E*Trade vs SoFi Invest Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

E*Trade and SoFi Invest are two leading discount brokerages offering commission-free stock and ETF trading. Use this head-to-head comparison table to evaluate fees, features, trading tools, and account options to help you decide which broker is right for you in 2026.

Head-to-Head Comparison: E*Trade vs SoFi Invest (2026)
Feature E*Trade SoFi Invest
Website https://us.etrade.com/home https://www.sofi.com/invest/
Broker Type Online self-directed brokerage (Morgan Stanley; full-service advisors available) Discount (self-directed online brokerage + robo-advisor)
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 online US-listed stocks/ETFs (OTC $6.95; other fees may apply) $0 commissions
Fractional Shares? Yes, select listed stocks/ETFs (up to 3 decimals, $5 min notional; expanding) Yes ($5 min on select stocks/ETFs)
Percent Allocations? No (Prebuilt templates with suggested allocations; Core Portfolios managed) No
Crypto Trading? Yes; BTC, ETH, SOL via linked zerohash account for US individual brokerage clients. Yes. SoFi Crypto offers 28 cryptocurrencies (as of May 2026); requires SoFi Checking & Savings.
Crypto Fees 0.50% of notional value (no spread/markup); charged by zerohash (E*TRADE receives a portion). Tiered 1.90%/1.50%/1.25%/0.90% of trade value by monthly volume (<$1k/$1-5k/$5-10k/$10k+); possible ≤0.10% spread.
Options Trading? Yes Yes. Options trading available (long calls/puts, covered calls, cash-secured puts; 0DTE and IRAs).
Options Fee $0.65/contract ($0.50 with 30+ trades/quarter) plus regulatory/exchange fees. $0 commissions and $0 contract fees. Regulatory fees apply (e.g., ORF $0.02, OCC $0.025 per contract).
Bond Trading Available? Yes; 50,000+ bonds/CDs from many issuers. No. Individual bonds not offered; exposure via bond ETFs and mutual funds only.
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes (receives PFOF on NMS stocks, ETFs, and options). Yes. Receives payment-for-order-flow revenue share via Apex Clearing.
Interface: Web trading? Yes; E*TRADE web/app and Power E*TRADE web/app/desktop. Yes. Full trading on SoFi mobile app (iOS/Android) and sofi.com website.
Desktop trading? Yes, Power E*TRADE Pro (Windows/Mac download) No
API Trading? Yes (Developer Platform REST API; unattended algo orders prohibited) No
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes Yes
Total Mutual Funds 5,000+ (6,000+ NTF listed on pricing) 6,800+
NTF Mutual Funds 6,000+ 6,800
Non-NTF Fund Fee $0 online (no-load NTF); loads per prospectus 0.2% of purchase (max $20); 2% for interval/tender funds
Early Redemption Fee? Yes (no E*TRADE fee; fund fees may apply) Yes (no SoFi short-term fee)
Redemption Hold (Days) None (0 days); E*TRADE charges no short-term redemption fee (fund prospectus fees may apply) Fund-specific (CDSC varies by fund); no SoFi-imposed hold.
Early Redemption Fee $0 from E*TRADE; fund prospectus redemption fees may apply Fund-specific CDSC (varies); SoFi charges none (purchase tx fee 0.2% max $20).
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes (Self-Directed; apply, $2,000 min).
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, others) Yes: Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs.
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (Bank Deposit Program / BDP) Yes (optional FDIC bank sweep via Apex).
CDs Offered? Yes No
Robo-Advisor: Offered Yes Yes
Robo-Advisor Service Core Portfolios SoFi Automated Investing (Robo Investing)
Robo-Advisor Fees 0.30% annual advisory fee ($500 min.) 0.25% annual wrap/advisory fee plus fund expenses; $50 min.
Basics: Headquarters Arlington, VA San Francisco, CA
Year Founded 1982 2011
Clearing Firm Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Apex Clearing Corporation
Local Branches? No No
New Account Minimum $0 $0

Once you’ve chosen a broker, find high-performing, investable model portfolios at RecipeInvesting.com


Picked a Broker? Now Build Your Perfect Portfolio

Find high-performing, investable model portfolios (Tactical, Strategic, and Managed) at RecipeInvesting.com.

Get FREE Access
Recipe Investing Logo

Compare E*Trade to All Brokers