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8 Best Brokers for Trading Fractional Shares of January 2025

Fractional share investing allows you to purchase small slices of a stock, rather than a full share. These brokers let investors buy fractional shares with no commission.

Dec 3, 2024
Arielle O'Shea
Written by 
Lead Assigning Editor
Chris Davis
Reviewed by 
Assigning Editor
Pamela de la Fuente
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked
Arielle O'Shea
Written by 
Lead Assigning Editor
Chris Davis
Reviewed by 
Assigning Editor
Pamela de la Fuente
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked

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The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

Our deep, independent analysis of brokers sorts through key account details to find and evaluate the information investors want when choosing a brokerage firm. To see our full methodology and learn more about our process, read our criteria for evaluating brokers.

Over 60 investment account providers reviewed and rated by our expert Nerds.

More than 50 years of combined experience writing about finance and investing.

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A few years ago, if you wanted to invest in a stock, you needed to pony up enough money to buy a full share. And with some popular stocks trading in the triple digits or more, that left some would-be stock investors on the sidelines.

Brokers that offer fractional shares are the solution to that problem: They allow investors to purchase a small slice of a stock, rather than a full share. What that means is that through an account with the brokers below, you could invest $10 into a stock that's currently trading for $100 a share. Then, you would own a small piece of a share, rather than the full thing.

All of the brokers below allow you to invest in fractional shares with no trade commission, which means your entire investment goes into the stock you choose.

Best Brokers for Trading Fractional Shares

BrokerNerdWallet rating FeesAccount minimumPromotionLearn more
Robinhood

Robinhood

Learn moreLearn more
on Robinhood's website
4.5/5
$0
per trade
$0
1 Free Stock
after linking your bank account (stock value range $5.00-$200)
Learn moreLearn more
on Robinhood's website
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing

Learn moreLearn more
on J.P. Morgan's website
4.5/5
$0
per trade
$0
Get up to $700
when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money.
Learn moreLearn more
on J.P. Morgan's website
Public

Public

Learn moreLearn more
on Public's website
4.6/5
$0
$0
Earn up to $10,000
when you transfer your investment portfolio to Public.
Learn moreLearn more
on Public's website
Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite

Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite

Learn moreLearn more
on Interactive Brokers' website
5.0/5
$0
per trade
$0
None
no promotion available at this time
Learn moreLearn more
on Interactive Brokers' website
Firstrade

Firstrade

4.5/5
$0
per trade
$0
Up to $200
in Transfer Fee Rebates
View more
Robinhood
Learn moreon partner's site
on Robinhood's website
NerdWallet rating
4.5/5
Learn moreon partner's site
on Robinhood's website

Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

1 Free Stock

after linking your bank account (stock value range $5.00-$200)

Pros
  • Commission-free stock, options and ETF trades.

  • Streamlined interface.

  • Cryptocurrency trading.

  • IRA with 1% match (3% for Gold members).

  • High interest rate on uninvested cash.

Cons
  • No mutual funds.

  • Little third-party research.

Why We Like It

Robinhood provides free stock, options, ETF and cryptocurrency trades (but no bonds or mutual funds), and its account minimum is $0, too. Robinhood Gold offers a high interest rate on uninvested cash and low margin rates.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Learn moreon partner's site
on J.P. Morgan's website
NerdWallet rating
4.5/5
Learn moreon partner's site
on J.P. Morgan's website

Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

Get up to $700

when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money.

Pros
  • Commission-free stock, options and ETF trades.

  • Easy-to-use platform.

  • App connects all Chase accounts.

  • In-person customer support at Chase branches.

Cons
  • Bare-bones trading platform isn't for advanced traders.

  • Low interest rate on uninvested cash.

Why We Like It

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is a clear-cut investment platform that is great for beginners looking to learn how to buy and sell investments. More advanced investors, however, may find it lacking in terms of available assets, tools and research. INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE

Public
Learn moreon partner's site
on Public's website
NerdWallet rating
4.6/5
Learn moreon partner's site
on Public's website

Fees

$0

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

Earn up to $10,000

when you transfer your investment portfolio to Public.

