TD Ameritrade and Webull are both platforms that help people trade stocks. While TD Ameritrade has been a trusted name in the industry for many years, Webull has quickly gained attention for its user-friendly approach. Both offer unique features and tools tailored to different types of traders. Let’s dive deeper into what each platform offers and how they compare.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Types of Accounts
TD Ameritrade and Webull: Both let you have regular accounts and retirement accounts. So, you can keep your money safe for the future and also use it for everyday stuff.
But here’s the difference:
TD Ameritrade: It’s like a superhero that offers more types of accounts, like individual trusts and special savings for Education (529 plans).
Webull: It keeps it simple and doesn’t have these extra account options.
If you like having more choices, TD Ameritrade is the one for you. It’s like having a bigger menu of accounts to pick from.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Variety of Trading Choices
TD Ameritrade: This one is like a big supermarket for trading. You can buy and sell stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, futures, and even play in the forex market. But, nope, no cryptocurrencies here.
Webull: It’s a bit more specific. You can trade stocks, ETFs, and, of course, cryptocurrencies. But they don’t have mutual funds, bonds, futures, or forex.
If you like having lots of options, TD Ameritrade is the winner here. It’s like a trading buffet with more choices for the pros out there.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Cryptocurrencies
TD Ameritrade: Not big on direct digital money trading. You can get other things like ETFs and mutual funds that have a bit of digital money in them. But no special wallet for your coins.
Webull: If you like digital money, Webull is your place. You can buy and sell over 40 different ones, and they even have a special wallet to keep them safe.
Here, Webull is better for digital money fans with its 40+ options and a cool wallet to keep them.
How Do Webull And TD Ameritrade Handle Fees And Money Transfers?
Webull lets you trade stocks, options, and ETFs without paying extra fees. They also don’t charge you for crypto trades, but there’s a little additional cost called a spread, about 1% of your order amount.
If you’re moving your money around, Webull is cool with ACH transfers for free, up to $50,000 a day. But if you’re using U.S. Domestic Wire, it’s $8 per deposit and $25 per withdrawal. International wires are more at $12.50 per deposit and $45 per withdrawal.
Now, TD Ameritrade is also commission-free for stocks and ETFs, but they ask for $2.25 for each futures trading contract. Options trades have a charge of $0.65 per contract.
Webull doesn’t bug you about keeping a minimum balance, except if you’re into margin trading – then they want at least $2,000. TD Ameritrade is chill with no minimum balance, except for margin accounts, where they need $25,000.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Which One Is Your Go-To Money Helper?
TD Ameritrade has been helping people with money stuff for a really long time – more than 40 years! They’re like a trusted friend who is always there for you. You can call, email, or chat with them anytime, day or night. If you need extra help, they even have real experts you can talk to on the phone or meet in person.
Now, Webull is a simple platform, but sometimes, you might need help. The thing is, they only have email and phone support, and it’s not available 24/7. Plus, there’s no live chat for talking with them instantly.
So, TD Ameritrade is like having a reliable friend by your side whenever you need help. Webull is there, too, but it’s a bit simpler, and you might have to wait a bit for an answer.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Investment Education
Learning Stuff About Money
If you want to learn about money stuff, TD Ameritrade and Webull have places on their websites to help you out.
TD Ameritrade: They have a spot called Education, where you can find lots of things to learn. Some things you might see are videos about tracking inflation, talks about the bond market versus the stock market, and workshops on technical analysis.
Webull: Webull also has a learning area, but it’s a bit smaller. They have articles and videos, and you can learn about trading ETFs, stock tutorials, and financial words.
So, here, TD Ameritrade is the winner! TD Ameritrade has more ways to learn, like videos, webcasts, and workshops. Webull keeps it simple with just articles and videos.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Fractional Shares
TD Ameritrade: Nope, you can’t get a piece of the pie here. With TD Ameritrade, you have to buy the whole share of a company.
