Tradestation vs M1 Finance Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Tradestation and M1 Finance 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: Tradestation vs M1 Finance (2026)
Feature Tradestation M1 Finance
Website https://www.tradestation.com/ https://www.m1finance.com/
Broker Type Discount Self-directed discount brokerage
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0; routing/clearing fees may apply $0 commission; $3/mo platform fee if assets <$10k (waived at $10k+ or with loan)
Fractional Shares? No Yes (to 1/100,000th of a share)
Percent Allocations? No Yes (M1 Pies with custom target % allocations)
Crypto Trading? Yes Yes (Bakkt Crypto Account; BTC, ETH, LTC; US 18+)
Crypto Fees Tiered maker/taker pricing based on account balance Bakkt 1% (100 bps) on buys/sells (in exec. price); M1 $0 commission
Options Trading? Yes No
Options Fee $0.80/contract standard tier; $0.40/contract multi-leg N/A
Bond Trading Available? Yes; Treasuries, corporate, and municipal bonds No
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes Yes (receives PFOF ~$0.002/share)
Interface: Web trading? Yes Yes (web m1.com and iOS/Android apps)
Desktop trading? Yes; TradeStation Desktop/Web/Mobile No
API Trading? Yes; TradeStation WebAPI and FIX APIs No
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes No
Total Mutual Funds Over 2,000 None
NTF Mutual Funds Not publicly stated None
Non-NTF Fund Fee $14.95 N/A
Early Redemption Fee? Varies by fund N/A
Redemption Hold (Days) Fund-specific N/A
Early Redemption Fee Fund-specific N/A
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes; Individual/Joint brokerage accounts include M1 Margin Loan by default ($2,000 min equity). Not for IRAs.
IRAs Offered? Yes; Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, and Rollover Yes; Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs available ($500 minimum).
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? No Yes; High-Yield Cash Account has FDIC bank sweep. Invest-account cash does not auto-sweep (transfer required).
CDs Offered? No No
Robo-Advisor: Offered No No (self-directed Pies/auto-invest; optional non-discretionary M1 Advisory)
Robo-Advisor Service None M1 Pies (self-directed); M1 Advisory / M1 Advisor (AI, non-discretionary)
Robo-Advisor Fees Not applicable $3/mo platform fee if <$10k assets (waived at $10k+ or Personal Loan); advisory currently 0% (up to 0.20%)
Basics: Headquarters Plantation, FL Chicago, IL
Year Founded 1982 2015
Clearing Firm TradeStation Securities, Inc. (self-clearing) M1 Finance LLC (self-clearing Individual/Joint); Apex Clearing (IRA/Trust/Custodial)
Local Branches? No; corporate offices only No
New Account Minimum $100 (individual/joint taxable); $500 (IRAs)

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