Best Swing Trading Platforms 2023

Best Broker for Ease of Trading Experience : E*TRADE

 ETrade logo

Account Minimum: $0
Fees: No commission for stock/ETF trades; options are $0.50-$0.65 per contract, depending on trading volume

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Why We Chose It

E*TRADE's well designed trading interfaces, excellent educational content, and highly capable demo account make it our top choice for ease of use.

Pros & Cons 

Pros

Excellent mobile apps and trading platforms
Strong demo account capabilities
Rich educational content

Cons

No fractional shares
High margin rates

Overview

E*TRADE, one of the oldest online brokers, founded in 1982, was our choice for overall best broker for ease of use when we last reviewed best brokers for beginners, and this holds true for swing trading, too. E*TRADE offers a platform that is intuitive and easy to use, but also provides sophisticated tools for swing trading, such as stock screeners, charting, and the flexibility to enter conditional orders such as one-cancels-the-other orders that allow a swing trader to take a profit or loss at specific levels. Another helpful feature on E*TRADE, especially for those new to trading, is a demo account that allows traders to try out their trading strategies without putting their capital at risk. 

E*TRADE supports futures trading that provides access to a wide range of additional markets to trade, but the platform does not currently allow direct trading of foreign exchange or in cryptocurrencies. Further, E*TRADE does not support fractional trading for self-directed accounts, which means those with less capital in their accounts may not be able to trade shares of high-priced stocks without taking excessive risk. Also, E*Trade charges relatively high margin rates for stock trading, as it currently charges 13.20% for accounts with a balance between $25,000 and $49,999. These limitations aside, however, E*TRADE makes it very easy to swing trade, and the platform provides excellent tools for trading the markets it supports.

Best Broker for Customer Service : TD Ameritrade

Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0.00 for equities/ETFs.$0.65 per contract for options; futures $2.25 per contract

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Why We Chose It

In addition to its strong trading platforms and top-notch tools, TD Ameritrade also provides best-in-class customer service for swing traders.

Pros & Cons 

Pros

Excellent customer service
Fantastic educational materials and support
Strong set of trading tools 
Well-designed desktop and mobile apps

Cons

Does not support fractional share trading
No foreign exchange or direct cryptocurrency trading
High margin rates

Overview

TD Ameritrade's predecessor, First Omaha Securities, was one of the first firms to break ranks with the brokerage industry when fixed commissions were eliminated by the SEC in 1975. The firm continues to be an innovator in online brokerage, and was purchased by Charles Schwab in 2019. 

TD Ameritrade provides a wide range of tools for swing traders. This includes good trading platforms with charting, screening, and other analytical tools for traders to use in identifying markets to trade and honing trading strategies. Further, TD Ameritrade's award-winning thinkorswim® platform provides some of the best options analysis tools available in an online brokerage. 

TD Ameritrade does not just have broad and deep educational content; it also has interactive instruction that helps traders build on their knowledge. Further, this instruction is coupled with excellent customer service that includes 24/7 telephone support and access via email, social media, Twitter direct messages, Apple Business Chat, or Meta's messaging. Traders can also access customer support for thinkorswim via chat directly through the app.

TD Ameritrade's thinkorswim also supports demo trading so swing traders can test their strategies before risking their actual capital. Aside from stock, options, and futures trading, however, those interested in foreign exchange or cryptocurrency trading will have to look elsewhere, as these markets are not available on TDAmeritrade. Further, the platform does not support fractional trading, which may prevent traders with less capital from swing trading higher-priced shares. 

Another consideration for swing traders is TD Ameritrade's relatively high margin rates, which at 13.75% for an account with a balance between $25,000 to $49,999 is more than double the rate available elsewhere. Outside of these limitations, TD Ameritrade is still a solid choice for swing traders that will take long stock positions, and its educational and customer support is second to none in the industry. 

Best Charting Platform for Swing Traders : Interactive Brokers

Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0 stock trades, $1 to open options trades (capped at $10 per leg), $0 to close

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Why We Chose It

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is one of the leading trading platforms for advanced and institutional traders that know how to trade, and offers a wide range of sophisticated tools to cater to this market niche. The company has also created offerings for less savvy traders, making IBKR a viable option for any swing trader. 

Pros & Cons 

Pros

Strong charting with real-time monitoring
Widest range of markets available to trade
Low commission and margin rates
Sophisticated order types and order routing

Cons

Steep learning curve for Pro platform
Less responsive customer support
Less flexibility for IBKR Lite customers

Overview

IBKR was the first company to use a hand-held trading device on an exchange floor, and the company continues to be at the forefront in trading technology. IBKR is the go-to choice for the most advanced traders that have a high volume of activity. Further, to better cater to smaller traders and investors, IBKR has also established a commission-free option for stock trading, and has added helpful educational content. 

Technical analysis is a vital tool for swing traders, and while charting is available on competing platforms, IBKR has excellent charts with superior functionality that includes a wide range of studies and indicators to include on charts, as well as the ability to customize indicators. Further, IBKR allows traders to trade directly from charts, not just hit a button to open an order ticket. IBKR's charts will show positions and orders on the charts, and order levels can be adjusted by simply dragging the level higher or lower on the chart. Other features available on IBKR include access to the widest range of assets and markets around the world, fundamental data, advanced order entry tools, paper trading, backtesting of strategies, and the ability for Pro users to control how their stock and equity orders are routed. 

Best Order Execution for Advanced Swing Traders : Interactive Brokers

Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0.00 commissions for equities/ETFs available on IBKR's TWS Light, or low costs scaled by volume for active traders that want access to advanced functionality such as order routing; $0.65 per contract for options, with scaled rates based on volume; $0.85 per contract for futures

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Why We Chose It

When it comes to options for placing orders and controlling how they are executed, IBKR offers its customers maximum flexibility.

Pros & Cons 

Pros

Customer control over order routing
Superior order execution
Multiple contingency orders available
Widest selection of global markets
Full array of market trading vehicles available

Cons

No order routing available to IBKR Lite customers
Backtesting feature is challenging to use
Less responsive customer service

Overview

IBKR, with its primary customer base of advanced and institutional traders, offers superior flexibility to its traders in regards to order types and order execution. In addition to having access to all trading vehicles and markets across the globe, IBKR offers tremendous flexibility to traders in regards to the types of orders that can be used, and how stock and options orders are executed. 

While many brokers provide users with conditional orders, IBKR's conditional order functionality is very advanced, and allows traders to set up orders that trigger if any number of criteria, such as fundamental and/or technical levels, are met. In addition, IBKR gives traders the flexibility to use conditional orders to manage their positions to easily take losses or profits without the trader needing to closely monitor their position. While staying glued to the screen is critical for day traders, many swing traders want the ability to identify their markets, set their levels, and let technology take care of the execution, and IBKR delivers as best in class for this. 

In addition to the flexibility of establishing trading triggers and customizing orders, IBKR Pro customers can also customize how their stock and options orders are routed, which will often lead to superior order execution in contrast to commission-free brokers that do not allow order routing. IBKR Lite customers, which receive commission-free stock trading, do not have the option to route their own orders. IBKR Lite customers, however, still benefit from IBKR's proprietary order routing system that provides excellent fills for commission-free customers. 

Best Order Execution for Retail Day Traders : Fidelity

Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0 for stock/ETF trades, $0 plus $0.65/contract for options trade

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Best for Low Margin Rates : Interactive Brokers

- July 05, 2025

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