Empower vs Zacks Trade - BrokerCue
BrokerCue

Select your country to see eligible brokers

Account eligibility and broker availability depend on your country of residence. Setting this now allows us to hide brokers that do not accept clients from your country.

Broker Comparison

Empower vs Zacks Trade

Compare Empower and Zacks Trade side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

Empower

Empower

High-balance hybrid advisory clients

Empower is a US hybrid robo-advisor combining automated portfolio management with access to human financial aโ€ฆ

VS
Zacks Trade

Zacks Trade

Active traders seeking research tools

Zacks Trade is a US broker offering stocks, ETFs, options, bonds and mutual funds with per-share commissions,โ€ฆ

Head-to-head comparison

Empower vs Zacks Trade
Feature Empower Zacks Trade
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee Commission-free trading on investment accounts $0.01 per share, $1 minimum; stocks under $1/share: 1% of trade value
Regulators SEC, FINRA, SIPC SEC, FINRA, SIPC
Best for High-balance hybrid advisory clients Active traders seeking research tools
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Bonds
Options
-
Funds
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Investment Plans
-
Money Market Funds
-
Fractional Shares
-
Margin
-
Demo Account
-

Pros & cons

Empower

Empower

Pros

  • Comprehensive free financial dashboard with net worth, retirement planner and fee analyzer
  • Hybrid model gives access to human advisors alongside automated portfolio management
  • Tax-loss harvesting and tax location strategy included in advisory fee
  • Tiered fees decrease as assets grow, reaching 0.49% above $10 million
  • Client assets held at established independent custodians with SIPC protection
  • High-yield cash account with FDIC insurance up to $5 million
  • Dedicated advisors and estate planning access at higher asset tiers
  • Commission-free trading on investment accounts

Cons

  • $100,000 minimum investment required to access any managed advisory services
  • Advisory fee of 0.89% on the first $1 million is high relative to robo-only competitors
  • No direct-to-consumer trading platform for active self-directed trading
  • No demo account available
  • No support for forex, CFDs, futures or options trading
  • Tax and estate planning features restricted to higher asset tiers
  • Free tools may prompt upsells for users approaching the $100,000 threshold
Zacks Trade

Zacks Trade

Pros

  • Regulated by SEC and FINRA; SIPC member
  • Access to 90+ international exchanges across 33 countries
  • Competitive margin rates starting at 8.83%
  • Free broker-assisted trades at standard commission rates
  • Zacks Rank and 20+ free research subscriptions included
  • Paper trading demo account available
  • No account transfer fee (ACAT)

Cons

  • Stock and ETF trades carry per-share commissions; not commission-free
  • $15/month inactivity fee for smaller accounts
  • No forex, crypto, futures, or commodities trading
  • Account opening process can take more than a week
  • No educational resources or retirement planning tools
  • Customer support limited to phone and email, Monday to Friday 9am-6pm ET
  • Mutual fund trades cost $27.50 each
Empower

Empower

Empower is a US hybrid robo-advisor combining automated portfolio management with access to human financial advisors, built on the foundation of Personal Capital.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Zacks Trade

Zacks Trade

Zacks Trade is a US broker offering stocks, ETFs, options, bonds and mutual funds with per-share commissions, low margin rates and access to 90+ international exchanges.

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Not the right match?

Line up any two brokers side by side, or browse the full list to find your next platform.