About U.S. Stock Brokers

There are many platforms available for trading U.S. stocks. On one side are legacy brokers like Fidelity, Interactive Brokers, Schwab, and TD Ameritrade; on the other are newer internet platforms such as Cash App, SoFi, Robinhood, and Moomoo. To be frank, if you have not opened an account yet or are just getting started, we recommend going straight to the latter, because the user experience of the new generation is clearly better than that of the previous generation and also better matches current user habits. This article takes that perspective and compares the trading experience of four major platforms—Cash App, SoFi, Robinhood, and Moomoo—across the three hottest investment categories right now: stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies. It is not meant to overload you with information, but simply to help you make a straightforward decision. We will go through them in order from basic to advanced platforms.

Moomoo

Overall rating

  • Commission-free and the most well-rounded overall, suitable for everyone from beginners to professional investors ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Moomoo basically covers the vast majority of U.S. stock trading features, supporting almost every mainstream investable asset in U.S. and Hong Kong stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies. It combines comprehensive functionality with excellent usability, making it the most well-balanced broker right now. If we were only recommending one, we would recommend Moomoo without hesitation. In terms of fees, buying and selling stocks, ETFs, IPO subscriptions, and options contracts are currently all commission-free, and Canadian users get 0 FX fees and instant funding. It is a great fit both for beginners and for traders who want to build a long-term investing or trading career. For Chinese-speaking users, its Chinese-language content and Chinese customer support are excellent.

In addition, their signup bonuses have consistently been very good, basically outclassing legacy brokers. They are also among the most generous among online brokers.

Stock Trading

Stock trading is still very comprehensive.

  1. Most research and analysis features are free: Level 2 real-time quotes, Morningstar data, institutional ratings, and more do not require extra payment. It also automatically organizes changes in holdings by institutions and executives, as well as holdings by Pelosi, Buffett, and others, making it easy to track where key money is moving.
  2. IPO subscriptions have no commission or application fee, and there is no lockup period. Hot names this year such as Bullish, Gemini, and Figure all had everyone receive allocations.
  3. Supports 24-hour limit order trading, with orders available both pre-market and after-hours. There are as many as 13 order types (such as trailing stop and OCO), far more than other online brokers including Robinhood (which mostly only supports basic orders), allowing automated market monitoring.
  4. Full AI support: it connects to real-time financial data (with fewer hallucinations than general-purpose AI) and can integrate multiple signals such as trending events, whale holdings, and candlestick charts to quickly extract useful information.
  5. A one-stop shop for U.S. stocks, Hong Kong stocks, options, and crypto, and U.S. stocks also support low-barrier fractional shares (less than 1 share).

Options Trading

Moomoo's options features can be said to be among the most comprehensive of any online broker.
Moomoo

  1. The classic T-shaped options chain links desktop and mobile. Greeks, implied volatility (IV), and other core data are all included, along with options chart analysis and an options pricing calculator. This is one of the clearest advantages over platforms like Robinhood that mainly target beginners.
  2. One standout feature is real-time detection of "unusual activity"; large options trades often hint at where the "smart money" is positioning.
  3. Options trading supports advanced orders, including common conditional orders such as trailing and touch orders, as well as automatic take-profit and stop-loss, which makes more precise risk management easier.
  4. All Moomoo options trades are commission-free, on par with commission-free platforms like Robinhood.

Cryptocurrency Trading

Moomoo now supports trading in almost all mainstream cryptocurrencies (more than 50 currently connected): including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETF), SOL, Ripple (XRP), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Binance's token BNB, which is also live. It is reportedly rolling out deposit and withdrawal features gradually. Once available, ordinary investors will be able to transfer crypto across platforms with ease, putting it ahead of online brokers in crypto.

Account Opening Bonus

Now register for Moomoo through this site's exclusive link. If you meet the deposit requirements, you can get up to four stackable rewards! Exclusive $150 reward + $1,000 NVDA + $100 trading coupons + idle cash earning an ultra-high 8.1% APY, plus one free year of Moomoo Engine premium features. The four bonuses below can be stacked, so you can look at them one by one. I think the best value is to deposit $2,000 and get $350. If you have enough funds, you can go up to $10,000 and get $450. Idle cash also earns 8.1% APY

First bonus: exclusive to new users on this site, first cumulative deposit of $1,000 gets a $150 stock card + one free year of Moomoo Engine

