	$0 + $1 handling fee on US stocks £1.75 + £1 handling fee on UK stocks €2 + €1 handling fee on global stocks
Pepperstone	0% commission
Admirals	0% commission
Plus500	0% commission

Low fees are important for any beginner because you’re likely to have less money to play with. It’s usually better to start with a 0% commission platform so that the fees don’t eat into your precious capital.

Fees don’t just mean trading fees, though. Look out for other, ‘hidden’ fees, such as how much it costs to make a deposit or withdrawal, and especially inactivity fees that come into effect if you don’t use your account for a set period of time.” 

Prash Raval, expert trader and financial writer

Do I have to verify my identity?

Yes you do. This process could involve everything from verifying your bank information to more elaborate verification procedures including photo ID such as a driver’s licence or passport.

The overarching term for this layer of security is “KYC”, which stands for “Know Your Customer.” The best day trading platforms, including brokerages and other financial institutions use KYC guidelines to help prevent people from laundering money or conducting financial scams.

Can I buy multiple stocks?

Yes, you can get any number of different stocks at the same time. As long as you have enough money to afford multiple shares, and you don’t exceed any deposit or daily trading limits, then there is no restriction on the number of different stocks you can invest in.

A quick way to get access to a large number of stocks is to invest in an exchange traded fund, or put your money into investment trusts or mutual funds. These are investment vehicles that invest in lots of companies at once.

Do I need any extra software?

It depends on the platform you use. Many require no additional software – allowing you to trade simply on the browser or through the platform’s app. However, some might require integration with popular forms of trading software such as MetaTrader 4.

Read more: best TradingView brokers

Can I use more than one stock trading platform?

Yes, you can register for multiple platforms at a time. In general, it’s more convenient to do all of your trades with one broker, unless you’re trying to make money by scalping. This is when you try to profit by taking advantage of differences in the bid and ask prices of specific stocks on different brokers.

Do stock platforms have mobile trading apps?

Yes, many of them do. While this is not the case for all brokers, the popularity of mobile trading in recent years means that the best day trading platforms have developed user-friendly apps to appeal to new day traders as well as experienced ones.

Can I trade stocks 24/7?

Stock markets are only open for set hours on weekdays. Depending on which stock exchange a stock is listed on, it will have different times in the day when it is able to be traded. You can usually place trades at any time, but they will only be executed during the day.

Are stock trading platforms regulated?

In general, yes, although not all of them are. We recommend you only use trading platforms that are regulated by a recognised financial body, like the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) in the UK.

Methodology: How we chose the best trading platforms

Helping people make better financial decisions is at the heart of our mission at Invezz. 

We periodically test more than 63 trading platforms to provide our users with clear, accessible guidance on the investing options available. All testing is carried out by our panel of stock market experts, analysts, and active traders who sign up to each broker, conduct research, and score each service.

Our tests are designed to find stock brokerages that offer a beginner-friendly, secure investing experience at a fair price. To supplement our practical testing and experience, we research each trading platform to gather any further relevant information. We read online customer reviews, app reviews on the Play Store and App Store, and conduct user surveys to get feedback from real people about what works, and what doesn’t.

Each stock broker is awarded a final score based on 130+ data points across 8 ranking categories: cost, reliability, user experience, deposit & withdrawals, investing options, range of products/markets, research & analysis tools, and the availability of educational & learning resources.

We work closely with individual brands to ensure all factual information displayed here is accurate. All data is then fact-checked by an independent reviewer. You can learn more about our expert panel and how we test, rate, and review platforms in our review process.

FAQs