E*TRADE's biggest strength is range. It's easy enough for a first-time investor on day one, but it has the depth to keep an active trader happy for years. Here are the features I like most.
Beginner-friendly app and resources
The core E*TRADE app is clean and simple, which matters a lot when you're just starting to invest. Opening an account, funding it, finding investments, and placing your first trade are all straightforward.
Most new investors don't need fancy features, and E*TRADE covers the basics without clutter. You can build watchlists and track performance, then lean on more advanced tools as your confidence grows.
Power E*TRADE gives active traders more horsepower
Power E*TRADE is the platform for serious, active traders. It puts charts, watchlists, and order tickets on one "mission control" screen, and you can use it on web, mobile, or desktop.
Standout tools include:
- Technical pattern recognition: Flags potential setups by tracking support and resistance levels and key price moves.
- Advanced charting: Flexible charts with common indicators like MACD, so you can spot trends faster.
- Strategy tools: Set your market outlook and get options strategies that fit, ranked by risk and reward.
- Options analytics: Payoff and profit-and-loss diagrams plus detailed options chains make complex trades easier to weigh.
- Real-time insights: Live news and analysis so you're not trading blind.
It's one of the better options trading platforms out there.
Fractional shares let you start small
E*TRADE now offers fractional-share trading, a feature released in mid-2026. You can buy a slice of an eligible stock or ETF for as little as $5, so a high share price no longer keeps you out.
The rollout is still expanding -- it started with a set of eligible stocks and ETFs and keeps growing. Check the trade ticket to confirm a specific stock qualifies before you buy.
A wide range of investments, including 0% index funds
E*TRADE supports stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, bonds, and CDs. Like most of today's best brokers, it charges $0 commissions on online U.S.-listed stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options.
Another unique perk for long-term investors: E*TRADE offers a handful of index funds with a 0% expense ratio, covering large-cap, total market, international, municipal bonds, and U.S. bonds. That's the kind of low-cost, "set it and forget it" core I like for a buy-and-hold portfolio.
It's also solid for retirement savers, with traditional, Roth, and other IRAs on offer -- worth a look if you're comparing the best IRA accounts. And if you want cash and investments under one roof, E*TRADE offers banking too, including a savings account and CDs.
IPO access through the New Issue Center
E*TRADE lets eligible investors buy into IPOs before they hit the open market, through its New Issue Center. Being part of Morgan Stanley (one of Wall Street's biggest IPO underwriters) gives it a pipeline to new deals that most brokers can't match.
That's a genuine edge if you like getting in early on new listings -- and it's a big reason E*TRADE lands on lists of the best brokers for IPO access.
Here's how it works. You complete an investor profile so E*TRADE can confirm you're eligible, review the prospectus, then submit a conditional offer to buy. Just know that access to all IPOs isn't a sure thing. Shares are limited, E*TRADE allocates them at its own discretion, and you may end up with fewer than you asked for, or none at all.
Direct crypto trading
E*TRADE now supports direct crypto trading, another gap it closed in 2026. You can buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana through a linked account, with a trading fee of 0.50%.
That's a shorter list of cryptocurrencies than a dedicated crypto exchange. But for investors who want a little crypto next to their stocks, it's a convenient option that didn't exist here before.
