How we rank stock brokers
By Guilherme J., Markets & broker analyst · Last updated 2026-07-30
Every broker on this site gets a score out of five. The score is built the same way for all of them, so a 4.7 means the same thing whether it's a global giant or a newer app. We never move a broker up because it pays us more. Here is exactly what goes into the number.
What we score
Cost (35%). Real commission on stocks, spreads on CFDs, FX conversion fees, withdrawal fees, and any inactivity charges. Hidden costs count more than headline "$0 commission" claims, because the FX and withdrawal fees are where most people actually lose money.
Market access (25%). Which exchanges you can reach, whether you own real shares or only CFDs, fractional-share support, and coverage of US stocks and ETFs from outside the US, which is what most of our readers want.
Safety and regulation (25%). Which regulators license the broker (FCA, ASIC, CySEC, SEC/FINRA, and so on), how client funds are held, and the broker's track record. A broker with weak regulation cannot score above the middle of the pack, however cheap it is.
Ease of use (15%). Account opening, funding methods, the mobile app, and support quality. This is a mobile-first site, so the phone experience is weighted heavily.
How we handle affiliate links
Some brokers pay us a commission when you open an account through our links. That never changes the score or the order. To keep us honest we publish the score breakdown, and our comparison verdicts always name a properly regulated broker as the winner, never a broker chosen because it pays. Brokers that pay nothing (large US apps like Robinhood or Fidelity) still appear in comparisons on their own merits.
When we update
Brokers change fees, add markets, and gain or lose licences. We re-check the data behind each score on a rolling basis and stamp every page with a last-updated date. If you spot something out of date, that date tells you how fresh the page is.