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

E*Trade and ZacksTrade 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 ZacksTrade (2026)
Feature E*Trade ZacksTrade
Website https://us.etrade.com/home https://www.zackstrade.com/
Broker Type Online self-directed brokerage (Morgan Stanley; full-service advisors available) Discount
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 online US-listed stocks/ETFs (OTC $6.95; other fees may apply) $0.01 per share (minimum $1); 1% of trade value below $1/share
Fractional Shares? Yes, select listed stocks/ETFs (up to 3 decimals, $5 min notional; expanding) No
Percent Allocations? No (Prebuilt templates with suggested allocations; Core Portfolios managed) Yes; Rebalance Portfolio
Crypto Trading? Yes; BTC, ETH, SOL via linked zerohash account for US individual brokerage clients. No
Crypto Fees 0.50% of notional value (no spread/markup); charged by zerohash (E*TRADE receives a portion). Not applicable
Options Trading? Yes Yes
Options Fee $0.65/contract ($0.50 with 30+ trades/quarter) plus regulatory/exchange fees. $1 for first contract + $0.75 per additional
Bond Trading Available? Yes; 50,000+ bonds/CDs from many issuers. Yes; corporate and government bonds
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes (receives PFOF on NMS stocks, ETFs, and options). Yes
Interface: Web trading? Yes; E*TRADE web/app and Power E*TRADE web/app/desktop. Yes
Desktop trading? Yes, Power E*TRADE Pro (Windows/Mac download) Yes; Zacks Trade Pro/Client Portal/app
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) Not publicly stated
NTF Mutual Funds 6,000+ Not publicly stated
Non-NTF Fund Fee $0 online (no-load NTF); loads per prospectus $27.50
Early Redemption Fee? Yes (no E*TRADE fee; fund fees may apply) Varies by fund
Redemption Hold (Days) None (0 days); E*TRADE charges no short-term redemption fee (fund prospectus fees may apply) Fund-specific
Early Redemption Fee $0 from E*TRADE; fund prospectus redemption fees may apply Fund-specific
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, others) Yes; Traditional, Roth, SEP, and Rollover
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (Bank Deposit Program / BDP) No
CDs Offered? Yes No
Robo-Advisor: Offered Yes No
Robo-Advisor Service Core Portfolios None
Robo-Advisor Fees 0.30% annual advisory fee ($500 min.) Not applicable
Basics: Headquarters Arlington, VA Chicago, IL
Year Founded 1982 2013
Clearing Firm Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Interactive Brokers LLC
Local Branches? No No; online broker
New Account Minimum $0 $0

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