menuclose
Back to Main Menu
Home ‣ Guides ‣ StockBrokers.com Annual Awards: Best Brokers for Research

Best Brokers for Research

Jessica Inskip

Written by Jessica Inskip
Edited by John Bringans
Fact-checked by Joey Shadeck

January 27, 2026
close
Jessica Inskip Jessica Inskip

Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research.

stockbrokers-com-favicon.ico Why you can trust us

Led by Jessica Inskip, Director of Investor Research, the StockBrokers.com research team collects thousands of data points across hundreds of variables. We evaluate features important to every kind of investor, including beginners, casual investors, passive investors, and active traders. We carefully track data on margin rates, trading costs, and fees to rate stock brokers across our proprietary testing categories.

Our researchers open personal brokerage accounts and test all available platforms on desktop, web, and mobile for each broker reviewed on StockBrokers.com. Learn more about how we test.

Brokerage research can include everything from third-party analysis by firms like Morningstar and S&P Global to in-house insights on markets, sectors, and individual investments. The strongest platforms don’t just offer a large volume of information, they present research in a way that’s clear, well-organized, and easy to apply to real investing decisions.

To identify the best brokers for research, I looked at both the depth of available resources and how effectively they’re integrated into the platform. That includes hands-on testing to evaluate clarity, usability, and whether the research actually helps self-directed investors make informed choices.

Best Brokers for Research

The brokers listed below met our criteria for delivering strong, reliable research experiences during testing. Each platform provides investors with access to meaningful data, analysis, and insights that support informed decision-making. While the tools and presentation may vary, these brokers consistently demonstrated research offerings that stand out within the broader online brokerage landscape.

Fidelity
5/5 Stars 5.0 Overall
Review

Best broker for research

Fidelity is a value-driven online broker offering $0 trades, industry-leading research, excellent trading tools and an easy-to-use mobile app. Read full review

Charles Schwab
5/5 Stars 5.0 Overall
Review

Best for market insight

For most investors, the search for a great broker ends with Charles Schwab. Retaining the #1 Overall ranking in 2026, Schwab continues to set the industry standard. The broker uniquely balances scale with sophistication, offering both simplified mobile tools and the professional-grade thinkorswim platform. From buying a first fractional share to managing a multimillion-dollar estate, Schwab provides a platform tailored to every need, serving as the definitive operating system for modern wealth. Read full review

E*TRADE
4.5/5 Stars 4.5 Overall
Review

Best research data visualization

With two distinct platforms (E*TRADE Web and Power E*TRADE) the broker effectively serves both the "set-it-and-forget-it" investor and the high-volume derivatives trader. Whether you aim to construct a long-term retirement portfolio or deploy complex options strategies, E*TRADE provides a sophisticated, dependable environment that grows with your ambition. Read full review

Merrill Edge
4.5/5 Stars 4.5 Overall
Review

Best institutional grade research

Merrill Edge and its parent, Bank of America, make for a well-rounded offering, with $0 trades, robust research, reliable customer service; and its Stock Stories and Fund Stories are an industry standout. There are some gaps in investment offerings, including crypto and futures. Read full review

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars 5.0 Overall
Review

Best broker for third-party research

Interactive Brokers is a go-to choice for professionals because of its institutional-grade desktop trading platform, high-quality trade executions and low margin rates. Read full review

Sponsored

Top picks for research

1. Fidelity - Best broker for research

Company Overall Minimum Deposit Research
Fidelity logoFidelity
5/5 Stars $0.00 5/5 Stars

Fidelity pairs deep third-party research with strong in-house content, then presents it in a way that’s usable. The predefined screeners are a standout: instead of simply returning results, Fidelity layers in strategy-oriented screens (including sets powered by Zacks Investment Research) with clear explanations and “things to watch out for,” making the tool both practical and educational.

Macro tools that keep you oriented: Fidelity’s economic calendar is the best I tested. It doesn’t just list upcoming releases—it highlights which events are likely to move markets and explains why they matter. Combined with market widgets, sector-based watchlists, and heat-map views, Fidelity makes it easy to stay grounded in what’s happening across the broader market without feeling overwhelmed.

Jessica's take:

"With Fidelity, research feels intentional. The insights, tools, and explanations are designed to work together, which makes it easier for investors to move from information to informed decisions."

Jessica Inskip

jessica_inskip_170.png

Opinion research: Fidelity’s in-house commentary spans asset classes, sectors, and macro themes, supported by its learning center and Viewpoints subscriptions. The insights are thoughtful and timely, though they can lean jargon-heavy at times. That said, the mix of articles, videos, webinars, and events helps make the content more approachable and easier to consume over time.

Advanced trading: Active Trader Pro enhances Fidelity’s research offering with a robust options workflow. The options chain is highly customizable, and the multi-leg trade builder surfaces net Greeks and probability of profit in a way that’s easy to understand. Charting looks modern and is simple to configure, though drawing tools are limited, and there’s no dedicated backtesting tool. Even so, the platform complements Fidelity’s research strengths well.

