tastytrade vs E*TRADE options fees (2026)
E*TRADE is cheaper per contract ($0.65 vs $1.00). E*TRADE has the lower exercise/assignment fee ($0.00 vs $5.00). At the smallest balance tier each lists, tastytrade charges 11.0% ($0-$24,999) and E*TRADE charges 12.7% (<$10,000).
| tastytrade | E*TRADE | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-contract commission | $1.00 Source: tastytrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.65 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Exercise / assignment fee | $5.00 Source: tastytrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.00 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Index option fees | $1.00/contract to open, $0 to close + $0.10 clearing + proprietary fee (SPX $0.60, RUT $0.18, VIX $0.35, NDX $0.25, XSP $0/$0.07) Source: tastytrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | SPX $0.54, NDX $0.66, VIX $0.30, RUT $0.17 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Margin rates | $0-$24,999: 11.0% $25,000-$49,999: 10.5% $50,000-$99,999: 10.0% $100,000-$249,999: 9.5% $250,000-$499,999: 9.0% $500,000-$999,999: 8.5% $1M+: 8.0% Source: tastytrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | <$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 |
Per-contract figures exclude regulatory pass-through fees. Estimate your yearly cost with the calculator. See full pages for tastytrade and E*TRADE.