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7 best day trading platforms of 2024

The best platforms for day trading offer a capable trading platform, with tools and resources to help you practice and learn.

Successful day traders practice to develop a strategy and take time to learn what works — and what doesn’t — when trading.

Part of that strategy is choosing a broker that offers a suitable trading platform for frequent trading.

Not all brokers are created equal, and not all offer the same level of trading tools.

The best day trading platforms should offer adequate tools and ample resources to help you learn and grow as a day trader.

You’re about to see our picks of the best day trading platforms for beginners, mobile trading, trading crypto and more, based on an analysis of 18 brokers. These are platforms with tools and resources to help you capitalize on intraday market movements.

Here’s our list.

Our top picks for brokerage accounts

Our pick for transfer bonus

Go to site
Get up to $10,000 cash
  • Trade stocks, options, ETFs, mutual funds, alternative asset funds
  • $0 commission on stocks, ETFs and options, with no options contract fees
  • Complimentary access to a financial planner and automated investing

Top pick for advanced traders

Go to site
Get up to $5,000 cash
  • Trade options, futures, options on futures, stocks, ETFs
  • $0 commission to close options
  • Pro-grade platform and risk analysis tools

Our pick for investing by theme

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Earn up to $300 on new deposits
  • Trade $0 commission stocks & ETFs with as little as $1
  • Theme and ETF screener
  • Discover new opportunities with Opto's AI-driven classification system

7 best day trading apps & platforms of 2024

Why trust Finder

  • 15+ online brokers reviewed and rated by our team of experts
  • Evaluated under our unbiased rating system covering eight categories
  • 20+ years of combined experience covering financial topics

We're big on editorial independence. That means our content, reviews and ratings are fair, accurate and trustworthy. We don't let advertisers or partners sway our opinions. Our financial experts put in the hard work, spending hours researching and analyzing hundreds of products based on data-driven methodologies to find the best accounts and providers for you. Explore our editorial guidelines to see how we work.

Best overall

Interactive Brokers

4.6
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusN/A

Best for beginners

Robinhood

4.4
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet a free stock

Best for day trading options

Tastytrade

4.4
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet $50-$5,000

Best crypto day trading platform

eToro

4
★★★★★

Finder score

Copy crypto picks from top traders
Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusFINDER EXCLUSIVE: Get a guaranteed $15 bonus

Best mobile app for day trading

Moomoo

4.2
★★★★★

Finder score

Get 8.1% APY for 3 months on idle cash and up to 15 free stocks with qualified deposits. T&Cs apply.
Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet up to 15 free stocks

Best for day trading practice

TradeStation

4.2
★★★★★

Finder score

Go to site Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet $50 - $5,000

Best for day trading information

Charles Schwab

4.5
★★★★★

Finder score

Read review
Stock trade fee$0
Minimum deposit$0
Signup bonusGet a $101 bonus

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Finder is not an advisor or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.

Methodology: How we choose the best day trading platforms

Finder’s investments experts review 18 brokers available on the market to narrow down the best platforms for day trading.

We analyze each broker based on 147 key metrics we collect directly from brokers and assess each provider’s performance based on eight different categories, weighing each metric based on the expertise and insights of Finder’s investment experts.

We then score and rank each provider depending on how it performs

How we weigh the overall rating

CategoryWeighting
Investment options9%
Trading platforms and technology33%
Trading costs8%
Account fees13%
Account types and minimums0%
Customer support5%
Mobile app ratings and security7%
Features and amenities25%

We update our best picks as products change, disappear or emerge in the market. We also regularly review and revise our selections to ensure our best provider lists reflect the most competitive available.

What is day trading?

Day trading is a trading strategy that involves buying and selling the same security within the same trading day. Using various techniques, primarily technical analysis, day traders aim to profit from short-term fluctuations in a security’s price. Day traders typically close their positions before the end of the trading day and never hold a security overnight.

How to choose the best day trading platform

Choosing the best day trading platform isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. Along with costs and investment options, you’ll want to know how the broker’s platforms perform. Insightful trading tools and an intuitive platform can help you make the most of your trades.

Factors you should consider when choosing the best day trading platform include:

  • Costs and fees. Most brokers on the market today are free to sign up, free to use and offer commission-free stock and ETF trading. However, many brokers still charge for options trading and charge miscellaneous fees for various account activities. For example, some brokers charge a fee to transfer your account to another broker.
  • Investment options. A key part of choosing a day trading app is determining which securities you want to trade. While the big brokers like Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab and Interactive Brokers offer the most traditional investment options, mobile-first trading apps are starting to step up their game when it comes to asset offerings. Most of the big brokers still don’t offer access to crypto. Choose a platform that offers tradable assets that align with your strategy and goals.
  • Platform availability. Mobile trading apps are growing in popularity for several reasons: time spent on mobile devices is increasing; mobile apps tend to offer a better user-experience; and mobile trading apps are increasingly becoming more powerful and are starting to include many of the same features you’d find on browser and, sometimes, desktop versions of the trading platform.
  • Reliability, security and customer reviews. Review the app’s security features, regulatory status and history of outages. Consider the number of reviews and how existing and previous users rate the app and platform.

Is day trading a good idea?

Despite the enticing and hyped-up claims of making millions day trading, in reality, most people lose money. A study published in 2019 of 1,551 Brazilian day traders that traded for nearly a year showed that 97% lost money.(1)

The risk of losing money is incredibly high, so it’s important to not commit money you can’t afford to lose.

Frequently asked questions

What platform do most day traders use?

Day traders typically choose platforms that offer fast trade execution speeds, low trading costs and a trading platform that they can customize to their trading strategy and needs.

Can I make $1,000 a day, day trading?

While it’s possible to make $1,000 daily with day trading, a day trader’s income depends on their specific trading strategies and the amount of capital available. However, day trading is very risky, and there’s no guarantee you’ll make any money.

Is day trading really that profitable?

There’s no guarantee day trading will be profitable, and most of the time, it probably won’t be. A study by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, for instance, found that roughly 70% of forex traders lose money every quarter and 100% of their money in less than 12 months.

Matt Miczulski's headshot
Written by

Editor, Investments

Matt Miczulski is an investments editor at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions. Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University. See full bio

Matt's expertise
Matt has written 206 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Trading and investing
  • Broker and trading platform reviews
  • Money management

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