Robinhood lists Bitcoin and Dogecoin. It doesn't list mutual funds, bonds, CDs, or futures, all of which ETRADE carries, and ETRADE carries no crypto at all.
On price for ordinary trading the two are hard to tell apart: no commission on stock and ETF trades at either, and no minimum to open a basic brokerage account. What separates them is the asset list, the account types, and the fees that appear once trading moves past plain stock orders.
Stocks, ETFs, Options, and Margin at Both Brokers
Both are self-directed online brokers with web platforms and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Both list stocks, ETFs, and options, and neither charges a commission on stock and ETF trades.
Margin accounts are available at either one, and distributions work the same way at both: take the cash, or reinvest dividends.
Morgan Stanley owns ETRADE, which dates back to the early days of online stock brokerage and gives customers a choice of two platforms, the traditional one and Power ETRADE.
Robinhood arrived much later. Two former hedge fund traders started it, commission-free trading was the pitch, and the app is still where the whole experience lives.
Account Minimums, Fees, and Available Assets Compared
| ETRADE | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic account minimum | None | None |
| Margin account minimum | Not stated | $2,000 (or 100% of the security's price, whichever is lower) |
| Ongoing fees | None for a basic brokerage account | None for Basic; $5/month for Gold |
| Managed portfolio fees | 0.30% (Core); 0.65–0.90% (Blend); 0.95–1.25% (Dedicated); 0.35–0.75% (Fixed Income) | Not offered |
| Assets | Stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, futures, mutual funds, CDs | Stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, ADRs |
| Crypto | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares | Not listed | Yes (stocks and ETFs) |
Managed portfolio pricing varies based on total assets under management.
Mutual Funds, Bonds, CDs, and Futures Are ETRADE-Only
This is the widest gap between the two. At Robinhood you can trade stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, and ADRs. Mutual funds, bonds, CDs, and futures aren't on the list. ETRADE covers all four, and many of the mutual funds on its platform carry no transaction fee.
There's a partial workaround. ETFs can give a portfolio exposure to asset classes you can't buy directly on Robinhood, so someone who wants bond or short-term-income exposure could reach for a fund that tracks it rather than owning the underlying instruments.
Say an investor wants to pair a stock position with something steadier. On Robinhood that has to come through an ETF, while on ETRADE the individual bonds and CDs are available as direct holdings.
Whether the distinction matters depends on how precisely someone wants to control maturities and holdings.
ETRADE Runs Managed Portfolios; Robinhood Leaves Allocation to You
Managed portfolios at ETRADE start with a minimum investment of $500, and the broker also provides access to human financial advice. The annual management fees run from 0.30% for a Core Portfolio up to 1.25% at the top of the Dedicated Portfolio range.
Robinhood has no managed portfolios and no robo-advisor. Every allocation decision belongs to the account holder. Inside a Robinhood IRA there is a middle option, since you can build your own portfolio, use a recommended portfolio, or mix the two, but that's the extent of it.
Seven Coins at Robinhood, No Crypto at ETRADE
ETRADE does not currently offer crypto services to retail investors. Robinhood does, and its lineup includes Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, and Dogecoin. Fractions of coins are supported, not only whole ones.
One limit worth knowing: crypto trading isn't available inside Robinhood retirement accounts, which are restricted to stocks and ETFs.
ETRADE Charges a Per-Contract Options Fee, Robinhood Doesn't
Neither broker charges a commission on options trades, but ETRADE applies a per-contract fee on top. For an occasional single-contract trade the difference is small.
For anyone placing multi-contract orders regularly, it's a recurring cost that shows up on every ticket.
Retirement Accounts: A Deposit Match at Robinhood, Small-Business Plans at ETRADE
Robinhood Retirement offers two account types, a Traditional and a Roth IRA, with no account fees. It also pays a 1% match on qualifying deposits, and up to a 3% match on IRA contributions for Robinhood Gold subscribers.
ETRADE's retirement lineup is broader:
- Traditional and Roth IRAs
- Rollover IRA for a 401(k) from a former employer
- Custodial IRAs for children
- Solo 401(k) and SEP IRA for small business owners
- SIMPLE IRA
- Profit-sharing plans
ETRADE can also convert an IRA into an accessible account with bill pay and checking once you reach retirement age at 59½.
Account-type gaps tend to surface later rather than at signup. Someone who starts freelancing years after opening an account may want a solo 401(k) or SEP IRA that their current broker doesn't support, which means either opening a second account somewhere else or transferring.
It's a practical reason to look at the full account menu, not just the one you need this month.
Robinhood Has No Custodial or Education Accounts
Accounts for minors exist only on the ETRADE side, in both taxable custodial and custodial retirement form.
ETRADE also offers a Coverdell education savings account for college costs, which isn't a custodial account but serves a similar purpose for many families.
What $5 a Month Buys in Robinhood Gold
Robinhood Basic is free. Gold costs $5 a month, and the subscription raises deposit limits, shortens the wait before deposited money is available, allows more margin, and includes Morningstar research.
Gold subscribers can also earn 3.35% APY (as of 02/11/26) on uninvested cash, and Gold is the tier tied to the higher IRA contribution match.
Robinhood's stock trading also runs on a 24 Hour Market, letting users buy and sell stocks 24 hours a day, five days a week.
A note on margin at either broker: borrowing to invest magnifies losses as well as gains, and the borrowed balance is owed regardless of how the position performs.
Checking and Savings at ETRADE, a Cash Card at Robinhood
ETRADE offers FDIC-insured checking and savings accounts alongside its brokerage products. Robinhood offers an FDIC-insured spending account paired with the Robinhood Cash Card, which can round purchases up to the nearest dollar and invest the difference in stocks or crypto when you opt in.
Robinhood also supports fractional shares of stocks and ETFs, which lets small dollar amounts buy into higher-priced securities.
SIPC Coverage at Both Brokers, With Crypto Outside It
ETRADE and Robinhood both carry SIPC insurance, which addresses the failure of the brokerage itself. It does not cover investment losses from market movements or trading decisions.
Coin holdings sit outside that protection entirely. SIPC coverage applies to securities held at a member broker-dealer, and the Robinhood entity that handles crypto is not one; it operates apart from the brokerage and holds no FINRA membership.
Breadth at ETRADE, a Narrower App at Robinhood
ETRADE reads as the traditional full-service option: more asset classes, far more account types, managed portfolios, human advice, and the tools someone building long-term or family accounts is likely to look for.
The trade-offs are management fees on the hands-off portfolios and a per-contract charge on options.
Robinhood is narrower on purpose, an app-first platform for self-directed trading in stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto, with no contract fee, fractional shares, and a $5 monthly tier for the extras.
What it gives up is breadth: no mutual funds, bonds, CDs, or futures, no custodial accounts, and no one to manage the portfolio for you.
The commission-free stock trade is the one place where the two brokers look identical. Everything that separates them either costs money somewhere else or isn't on offer at all: the per-contract options fee, the management fee on a hands-off portfolio, and the mutual funds, bonds, CDs, futures, and custodial accounts that only one of the two carries.
