Compare before you commit.
Side-by-side breakdowns of the platforms, brokers, scanners and journals small-cap traders actually choose between. Every price comes from the company’s own page and is dated, so you can see how fresh it is.
Platform cost board
What it costs to sit at each platform before you place a trade. Click a column to sort.
| thinkorswimCharles Schwab | $0 | $0 | paperMoney | Yes |
| Trader WorkstationInteractive Brokers | $0 | $0 | $1M virtual | Keyboard orders |
| Webull desktopWebull | $0Level 2 is extra | $0 | paperTrade | Yes |
| TradeStation desktopTradeStation | $0for account holders | See site | Simulated | Not listed |
| ZeroProTradeZero (US) | $59 | $500 | Yes | Yes |
| DAS Trader Proat Cobra Trading | $125waived at 200k shares | $10,000 | Separate subscription | Yes |
| Lightspeed TraderLightspeed | up to $130 | $5,000 | Demo on request | Yes |
| Sterling Trader ProCobra, Lime, Lightspeed | $150–$260depends on broker | $25,000+at Lightspeed and Lime | Not listed | Yes |
From each company’s pricing and platform pages, checked 6 October 2026. Fees often drop with trading volume and change over time. Full detail and sources in Best day trading platforms.
Head to head
The pairs people search for most, answered with each company’s published numbers.
Eight platforms by cost, minimum, hotkeys, Level 2 and short locates.
8 platforms TradingView vs thinkorswimA charting site you pay for, or a broker platform you get free with Schwab.
$0 vs from $12.95 thinkorswim vs WebullDepth against simplicity, and $0.65 options contracts against $0.
options cost Moomoo vs WebullSame $0 stock trades. The differences are in options fees, data and layout.
index options Finviz vs TradingViewA screener for finding stocks, a charting platform for reading them.
$39.50 vs $12.95Journals
Start free in a spreadsheet. Move up when typing trades by hand gets slow.
Broker reviews
Single-broker deep dives.