E*TRADE vs Firstrade options fees (2026)
Firstrade is cheaper per contract ($0.00 vs $0.65). Exercise/assignment fees can't be compared because Firstrade doesn't publish one we could verify. At the smallest balance tier each lists, E*TRADE charges 12.7% (<$10,000) and Firstrade charges 12.25% ($0-$24,999).
| E*TRADE | Firstrade | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-contract commission | $0.65 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.00 Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Exercise / assignment fee | $0.00 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | unverified (not on pricing page) Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Index option fees | SPX $0.54, NDX $0.66, VIX $0.30, RUT $0.17 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | unverified (pricing page states $0/contract for options generally; index not mentioned) Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Margin rates | <$10,000: 12.7% $10,000-$24,999: 12.45% $25,000-$49,999: 12.2% $50,000-$99,999: 11.7% $100,000-$249,999: 11.2% $250,000-$499,999: 10.7% Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0-$24,999: 12.25% $25,000-$49,999: 12.0% $50,000-$99,999: 11.5% $100,000-$249,999: 11.0% $250,000-$499,999: 10.75% $500,000-$999,999: 8.85% $1M+: 8.25% Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
Per-contract figures exclude regulatory pass-through fees. Estimate your yearly cost with the calculator. See full pages for E*TRADE and Firstrade.