Pros
  • Commission-free stock, options and ETF trades.

  • Rebates for trading options.

  • Impressive selection of alternative assets.

  • Easy-to-use signup and trading interface.

  • High interest rate on uninvested cash.

Cons
  • No mutual funds.

  • Lack of tools (e.g. customizable investment screeners).

Why We Like It

Public provides free stock and ETF trades, pays you to trade options, and gives traders access to crypto, alternative assets and bonds, as well as a high-yield savings account. The platform will appeal to traders looking for a low-cost options broker and access to many types of assets.

Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite
Learn moreon partner's site
on Interactive Brokers' website
NerdWallet rating
5.0/5
Learn moreon partner's site
on Interactive Brokers' website

Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros
  • Commission-free stock, options and ETF trades.

  • Large investment selection.

  • Strong research and tools.

  • Huge selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds.

  • High order execution quality.

Cons
  • High minimum to earn interest on uninvested cash.

  • Website can be difficult to navigate for beginner investors.

Why We Like It

Don't let the name fool you: IBKR Lite offers commission-free stock trading (including international trade capabilities), more than 19,000 mutual funds, and a well-featured platform.

NerdWallet rating
4.5/5

Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

Up to $200

in Transfer Fee Rebates

Pros
  • Commission-free stock, options and ETF trades.

  • $0 contract fee on options trades.

  • All mutual funds are commission-free.

  • Chinese language options.

Cons
  • No forex, futures or crypto trading.

  • Low interest rate on uninvested cash.

Why We Like It

In addition to free stock and options trading, Firstrade charges no commission for mutual funds, a deal no other broker matches. Options traders will appreciate that the broker charges no contract fee, also a rarity among brokers.

NerdWallet rating
5.0/5

Fees

$0

per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros
  • Commission-free stock, options and ETF trades.

  • Large selection of research providers.

  • Strong customer service.

  • Expense-ratio-free index funds.

  • Highly rated mobile app.

  • High interest rate on uninvested cash.

Cons
  • Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.

Why We Like It

Fidelity is one of the largest and most well-established brokerages, and it shows. Fidelity charges no trading commissions, offers an extensive set of no-fee, no-minimum index funds. It also stands out for its top-notch research tools, a renowned trading platform and very strong customer service.

NerdWallet rating
4.5/5

Fees

$0

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

N/A

Want to compare more options? Here are our other top picks:

Fractional shares of ETFs

The above brokers offer fractional shares of individual stocks. But if you're looking for fractional shares of exchange-traded funds, you might also consider two more options.

Vanguard

Vanguard offers fractional share purchases of Vanguard ETFs only, which is why it didn't make our list. However, Vanguard's ETFs are popular choices among investors, and if you want to purchase fractional shares of them, the broker is worth a look.

Stash

Stash offers fractional shares of individual stocks and ETFs. However, the company charges a monthly subscription fee, which is why it didn't make our list above. But the subscription has other benefits, including a banking account and a Stock-Back® Card that pays out stocks as rewards when you shop. It may be worth a look for investors seeking fractional share access alongside those other features.

Last updated on December 3, 2024

Methodology

NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks the largest U.S. brokerage firms by assets under management, along with emerging industry players. Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgements on which ones will best meet your needs. We adhere to strict guidelines for editorial integrity.

We collect data directly from providers through detailed questionnaires, and conduct first-hand testing and observation through provider demonstrations. The questionnaire answers, combined with demonstrations, interviews of personnel at the providers and our specialists’ hands-on research, fuel our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance across more than 20 factors. The final output produces star ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars).

For more details about the categories considered when rating brokers and our process, read our full methodology.

To recap our selections...

NerdWallet's Best Brokers for Trading Fractional Shares of January 2025