Best Free Options Trading Brokers

Benzinga readers often choose Interactive Brokers or TradeStation as the best free options trading brokers.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch” is one of the oldest sayings around, and for the most part, it’s completely true. You get what you pay for, especially in the world of finance.

While you might be skeptical of any type of free offer, technology has made finance more efficient and transaction costs have gone down dramatically. In fact, it’s not hard to find a brokerage that will let you trade at least some part of the stock market completely commission-free. Commission-free usually means a trip to the designated ETF list, but some brokers offer everything for free, including options.

Commission-free usually means a trip to the designated ETF list, but some brokers offer everything for free, including options.

Quick Look: Best Free Options Trading Brokers

• Best for Margin Accounts: Interactive Brokers
• Best for Trading Ideas: Public.com
• Best Overall for Options and Technology: TradeStation
• Best for Mobile Traders: E*TRADE
• Honorable Mention: eOption

Best Free Options Trading Brokers

Choosing the best broker requires a little bit of research and not every trader has the same needs. Benzinga has created a list of favorite trading platforms for free paper trading and free or low-cost options trading.

1. Best for Margin Accounts: Interactive Brokers

The Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation provides a comprehensive list of options trading features and has been compared to the look and feel of a commercial airline cockpit. The workstation includes integrated tools such as IB Risk Navigator, Options Analytics and Model Navigator. It has a configurable format, quick-click order entry capabilities, and is extremely customizable.

The OptionTrader Combo tab allows traders to monitor price variations, view all available chains or filter for specific contracts and configure columns to view calculated model prices, implied volatilities open interest and Greeks.

Interactive Brokers also helps active traders minimize commissions and fees as well. Interactive Brokers charges nothing in options based fees but charges $0.65 per contract fee for options.

Why We Love It: Interactive Brokers offers access to a wide range of global markets, including over 135 exchanges across 33 countries, making it an attractive choice for diversified traders.

2. Best for Trading Ideas: Public.com

Public.com makes it possible for you to diversify your investments to a great extent, but you can also get in the options market. Yes, the platform keeps costs down, but you can also:

• Earn 50% of the revenue that Public.com earns on each transaction
• Qualify for a lifetime rebate of 50% on all transactions
• Access the educational center, which has a multitude of options strategies and tips
• Turn on “education mode” so that you can start properly and safely
• Receive the proper amount of options access during your onboarding

Investors are encouraged to check out the Options Hub to learn more and see if Public.com works for them.

Why We Love It: Public.com provides access to over 5,000 stocks and ETFs for options trading, catering to both beginners and experienced traders. Additionally, Public.com offers educational resources and a social investing feature, enabling users to learn from and interact with other traders, which can be particularly beneficial for those new to options trading.

3. Best for Technical Analysis: TradeStation

TradeStation is a popular platform for technical analysts and other stock pickers, but its paper trading simulation gives inexperienced traders a way to learn new skills without risking real cash.

Paper money can be traded on desktop and mobile, but only current TradeStation brokerage account holders can access the simulation for free.

TradeStation has a tilt toward active traders, so new traders can find plenty of research material and charting tools to test new strategies. TradeStation is a trusted name and its simulator is one of the best.

If you’re new to trading, you’ll love TradeStation’s Simulated Trading tool. Its Simulated Trading tool allows you to practice entering buy and sell orders, using TradeStation’s suite of charting and analysis tools and using your trading strategy without risking any of your own money.  

Why We Love It: TradeStation offers advanced analytical tools, including OptionStation Pro, which enables traders to visualize and analyze complex options strategies. Additionally, TradeStation's robust mobile app allows traders to manage their options positions on the go, with features like real-time streaming quotes and one-tap trading available for both iOS and Android devices.

4. Best for Mobile Traders: E*TRADE

E*TRADE’s Power E*TRADE platform and mobile app are the gold standards of option trading platforms. Power E*TRADE currently offers traders premium-quality tools without the premium price tag.

According to a customer service rep, the long-term plan is to have the Power E*TRADE platform replace E*TRADE Pro as the premium service, but for now, it is free for all E*TRADE users.

Power E*TRADE is the perfect combination of speed, quality, tools and navigation capabilities. The platform offers virtual trading for testing strategies. The option chain screen provides access to customizable real-time streaming option chains with up to 30 columns. The tradeLAB Snapshot Analysis breaks down risk/reward in an easy-to-understand way, indicating pros and cons as well as key events to watch for and a profit and loss chart. The strategySEEK tool allows users to scan market data and identify potential trading strategies.

For all E*TRADE’s advances option trading features, the broker charges $0 in options based fees and $0.65 for options per contract.

Why We Love It: E*TRADE offers a wide range of educational resources, including webinars and articles, to help traders of all levels improve their options trading skills.

5. Honorable Mention: eOption

eOption isn’t a commission-free brokerage, but the transactions costs here are among the lowest in the industry. For options trades, you’ll only pay $3 per trade plus $0.15 per contract.

Many legacy brokers charge upward of $0.60 to $0.75 cents per contract, so this is a great deal. You’ll also get plenty of bang for your buck, thanks to eOption’s bells and whistles. You can set up an automated strategy using its Auto Trading feature and even get direct market access through the Sterling Pro Trader.

eOption has a $500 minimum to open an account and offers traditional, Roth, SEP and Coverdell IRAs.

Why We Love It: eOption caters to experienced options traders by offering advanced tools like real-time streaming quotes, customizable options chains and a proprietary probability calculator. Additionally, eOption provides access to over 4,000 mutual funds and supports complex options strategies, making it an attractive choice for sophisticated investors looking to minimize costs while maximizing their trading capabilities.

Can You Really Trade Options for Free?

The short answer is: Absolutely! Brokers continually undercut each other on commissions and that’s great news for retail traders.

Online brokers rarely have commissions higher than $5 to $7 these days and disruptors like Robinhood and Gatsby Options have gone even lower than that. Both offer $0 commissions on all options trades. 

Another way to trade options for free is through paper trading. With a paper trading account, you’ll be given Monopoly money in a simulated brokerage account and can actively trade the market with your fake cash. Paper trading is a great way to hone your skills, practice new strategies and figure out how to trade. 

But which should you choose, free trading or paper trading? When it comes to options brokers, all it depends on your bankroll and experience level as a trader.

How to Choose

When choosing an options trading broker, there are several key factors to consider.

1. Fees and commissions: Compare the costs associated with trades, including per-contract fees and base rates.
2. Platform and tools: Evaluate the trading platform's user interface, research tools and analytical capabilities.
3. Educational resources: Look for brokers offering comprehensive educational materials on options trading.
4. Execution quality: Consider the speed and reliability of order execution.
5. Account minimums: Check if the broker's minimum deposit requirements align with your budget.
6. Available markets: Ensure the broker offers access to the options markets you're interested in trading.
7. Customer support: Assess the quality and availability of customer service.
8. Mobile trading: If you plan to trade on-the-go, examine the broker's mobile app functionality.
9. Reputation and regulation: Choose a broker regulated by reputable authorities and with a strong track record.

How to Get Started

Before choosing an options broker, you need to determine your own investing goals. Do you simply want to make the most possible money? Do you have a specific savings target in mind? Or do just want to increase your knowledge of the options market and explore how different strategies work?

If you’re inexperienced with options or want to try out a few new strategies, paper trading might be your best bet. However, if you’re a veteran trader and you want to cut your transaction costs, take a look at some of our favorite free or low-cost options brokers.

Paper Trading

Practice makes perfect and that’s why paper trading is so popular, especially among new traders. With paper trading, you aren’t putting any real capital at risk, but you can simulate live action in the markets or even go back in time and trade through previous periods. Many brokers have a free paper trading account available to anyone with a real brokerage account. 

However, know that paper trading has drawbacks. Fake money means no skin in the game. All the emotion is taken out of trading, which is something that will never happen in the real market. Expertise in paper trading does not automatically translate to success in the real world.

Using a Free or Low-Cost Broker

If paper trading doesn’t appeal to you, finding a free or low-cost broker should be your alternative goal. Free trading is still a relatively new concept, but brokers like Robinhood and Gatsby Options have totally removed commissions.

Even traditional legacy brokers are getting into the race to zero (for example, Fidelity now has zero-expense ETFs). Finding a free or low-cost broker to trade options is no longer like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Make a Decision

Trading options has never been easier and thanks to brokers like Robinhood, it’s also never been cheaper.

Before diving in, you’ll need to make a decision. Are you ready to begin trading options with no roadblocks, or do you need a little more time to practice your strategy? If you hesitate to answer that question, you might want to paper trade for a few weeks. If you already have an account with Interactive Brokers or TradeStation, you can access their paper trading accounts for free. But if you’re an experienced options trader looking to lower transactions cost, the commissions from the brokers we’ve listed will be a treat.

Want to learn more about options trading? Check out Benzinga’s guides to the best options brokers, best options books and how to trade options.

Frequently Asked Questions