TD Ameritrade vs Acorns

TD Ameritrade vs Acorns Comparison Table 2024
TD Ameritrade	Acorns
Review 4	Review 3.2

TD Ameritrade is a leading discount brokerage offering a vast range of instruments including forex, stocks, futures, options and crypto. The company has nearly 40 years of experience and authorization from the SEC, FINRA and CFTC. Trading takes place via its well-known thinkorswim platform, which offers sophisticated tools and features including stock screeners and calculators.	Acorns is a US-based investment platform launched in 2012. This SEC-registered firm aims to make investing more accessible for anyone looking to start small, catering to a range of savings goals. With over 9 million clients, the firm has earned a strong reputation and is backed by a number of well-known investors and economists.
Bonus Offer
	$5
Comment by Reviewer
"Traders who want access to a huge range of stocks from a reputable broker with low fees should consider TD Ameritrade. On the downside, we miss access to the familiar MetaTrader 4 software."	"Acorns will meet the needs of US traders looking for flexible investment portfolios with simple flat fees and low entry requirements."
Pros
Advanced order types, including OCO and brackets Automated trading capabilities, including robo-advisors Several trading platforms including proprietary award-winning software TD Ameritrade provides rich in-depth research and educational resources Extended 24/7 trading hours allow for international access to the markets The broker facilitates automatic syncing between desktop and mobile trading platforms There is access to over 350 technical studies, 20 drawing tools and 8 Fibonacci tools Active chat rooms to share ideas and communicate with thousands of experienced traders The Economic Data tool allows access to a range of data about the health of global economies Management Services and Essential Portfolios. Reviews of which show high levels of customer satisfaction Portfolio margin gives some users increased leverage by basing margin requirements on total portfolio risk	Acorns Visa debit card included with all subscriptions plus a banking and investing app Earn bonus investments from popular brands when you shop their offers using your Acorns card Strong regulation from the SEC and membership with FINRA/SIPC, plus FDIC insurance up to $250,000 Flat $3 monthly fee, plus no hidden charges, minimum balance fees or overdraft penalties Five risk levels from Conservative to Aggressive and a range of savings accounts Bitcoin-linked ETF offering exposure without owning BTC Welcome bonuses and financial incentives
Cons
CFD trading not available No MT4 or MT5 integration Fractional shares are not offered No direct cryptocurrency trading Broker-assisted trade commissions are around $25 Stringent margin maintenance requirements and high fees New traders may be overwhelmed by the vast amount of information and tools available	Cannot manually change or choose investments Narrow choice of trading instruments with no forex Monthly fee might be high for those with smaller balances US clients accepted only
Awards
Best Broker for Beginners 2022 - Investopedia Best Online Broker Awards Best Online Broker for Stock Trading Platform and Research 2022 - NerdWallet's Best-Of Awards #1 Platform & Tools, #1 Active Trading, #1 Options Trading, #1 Customer Service, and #1 Phone Support 2022 - StockBrokers.com Online Broker Review
Instruments
Forex, Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos, Futures, Options, Commodities, Bonds	Stocks, ETFs, Bonds
Demo Account
Yes	No
Minimum Deposit
$0	$0
Trading Platforms
eSignal AutoChartist	Own
Payment Methods
ACH Transfer Automated Customer Account Transfer Service Cheque TransferWise Wire Transfer	Credit Card Debit Card PayPal Wire Transfer
Minimum Trade
$0	$5
Regulator
SEC, FINRA, CFTC	SEC, FINRA
Margin Trading
Yes	No
STP Account
No	No
ECN Account
No	No
DMA Account
Yes	No
MAM Account
Yes	No
PAMM Account
No	No
LAMM Account
No	No
Demat Account
No	No
AI / Machine Learning
No	No
Robo Advisor
Yes	Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No	No
Market Maker
No	No
P2P Trading
No	No
Spot Trading
No	No
Mobile Apps
iOS & Android	iOS & Android
App Review
TD Ameritrade offers currency trading via Android and iOS mobile and tablet apps. Users can speculate on over 75 currency pairs with low fees and advanced trading tools. Deposit funds and manage accounts in a few clicks.
Auto Trading
Yes - Auto trading available via bots
Copy Trading
No	No
Social Trading
No	No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No	No
Tournaments
No	No
Demo Competitions
No	No
Ethical Investing
Yes	No
Custodial Account
Yes	Yes
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No	No
Inactivity Fee
$0
Islamic Account
No	No
Account Currencies
USD	USD
Stock Exchanges
Dow Jones Japan Exchange Group Nasdaq New York Stock Exchange S&P 500 Toronto Stock Exchange Taiwan Stock Exchange	New York Stock Exchange
Commodities
Cocoa Coffee Copper Corn Cotton Gasoline Gold Livestock Natural Gas Oil Palladium Platinum Silver Soybeans Sugar Wheat
Forex Trading
Trade 70+ forex pairs including majors, minors or exotics via the desktop, mobile or webtrader app with no commission and 1:2 leverage. The choice of currencies is wider than most forex brokers.	Forex trading not offered
Forex App
TD Ameritrade offers currency trading via Android and iOS mobile and tablet apps. Users can speculate on over 75 currency pairs with low fees and advanced trading tools. Deposit funds and manage accounts in a few clicks.
GBPUSD Spread
Variable
EURUSD Spread
Variable
EURGBP Spread
Variable
Assets
75+
Cryptocurrency
Gain exposure to cryptocurrency markets through OTC crypto trusts, mutual funds and ETFs and Bitcoin futures. This offers portfolio diversification opportunities and trading vehicles beyond standard crypto CFDs.	Crypto trading not offered
Spread
Commission fees apply
Coins
BTC ETH MBT MET
Crypto Lending
No	No
Crypto Mining
No	No
Crypto Staking
No	No
Auto Market Maker
No	No

Review	Review
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