Here you will find our best USA brokers list according to many hours of broker research, testing, analysis and comparison across hundreds of USA brokers. By having all of the best brokers in the USA listed in one place, we aim to make it simple for you to quickly identify the best USA brokers according to your own individual trading needs.
Top 5 Brokers USA
FCA, CFTC, NFA, BaFin, FINMA, ASIC, FMA, MAS, FSA, FSCA, DFSA, JFSA, METI, MAFF
Min $250 Deposit
1974
1:200
We have chosen these as our best brokers in the USA as they are regulated and have passed our strict broker reviews with flying colours. We have awarded them a top broker rating for the online trading services that they provide to traders located in the USA.
How did we choose our best brokers in the USA?
First and foremost, the Trading Brokers review team ensured that the USA broker was regulated and authorised to provide online trading services to traders in the USA. We then conducted many hours of thorough research and analysis into the brokers USA services. From there, we were able to collate what we consider to be amongst the most important factors to consider when choosing the best USA brokers and allocated them an unbiased broker rating based on our findings.
In order for an online broker to make it into our best brokers USA list, they should be regulated and offer top trading conditions, including tight spreads, low commissions and reliable trade execution speeds.
The broker should also have easy to use trading platforms that are compatible with multiple devices along with trading tools and educational resources to assist traders with their daily trading activities.
Other factors that we consider to be important for a broker to make it on to the best brokers USA list include the variety of funding options provided, account types, minimum deposit, customer support and range of trading instruments available to trade online.
Regulation
Any trading broker that is offering services to traders in the USA should be authorised and regulated. Using a regulated broker can give investors some protection that unregulated brokers cannot.
Trading Platforms
The best USA brokers should have a variety of different trading platforms for multiple devices including desktop, web and mobile trading apps. The brokers trading platforms should be user friendly, with plenty of trading tools and advanced functionality for all types of trading strategies.
Trading Instruments
The brokers should provide USA traders with a wide range of trading instruments across multiple asset classes including Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrency, Stocks, Shares, Indices, Metals, Energies, Options, Bonds, ETFs, CFDs. The more choice that the broker has, the easier it would be to expand your portfolio in the future, should you wish to do so.
Spreads
When you place a trade position with a broker, you will usually need to pay the spread which is the difference between the bid and ask prices at the time of executing your order. In general, the lower the spreads, the cheaper the trading costs can be and the better the prices you may have your trade executed at. Although, this can also be dependent on other factors such as the brokers liquidity, slippage and execution model.
Commission
Many USA brokers will charge a small commission fee for each trade that you place with them. The lower the commission fee per trade, the lower your overall trading costs can be in the long term. Some trading strategies actually depend on low commissions. Thus, the best USA brokers should have the most competitive commissions.
Fees
In addition to the spreads and commissions that brokers may charge, there can be additional fees. These include overnight swap fees, funding fees, platform fees, trading tool fees, educational resource fees, etc. Any other fees charged by the broker should be competitive and transparent to the trader.
Execution Speeds
The execution speed can determine the price your order will be executed at. Instant execution should mean that the order is placed as close to your desired price as possible. The best USA brokers should have rapid execution speeds with minimal slippage so that traders get the best available prices more often than not. Some trading strategies such as scalping are dependent on reliable execution speeds.
Liquidity Providers
The best brokers USA should have top liquidity providers (LPs) with deep liquidity pools so that they can offer competitive bid/ask prices along with reliable trade execution speeds.
Trading Tools
Whilst the trading platforms offered by brokers will usually have more than enough trading tools for the average trader, there are some brokers who offer additional trading tools such as economic calendars, trading calculators, market analysis, trading signals and more. The best brokers in the USA will usually offer some additional trading tools to support traders with their daily trading activities.
Educational Resources
Educational resources can help traders to improve their trading skills and knowledge. They also encourage informed trading. The best brokers will usually offer clients a range of free educational materials such as tutorial videos, trading guides, eBooks, trading glossary, FAQs, webinars and seminars.
Account Types
Trading brokers can have a variety of different account types that are designed to cater to the differing needs of clients. The accounts can vary according to the minimum deposit required, leverage offered, execution type, spreads, commissions, instruments, additional services and more. The best USA brokers should have a selection of account types for different experience levels and trading strategies. Demo accounts can be useful to practice trading online with virtual funds whilst Islamic accounts that comply with Sharia law support Muslim traders.
Account Funding Options
In order to trade online, you will need to be able to deposit and withdraw funds to and from your trading broker account. Brokers can offer a range of different account deposit and withdrawal methods. This will often include bank transfers, credit/debit card and online payment processors such as Skrill, Neteller and PayPal. The best brokers in the USA should have a variety of convenient funding options. It is worth considering the time taken and any fees involved for processing funds.