  • During the promotion period (before September 30), make a cumulative deposit of $1,000
  • The stock cards you receive are three $50 cards, for a total of $150, and they unlock after your deposit has been maintained for 60 days
  • You can only use the stock card when trading U.S. stocks in the Moomoo app (Stocks, REITs, and ETFs all qualify)
  • After the $50 stock card is unlocked, any trade of $50 or more will automatically deduct $50

Second bonus: new user deposit reward, get up to $1,000 in NVDA

  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $500 and receive $30 worth of NVDA stock -> 60-day lock-up
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $2,000 and receive a cumulative $100 worth of NVDA stock -> 60-day lock-up
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $10,000 and receive a cumulative $200 worth of NVDA stock-> 60-day lock-up
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $50,000 and receive a cumulative $400 worth of free NVDA stock -> 120-day lock-up (release $200 after 60 days and the remaining $200 after 120 days)
  • Make a first cumulative deposit of $100,000 and receive a cumulative $1,000 worth of free NVDA stock -> 180-day lock-up (release $200 after 60 days, $400 after 120 days, and the remaining $400 after 180 days)

You can use your deposit to trade, or simply leave it there to earn interest. If you do trade, I recommend depositing a bit more so you don't end up below the threshold after losses!

Third bonus: trading coupon reward, after new users deposit $100, get 10 $10 trading coupons

  • Each $100+ trade can use one, which is basically encouraging you to trade more (if you just want to cash out and buy SGOV, that's fine)
  • Also, if you refer a friend to register for Moomoo, you'll get another $10*10 trading coupons (but then your friend won't get this site's $150 stock card reward)

Fourth bonus: high interest for new users, account-opening bonus Cash Sweep up to 8.1% APY

  • New customers can join cash sweep as soon as they open an account. The coupon will be sent to the account and needs to be activated in the app.
  • Idle cash can earn 3.35% APY + a 2-month 4.75% APY booster (supports deposits and withdrawals anytime + automatic trade settlement). This 8.1% APY applies only to the first $20,000 in cash deposits.

Note: This article covers Moomoo U.S. benefits and product feature information. If you apply with an SSN or ITIN and enter a U.S. address, you can still receive the bonus normally.

Robinhood

Overall rating

  • Gamified investing for younger users ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐

Robinhood originally focused on mobile-first U.S. stock brokerage. It became an overnight sensation during the meme stock era. Although it has a web version, its core experience and feature design are still centered on mobile. Robinhood was one of the first U.S. brokers to offer commission-free trading, with both stock and options trades carrying 0 commission and 0 trading fees. But many competitors have caught up, and its current strengths are still a clean interface and zero commission. For U.S. stock beginners, it is a good choice, but it lacks advanced features.

From the standpoint of signup bonuses, theirs have always been low, with only a randomly selected share of stock. For beginners, that is actually quite suitable.

Stock Trading

  1. Supports commission-free trading of stocks, ETFs, options, and ADRs
  2. Supports basic research and some data, but there is a paywall: professional reports such as Morningstar and Level II quotes require upgrading to a Robinhood Gold account ($5 per month), and only Gold users can get better margin rates.
  3. Supports IPO subscriptions, which can satisfy most customers who want to participate in IPOs. But the IPO pool is limited, and there is no guarantee of an allocation.
  4. Supports fractional share purchases, meaning you can buy only a portion of a share, such as 1/10, which is more suitable for small investors.

Options Trading

  1. Supports trading in individual U.S. stock options and index options, also with zero commission. The interface is simple and easy to learn.
  2. Supports the 5 most basic combination orders, but support for strategy combinations is limited; you also cannot place custom combo orders, and naked short selling is not allowed.
  3. Supports stop-loss orders, but not trailing conditional orders or more advanced conditional orders.
  4. Supports rolling a single leg, but not rolling an entire options position as a single package. For spread traders, that can be inefficient and prolong the period of risk exposure.

Cryptocurrency Trading

Currently supports 30+ mainstream coins. You can trade crypto through the separate Robinhood Crypto account, but you cannot transfer crypto into or out of your own Robinhood Crypto account. That account is part of Robinhood's omnibus account structure, and users do not own the private keys.

