Largest Brokerage Firms (2024) (2024)

Biggest Brokerage Firms

Below is the list of the 2024 largest brokerage firms in the United States and the world, known as "The big five brokerages" plus two of the most rapidly growing online brokers - Robinhood and Webull. "The big five brokerages" is the term commonly used to describe the 5 largest brokerage houses in the nation by the number of customers and assets: TD Ameritrade, Etrade, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard, and Charles Schwab.

Robinhood spearheaded the $0-commission revolution in the industry and gained a lot of popularity among young investors. Then Webull showed up, and made a point to be better than Robinhood in almost every area. The two companies are now in the top 10 brokerages in the U.S. They both offer more attractive pricing than "The big five brokerage houses", crypto-currency trading, and, in a case of Webull, highly rated trading tools.

We believe that the larger and more powerful Robinhood and Webull will be able to gain even bigger share of the U.S. retail investors market. This should put a downward pressure on the major brokerage firms charges. As the result of more competition, customers should come out the biggest winners.

The biggest brokerage houses in the U.S. are listed below without any particular order. By "largest" we mean the total number of clients they have. You could read detailed reviews describing advantages and disadvantages of these major stock brokers by following links on the right side of the table.

Fidelity Investments

Fidelity has more than $4.4 trillion in total assets under management, which is large even in a large category. The firm has an advanced trading platform, which is available to active traders. The broker also has a sophisticated mobile app free for all clients.

Fidelity has a Cash Management Account that comes with checks and a Visa debit card, both free of charge. The account can be linked to a brokerage account. Fidelity also has 24/7 customer service, 180 branch locations across the U.S., and a long list of international phone numbers for clients who travel around the world. Customers also receive in-depth stock reports from independent analysts such as Thomson Reuters free of charge. As predicted, this one of the largest brokerage firms in the world delivers. Learn more...

Promotion: Get $0 stock commissions.

Charles Schwab

Schwab has more than $8.52 trillion in total client assets. The broker offers its customers more than 3,500 no-load, no-transaction-fee mutual funds. Clients have access to StreetSmart Edge, an advanced trading platform that comes with a $1,000 minimum balance requirement.

The broker offers customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also available is service in Chinese, and 325 brick-and-mortar locations. Customers also have free access to Schwab report cards, which analyze stocks and mutual funds. Schwab promises a lot and delivers. Learn more...

Promotion: Get up to a $2,500 cash bonus from Charles Schwab.

Visit Schwab Website

TD Ameritrade

With $0 commission stock trades, all ETFs commission-free, and over 4,200 no-load, no-transaction-fee mutual funds, TD Ameritrade customers have good reason to be trading. They also get a suite of the best trading tools in the world, including its most advanced platform, Thinkorswim, free of charge. Investors can also use Thinkorswim as a practice platform before committing real money.

Customer service can be contacted around the clock over the phone. Also available is more than 450 branch locations across the U.S. Clients wanting cash management features will not be disappointed with a free Visa debit card and ATM reimbursem*nts throughout the United States. With over 12 million customers, TD Ameritrade today is one of the largest brokerage houses in the world. Learn more...

Promotion: $0 commissions + transfer fee reimbursem*nt.

Visit TD Ameritrade Website

E*Trade

With over 7 million brokerage accounts, E*Trade has a lot of investment dreams to help come true. Customer service can be contacted over the phone 24 hours a day, or during regular hours at one of its 30 branch locations. The firm offers a sophisticated and user-friendly web site along with one of the best mobile apps in the industry, including one for Apple Watch. Clients who prefer an advanced trading platform won't be disappointed. The broker has two platforms for active traders. Learn more...

Promotion: Get zero commission on stock and ETF trades.

Robinhood

Robinhood is the third largest broker by the number of customers with at least 23.3 million accounts. However, since most clients are young, the total assets under management are small at about $87 billion. Robinhood is lacking some important features, such as trading platform, mutual funds investing, and robo service. Learn more...

Promotion: 1% IRA match and up to $200 FREE stock at Robinhood.

Visit Robinhood Website

Webull

Webull is the lowest priced broker in this list. It is also the most rapidly growing and the most exciting company in the industry. Their rate of adding new features is second to none.

Unlike "The Big 5", Webull offers crypto-currencies and $0 commission on all products. Unlike Robinhood, Webull provides great trading platform, virtual trading, level 2 quotes, and more advanced mobile app. Learn more...

Promotion: Up to 75 FREE fractional shares when you make a deposit at Webull.

Visit Webull Website

Largest Brokerage Firms Overview

The biggest stock brokerage firms in United States have billions and sometimes even trillions of dollars in assets under management. With very deep pockets and millions of customers, these large investment companies have distinct advantages that small firms aren't capable of matching. Let's take a look at some of these benefits.

Customer Service

Investors looking for the best customer service in the financial industry, including 24/7 help and multi-lingual service, will probably find it with the bigger brokers. These companies also frequently offer on-line chat, brick-and-mortar locations, and phone numbers for international travelers.

Trading Tools

Big brokerage firms usually have the best technology. Smaller firms usually aren't able to invest as much into the development of a sophisticated trading platform.

Mobile Apps

The best mobile trading apps are usually from the larger investment firms. With millions and even billions of dollars in revenue, these companies have the ability to develop the most sophisticated trading platforms for investors on the go — a must for traders nowadays.

Research and Education

The best investment information is usually found with more established brokers, which are able to provide a wealth of information from independent third parties at no cost. For example, TheStreet.com and S&P Capital IQ reports, which can be quite expensive if purchased independently, are often available free of charge to customers of some of the larger firms.

Funds

Big brokers usually have a selection of commission-free ETFs for their clients to trade. These firms also tend to have an even larger selection of mutual funds, many of which have no loads and no transaction fees.

Cash Management Features

Major stock brokerage firms tend to offer their clients cash management tools that can be connected to a brokerage account. These tools often include FDIC insurance, checks and a debit card, frequently at no cost to the customer.

Take a look at the reviews of the five largest brokers in United States in particular and see how well they meet the above standards.

Largest Brokerage Firms in the World Summary

With deep pockets, the financial industry's largest brokerage firms in the list above are able to deliver the best in securities trading. Mutual fund traders will do well at TD Ameritrade, while Schwab is a good choice for ETF traders. TD Ameritrade has the most advanced platform of the six brokers surveyed, and E*Trade has the best suite of mobile apps. Fidelity is a great choice for international travelers.