Webull: This one lets you buy just a piece of a share. It’s like getting a slice of pizza instead of the whole thing. This means you can invest even with a small amount of money.
If you like having more options and don’t want to buy a whole share, Webull is the winner.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Advanced Trading Tools
TD Ameritrade: They have this thing called thinkorswim, which is like a super-tool for trading. You can use it on your computer, on the Internet, or even on your phone. It’s like having a special toolbox that lets you do all sorts of cool trades from almost anywhere with the Internet.
Webull: They also have some tools, but they’re not as fancy as TD Ameritrade’s. It’s like comparing a super cool superhero tool to a regular one.
If you want the super cool trading toolbox, TD Ameritrade is the one for you.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Mutual Funds, IPOs, and More
TD Ameritrade:
Regular Investing: TD Ameritrade lets you invest in mutual funds at regular intervals.
IPO Access: Both TD Ameritrade and Webull offer access to upcoming Initial Public Offerings (IPOs).
Extended Hours: You can trade early and late at both firms. TD Ameritrade has overnight trading for some ETFs.
IRA Options: TD Ameritrade provides Roth, Traditional, Minor, SEP, SIMPLE, and Beneficiary IRAs. You can roll over a retirement plan into an IRA.
Banking Tools: You can link checks and a debit card to your TD Ameritrade brokerage account.
Webull:
Regular Investing: Webull doesn’t specifically mention periodic investing in mutual funds.
IPO Access: Similar to TD Ameritrade, Webull allows access to upcoming IPOs.
Extended Hours: Webull offers extended trading hours, especially in the pre-market. It also allows cryptocurrency trading nearly 24/7.
IRA Options: Webull provides Roth and Traditional IRAs.
Banking Tools: Webull stands out with an impressive 5% APY interest on cash balances, outperforming many banks.
Special Services:
TD Ameritrade: Offers Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) service; fractional-share trading is not mentioned.
Webull: Enables fractional-share trading; DRIP service is not mentioned.
Again, TD Ameritrade is the winner here!
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Asset Research
Both TD Ameritrade and Webull give you tools to find things to buy or sell.
But here’s the catch: Webull isn’t great at helping you find information about cryptocurrencies. For regular stuff, like stocks, Webull has a tool on all three of its platforms. You can use it to search using about 50 different things. When you look at a stock, you get a bunch of details like news, order flow, financial statements, press releases, ratings, and recommendations.
Now, Webull’s tool works pretty well, but it has a big miss – you can’t search for ETFs. But guess what? TD Ameritrade has that covered. They have a good tool on their website to search for ETFs. Their search has lots of things to pick from, like Morningstar category, turnover, rank, and how often they pay dividends.
TD Ameritrade has tools on its website and computer program. When you check out a stock on their site, you get loads of info, even reports in PDF format, from different analysts. Webull doesn’t have those reports.
So, the winner here is TD Ameritrade.
TD Ameritrade Vs Webull: Websites, Mobile Apps, And Desktop Programs
Trading on the Website:
At Webull, you can trade on their website, and it’s pretty cool. They’ve got tools like multiple trade tickets, big charts with lots of stuff, and a way to practice trading without real money.
On TD Ameritrade’s website, there are a bunch of trading platforms. The main one on the site has charts and different-order tickets. The fanciest one can do cool things like OCA (one cancels another) and OTT (one triggers two). At the bottom of the TD Ameritrade site, there’s SnapTicket, a quick trade bar that shows real-time bid and ask numbers.
So, for website trading, TD Ameritrade wins.
About TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade started way back in 1975, making it one of the first places where people could open accounts without using paper and do their trading stuff online. In 2019, they said, “No more fees!” for trading stocks and some other things. They also made it so you don’t need a pile of money to start.
But watch out! Even though they don’t charge to trade, some investments like ETFs and mutual funds may ask for a bit of money. And if you want to do options trading, there’s a little fee for each contract.
