You know what’s cool? Trade stocks like a pro.
You know what sucks? Pay high commissions and fees on trades, enrich brokers and absorb your profits.
Fortunately both Webull as well as TD Ameritrade does not offer any fees or commissions on stock and ETF trades, as well as stock trading charts and analytics to help you stay on top of the market.
But which one is best for you?
We have reviewed features, fees, trading tools, available assets, customer service and security to help you determine which trading platform is right for you.
Review of Webull vs TD Ameritrade
Webull and TD Ameritrade offer zero-fee access to stocks and ETFs with no transaction fees.
Of the two, TD Ameritrade is ideal for beginner investors who want to learn about stock trading, with an extensive educational library and the ability to “paper trade” counterfeit money. Meanwhile, Webull offers access to both stock and cryptocurrency trading, as well as free option contracts.
Both platforms offer advanced charting, a wide range of trading instruments, and access to market news and research. They also have intuitive mobile apps for trading on the go.
| Webull | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|
| Trading fees | Nobody | ● None for stocks, bonds, ETFs. ● $0.65 per option contract ● $2.25 per futures contract. ● $25 broker commission |
| Pay per account | Transfer $75 (partial or full) | Transfer $75 (full) |
| Trading assets | ● Promotions ● ETFs ● Options ● American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) ● Cryptocurrency |
● Promotions ● Bonds ● Mutual funds ● ETFs ● Futures ● Options ● American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) ● Forex ● IPO (on certain accounts) |
| Account Minimum | $0 | $0 |
| Mobile app available? | Yes | Yes |
| Education | News feed, research from multiple third party analytics platforms including Nasdaq and Reuters | News, commentary and research from over a dozen external sources including Morningstar and Reuters. |
| Customer service | 24/7 phone and email | ● 24/7 phone, email and chat ● In person at local US offices. |
About Webull
Webull is a popular investment and trading app that offers commission-free trades and access to stocks, ETFs, options contracts, and even cryptocurrencies. Designed for intermediate to advanced traders, the Webull platform focuses on community building through a live community channel, allowing you to interact with other Webull traders as well as share your ideas.
Webull has also become a popular trading app for options traders as options trades are commission-free, while most other platforms charge a commission per contract. It also offers access to fractional shares of stocks and ETFs, making it more accessible to small-trade investors who need access to higher-priced stocks and funds. The Webull platform also offers access to investment research, including a stock screen, news feed, analyst ratings and analysis from Nasdaq TotalView and Reuters.
The Webull platform offers advanced charting capabilities with a wide range of trading tools, including drawing tools, technical indicators, and the ability to compare multiple charts in parallel. The mobile app offers features very similar to the desktop version, with intuitive trading tools and access to most of the same charting and trading tools as the web app.
All in all, Webull is a solid trading platform for stocks, ETFs and options trading for free, as well as access to several popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Try Webull or read our full review.
About Trading House Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade is a major online broker that offers an extensive library of trading tools and user education. Perfect for beginners, TD Ameritrade’s platform offers an easy-to-use web and mobile trading experience as well as a complete library of educational articles, videos and tutorials on a variety of investment and trading topics.
TD Ameritrade offers a huge selection of assets to trade, including stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, futures and options contracts, as well as forex trading and access to certain IPOs. TD Ameritrade’s extensive research and analysis library is sourced from leading vendors such as Reuters and Morningstar. The TD Ameritrade network also hosts a livestream on weekdays that provides real-time analysis and information.
The TD Ameritrade platform offers a very simple experience for new users, as well as access to the advanced thinkorswim trading platform for more experienced traders. Both the website and mobile app offer access to a customizable dashboard, stock quotes, price alerts, and the ability to create and track your favorite investments on a watchlist. thinkorswim’s web and mobile platform offer a huge selection of trading tools and indicators, while maintaining your customization on both desktop and mobile devices.
