Stash vs E*Trade Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)
Stash 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.
| Feature | Stash | E*Trade |
|---|---|---|
| Website | https://www.stash.com/ | https://us.etrade.com/home |
| Broker Type | Subscription-based digital brokerage | Online self-directed brokerage (Morgan Stanley; full-service advisors available) |
| Trading: Stock & ETF? | Yes | Yes |
| ETF & Stock commission | $0 trade commission; $12/month subscription plan | $0 online US-listed stocks/ETFs (OTC $6.95; other fees may apply) |
| Fractional Shares? | Yes | 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? | No (crypto ETFs only) | Yes; BTC, ETH, SOL via linked zerohash account for US individual brokerage clients. |
| Crypto Fees | Not applicable | 0.50% of notional value (no spread/markup); charged by zerohash (E*TRADE receives a portion). |
| Options Trading? | No | Yes |
| Options Fee | Not applicable | $0.65/contract ($0.50 with 30+ trades/quarter) plus regulatory/exchange fees. |
| Bond Trading Available? | No | Yes; 50,000+ bonds/CDs from many issuers. |
| Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? | Yes | Yes (receives PFOF on NMS stocks, ETFs, and options). |
| Interface: Web trading? | Yes | 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? | No | Yes |
| Total Mutual Funds | None | 5,000+ (6,000+ NTF listed on pricing) |
| NTF Mutual Funds | None | 6,000+ |
| Non-NTF Fund Fee | Not applicable | $0 online (no-load NTF); loads per prospectus |
| Early Redemption Fee? | Not applicable | Yes (no E*TRADE fee; fund fees may apply) |
| Redemption Hold (Days) | Not applicable | None (0 days); E*TRADE charges no short-term redemption fee (fund prospectus fees may apply) |
| Early Redemption Fee | Not applicable | $0 from E*TRADE; fund prospectus redemption fees may apply |
| Accounts: Margin Accounts? | No | Yes |
| IRAs Offered? | Yes; Traditional and Roth | Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, others) |
| HSAs Offered? | No | No |
| Money Market Sweep? | Yes; Apex FDIC-insured sweep | Yes (Bank Deposit Program / BDP) |
| CDs Offered? | No | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor: Offered | Yes | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor Service | Smart Portfolio | Core Portfolios |
| Robo-Advisor Fees | $12/month plan; 0.25% of managed balance quarterly (>= $1,000) | 0.30% annual advisory fee ($500 min.) |
| Basics: Headquarters | New York, NY | Arlington, VA |
| Year Founded | 2015 | 1982 |
| Clearing Firm | Apex Clearing | Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC |
| Local Branches? | No | No |
| New Account Minimum | $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.
Compare Stash to All Brokers
- Compare Stash to Ally Invest
- Compare Stash to Alpaca
- Compare Stash to Axos Invest
- Compare Stash to Charles Schwab
- Compare Stash to E*Trade
- Compare Stash to Fidelity
- Compare Stash to Firstrade
- Compare Stash to Interactive Brokers
- Compare Stash to M1 Finance
- Compare Stash to Merrill Edge
- Compare Stash to Public.com
- Compare Stash to Robinhood
- Compare Stash to SoFi Invest
- Compare Stash to SogoTrade
- Compare Stash to Tastytrade
- Compare Stash to Tradestation
- Compare Stash to Tradier
- Compare Stash to Vanguard
- Compare Stash to WeBull
- Compare Stash to ZacksTrade