Also, they let you join in when a new company decides to share their stocks for the first time (IPO). Give them a call, and they will let you grab some shares.
They have this fancy trading platform called thinkorswim, where you can practice with pretend money and trade all day and night from Sunday to Friday. But here’s the bummer – no trading for cryptocurrencies directly. You can still play around with ETFs, mutual funds, and futures linked to them.
Using TD Ameritrade is not too tricky. You look for what you want to buy, click a few buttons on thinkorswim (which you can use on the web, your computer, or your phone), and there you go!
Why Pick TD Ameritrade?
- Has more detailed info and tools to learn about investing
- Lets you invest in different things like bonds, CDs, and special funds
- Offers more kinds of accounts, like shared ones and versions for kids
- You can get help from customer service anytime, day or night, unlike Webull
It’s Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Lots of things to learn for both new and experienced investors
- Many different things you can invest in, whether you like to play it safe or take risks
- If you need help, they’re there 24/7 through email, phone, chat, or at their local offices
- Their trading platform (Thinkorswim) is easy to use and has cool features
Cons:
- You can’t buy just a piece of a share; you have to get the whole thing
- No direct way to invest in digital money (cryptocurrencies)
- If you borrow money to invest, it might cost you a bit more compared to some other places
About Webull
Webull is a company that started in 2017, and it’s owned by Fumi Technology, a company from China that deals with money technology. In the U.S., it’s officially a brokerage called Webull Financial LLC, approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Webull doesn’t ask for money when you trade stocks, ETFs, or options. But be careful; there might be some fees hidden in there, like fees for managing ETFs and a small fee for each option contract, up to 58 cents.
The cool thing about Webull is you can buy just a piece of stock instead of the whole thing. They also let you practice trading without real money with something called a paper trading account.
Guess what? Webull is into cryptocurrencies, too! You can trade more than 40 different kinds, including big ones like Bitcoin and Ethereum. You get a special place called a crypto wallet to keep them safe.
Want to join in when a new company starts selling its stocks for the first time (IPO)? With Webull, you can! Just have at least $100 in your account and tell them you’re interested. But remember, it doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get to buy.
Webull helps you keep an eye on different markets and see how prices change for popular cryptocurrencies. You can also find out which industries are doing great, see which stocks are the top players, and know when companies are giving out dividends or have important events.
Why Pick Webull?
- No extra fees for buying and selling stocks or ETFs and no fees for options trading
- Supports 30 or more types of digital money
- Good rates if you want to borrow some money for trading
- Lets you buy parts of shares, which TD Ameritrade doesn’t allow
Its Pros And Cons:
Pros:
- The easy-to-use platform on computers and phones looks nice and is easy to understand
- Doesn’t charge extra fees for buying or selling stocks, ETFs, or options
- If you want to trade both regular stocks and digital money, Webull is a good choice
- You don’t need to keep a minimum amount of money in your account
- Opening an account and connecting your bank is quick and simple
Cons:
- It may be tricky for brand-new investors to learn because there aren’t many learning tools.
- Unlike some other places, Webull doesn’t have mutual funds available.
- Your money sits there if you’re not using it to buy stuff, and you don’t earn any extra money from it.
How Are TD Ameritrade And Webull Similar?
TD Ameritrade and Webull are similar! Here’s why:
- No Charge: When you trade stocks, ETFs, or options on both platforms, they don’t ask for any extra money. It’s all commission-free!
- Account Choices: You can pick regular investment accounts or special ones for retirement. Both TD Ameritrade and Webull let you choose.
- Borrowing Money: If you want to borrow some money to trade, you can do that with both. But first, you need to add at least $2,000.
- Learn Stuff: They give you things to learn and tools to understand trading better. It’s like going to school but for investing! You can also practice trading without using real money, which is pretty cool.
So, whether you’re just starting or already know a lot, TD Ameritrade and Webull have things to help you out!
