Both Webull and TD Ameritrade offer no commissions or fees on stocks and ETF trades. Both also provide stock trading charts and insights to help you stay up-to-date on the market.
You know what’s awesome? Trading stocks like a pro.
You know what’s lame? Paying high commissions and fees on trades, making brokers rich and eating into your profits.
Luckily, both Webull and TD Ameritrade offer no commissions or fees on stocks and ETF trades, and stock trading charts and insights to help you stay up-to-date on the market.
But which one is a better option for you?
We’ve reviewed the features, fees, trading tools, available assets, customer service, and security to help you find out which trading platform is right for you.
Webull vs. TD Ameritrade summary
Webull and TD Ameritrade offer access to $0 fee stocks and ETFs, with no commissions on trades.
Of the two, TD Ameritrade is ideal for beginner investors who want to learn about stock trading, with a massive educational library and ability to “paper trade” with fake money. Meanwhile, Webull offers access to both stock and cryptocurrency trading, as well as fee-free options contracts.
Both platforms offer advanced charting, a wide selection of trading tools, access to market news and research. They also both have intuitive mobile apps for trading on the go.
| Webull | TD Ameritrade | |
|---|---|---|
| Trading fees | None | ● None on stocks, bonds, ETFs ● $0.65 per options contract ● $2.25 per futures contract ● $25 broker-assisted trade fee |
| Account fees | $75 transfer out (partial or full) | $75 transfer out (full) |
| Tradable assets | ● Stocks ● ETFs ● Options ● American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) ● Crypto |
● Stocks ● Bonds ● Mutual Funds ● ETFs ● Futures ● Options ● American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) ● Forex ● IPOs (on certain accounts) |
| Account minimums | $0 | $0 |
| Mobile app available? | Yes | Yes |
| Education | News feed, research from multiple third-party analysis platforms, including Nasdaq and Reuters | News, commentary, and research from over a dozen external sources, including Morningstar and Reuters |
| Customer service | 24/7 phone and email | ● 24/7 phone, email, and chat ● In-person at local branches around the U.S. |
About Webull
Webull is a popular investing and trading app that offers no-fee trades and access to stocks, ETFs, options contracts, and even cryptocurrency. Designed for intermediate to advanced traders, the Webull platform focuses on community building through a live community feed, allowing you to interact with other Webull traders, as well as share your insights.
Webull has become a popular trading app for options traders as well, as there are no fees for options trades, while most other platforms charge fees on a per-contract basis. It also offers access to fractional shares of stocks and ETFs, making it more accessible for investors making smaller trades who want access to more expensive stocks and funds. The Webull platform also offers access to investment research, including a stock screen, news feed, analyst rating, and analysis from Nasdaq TotalView and Reuters.
The Webull platform offers advanced charting with a wide array of trading tools, including drawing tools, technical indicators, and the ability to compare multiple charts side-by-side. The mobile app offers very similar functionality to the desktop version, with intuitive trading tools and access to most of the same charting and trading tools as the web app.
Overall, Webull is a solid trading platform for no-fee trading on stocks, ETFs, and options, as well as access to a few popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Try out Webull or read our full review.
About TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade is a large online broker that offers a vast library of trading tools and user education. Ideal for beginners, the TD Ameritrade platform offers a simple-to-use web and mobile trading experience, as well as a complete library of educational articles, videos, and tutorials on various investment and trading topics.
TD Ameritrade is one of the biggest online brokers in the market that offers a comprehensive trading experience. Whether you are an experienced trader or just starting your investment career, TD Ameritrade will appeal to you because of its easy user interface and advanced investor options.
- Comprehensive trading options for diversification
- Great for new or experienced traders
- Active and reliable mobile trading app
- Does not offer international stock trading
- Different trading platforms for various commodities
TD Ameritrade offers a huge selection of assets for trading, including stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, futures, and options contracts, as well as forex trading and access to certain IPOs. TD Ameritrade’s massive library of research and analysis is collected from top providers such as Reuters and Morningstar. There is also a live broadcast on the TD Ameritrade Network on weekdays, giving live analysis and insights.
