Top IRA providers compared

About Top IRA providers compared

An IRA only pays off if the cost of running it stays small and the money inside is still there when you draw it down. This ranking covers 40 IRA providers, from commission-free app brokers to full service names, and it sorts them on the things that decide the final balance: what the account charges each year, what protection sits behind the holdings, and how the account works day to day. Per-trade cost is the least useful filter here. The share trade fee median in this category is €0 and the annual account fee median is €0, so the ranking turns on the smaller print instead: subscription fees, cash interest, protection limits, the assets you can hold and the help you get when something goes wrong. Readers are weighing live trade-offs. A flat annual fee on a simple interface against trading without a per-trade charge on a busier platform. A thin, cheap account with a short regulator list against a wider account with a longer record. Neither side wins outright, so every brand below is placed by the balance of those points.

How we picked

Sources are the brands' own pages, regulator registers and broker review sites, and every figure carries a reference so you can see where it came from. Cost carries 35%, trust carries 40% and offer carries 25%. Trust has the heaviest weight, which suits a retirement wrapper where the money is meant to stay put for years. Cost covers the annual account fee, the minimum deposit, any inactivity charge and the price of a trade, each read against this category's own numbers. Trust covers the regulators and licences listed for the firm, the legal entity that holds your money and the protection scheme attached to the account. Offer covers the assets you can hold inside the IRA, the platforms you reach them on and the support you get when something goes wrong. Partners are listed first and everything else follows in score order, so a paid placement is never mistaken for a stronger score. No brand can pay for a better rating and none is dropped for a poor one. Where a value is unknown it is left out rather than guessed, and the ranking is rebuilt as sources change.

Our top picks

1. 1. Robinhood

   Robinhood earns its place in this ranking on account choice rather than price. The IRA comes in traditional and Roth forms plus a joint account, the dealing model is commission free and low fees, stock trades cost $0 and options run at $0 a contract. You trade through the Robinhood app and Robinhood Legend, with fractional shares, options, futures and crypto all available inside the wrapper. The concern is where the money sits and how much stands behind it. The entity named is Robinhood Europe UAB, regulated by the Bank of Lithuania, and the protection listed is EU ICS up to EUR 20,000, a long way below the SIPC up to USD 500,000 carried by the brand at the top of this ranking. Money moving out also carries $100 outgoing transfer. Firstrade, ranked next, keeps the stronger protection figure and adds funds to its market list.

   • Minimum deposit: $0
   • Stock trade fee: $0
   • Account fee: $0

   Pros

   • Nothing to pay to open or hold an account, with an account fee of $0 and an inactivity fee of $0
   • Trading a share costs $0, so a small first order is not eaten by commission
   • You can start with a deposit of $0, lower than most brands on our data
   • Fractional shares, options, futures, crypto and a mobile app are all available on the same account
   • Supervised by the Bank of Lithuania and a SIPC member, so your money sits with a regulated firm

   Cons

   • Leverage is available at 10X, which magnifies losses as well as gains
   • Outgoing transfers carry a charge of $100 outgoing transfer
   • Margin borrowing is priced at a margin rate of 3.95%, so interest adds to your cost
   • The listed account types cover retirement and joint accounts rather than tax-sheltered UK and European wrappers

2. RD2. Rocket Dollar: best for Rocket Dollar

   Rocket Dollar offers self-directed retirement accounts, including the Rocket Dollar IRA and the Solo 401(k), where you make the investment decisions yourself.

3. BI3. Bitcoin IRA: best for Bitcoin IRA

   Bitcoin IRA is a retirement platform for holding crypto in an IRA, serving customers located in the United States.

4. 4. Betterment

   Betterment is in this ranking for investors who would rather hand the account over than run it. You can hold an IRA and a Roth IRA, and the annual account fee is $0. Uninvested cash pays 3.5%, and deposits and withdrawals run on simple terms: No fees. The market list covers stocks, ETFs and bonds. The regulators named are the SEC as a registered investment adviser, FINRA through its broker-dealer member, and SIPC, with SIPC up to USD 500,000 behind the account and MTG LLC as the entity. Support covers phone, email and chat. Against it: the entry hurdle of $10 sits above the category median of €0. Merrill Edge, ranked last, opens at $0 and offers options at $0.65 a contract.

