5 best brokerage accounts for 2026

What each account costs and requires to open

Every account listed here carries identical SIPC protection. What differs is the cost of holding your assets and what the platform is built to handle. Public's Reserve plan now pays the highest IRA match rate on this list, but Robinhood Gold still nets the most after its subscription on a full contribution. Webull, which is not on this list, pays 3.5% with its Premium membership. The Webull review covers that match.

Match terms as of October 6, 2026. All three providers require matched money to stay in the account for 5 years. Gold costs $50 a year on the annual plan or $5 a month.

Best for research and active investors: Charles Schwab

App Store 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2M ratings, read October 6, 2026

Ideal for: An investor who wants to actively manage their own picks and values deep research tools and 24/7 human support more than a hands-off account.

Our take: Schwab charges no account fee and no minimum. Every broker on this list now charges $0 to trade stocks and ETFs, so Schwab stands apart on research depth and support availability instead of price. Read more in our Charles Schwab review, or see Schwab vs Fidelity if Fidelity is your other option.

Pros:

• No minimum or advisory fee
• Strong research and screening tools
• 24/7 human support

Cons:

• No IRA match
• An investor who only wants a simple index fund won't use most of the research tools
• No headline sign-up bonus for new accounts opened without an existing client's referral code

Best for the IRA match: Robinhood

App Store 4.3 out of 5 from 4.9M ratings, read October 6, 2026

Ideal for: An investor who wants the account itself to pay them something, especially anyone already planning to max out an IRA contribution every year alongside a taxable account.

Our take: Robinhood matches 1% of annual IRA contributions without a Gold subscription, or 3% with Gold at $5 a month. The match applies to the IRA, not the taxable brokerage account. The Robinhood IRA review covers what the match pays and when Robinhood can take it back. As of October 9, 2026, Robinhood describes the Gold benefit as a "3% boost on annual IRA contributions, up to $225 based on the 2026 maximum," with no end date stated. See our full Robinhood review for the 2026 margin rates.

Pros:

• The largest net IRA match here once subscription costs are counted
• $0 per contract on stock and ETF options
• No account minimum

Cons:

• No traditional mutual funds
• The match requires a 5-year hold to keep
• Gold's $50 a year on the annual plan, or $60 paid monthly, needs to be weighed against the match on smaller balances

Best for bonds and fractional shares: Public

App Store 4.7 out of 5 from 85K ratings, read October 6, 2026

Ideal for: An investor who wants Treasury and bond access alongside stocks and fractional shares, from a broker that says it doesn't take payment for order flow on standard stock trades in the app.

Our take: Public stands apart in two ways. It offers dedicated bond and Treasury access that most brokers on this list don't surface as clearly, and it states that it has moved away from payment for order flow on standard equity trades placed in the app.⁷Public Reserve, the $20-a-month plan that replaced Public Premium, adds a 4% IRA contribution match and lifts the cash rate to 3.75% APY. Without Reserve, Public pays a 1% match on IRA contributions. Since September 14, 2026, Public also pays 1% on IRA and taxable ACATS transfers. Both matches carry a 5-year hold, with no end date stated as of October 9, 2026. Learn more in our Public review, or see Fidelity vs Public for how Public compares with a full-service broker.

Pros:

• Bond and Treasury access
• Fractional shares across stocks and bonds
• No payment for order flow on standard equity trades placed in the app

Cons:

• Smaller brand footprint than Schwab or Robinhood (see Schwab vs Public)
• The no-PFOF claim doesn't extend to options
• Reserve's 4% match costs $240 a year, more than it adds over the free 1% on a $7,500 contribution

Best for global and professional-grade trading: Interactive Brokers

App Store 4.5 out of 5 from 12K ratings, read October 6, 2026

Ideal for: An active or global trader who wants direct market access and margin rates that fall as their balance rises, rather than one flat rate for everyone.

Our take: IBKR Lite charges $0 commissions and has a simpler feature set, while IBKR Pro adds direct market routing and tiered pricing for a trader who has outgrown the basics.⁸The tradeoff is complexity for a beginner. This is why Interactive Brokers isn't the beginner recommendation on this page. Read our Interactive Brokers review for a closer look at Lite and Pro pricing.

Pros:

• IBKR Pro margin rates that improve at scale
• Global market access
• Professional-grade tools on the Pro tier

Cons:

• The feature set overwhelms a first-time investor
• No IRA match
• The tiered margin-rate structure takes more work to understand than a single flat rate

Best for automated investing: SoFi Invest

App Store 4.7 out of 5 from 385K ratings, read October 6, 2026

Ideal for: A beginner who wants a simple, low-friction account and doesn't want to pick individual investments.

Our take: SoFi Invest offers a commission-free, self-directed account and an automated version that carries a 0.25% annual advisory fee⁹. Both come with member perks tied to SoFi's broader banking products. SoFi's 1% match on IRA contributions and 401(k) rollovers carries a 5-year holding period, with no end date stated as of October 6, 2026. Learn more in our SoFi Active Investing review, or see Schwab vs SoFi for how SoFi compares with Schwab, this list's research pick. The best robo-advisors roundup compares SoFi's automated option with five other robo-advisors.

Pros:

• No minimum
• Both self-directed and automated options in one account
• Integrates with SoFi's other products

Cons:

• Narrower research tools than Schwab or Interactive Brokers
• A 1% IRA match, smaller than Robinhood's with Gold (see SoFi vs Robinhood)
• Automated Investing now charges a 0.25% annual advisory fee