The TD Ameritrade platform offers a very simple experience for new users, as well as access to the thinkorswim advanced trading platform for more experienced traders. Both the website and mobile app offer access to a customizable dashboard, stock quotes, price alerts, and the ability to create and track your favorite investments in a watch list. The thinkorswim web and mobile platforms offer a huge selection of trading tools and indicators, while saving your settings between both desktop and mobile experiences.
Overall, TD Ameritrade is a full-service broker that is ideal for beginners who want to dive into trading, as well as for advanced traders who want access to the most comprehensive research in the industry.
Try out TD Ameritrade or read our full review.
Webull vs. TD Ameritrade investment performance
Both Webull and TD Ameritrade offer access to thousands of stocks, ETFs, and other investments with no fees or commissions on most trades. And while these investments all vary in performance, all user portfolios on these platforms will be different, and the overall performance of your investments depends on what you have invested in.
As a larger broker with a few extra features, TD Ameritrade does offer a robo-advisory service that helps users automatically invest. The TD Ameritrade Essential Portfolios service helps users build a diversified portfolio of low-cost ETFs, based on your goals and risk tolerance. These portfolios have a different mix of investments per user, but the overall performance for these portfolios are listed on the TD Ameritrade website.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the investment performance for the TD Ameritrade Essential Portfolios as of May 2022:
| 1-year | 3-year | 5-year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | -2.10% | 4.26% | 3.98% |
| Moderate | -0.53% | 6.14% | 5.50% |
| Moderate growth | 0.72% | 7.62% | 6.67% |
| Growth | 2.62% | 10.35% | 8.81% |
| Aggressive | 4.23% | 12.06% | 10.21% |
Webull vs TD Ameritrade pros
Webull pros
- Access to cryptocurrency.
- $0 fee options trading.
- Extremely intuitive mobile app.
TD Ameritrade pros
- Large library of educational content.
- Access to more markets, including bonds, forex, and futures.
- Multiple trading platforms (TD Ameritrade and thinkorswim).
Webull vs. TD Ameritrade cons
Webull cons
- Large $75 outgoing transfer fee (partial or full).
- No access to bonds or forex trading.
- Lack of user education on the platform.
TD Ameritrade cons
- No access to crypto trading.
- Mutual funds are expensive (up to $74.95).
- No fractional share investing.
Why choose Webull
Fractional share investing
Webull allows investors to make small purchases with fractional share investing. Users can purchase as little as $5 of any stock or ETF, even if it costs thousands for the individual investment. So if you want to buy Amazon (AMZN) stock, but can’t pony up the $2,000+ to buy one share, Webull will let you buy $5 worth of Amazon stock instead.
No fees on options trades
Options trading can be pricey, especially if trading a large volume of contracts. Webull charges $0 for options trades, which is rarely offered by any online broker. TD Ameritrade charges $0.65 per contract, and others charge per leg of the contract, but Webull is free.
Access to crypto trading
Webull offers access to over 50 cryptocurrencies for buying, selling, and trading. You can trade Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and yes, even Dogecoin (DOGE). This allows users to trade crypto with no fees, though you cannot take custody of the crypto from your Webull account.
Why choose TD Ameritrade
Massive educational library
TD Ameritrade offers a huge library of education videos, tutorials, and training to help new users get up to speed on a wide variety of personal finance topics. This includes basic topics, as well as advanced trading strategies.
Access to live customer support
Not only does TD Ameritrade offer 24/7 email, phone, and online chat support, but there are over 200 physical locations where you can access live human support. This support is available to both customers and non-customers, answering any questions you may have about the platform.
More tradable assets
TD Ameritrade offers access to more tradable assets than Webull, including forex, mutual funds, futures, and IPO access.
Summary
Both Webull and TD Ameritrade offer intuitive platforms for new users and advanced traders alike, charging no commissions or trading fees on stocks and ETFs. Both also give you access to some advanced trading tools, including charts with dozens of technical indicators, complex options trading, and access to up-to-date market research and analysis, built directly into the platform. And both platforms offer high-quality mobile apps that give you access to most every tool at your fingertips.
But while Webull is ideal for more advanced traders who want fee-free options trading and access to cryptocurrency, TD Ameritrade offers a lot of features aimed at beginners and professional traders alike. This includes a huge user education library, the ability to trade with fake funds, and multiple mobile apps to choose from.