All in all, TD Ameritrade is a full-service broker that is ideal for both beginners looking to dive into trading and advanced traders who need access to the most comprehensive research in the industry.
Try TD Ameritrade or read our full review.
Webull Investment Performance vs TD Ameritrade
Both Webull and TD Ameritrade offer access to thousands of stocks, ETFs and other investments with no fees or commissions on most trades. And while all of these investments vary in performance, all user portfolios on these platforms will be different, and the overall performance of your investment depends on what you have invested in.
As a larger broker with a few extra features, TD Ameritrade offers a robotic advisory service that helps users auto-invest. TD Ameritrade Essential Portfolios helps users build a diversified portfolio of low cost ETFs based on your goals and risk tolerance. These portfolios have a different mix of investments per user, but the overall performance of these portfolios is listed on the TD Ameritrade website.
Here is a summary of investment performance for TD Ameritrade’s major portfolios as of May 2022:
| 1 year | 3 years | 5 year old | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | -2.10% | 4.26% | 3.98% |
| Moderate | -0.53% | 6.14% | 5.50% |
| Moderate growth | 0.72% | 7.62% | 6.67% |
| Growth | 2.62% | 10.35% | 8.81% |
| aggressive | 4.23% | 12.06% | 10.21% |
Webull vs TD Ameritrade Pros
Pros of Webull
- Access to cryptocurrency.
- Options trading with $0 commission.
- An extremely intuitive mobile app.
Advantages of TD Ameritrade
- Large library of educational content.
- Access to more markets including bonds, forex and futures.
- Several trading platforms (TD Ameritrade and thinkorswim).
Cons of Webull vs TD Ameritrade
Webull cons
- Large outgoing transfer fee of $75 (partial or full).
- No access to bonds or Forex trading.
- Lack of user training on the platform.
Cons of TD Ameritrade
- No access to crypto trading.
- Mutual funds are expensive (up to $74.95).
- No fractional share investment.
Why Choose Webull
Fractional investing in stocks
Webull allows investors to make small equity purchases. Users can purchase any stock or ETF for as little as $5, even if the individual investment is worth thousands. So if you want to buy Amazon shares (AMZN) but can’t spend more than $2,000 to buy a single share, Webull will let you buy $5 worth of Amazon shares instead.
No commissions for option trades
Options trading can be expensive, especially if you are trading a large volume of contracts. Webull charges $0 for option trades, which is rarely offered by online brokers. TD Ameritrade charges $0.65 per contract and others charge for part of the contract, but Webull is free.
Access to crypto trading
Webull offers access to over 50 cryptocurrencies for buying, selling and exchanging. You can trade Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and even Dogecoin (DOGE). This allows users to trade crypto without fees, although you cannot deposit it from your Webull account.
Why choose TD Ameritrade
Huge educational library
TD Ameritrade offers a huge library of instructional videos, tutorials and training to help new users quickly get up to speed on a wide variety of personal finance topics. This includes basic topics as well as advanced trading strategies.
Access to live customer support
TD Ameritrade offers not only 24/7 email, phone and live chat support, but also over 200 physical locations where you can access live technical support. This support is available for both clients and non-clients, answering any questions you may have about the platform.
More tradable assets
TD Ameritrade offers access to more tradable assets than Webull, including forex, mutual funds, futures and IPO access.
Summary
Both Webull and TD Ameritrade offer intuitive platforms for both new users and experienced traders, with no commissions or fees to trade stocks and ETFs. Both also give you access to some advanced trading tools, including charting with dozens of technical indicators, sophisticated options trading, and access to state-of-the-art market research and analysis built right into the platform. And both platforms offer high-quality mobile apps that give you access to just about every tool you have at your fingertips.
But while Webull is ideal for more advanced traders who want free options trading and access to cryptocurrencies, TD Ameritrade offers a host of features designed for beginners and professional traders alike. This includes a huge library for user education, the ability to trade fake funds, and several mobile apps to choose from.
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