Fidelity Trading Dashboard stock and market analysis

Fidelity’s trading dashboard brings everything together in one place. Here, I’ve linked SPY across all widgets for a seamless view. You can dive into options statistics, volatility indices, and my personal favorite: the trade breakdown activity, which gives great insight into how traders are positioning.

2. Charles Schwab - Best for market insight

Company Overall Minimum Deposit Research
Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
5/5 Stars $0.00 4.5/5 Stars

Charles Schwab’s in-house market coverage is built to answer the question most investors are really asking: what matters today? The daily market update is a standout for setting context around key drivers, sector rotation, and headline risk, and it’s complemented by an end-of-day audio format you can subscribe to for ongoing market framing.

A useful markets hub: Schwab’s Markets Research page makes it easy to get oriented without bouncing between sites. You can scan major index performance, drill into sectors and industries, and see why certain symbols are getting outsized attention through “top news mentions.” Volatility data is paired with plain-English context, and there are futures quotes and an events calendar to help connect scheduled catalysts to market behavior.

Decision-ready security research: On individual stock and ETF pages, Schwab delivers an unusually rich mix of charts, news, third-party reports, and ratings/risk views, plus thoughtful details that matter like whether earnings are before/after the bell. The compare experience is especially strong, letting you benchmark a company not just against peers, but against sectors and indexes, with clean ways to expand into deeper valuation and fundamentals.

Fixed income is a differentiator: Schwab doesn’t treat bonds like a product list, it wraps them in expert commentary, clear education, and practical tools. You’ll see contextual rate and macro insights alongside robust bond and CD discovery, yield curve views with historical comparisons, and ladder-building workflows that make fixed income feel more approachable and actionable.

Schwab

Schwab’s web-based stock screener stands out with advanced filtering tools that include forward-year P/E ratios, projected EPS growth, and revenue estimates—ideal for forward-looking investors. The platform allows users to screen for S&P 500 stocks based on future performance metrics, earnings surprises, and Schwab Analyst Ratings. Unlike many screeners that focus solely on historical data, Schwab helps investors identify high-potential opportunities based on forward projections.

3. E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley - Best research data visualization

Company Overall Minimum Deposit Research
E*TRADE logoE*TRADE
4.5/5 Stars $0.00 4.5/5 Stars

E*TRADE’s research experience benefits from its Morgan Stanley connection, and it shows up most clearly in the way market-level context and security-level details are surfaced side by side. In practice, it feels less like a pile of reports and more like a guided workflow: check the tape, understand what’s driving it, then drill into symbols with supporting commentary and data.

Strong market dashboards: The U.S. markets experience pulls together major indices, yields, news, and insights in one place, with an economic and earnings calendar that’s easy to reference while you’re scanning. I also liked the advances/declines view as a quick “temperature check,” plus a sector comparison tool that layers in fundamental context, which is useful when you’re trying to separate a broad move from something more isolated.

Visualization and tools make the analysis easier to digest: E*TRADE stands out when it turns research into something you can use quickly. Whether that’s through third-party integrations like Trefis-style visuals (for items like revenue projections) or quote pages that go beyond price to include volatility, earnings, and sentiment indicators. The platform also does a nice job placing podcasts and market commentary prompts that help narrow your focus.

Some experiences feel split across platforms: Power E*TRADE Pro is excellent for trading workflows and data-rich quotes, but the best research isn’t always as tightly embedded there as it is on the main web experience. And while the education library has real depth (especially for options, retirement, and fixed income), navigation can feel search-heavy, which is great once you find the right thread, less ideal if you’re starting from scratch.

Power etrade options order ticket

Power E*TRADE’s snapshot analysis makes options trading more approachable by visually mapping out key outcomes like max gain, max loss, and breakeven. In this example of purchasing a long call, the platform uses intuitive smiley face icons to highlight these critical points, adding a touch of fun to a typically complex strategy. It’s a great way to help traders quickly grasp potential risk and reward.

4. Merrill Edge Self-Directed - Best institutional grade research

Company Overall Minimum Deposit Research
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
4.5/5 Stars $0.00 4.5/5 Stars

Merrill Edge Self-Directed stands out for the depth of its Bank of America–backed research, with robust reports that cover markets, sectors, and individual securities. The quality is strong, even if some of the writing can feel jargon-heavy.

Tools that turn research into decisions: Instead of leaving you to piece everything together, Merrill pairs research with practical “decision aids” like Idea Builder for discovery and Stock Story/Fund Story for validation, turning fundamentals, valuations, and performance into a more visual, scannable process.

MarketPro is good, but it’s not the smoothest: Merrill Edge MarketPro includes strong charting (with Trading Central event markers), portfolio analysis tools, and even basic backtesting, though the overall experience can feel clunky versus more modern active-trader platforms.