Customer Support
Most brokers can be reached via telephone, email and live chat. It is worth ensuring that the broker can be reached in a way that is convenient for your needs. The brokers customer support team should be prompt, polite and efficient in their responses to all clients general and technical questions. You may wish to consider if there is any different between your time zone and the brokers support hours, as this could have an impact on response times.
Best Forex Brokers USA
On this page you will find what we consider to be the best USA forex brokers according to our thousands of hours of detailed research and analysis across hundreds of forex brokers that offer online trading to clients in the United States and worldwide.
To make it into our list of the best forex brokers USA, each broker must be authorised and regulated to offer online trading to forex traders in the USA. The broker should also have a good selection of currency pairs, sophisticated trading platforms for multiple devices, competitive fees/spreads, good execution speeds, selection of trading tools, educational resources, flexible account types, convenient funding options and excellent customer support.
With so many forex brokers to choose from and a lack of them offering their services to traders in the US, we have compiled a list of our best US forex brokers below.
Top 5 Forex Brokers USA
FCA, CFTC, NFA, BaFin, FINMA, ASIC, FMA, MAS, FSA, FSCA, DFSA, JFSA, METI, MAFF
Min $250 Deposit
1974
1:200
We chose these brokerage firms as our best forex brokers in the USA due to the fact that they are regulated and have received a top broker rating for providing online forex trading to US clients after being subject to our thorough forex broker reviews.
How did we choose our best forex brokers in the USA?
The most important factor for the Trading Brokers team to consider when choosing the best USA forex brokers was that the brokers are regulated to offer forex trading in the USA. Once the brokers regulation had been confirmed, we then researched and analysed the brokers forex trading service in great detail and assigned them with an unbiased broker rating based on our own findings. During this research, we gave great consideration to what we deem to be amongst the most important factors to consider when choosing an online forex trading broker, including:
- Regulation: The stock broker should be regulated and authorised to offer stock trading in the USA.
- Trading Platforms: The forex broker must offer a range of the best trading platforms that are user friendly, intuitive and compatible across multiple desktop, web and mobile devices.
- Trading Instruments: They should have a large selection of minor, major and exotic currency pairs for trading.
- Spreads: The forex brokers spreads on currency pairs should be competitive and as low as possible.
- Commission: The commission charged for trading forex currencies should be competitive, the lower the better.
- Fees: Any additional fees such as accounting, inactivity, etc, should be made clear to traders from the get go.
- Execution Speeds: The forex broker should have reliable trade execution speeds with minimal slippage.
- Liquidity Providers: Ideally, the forex broker will have a vast pool of liquidity providers (LPs) in order to deliver consistent execution speeds and tight spreads.
- Trading Tools: The forex broker should provide a vast array of trading tools for analysing charts, planning and managing trades, trading signals, social trading, etc.
- Educational Resources: Most beginners will need a selection of educational materials on different trading topics to help them improve their trading skills and knowledge. Training tools can include video tutorials, trading guides, webinars, etc.
- Account Types: There should be flexible account options to suit different forex trading styles and budgets.
- Account Funding Options: The best forex brokers should offer a choice of convenient account deposit and withdrawal methods.
- Customer Support: The forex brokerage should have a prompt, polite and knowledgeable customer support team on hand to answer traders general and technical questions.
USA forex broker regulation
Forex trading is the speculating on the price of one currency against another currency, commonly known within the trading community as a currency pair. Online forex trading has increased in popularity over the years with many online brokerages opening which has given traders a vast choice of brokers who are all competing for their business. This can make it difficult to choose the best forex brokers in the USA although due to strict regulatory requirements, there are not actually that many brokers who offer forex trading to US clients when compared to other countries.
We believe that it is of upmost importance that a forex broker providing services to clients in the USA is authorised and regulated to provide forex trading to US traders. Using a regulated broker helps to give traders peace of mind that they are using a brokerage firm which is subject to strict rules and regulations put in place to protect investors. It is worth mentioning that there are some non-USA forex brokers that still solicit clients located within the USA. There are also USA forex brokers who offer online forex trading services to clients located in some countries outside of the USA. In this instance, it would be a considered a sensible idea to ensure that the broker in question has the relevant regulation within the jurisdiction that they operate from.
Before a forex broker can accept US forex traders as clients, they need to be registered as a Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED) by the financial regulatory body, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The broker should also be regulated by the National Futures Association (NFA) as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM).
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent agency of the US government created in 1974, that regulates the U.S. derivatives markets, which includes futures, swaps, and forex trading. The stated mission of the CFTC is to promote the integrity, resilience, and vibrancy of the U.S. derivatives markets through sound regulation and transparency.
The Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) requires certain firms and individuals that conduct business in the derivatives industry to register with the CFTC. CFTC regulations also require, with few exceptions, CFTC registered firms to also be members of the National Futures Association (NFA). The CFTC has delegated registration responsibility to NFA.
All futures professionals that are required to register with the CFTC are only granted registration after a thorough and detailed investigation of their background to determine if they meet the strict standards set forth in the CEA.
National Futures Association (NFA)
The National Futures Association is the self-regulatory organization for the U.S. derivatives industry, including on-exchange traded futures, retail off-exchange foreign currency and OTC derivatives. NFA is headquartered in Chicago and maintains an office in New York City. Designated by the CFTC as a registered futures association, NFA strives every day to safeguard the integrity of the derivatives markets, protect investors and ensure members meet their regulatory responsibilities.
Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED)
A retail foreign exchange dealer (RFED) is an organization that acts, or offers to act, as a counterparty to an off-exchange non-U.S. currency transaction with a person who is not an eligible contract participant and the transaction is either:
- a futures contract, an option on a futures contract or an option contract (except options traded on a securities exchange); or
- offered or entered into, on a leveraged or margined basis, or financed by the offeror, counterparty or person acting in concert with the offeror or counterparty on a similar basis.
Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) Registration
A futures commission merchant (FCM) is an entity that solicits or accepts orders to buy or sell futures contracts, options on futures, retail off-exchange forex contracts or swaps, and accepts money or other assets from customers to support such orders. If a broker is soliciting or accepting orders to buy or sell retail off-exchange forex contracts and accepting money or assets from retail clients, the brokerage firm needs to be designated as a Forex Dealer Member and comply with requirements outlined on the NFA website.
Verifying the regulation of forex brokers in USA
If a forex broker has been licensed to operate in the United States (USA), they should be provided with a registration number as proof that they are registered. This number is usually located on the brokers website, near the footer where they state who they are regulated by. You should check on the relevant regulators website to validate the current status of the broker registration to ensure that it is valid and up to date. It has been known for some scam brokers to fake regulation, some even going as far to clone another brokers website. When you are looking up the registration number, you should find details of the brokerage firm including their website, contact details and if they have any cases brought against them.
Best Stock Brokers USA
Here you will find our best USA stock brokers list based on our unbiased stock broker reviews and ratings. The Trading Brokers expert research team have researched and analysed hundreds of online stock brokers to save you time when choosing from the best stock brokers in the USA.
In order to make it into our best stock brokers USA list, the brokerage should provide traders with a large selection of global stocks for trading on the best trading platforms with competitive fees. They should have a selection of trading tools for analysing the stock markets and educational materials to help traders to increase their stock market knowledge and trading skills.
In addition to this, the broker should have a choice of flexible account types to suit different investment sizes and experience levels. Most importantly, a USA stock broker must be authorised and regulated to offer stock trading in the USA.
With there being so many USA stock brokers for traders to choose from, we have compiled a list of our best USA stock brokers below.
Top 5 Stock Brokers USA
FCA, CFTC, NFA, BaFin, FINMA, ASIC, FMA, MAS, FSA, FSCA, DFSA, JFSA, METI, MAFF
Min $250 Deposit
1974
1:200
We opted to choose these as the best stock brokers in the USA primarily due to their strict regulation and established reputation within the online stock brokerage industry. They have passed our stringent stock broker reviews with flying colours and been awarded a top stock broker rating based on our findings that have considered a number of important factors for online stock trading in the USA.
How did we choose our best stock brokers in the USA?
The first thing we did was to make sure that any broker under consideration for the best stock brokers in the USA was regulated to provide stock trading to USA traders. Upon confirmation that the broker was regulated, we conducted in-depth research and detailed analysis on the services provided. Based on our findings of what we consider to be some of the most important factors worth considering when choosing an online stock broker, we were then able to assign them with a stock broker rating. Some of the key things we considered include:
- Regulation: A USA stock broker should be authorised and regulated to provide stock trading in the USA.
- Trading Platforms: The stock broker should have a range of the best stock trading platforms with user friendly interfaces and trading tools for analysing the stock markets. The platforms should be compatible on desktop, web and mobile devices for trading stocks whilst on the move.
- Trading Instruments: The stock broker should offer a large selection of global stocks in different markets for trading online.
- Spreads: The stock brokers spreads should be competitive, the tighter the better.
- Commission: The commission charged for trading stocks should be priced low.
- Fees: Other fees such as those charged for deposits, withdrawals, account inactivity, holding positions overnight, etc, should all be made clear.
- Execution Speeds: Traders buy or sell stock positions should be entered with minimal delays.
- Liquidity Providers: The stock broker should utilise top tier liquidity providers (LPs) in order to offer a deep liquidity pool to traders.
