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

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

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