Mobile is better for monitoring than trading: The app is polished and consistent across Bank of America and Merrill logins, with useful watchlist alerts and easy stock/ETF trading, but options functionality (especially multi-leg) is limited.

5. Interactive Brokers - Best broker for third-party research

Company Overall Minimum Deposit Research
Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
5/5 Stars $0.00 4.5/5 Stars

Interactive Brokers offers an expansive research experience that draws from a wide range of third-party providers, paired with detailed quote pages and AI-driven summaries that help explain market moves in context.

Strong market awareness tools: On desktop platforms like Trader Workstation, features such as the Daily Lineup make it easier to stay oriented, pulling together global markets, economic events, earnings, and analyst activity in one place. It’s information-dense, but well suited for investors who want constant market visibility.

Portfolio analysis adds real value: Tools like PortfolioAnalyst and Risk Navigator allow investors to benchmark performance and analyze portfolio drivers at a level that’s uncommon among self-directed brokers.

Mobile is capable, but fragmented: IBKR’s multiple mobile apps offer flexibility and depth, though the experience can feel split depending on which app you’re using and how advanced your needs are.

Research broker comparison

Company Overall Minimum Deposit Stock Trades Options (Per Contract)
Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
5/5 Stars $0.00 $0.00 $0.65
Fidelity logoFidelity
5/5 Stars $0.00 $0.00 $0.65
Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
5/5 Stars $0.00 $0.00 $0.65 info
E*TRADE logoE*TRADE
4.5/5 Stars $0.00 $0.00 $0.65
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
4.5/5 Stars $0.00 $0.00 $0.65

Our testing

Why you should trust us

Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research, appears regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg, The Schwab Network, Fox Business, and Yahoo! Finance, and hosts the Market MakeHer podcast.

Blain Reinkensmeyer, co-founder of StockBrokers.com, has been investing and trading for over 25 years. After having placed over 2,000 trades in his late teens and early 20s, he became one of the first in digital media to review online brokerages. Today, Blain is widely respected as a leading expert on finance and investing, specifically the U.S. online brokerage industry. Blain has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company, among others. Blain created the original scoring rubrics for StockBrokers.com and oversees all testing and rating methodologies.

How we tested

  • We used our own brokerage accounts for testing.
  • We collected thousands of data points across the brokers we review.
  • We tested each online broker's website, desktop platforms, and mobile app, where applicable.
  • We maintained strict editorial independence; brokers cannot pay for inclusion or a higher rating.

Our research team meticulously collected data on every feature of importance to a wide range of customer profiles, including beginners, casual investors, passive investors, and active traders. We carefully track variables like margin rates, trading costs, fees, and platform features and use them to help rate brokers across a range of categories measuring ease of use, range of investments, research, education, and more.

At StockBrokers.com, our reviewers use a variety of computing devices to evaluate platforms and tools. Our reviews and data collection were conducted using the following devices: iPhone SE running iOS 17.5.1, MacBook Pro M1 with 8 GB RAM running the current MacOS, and a Dell Vostro 5402 laptop i5 with 8 GB RAM running Windows 11 Pro.

Each broker was evaluated and scored on over 200 different variables across seven key categories: Range of Investments, Platforms & Tools, Research, Mobile Trading, Education, Ease of Use, and Overall. Learn more about how we test.

Trading platforms tested

We tested 14 online trading platforms for this guide:

Read next

More guides

Best Roth IRA Accounts for 2026Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2026Best Brokerage Firms for High Net Worth Individuals for 2026Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2026Best Day Trading Platforms of 2026 for Beginners and Active TradersBest Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2026Best US Forex Brokers for 2026Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2026Best Rollover IRAs for 2026Best Brokers for Order Execution of 2026Best Stock Brokers for 2026Best Brokers for Penny Stock Trading of 2026Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2026Best Options Trading Platforms for 2026Best International Brokers for Stock Trading in 2026Best Free Trading Platforms for 2026Best IRA Accounts for 2026

Popular stock broker reviews

Public.com ReviewInteractive Brokers ReviewFidelity ReviewAlly Invest ReviewE*TRADE ReviewWebull RevieweToro ReviewRobinhood ReviewMerrill Edge ReviewJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Reviewtastytrade ReviewCharles Schwab ReviewTradeStation ReviewFirstrade Review

About the Editorial Team

Jessica Inskip

Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research, appears regularly on CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg, and hosts the Market MakeHer podcast.

John Bringans

John Bringans is the Managing Editor of StockBrokers.com. An experienced media professional, John has a decade of editorial experience with a background that includes key leadership roles at global newsroom outlets. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from San Francisco State University, and conducts research on forex and the financial services industry while assisting in the production of content.

Joey Shadeck

Joey Shadeck is the Content Strategist and Research Analyst for StockBrokers.com. He holds dual degrees in Finance and Marketing from Oakland University, and has been an active trader and investor for close to 10 years. An industry veteran, Joey obtains and verifies data, conducts research, and analyzes and validates our content.

close
navigate_before navigate_next