- Trading Tools: There should be a good selection of trading tools for analysing the stock markets, planning and managing positions, receiving trading signals, social trading, etc.
- Educational Materials: The stock broker should consider new traders by offering them a variety of educational resources on different stock trading topics to help them improve their trading skills and knowledge. Training tools can include video tutorials, stock trading guides, webinars, etc.
- Trading Accounts: The stock broker should offer a choice of flexible trading accounts to cater for different levels of investment and experience levels.
- Account Deposit & Withdrawal Methods: There should be a choice of convenient account funding options, ideally including online payment processors for fast and easy account funding.
- Client Support: The stock brokerage should offer efficient and well-educated client support in order to respond in a polite and prompt manner to all general and technical questions that stock traders may have.
USA stock brokers regulation
In a nutshell, stock trading is a popular form of online trading that enables the trader to speculate on the rising or falling prices of a particular company or basket of selected stocks known as Indices. An online stock broker acts as the intermediary between you the trader and the exchange where the stocks are traded. Anyone can open a trading account with an online brokerage and use their online stock trading platform to buy and sell stocks. In recent years, online stock trading has continued to increase in popularity and with so many USA stock brokerages to choose from, it can make it difficult for an aspiring trader to choose the best stock broker in the USA for them.
For the team here at Trading Brokers, we believe that one of the most important things to consider when choosing from the best USA stock brokers, is that the brokerage firm is authorised and regulated to offer stock brokerage services in the USA. Using a regulated stock broker can give online traders the peace of mind that they are using a brokerage that must abide by strict rules and regulations put in place to protect investors.
It should be considered that there will likely be some non-USA stock brokers that still offer their services to traders in the USA. There will also be some USA stock brokers who offer online stock trading to traders that are located in countries outside of the USA. It would usually be considered a wise idea to make sure that the stock broker in question is regulated in the jurisdiction in which they are operating from.
Before an online stock broker in the USA can accept clients, they need to be registered as a Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED) by the financial regulatory body, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The broker should also be regulated by the National Futures Association (NFA) as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM).
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent agency of the US government created in 1974, that regulates the U.S. derivatives markets, which includes futures, swaps, and forex trading. The stated mission of the CFTC is to promote the integrity, resilience, and vibrancy of the U.S. derivatives markets through sound regulation and transparency.
The Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) requires certain firms and individuals that conduct business in the derivatives industry to register with the CFTC. CFTC regulations also require, with few exceptions, CFTC registered firms to also be members of the National Futures Association (NFA). The CFTC has delegated registration responsibility to NFA.
All futures professionals that are required to register with the CFTC are only granted registration after a thorough and detailed investigation of their background to determine if they meet the strict standards set forth in the CEA.
National Futures Association (NFA)
The National Futures Association is the self-regulatory organization for the U.S. derivatives industry, including on-exchange traded futures, retail off-exchange foreign currency and OTC derivatives. NFA is headquartered in Chicago and maintains an office in New York City. Designated by the CFTC as a registered futures association, NFA strives every day to safeguard the integrity of the derivatives markets, protect investors and ensure members meet their regulatory responsibilities.
Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED)
A retail foreign exchange dealer (RFED) is an organization that acts, or offers to act, as a counterparty to an off-exchange non-U.S. currency transaction with a person who is not an eligible contract participant and the transaction is either:
- a futures contract, an option on a futures contract or an option contract (except options traded on a securities exchange); or
- offered or entered into, on a leveraged or margined basis, or financed by the offeror, counterparty or person acting in concert with the offeror or counterparty on a similar basis.
Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) Registration
A futures commission merchant (FCM) is an entity that solicits or accepts orders to buy or sell futures contracts, options on futures, retail off-exchange forex contracts or swaps, and accepts money or other assets from customers to support such orders. If a broker is soliciting or accepting orders to buy or sell retail off-exchange forex contracts and accepting money or assets from retail clients, the brokerage firm needs to be designated as a Forex Dealer Member and comply with requirements outlined on the NFA website.
Verifying a USA stock brokers regulation
If a stock broker claims to be licensed to operate in the United States (USA), they should have a registration number to evidence this. This registration number will usually be located near the footer of the brokers official website. It would be a sensible idea to check that the brokers registration is valid and up to date on the relevant regulators website. There are unfortunately scam brokers to be wary of. These scam brokers have been known to fake regulation with some even going as far to clone another brokers website. When you are checking a broker’s registration number, you should verify that the details of the brokerage firm including their website and contact details are provided and if they have any cases brought against them.
Best USA Brokers Summary
Whilst these are what we consider to be amongst the most important things to consider when choosing a USA broker, it can differ depending on individual needs. Thus, it is important that you choose a broker that meets your needs and use the above information only for educational purposes and not as advice.