I’ve had an online stock trading account since I was 13 years old and I’ve used at least a dozen of the best online stock trading platforms. I’ve gained a few learning experiences from managing my own account and working as a proprietary day trader in Chicago for several years.

There are over 50 online brokerages where you can open an account. The best online brokerage accounts aren’t just for trading stocks. Sure, many of them started as online stock trading accounts, but now they’re full-fledged trading, saving, investing, retirement planning, and banking machines.

This industry is more complex than the average person thinks. You shouldn’t just pick any online broker and sign up for an account. The best online broker for one person is often completely different for the next person. Use this resource as a guide to your decision process. Figure out what features are best for you, and make your selection.

The Simple Dollars Top Picks

Here are the 4 best online brokerage accounts for 2015:

• Scottrade Best Support and Service
• TD Ameritrade Best For Developing Traders
• OptionsHouse Best Discount Broker (also Best Options Broker)
• E*Trade Best Trader Resources

I analyzed a number of elements to come to my decision on which brokers are the best. Later in this post, I provide full details on how I selected the best online brokerages.

When you take all the features, resources, trading platforms, and technology into account (while also considering every type of trader), the full-service brokers, like Scottrade. E*Trade. and TD Ameritrade are the best for the largest number of people.

For those simply looking to make cheap trades, I would recommend going with OptionsHouse .

If youre a very advanced trader, high-volume trader, or a professional who manages money, I recommend going with Interactive Brokers. However, I didnt include Interactive Brokers on my list because theyre best for a very small group of traders and the platform is very complex.

What Makes a Great Online Broker?

• Quality trading tools and technology
• Multiple trading platforms for all levels of traders
• Excellent mobile trading features

• Solid navigation that displays the relevant information where you want it
• Quality educational resources and research for trader development

There’s more to selecting an online broker than price. You have to consider the resources you’re getting for the cost you pay per trade.

For example, my colleague, who is also an ex-trader, likes to use a combination of stock and options trade in his longer term trading. He recently switched over to Fidelity because he really like the cash management features, but was very disappointed by complex order entry, sub-par options execution and frustrated with navigation. Hes currently making the switch to one of these brokers.

Scottrade Best Support and Service

For years, Scottrade has been known as the best online brokerage for customer service. Scottrade doesn’t just let you open an account and ignore you. They thrive on building relationships with their clients, which is pretty rare these days. Scottrade is behind the times with some of their features, but they also don’t charge as much money per trade as the other full-service brokerages. If you’re a new trader or you just like being taken care of regardless of how much money is in your account, I don’t think you can do better than Scottrade.

Futures Contract Cost: N/A

Margin Rates: 5.75%-7.5%

4 Reasons to Sign Up for Scottrade

Industry-Leading Customer Service

Year after year, Scottrade is on Fortune magazine’s list of 100 best companies to work for. In fact, Scottrade has been on that list for six straight years. So what does that have anything to do with customer service? When a company treats their employees the right way, those employees treat customers the right way. In a J.D. Power and Associates self-directed investor study. Scottrade also ranked number one for interaction, account information, trading charges and fees, and overall satisfaction. (This study only included larger, full-service brokers that offer other services beyond trading.)

Scottrade has over 500 local branches where you can walk in and talk to someone face-to-face. There’s a live chat feature on their website and you can even reach out to them via social media, where they are very active.

The only markets you can’t trade with Scottrade are forex and futures markets. So beyond the basics, Scottrade is another full-service broker that offers banking services, retirement planning, savings plans, and more. It’s not strictly about making trades but, if it was, Scottrade’s prices are affordable in comparison to other full-service brokers.

Intuitive Web-Based Platform

The web-based platform has a fully customizable home page that enables you to drag, drop, and rearrange the various components of the page to your preferences. At the the bottom of every page, there’s an intuitive Quick Trade Bar that enables you conduct research and make trades quickly. The bar even detaches from its location so you can place a quick trade even if you’re not on your account home page. This comes in handy if you’re on a third-party website and you read about some news that’s impacting the market you can quickly get in or out of a position.

Affordable for a Full-Service Broker

Compared to TD Ameritrade and E*Trade, Scottrades trading commissions and fees are nearly $3 cheaper per trade. That can certainly add up depending on the volume you plan on trading. For investors who want the amenities of a full-service broker, but dont want to be paying top dollar to execute trades each week, your money can go further with Scottrade.

Not Overly Innovative

Scottrade has the foundation in place to rise above the other top online stock brokers, but they fall short when it comes to innovation. There are a few instances where major improvements can be made. The mobile app looks like it was created five years ago. It’s difficult to navigate, very slow, and hard to trust for mobile trading. The app does include an area where you can research news, statistics, opinions from analysts, and more. The components are there for a solid mobile app, but it just hasn’t come together yet.

If you compare Scottrade to the other brokers, they’re also behind the times in terms of technology. It’s rare for Scottrade to develop any kind of technology before the other best online brokerages. They lead the industry with support and service, and then they follow in terms of technology.