Is TD Ameritrade a Bit Tricky for Beginners?
TD Ameritrade might be a bit tricky for beginners because it uses a fancy trading platform. It’s not as easy to use as some other investment apps. Also, you can’t use small amounts of money to buy parts of stocks, which might make it a bit harder to start.
Opening an account with TD Ameritrade is free! And they don’t charge you extra money (commission fees) when you buy or sell stocks, options, or ETFs. Just remember, some special kinds of transactions might have small fees.
Which One Should You Pick For Investing: TD Ameritrade Vs Webull?
When picking between TD Ameritrade and Webull, here are some simple things to think about:
Kinds of Accounts: Look at the different accounts they have. TD Ameritrade has more choices, but Webull also has good options if you want regular or retirement accounts.
What You Can Invest In: Decide what you want to put your money into. Webull lets you use digital money like Bitcoin. But TD Ameritrade has other stuff like special funds and ways to bet on money values, which Webull doesn’t have.
Extra Stuff: See what different things each offers. TD Ameritrade has some fancy tools for trading. Webull is more straightforward and helps you see what’s happening in the market.
How Does Webull Charge for Withdrawals?
Webull charges different amounts when you take out your money, and it depends on how you do it. If you’re moving your money to a U.S. bank account, it’s free (yay!). But if you use a wire transfer, there’s a $25 fee.
Don’t worry about linking your bank account to Webull because it’s a legit company registered with some important organizations like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Your account is also protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), and they use the usual security stuff to keep your info safe.
Is Webull Better Than TD Ameritrade?
We’ve found that Webull (84.5%) is better than TD Ameritrade (N/A). Webull is super for new and medium traders. It’s easy to use, has great charts (better than Robinhood), and no fees for options contracts. But be careful with crypto costs. If you’re a pro, you might miss some fancy features and choices from other top brokers.
Other Options
E-TRADE
E-TRADE is great for beginners who are just starting with options. It has lots of learning materials and tools. Even though it’s a bit pricier, it’s easy to use and helps you practice without risking real money.
Pros:
- Awesome stuff to help you learn
- Easy-to-use platforms on your computer or phone
- Practice trading without real money
Cons:
- Costs a bit more for options trading
- Fees can add up if you don’t trade a lot
- No trading in other countries, forex, or crypto
E-TRADE has been around since the 80s, and it got even better when Morgan Stanley joined the team. They’ve got great tools and teachings about options. New traders can practice with fake money to get the hang of things. While it might cost more for active traders, it’s a solid choice for anyone wanting to explore options along with their regular investments.
Interactive Brokers
If you’re someone who understands options trading really well, Interactive Brokers is a top pick. It’s got tools that are super helpful and charge you less to trade. You can make complex trades, and the technology they use is really smart.
Pros:
- Has awesome tools specifically for options
- Makes trading your stocks super smooth
- Lets you change a wide range of stuff all in one place
- Charges less when you borrow money for trading
- You can practice without using real money
Cons:
- If you’re starting, it might feel a little overwhelming
- Not everyone gets access to every tool
- You can’t test your trading strategies
Interactive Brokers has been in the trading game since the late 1970s. For people who are really serious about trading, they’re the go-to choice. You can trade almost anything from anywhere. Plus, they’re always updating their platform, adding cool features like an app to help you make investment choices and a tool to find stocks that might be priced too low.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to choose between TD Ameritrade and Webull, it depends on what you want. TD Ameritrade is like a big store with lots of choices, especially if you’re into learning and research. But, it doesn’t have some trendy things like buying just a part of a stock or direct crypto investments.
Webull, on the other hand, is more modern. It’s great for trading options without extra fees, and it’s a cool app for trading on your phone. Plus, you can buy a piece of stock and play with cryptocurrencies.
If you want lots of options and a learning experience, TD Ameritrade is good. But if you’re into new stuff and trading from your phone, Webull might be the one for you!
