Firstrade vs ZacksTrade Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Firstrade 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: Firstrade vs ZacksTrade (2026)
Feature Firstrade ZacksTrade
Website https://www.firstrade.com/ https://www.zackstrade.com/
Broker Type Discount (self-directed online brokerage) Discount
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 online ($19.95 broker-assisted) $0.01 per share (minimum $1); 1% of trade value below $1/share
Fractional Shares? Yes (most U.S. stocks/ETFs; $5 min) No
Percent Allocations? No Yes; Rebalance Portfolio
Crypto Trading? No No
Crypto Fees N/A Not applicable
Options Trading? Yes Yes
Options Fee $0 commission and $0/contract; plus pass-through ORF (~$0.02/contract from Jul 2026) and SEC sell fees $1 for first contract + $0.75 per additional
Bond Trading Available? Yes (web only; net yield basis/markup) Yes; corporate and government bonds
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes Yes
Interface: Web trading? Yes Yes
Desktop trading? No Yes; Zacks Trade Pro/Client Portal/app
API Trading? No No
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes Yes
Total Mutual Funds 11,000+ Not publicly stated
NTF Mutual Funds 11,000+ Not publicly stated
Non-NTF Fund Fee $0 online; $19.95 broker-assisted (no-load) $27.50
Early Redemption Fee? No ($19.95 if held <90 days) Varies by fund
Redemption Hold (Days) 90 days Fund-specific
Early Redemption Fee $19.95 Fund-specific
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes (approval; $2,000 min assets; not IRAs/custodial/ESA) Yes
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Rollover) Yes; Traditional, Roth, SEP, and Rollover
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (FDIC sweep via Apex; 0.15%; not margin/SIMPLE IRA/ESA) No
CDs Offered? Yes (primary $30; secondary net yield) No
Robo-Advisor: Offered No No
Robo-Advisor Service N/A None
Robo-Advisor Fees N/A Not applicable
Basics: Headquarters Flushing, NY Chicago, IL
Year Founded 1985 2013
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation Interactive Brokers LLC
Local Branches? Yes (Flushing, NY HQ office, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm ET); no nationwide network No; online broker
New Account Minimum $0 $0

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