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Risk·77–82% of retail CFD accounts lose money. Trade only with capital you can afford to lose.
Disclosure·Affiliate links. Editorial ranking is independent. How we're paid
Brokerlist2026

Tracked byIndependent review teamUpdated MethodologyEditorial top pick: Deriv

Stock Brokers, 2026

Independent ranking of stock brokers — covering equities trading on NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE and major exchanges. We compare commissions per share or per trade, verified regulator licences and platform realities, tracking broker-published pricing against the FCA, ASIC, CySEC and SEC registries. Each profile lists the regulated entity that applies in your jurisdiction, fractional-share availability and dividend handling. We don't reorder when an affiliate pays more — just what brokers themselves disclose, with a clear note when those disclosures are vague.

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4brokers tracked this quarter. Pricing copied from broker specification pages; regulators verified weekly.

Broker-published pricing · Regulator checks · Weekly refresh

Trade-cost calculator

EUR/USD · standard lot
1.0standard lots
0.110
20
5100

Total cost per round-turn trade = average spread × $10/pip × lots + round-turn commission. Spreads are broker-published typical figures — your realised execution will vary, especially around news.

At 20 trades a month, you save $160/month ($1920/year) by choosing Libertex over XM Group.

Open account at Libertex →
BrokerSpreadCommissionTotalvs cheapestOpen account
Libertex$5.00—$5.00cheapest→
RoboForex$2.00$4.00$6.00+$1.00→
Deriv$7.00—$7.00+$2.00→
XM Group$13.00—$13.00+$8.00→

Ranking · 4 brokers · stocks

sorted by editorial score

  1. Editorial top pick

    01Deriv

    BVIMFSA
    Open account at Deriv →
    Avg spread
    0.70pip
    editorial estimate
    Cost / lot
    $7.00
    no commission
    Min deposit
    $5
    Max leverage
    1:1000
    EU retail (MFSA Malta): 1:30 · Labuan / Vanuatu / BVI entities: up to 1:1000

    $5 minimum + 25 years of operating history (since 1999 as Binary.com, rebranded Deriv in 2020) · Forex is secondary to synthetic indices (their proprietary product) — CFD instrument breadth is narrower than ECN-focused brokers like Tickmill

    Fits ifYou trade synthetic indices (Volatility, Crash, Boom) — Deriv invented this product category
    PlatformsMetaTrader 5, Deriv X

    Founded in 1999 · Verified Jun 1, 2026

    Full Deriv details →

  2. 02Libertex

    SVG FSA
    Open account at Libertex →
    Avg spread
    0.50pip
    midpoint of broker range
    Cost / lot
    $5.00
    no commission
    Min deposit
    $10
    Max leverage
    1:999
    Libertex International (St. Vincent & the Grenadines). EU/EEA residents are served by the separate CySEC-regulated entity at 1:30.

    $10 minimum + Forex Club heritage (founded 1997) — long operating history · Offshore SVG (St. Vincent & the Grenadines) registration only — no tier-1 (FCA/ASIC) or EU (CySEC) oversight

    Fits ifYou have $10 to start — one of the lowest entry minimums in our list
    PlatformsMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Libertex Platform

    Founded in 1997 · Verified Jun 1, 2026

    Full Libertex details →

  3. 03XM Group

    ASICCySECIFSC
    Open account at XM Group →
    Avg spread
    1.30pip
    midpoint of broker range
    Cost / lot
    $13.00
    no commission
    Min deposit
    $5
    Max leverage
    1:1000
    EU/AU retail: 1:30 · XM Global (offshore entity): up to 1:1000

    $5 minimum makes starting cheap · Standard account EUR/USD spread 1.0–1.6 pip (broker-published range) + $0 commission ≈ $13/lot — one of the highest costs in our list

    Fits ifYou want the lowest-friction entry in our list — $5 minimum deposit
    PlatformsMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Web Trader