Account Opening Bonus

Robinhood's signup bonus is now issued in the form of fractional shares, worth $5-$200. Users can choose from well-known stocks such as Google, Apple, Amazon, and Tesla. It is still pretty good; at least it is much better than the old practice of handing out random obscure stocks. For details, see

SoFi

Overall rating

  • Integrated loan and investment accounts, but trading capabilities are fairly basic⭐⭐⭐

SoFi initially focused on student loans. Its product line has gradually expanded, and it now offers checking accounts, credit cards (2% cashback, no foreign transaction fees, no annual fee), investment accounts, and lending products. It supports basic options trading, but it is still fairly simple. It is suitable for users who want to consolidate their U.S. loan and investment accounts, but its investing features are only suitable for beginners and long-term holders; there are many limitations for frequent traders.

Stock Trading

  1. You can buy individual shares, and you can also buy fractional shares.
  2. Transfers of stocks from other brokerages are supported.
  3. There is an Automated Investing account, suitable for beginner traders who want passive investing or low-fee investing.
  4. Pre-market and after-hours trading are supported, but only limit orders are available.
  5. The charting tools are fairly basic and only include candlestick charts and a few basic technical indicators.

Options Trading

It has just opened up low-risk, simple strategies like covered calls and cash-secured puts, and other features are being rolled out gradually.

Cryptocurrency Trading

Supported cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and more. Compared with the Cash App mentioned below, it supports a fairly wide range of coins, but it still cannot match Moomoo or Robinhood. It also only supports market orders, so limit orders are not available.

Sign-Up Bonus

If you open a SoFi Invest account now, you can enter a one-time sweepstakes with a top prize of $1,000. You must deposit at least $50 within 30 days to activate the sweepstakes. The top prize is $1,000, but the most likely outcome is $5-$10.

Cash App

Summary

  • An extension of a budgeting app / debit card ⭐⭐

Cash App is a Square product. Rather than calling it a stock app, it is more accurate to say that its core is a budgeting app. Its main function is really a deposit account, but it is much easier to use than a traditional bank app. Its investing features are somewhat bare-bones and are even weaker than SoFi in many areas, so it is best for people whose savings needs outweigh their investing needs.

Stock Trading

  1. Currently, the supported features are very limited, making it suitable for complete beginners making their first investment.
  2. The brokerage account opening process is user-friendly and almost invisible.
  3. Only about 1,800+ mainstream stocks and ETFs are supported; many stocks, especially small- and mid-cap names, cannot be traded.
  4. You can only buy with market orders, and you can only set the dollar amount—not the number of shares. The execution price is entirely determined by the software.
  5. Candlestick charts, technical indicators, and professional research reports are completely missing, so it is not suitable for any technical analysis or in-depth fundamental research.
  6. It does not support transferring assets in from external brokerages.

Options Trading

Cash App does not support options trading.

Cryptocurrency Trading

At the moment, it only supports Bitcoin and Ethereum, and only market orders are available. A fee is charged on both buys and sells, and the exact amount is variable, roughly around 2%. Investing in Bitcoin with Cash App has almost no barrier to entry, but because of the trading fee, it is better suited for long-term investing.

Summary

For the U.S. stock trading platforms compared in this article, here is the breakdown:

  • Cash App: If you want extreme simplicity and integrated payments. It is suitable for absolute beginners who have never traded before and only want to simply buy and hold, with no need at all for professional data.
  • SoFi: Suitable for users who view investing as part of a broader financial life, such as loans, savings, and credit cards. Its trading features are a bit richer than Cash App's, but data and deep analysis are still clearly lacking.
  • Robinhood: Suitable for beginner traders who want a minimalist interface and zero commissions. It has long focused on zero commissions and easy operation, but professional data and special perks require payment (Gold account). Once a trader needs advanced orders, deep data, or complex options strategies, its functionality quickly becomes limited.
  • Moomoo: Suitable for investors/traders seeking strong value, professional tools, and all-around development. On top of Robinhood-style zero commissions, it offers professional-grade depth and breadth. From beginners who want to grow quickly with free institutional-quality data to professional traders who need advanced options tools, complex order types, and global asset allocation, there is an entry point for everyone. For Chinese speakers, the Chinese-language support is also better.

We have also compared some other U.S. stock platforms before, but the content may be somewhat dated and the feature descriptions may not be the latest. You can also refer to

If you are more interested in sign-up bonuses, you can check

Limited-Time Bonus!

Open a Moomoo account now through our exclusive Meika 101 referral link, and you will receive a $100 U.S. stock cash coupon just for funding the account. You can also stack it with up to $1,000 in NVIDIA (NVDA) and 8.1% APY. The promotion expires on December 31, and funding must be completed before then. If you signed up through our link but have not yet funded your account, you can still participate as long as you fund before then.