   • Management fee: 0.25%
   • Minimum investment: $10
   • Regulators: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - registered investment adviser, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) - Betterment Securities broker-dealer member, SIPC

   Pros

   • A management fee of 0.25% sits below the robo-advisor median of 0.35%
   • An account fee of $0 and a deposit and withdrawal charge listed as No fees
   • Covered by SIPC protection of SIPC up to USD 500,000
   • A minimum investment of $10 ranks well among robo-advisors
   • Support runs on phone, email and chat

   Cons

   • Account types run only to ira and roth ira, so there is no taxable or ISA-style account for UK and European readers
   • A management fee of 0.25% still ranks 18 of 49 brands, so cheaper robo-advisors exist
   • Markets cover only stocks, etfs and bonds, with no forex, options or crypto trading
   • The company is based in US and is registered with US regulators only

5. 5. Webull

   Webull takes the next slot in this ranking because it pairs a broad market list with per-trade prices that sit at the floor. Stock dealing is $0, options run at $0 a contract, and the markets covered are stocks, ETFs, options, futures, crypto, bonds and funds, all inside an IRA. Money sits under SIPC up to USD 500,000 with FINRA, the SEC and SIPC named as regulators, and you can reach the account on desktop, mobile and web. Incoming stock transfers cost $0 incoming stock transfer, which makes moving an existing holding in the cheap route. Against it: futures sit next to options at $0 a contract inside a retirement account, and that product list is a way to shrink a balance the share price does not create. Robinhood, ranked next, offers a similar mix with more account types and a far thinner protection figure.

   • Stock trade fee: $0
   • Markets: Stocks, ETFs, Options, and 4 more
   • Regulators: FINRA, SEC, SIPC

   Pros

   • A stock trade costs $0 and an options contract $0 on the ira account.
   • Investor protection is SIPC up to USD 500,000, with registration under FINRA, SEC and SIPC.
   • A single app covers stocks, etfs and options, so shares, bonds, funds, options, futures and crypto sit together.
   • Fractional shares, a demo account and a mobile app are all in crypto, demo account and fractional shares, and incoming stock transfers are free.

   Cons

   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, with no live chat listed.
   • Account choice is narrow, with ira the only type listed.
   • Across the brokers compared, the middle retail loss share is 70.15% and the top of the range 88%.

6. 7. Firstrade

   Firstrade sits in this ranking as the straightforward self-directed option. The account fee is $0, the minimum deposit is $0 and stock dealing is $0 with options at $0 a contract. The firm is FIRSTRADE SECURITIES INC, with SIPC and FINRA listed and SIPC up to USD 500,000 behind the account, the same protection tastyfx offers. The markets cover stocks, ETFs, options and funds, a wider retirement base than the currency mix at the top of this ranking, and the firm has been trading since 1985. Against it: the terms on money moving out are Free for bank transfers, $25 for wire transfers, and support runs on phone and help centre. Public, ranked next, keeps the share price and the protection figure, but charges $0.06 to $0.18 a contract on options and reaches you on email and help centre.

   • Minimum deposit: $0
   • Stock trade fee: $0
   • Account fee: $0

   Pros

   • Regulated in the US by FINRA and SIPC, with protection stated as SIPC up to USD 500,000 and a membership record at SIPC member 34642.
   • A traditional IRA, a Roth IRA and a joint account all sit in ira, roth ira and joint under the commission-free pricing in commission free, so retirement and shared accounts hold at the same cost.
   • Fractional shares and a demo account sit in demo account, options and mobile app, which helps the beginners and day traders named in beginners, experienced and day traders start small.
   • Trading runs on the platforms in Web, iOS and Android, so the same account works in a browser and on a phone or tablet.

   Cons

   • The market list in stocks, etfs and options covers stocks, ETFs, options and funds, a narrow range next to eToro at stocks, etfs and forex and CFI at stocks, etfs and forex.
   • Live chat and email are not among the listed support channels (phone and help centre), which pair a phone line with a help centre.
   • An ISA and a SIPP are not among the listed account types (ira, roth ira and joint), which cover a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA and a joint account.
   • Across the site 70.15% of retail accounts lose money, and brands aimed at beginners sit at 74%, so a low price says little about how a portfolio ends.

7. 8. Merrill Edge

   Merrill Edge completes this ranking as the broadest full service option. You can hold an IRA, a Roth IRA, a joint account and a corporate account, the account fee is $0 and the minimum deposit is $0. Stock dealing is $0 and the markets cover stocks, ETFs, options, bonds and funds, a sensible retirement spread. The firm has been running since 1914, the entity is Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated, and FINRA and the SEC are the listed regulators with SIPC up to USD 500,000 behind the account. Support runs on phone, chat and help centre across the website, MarketPro and the mobile app. Options are the cost to watch, at $0.65 a contract against $0.06 to $0.18 at Public, which sits higher in this ranking with a flatter option price but a thinner support list.