    Founded in 2009 · Verified Jun 1, 2026

    Full XM Group details →

  4. 04RoboForex

    IFSC
    Open account at RoboForex →
    Avg spread
    0.20pip
    broker-published typical
    Cost / lot
    $6.00
    incl. $4 commission
    Min deposit
    $10
    Max leverage
    1:500
    IFSC Belize offshore only — ECN tier; separate Pro account reaches 1:2000

    ECN account: 0.2 typical + $4 round-turn ≈ $6/lot — among cheapest commission tiers in our list · IFSC Belize only — no tier-1 regulator, no FSCS-equivalent protection

    Fits ifYou're in a non-restricted, non-EU-focused jurisdiction and want ECN-style $6/lot pricing at a $10 entry minimum
    PlatformsMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, R Stocks Trader

    Founded in 2009 · Verified Jun 1, 2026

    Full RoboForex details →

Tracking stock broker pricing

Stock broker pricing falls into three models: commission per trade ($0-$10 typical, $0 for US equities at zero-commission brokers), commission per share ($0.005-$0.01 used by interactive brokers), or zero-commission with payment-for-order-flow. We track all three and surface the per-trade total so the comparison is consistent across pricing models.

Beyond commission, market-data fees ($1-$30/month for real-time NYSE and NASDAQ data), inactivity fees and currency-conversion spreads matter. Each broker profile lists the venue access (cash equity, ETFs, fractional shares), the regulated entity in your jurisdiction, and whether dividends are credited gross or net of withholding tax.

How we score

Full methodology →

Editorial rating is a weighted score across four categories. The largest weight goes to actual per-lot trading cost, because it is the one metric every retail trader materially feels.

We verify regulator status against the FCA, ASIC, CySEC and other registries. Spread figures are broker-published — copied from each broker's specification page, not live-tracked. We do not run live execution tests, time withdrawals, or open support tickets.

Affiliate relationships do not move positions in this list. When a broker pays us more per lead, that shows in our paid-placement disclosure — not in the ordering.

Cost of trading
35%
Regulation & fund safety
30%
Operating history
20%
Accessibility
15%

Currently tracking 14 brokers across 55 regulators · 2 regulatory actions on file · pricing verified June 1, 2026.

Regulator registries: FCA · ASIC · CySEC · FSCA · SEC EDGAR

Frequent questions

5
What's the typical commission for stock trading?

US retail brokers offer $0 commission on US equity trades since 2019 (Schwab, Fidelity, Robinhood). UK brokers charge £0-£10 per trade. International brokers charge $5-$15 for international equity. Per-share pricing ($0.005-$0.01) is common at IBKR for high-volume traders. Zero-commission brokers monetize via spreads or payment-for-order-flow.

Which brokers offer fractional shares?

Most US brokers (Schwab, Fidelity, Robinhood, M1 Finance) offer fractional shares on major US equities. International brokers and CFD-only brokers typically don't. Fractional ownership lets you buy $50 of a $400 stock; useful for dollar-cost averaging or small portfolios. Voting rights are typically pooled at the broker level.

How are dividends paid by stock brokers?

Cash dividends are credited to the account on the payment date, after applicable withholding tax. US dividends face 30% withholding for foreign holders unless reduced by tax treaty (15% under W-8BEN). DRIP (dividend reinvestment) lets dividends auto-buy more shares. Each broker profile lists DRIP availability and tax-treaty handling.

What are the rules for day trading stocks?

US Pattern Day Trader (PDT) rule requires a $25,000 minimum balance for accounts making 4+ day trades in 5 business days. Below that, trades count and account is restricted. Outside the US, no PDT rule but margin requirements still apply. Cash accounts are exempt but limited by T+2 settlement.

Should I use an ISA, IRA or taxable account for stocks?

Tax-advantaged accounts (UK ISA, US IRA/401k, Australia Super) shelter gains and dividends from tax up to annual limits. Most brokers offer them but features vary — ISA-eligible brokers in the UK include Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, IG. US IRA available at Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard. Taxable accounts have no contribution limits but realised gains are taxed.

Other asset categories

Stock brokers by country