   • Minimum deposit: $0
   • Stock trade fee: $0
   • Account fee: $0

   Pros

   • Stock trades cost $0 and the account fee is $0, so the everyday cost of holding a brokerage account is minimal
   • No inactivity charge at $0, unlike several rivals that bill dormant accounts
   • Minimum deposit of $0 means an account can be opened and funded without a large starting balance
   • Regulated in the US by FINRA and SEC, with SIPC cover of SIPC up to USD 500,000 on securities held in the account
   • Options trading at $0.65 per contract, which sits inside the market band for per-contract pricing

   Cons

   • Options cost $0.65 per contract, so the free stock dealing does not extend to derivatives
   • Managed portfolios charge 0.45% to 0.85% in advisory fees, where commission-free dealing applies only to self-directed trading
   • Account types are limited to retirement and joint and corporate forms, so it does not cover the wider account range some rivals offer
   • Compared with CFI and eToro, the market list holds stocks, etfs and options and stops short of the wider asset mix those platforms cover

8. 9. tastyfx: best for top-pick

   tastyfx tops this ranking on entry economics and cash yield. The IRA sits alongside a corporate account, the minimum deposit is $0 and uninvested cash pays 8%, the strongest rate in the list. Dealing is commission free and the inactivity charge is $0, so a neglected retirement account is not drained. On money and safety the picture is strong: the firm operates as IG US LLC under the NFA and the CFTC, with SIPC up to USD 500,000 behind the account, and support runs on chat, email and help centre across its own platform and TradingView. The catch is what you can hold. The market list is forex, which makes this a currency account dressed as a retirement wrapper, while Acorns Checking, ranked next, puts shares, ETFs and bonds in its IRA for $0 a trade.

   • Minimum deposit: $0
   • Inactivity fee: $0
   • Markets: Forex

   Pros

   • No minimum to start, a minimum deposit of $0 against a site median of €4.64
   • The pricing model is commission-free, so you pay for the spread inside the trade rather than a ticket fee
   • No inactivity charge, at $0 and first in the site ranking on inactivity fee, 1 of 56
   • Regulated in the US by NFA and CFTC, with investor protection stated at SIPC up to USD 500,000
   • A demo account and a mobile app sit alongside MT4, MT5 and TradingView, so you can practise before you trade

   Cons

   • The market list is limited to forex, so a share or bond holding is not available here
   • Wire withdrawals cost, at Deposits free, $15 wire withdrawal fee
   • Retail currency trading runs to a typical loss rate of 72.13% across the brokers compared, and leverage of 50:1 magnifies it
   • Account types cover corporate and ira only, so a tax-sheltered retirement pot is limited to the IRA

What to look for

What it costs to keep the account open

The annual account fee median here is €0 and the upper quartile is €17.54, so read your own figure rather than the average. Inactivity is the quieter leak, and the category maximum is €13.15.

What trading costs inside the wrapper

The share trade fee median is €0 and the category maximum is €0.88. Options contracts are where prices separate: $0.06 to $0.18 a contract at Public against $0.65 at Merrill Edge.

How much you need to start

The minimum deposit median is €0, the upper quartile is €175.39 and the category runs as high as €43,848.11. Most of the brands in this ranking open at the floor, so a small first contribution is realistic.

Who regulates the firm, and what protects the money

21 of the 40 brands here are licensed. Check the regulator list and the protection figure on each card, because they are not the same promise: several list SIPC up to USD 500,000 while the European entity at Robinhood lists EU ICS up to EUR 20,000.

What you can actually hold

Stocks appear in 60% of these accounts and ETFs in 60%, while options appear in 37.5%, bonds in 30% and funds in 25%. A retirement plan that leans on bonds or index funds needs breadth, and a currency account offers something else.

Getting help when the account matters

Phone support appears in 84.4% of these accounts, a help centre in 68.8% and email in 46.9%. A retirement account is a long relationship, and the support list tells you how it is staffed.

Frequently asked questions

Top IRA providers compared by country

• United States

Brokers compared head to head

• Public vs JPMorgan Chase
• JPMorgan Chase vs Fennel
• SoFi vs Fennel

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV