Best Robinhood Alternative for Stocks & Crypto (2025)

What pros wish you knew before switching from Robinhood

Thinking about moving on from Robinhood? Good. Just make sure you’re picking an actual upgrade in 2025, not a different logo with the same limits. The “best-robinhood-alternative-for-stocks-and-crypto-2025” isn’t one-size-fits-all, it’s the one that fits how you really trade, on your busiest day, not your chill Sundays. I’ve watched too many folks chase promos and end up paying it back in slippage, outages, or margin interest. Been there. Paid that.

Here’s the frame I use with clients and, honestly, with my own accounts when I get itchy to switch:

Your behavior drives the winner: Day trader, options wheel runner, monthly DCA in index funds, crypto-heavy, or a mix? Frequency, asset mix, account size, and your tax bracket determine the right tool.
Execution quality > $0 commissions: Rule 605 data exists for a reason. A few tenths of a cent worse fill (or a partial at the wrong time) can cost more than “free.” On high-volume names, price improvement can be the difference between green and red. Pennies matter.
Crypto availability is spotty in 2025: True stock and crypto under one roof is rarer than people think. Big legacy brokers still don’t let you buy spot crypto; some “crypto-first” apps don’t do full-featured equities or options well.
Margin, cash yield, options fees: Headline promos fade; ongoing costs don’t. I’m seeing retail margin rates anywhere from around 5% to 13% depending on tiering. Cash sweep yields range from near-0% to ~4% in 2025. Options per-contract pricing still runs roughly $0 to $0.65. These swamp a $100 bonus real quick.
Reliability matters: Outages during earnings or CPI prints hurt. Latency, cancel/replace speed, and borrow availability aren’t sexy, but they move P&L.
T+1 is live now: Since May 28, 2024 in the U.S., trades settle the next business day. That changes how fast your cash re-appears and how quickly you can redeploy without running afoul of good-faith violations.
Taxes & tooling: Clean 1099-Bs, specific-lot selection, wash sale handling, and crypto tax exports can save you hours next April. Bad lot tracking is the slow leak you don’t see till it’s too late.

Rule of thumb: If you trade often, execution and uptime beat eye-catching UI. If you carry margin or idle cash, rate and yield dominate. If you trade options, per-contract fees and assignment processes decide the winner. If crypto matters, verify actual in-app support, not marketing.

One quick data point that matters this year: with T+1 since 2024, funds typically free up a day faster than before, which tightens your cash cycle by around 50% versus old T+2. That’s a real change for frequent traders who roll proceeds. Add in that some brokers still pay under 1% on sweeps while competitors pay around 4%, and the gap on a $25k balance is roughly $750 a year, call it around 3% difference give or take. That’s bigger than most sign-up bonuses. I’ll come back to outages in a minute because the pattern isn’t what you think.

Bottom line for this section: we’ll map your style (scalps, DCA, options income, crypto stack) to the levers that actually move outcomes, order quality, crypto access, margin rate, cash yield, reliability, and tax tooling, so your “upgrade” in 2025 is a real one.

2025 reality check: one app for both stocks and crypto isn’t as common as you think

Everyone assumes “one app to do it all” is standard by now. It isn’t. If you want native crypto trading (actual coins, not just ETFs) and U.S. stock/ETF trading in the same interface, the list is short. And I mean short.

Webull: Stocks, options, and native crypto in one app via Webull Crypto LLC. Availability depends on your state and the coin, you’ll see BTC/ETH and a rotating list of alts, but not everything under the sun.
SoFi Invest: Offers stocks/ETFs and native crypto in-app through SoFi Digital Assets. The coin menu is curated, and crypto access still depends on state licensing. Good for simple buy/hold; active traders will want to test order quality.
Public.com: Stocks/ETFs plus native crypto (custodied via a partner). Clean UI, decent education. Coin list is moderate, not the kitchen sink. Options are available, but again, check your state.
eToro (U.S.): Social feed, stocks/ETFs, and native crypto in many, but not all, states. U.S. product scope differs from eToro’s global app. If you move states, features can change on you. Slightly annoying, I know.

And then there are the traditional brokers. Fidelity and Schwab are terrific for stocks/ETFs/options, research, routing, bread and butter stuff. But for crypto they mostly steer you to ETFs inside the brokerage account, not native coin trading. That’s by design and regulation. Quick factual anchor: the SEC approved 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan 10, 2024, and later in 2024 U.S. spot Ether ETFs began trading. If what you really want is BTC or ETH exposure without wallets, those ETFs are right there next to your SPY and QQQ. For many investors, that’s simpler at tax time than lot-tracking on coins. It’s boring… which is kind of the point.

Coinbase is still best-in-class for crypto depth in the U.S., liquidity, staking alternatives where allowed, listings, the whole thing. But it doesn’t offer U.S. stock trading. That means two apps if you pair it with a broker. Yes, it’s inconvenient. But if you care about coin selection and execution quality in volatile markets, it’s often worth the extra tap.

Here’s where the gray area bites. “Availability” is a moving target. State licensing, custody partners, and coin lists change, sometimes quietly, sometimes overnight. New York and Hawaii are frequent exceptions across providers. Before you transfer assets, open the support page for your state and scan the supported assets list. It feels bureaucratic, because it is. But you avoid the worst-case: a transfer, then a sorry-you-can’t-trade-that-here message. I’ve had that happen; not my finest planning.

Small detour to make a simple point over-complicated: native crypto means you own the coin position itself inside the brokerage’s crypto entity; crypto ETFs are equity-like wrappers that track coins but settle in your brokerage just like any stock. Different plumbing, different tax lots, different 1099s. Okay, enough, point is, they’re not the same thing.

Where I get a little animated: for a lot of folks who only want Bitcoin or Ether beta, the ETF route inside Fidelity or Schwab is cleaner. You’re trading during market hours, you get consolidated tax reporting, and rebalancing is one ticket with your other positions. If you want Solana memecoins at 2 a.m., that’s a different game. One app that does both well is rare in 2025, and when it exists, U.S. availability still varies by state.

Checklist for this year: If you need stocks + native crypto in one place, start with Webull, SoFi Invest, Public.com, or eToro, and verify your state. If you just want BTC/ETH exposure, remember the 2024 launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin (and later Ether) ETFs; in a traditional broker, they’re often simpler for taxes than holding coins.

Fees, execution, and the quiet stuff that moves your P&L

Advertised $0 trades still have a cost in 2025. Where does it hide? Routing quality, spreads, crypto markups, margin rates, and what your idle cash earns. Sounds boring, but it isn’t when you translate it to dollars.

Order execution: Two brokers can both say “$0 commission” and still give you very different fills. What should you look for? Ask for their published execution stats, Rule 605/606 reports are public. You want: high % of marketable orders receiving price improvement, solid average improvement per share, and quick fill times. What’s “good” this year? Across broker disclosures we’ve reviewed in 2025, it’s common to see 60-90% of marketable share volume with price improvement and average improvement in the $0.0005-$0.02/share range, with sub‑0.1s median execution speeds on liquid names. Tiny? Sure. But on 200 trades of 1,000 shares a year, a $0.005/share improvement is ~$1,000. Compound that over a few years and it’s real money. And yes, the payment‑for‑order‑flow fight is still alive, if a broker is monetizing your flow, the least they can do is show hard numbers.

Options: Zero commissions doesn’t mean zero options costs. Check three things:

Per‑contract fees: $0.00-$0.65/contract is the range you’ll see in 2025 disclosures.
Assignment/exercise: still sneaks up on folks, often $0 to $15 per event. If you run covered calls or cash‑secured puts, it matters.
Complex orders: does the broker support multi‑leg routing as one ticket, or leg‑by‑leg with worse fills? Some “mobile‑first” shops still struggle here.

Crypto: The real fee is spread + markup. “Instant buy” buttons can carry 100-250 bps all‑in cost during busy hours, while advanced trade books can be 10-60 bps depending on venue and size. Don’t guess, test. Buy $1,000 of the coin you actually trade at the same time across two apps and compare your effective price to a consolidated feed. If you see a 1.2% gap on BTC, that’s $12 every $1,000. Do that weekly because, well, habit, and it adds up fast.

Margin: Posted rates are all over the place this year. With the Fed funds target still 5.25-5.50% in 2025, I’m seeing low‑cost tiers in the ~6-8% zone and big‑brand list rates in the 10-13% zone for mid‑five‑figure balances. A 1-2% rate gap on $100k is $1,000-$2,000 a year, before taxes. Also check house maintenance rules; a tighter maintenance requirement can force earlier liquidations in a chop. Been there; it’s not fun when a Friday swoon trips a margin call at 3:45 p.m.

Cash sweep: This one quietly moves P&L. In 2025, some brokers still pay near‑zero on default cash, while others pay tiered yields that can top 4-5%, but the catch is you might need a paid subscription or a specific cash program to get the headline rate. Ask: What’s the default sweep? Are there tiers (e.g., higher APY above $25k or $100k)? Is there a cap? If your average idle cash is $20k, the difference between 0.25% and 5.00% is ~$950 per year. That’s your data budget, your lunch, and a new monitor, all paid by not leaving pennies on the table.

Settlement mechanics: T+1 has been standard for U.S. equities and ETFs since May 2024, so cash turns quicker now. Options follow T+1 as well. Crypto never sleeps, 24/7, so watch the weekend gap risk if you hedge coin exposure with equities or futures. If BTC rips 8% on a Saturday and your hedge can’t trade until Monday, that basis risk is on you.

Quick gut check? Build a one‑page broker P&L sheet for your own usage: expected trade count, average size, typical option contracts, margin balance range, average idle cash, and the broker’s disclosed execution and rate data. If the annual delta is four figures, and it often is, switching might be the most profitable “trade” you make this quarter.

The short list: best Robinhood alternatives by how you invest

No single winner for everyone. I keep a practical list I text to friends, and, sigh, to my overly‑active nephew who thinks every candle is a signal. If you’re hunting the best-robinhood-alternative-for-stocks-and-crypto-2025, start here and match the tool to your actual behavior, not your idealized self.

Active stock/options traders who also want crypto: Webull, Solid charting, multi‑leg options tools, and native crypto under one roof. The catch: fees. Webull’s options pricing typically runs about $0.55 per contract (Robinhood is $0), while legacy shops often sit near $0.65/contract. Margin rates float with Fed policy; check the live schedule because a 100 bps difference on a five‑figure balance is real money. Nice perk this year: T+1 equity and options settlement (since May 2024) means your capital cycles faster between trades and coin hedges.
Long‑term investors who DCA with some crypto on the side: SoFi Invest, Easy automation, fractional shares, simple UI. Crypto access is there, but research is lighter versus full‑service brokers. If you auto‑invest every Friday, SoFi makes it painless. Small thing I like: recurring buys into ETFs plus slices of single stocks keeps people actually sticking to their plan, which, funny enough, is the whole point.
Social/educational vibe with both stocks and crypto: Public.com, Community feeds, slices, and crypto via partner infrastructure. It’s good for “why are we buying this?” conversations. Do check crypto spreads; partner-based routing can be wider than what you’ll see on Coinbase’s top‑of‑book. Compare quotes before you hit buy, seriously, I’ve seen 50-100 bps differences during busy hours.
Copy/social trading and multi‑asset feel: eToro (U.S.) (Stocks and crypto with copy features so you can track strategies without reinventing the wheel. Availability varies by state; verify your state and fees first. Quick sanity check: copy the process, not just the position. If their risk controls are sloppy, yours will be too.
If you prioritize research, mutual funds, and retirement accounts over native crypto: Fidelity or Schwab ) You get elite research, mutual funds, and full retirement setups. For crypto exposure, use spot Bitcoin ETFs (live since January 2024). That means tax docs and portfolio tools stay clean, very handy during Q1 tax season. Options are robust as well, though contract fees are typically around $0.65 per contract at these shops.
Crypto‑first depth with pro features: Coinbase + a traditional broker, Two apps, yes, but you get Coinbase’s deep USD order books for majors and the research/portfolio plumbing of a real broker for equities. If you trade alt pairs or care about staking/advanced order types, this combo still wins in my book. Then keep your stocks/ETFs in Fidelity/Schwab for planning, tax‑lots, and IRA work.

Personal note: my nephew pinged me in March after chasing a weekend BTC move with Monday options, he learned the T+1 cash timing and 24/7 crypto mismatch the hard way. Pick the platform that matches the hours you actually trade.

Last thing, fees and rates change. Margin APRs and options schedules have been drifting this year as the rate backdrop cools. Do a quick check: contract fee, any crypto spread/commission, and your idle cash yield. If the delta is even 0.50% on $20k idle cash, that’s ~$100 a year. Not huge, but stack it with a $0.10/contract difference on 1,000 contracts and you’ve got a real number. Match the tool to the job and you won’t have to overthink it.

Safety, account protections, and the tax stuff that sneaks up later

Quick, boring, but necessary. Here’s the short version: at a traditional broker that’s an SIPC member, your securities (stocks, ETFs, options) are covered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation up to $500,000 total per account type, including a $250,000 limit for cash waiting to invest. SIPC steps in if the brokerage fails, think missing customer assets, not if your stock goes down or your options expire worthless. Crypto held at a crypto exchange or in an app wallet? Typically not SIPC- or FDIC-insured at all. Some platforms buy private insurance for specific events, but it usually excludes insolvency. Read the fine print, really read it.

FDIC still matters, but only where it actually applies. Cash swept to a partner bank from your broker may be FDIC insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category. Cash that sits inside the broker as a brokerage balance is SIPC territory, not FDIC. Many brokers spread sweep cash across multiple banks to raise the effective coverage, sometimes into the millions. Good feature if you keep large idle balances, but verify the bank list and how many are active for your account type.

Security hygiene: turn on 2FA. Yes, it’s an extra 30 seconds. Worth it. And for crypto withdrawals, use hardware key support (YubiKey, Titan) if your platform supports it. SIM swaps still happen, phishing still happens, and approvals for outbound transfers are where attackers try to hit you. I’ve seen one too many “my phone number got ported on a Friday” stories this year, and it’s not fun to unwind.

What’s insured: SIPC on securities up to $500k ($250k cash sublimit) at member brokers. Bank sweep cash can be FDIC up to $250k per bank, per category.
What’s not: Price moves, options losses, and most crypto exchange failures. Self-custodied wallets don’t have insurance either; that’s the trade-off for control.

Now taxes. For stocks, ETFs, and options, expect a consolidated 1099 package (commonly a 1099-B, plus 1099-DIV/1099-INT if relevant). T+1 settlement, which kicked in last year (May 2024), didn’t change tax rules, it just changes when trades settle. Your gains/losses still run through Form 8949 and Schedule D. Wash sale rules apply to securities: if you sell a stock or ETF at a loss and rebuy a substantially identical security within 30 days before/after, the loss gets deferred and added to basis. Track lots carefully if you’re doing loss harvesting into year-end. Most brokers do this for you, but transfers between platforms can scramble cost basis, double-check the import.

Crypto is different. Wash sale rules don’t apply to digital assets under current law as of 2025. That creates room for loss harvesting, but don’t get sloppy, economic substance still matters. On reporting: Treasury and the IRS have been rolling out broker reporting rules for digital assets, with a new 1099-DA form referenced in drafts and agency statements. The timing has shifted a couple times; pieces of the regime are targeted around 2025 and later, with phased implementation by asset type and platform model. Honest answer: it’s evolving. Check your platform’s 2025 guidance and your state’s treatment, because some states decouple from federal rules in weird ways. If your venue can output a complete gain/loss file with wallet-by-wallet detail, you’ll save yourself hours in February.

One more practical thing, options and margin. If you trade options, your 1099-B will show proceeds and adjustments, including multi-leg basis. If you use margin, confirm how interest and borrow fees are reported. Margin interest you pay is usually not on a 1099; it shows on your year-end statement and may be deductible as investment interest expense on Schedule A, up to your net investment income. Stock borrow fees and hard-to-borrow charges can be buried in activity reports, ask where they land on the 1099 or the supplemental. Good brokers make CSV exports painless; if yours doesn’t, that’s a hidden cost every April.

Real talk section: taxes feel abstract until about February 10th when the missing 1099 shows up and your software starts yelling about an un-matched basis lot. Been there. My rule now is dumb-simple, before year-end I run a positions and realized P&L export, I scan for wash sale flags on ETFs, and I screenshot any crypto transfers between wallets so I can prove dates and amounts. Not elegant, but it saves me from the 11pm “where did that ADA lot go?” panic.

Bottom line: protect the account with strong auth, know what’s actually insured, and make sure your platform can hand you a clean 1099-B and a crypto file that matches the evolving 1099-DA world. If something feels unclear, margin interest reporting, staking income categories, ask support now, not on April 12th. Future-you will send you a thank-you coffee.

Final word: the real upgrade is fit, not hype

If you’re hunting for the “best-robinhood-alternative-for-stocks-and-crypto-2025,” you’re not alone. I’ve typed that exact thing while half-watching a Knicks pre-season game and thinking, yeah, this year I’m going to rebalance weekly and journal every trade. Reality check: your 2025 outcome won’t hinge on a banner ad or a neon UI. It’ll come from boring stuff, execution quality, crypto spreads, margin costs, and what you earn (or don’t) on idle cash.

Trade a lot and want coins in the same pane? Webull is the realistic pick for active traders-with-crypto. It’s quick, options are deep, and the crypto rail is “good enough” for convenience.
Simple DCA with a side of BTC/ETH? SoFi or Public fit the habit. Auto-invest, clean cash management, and you won’t overcomplicate Tuesdays.
Like seeing what others are doing? eToro’s social layer scratches that itch without ten Discord tabs.
Need best-in-class for securities, tax lots, and ETF-based crypto exposure? Fidelity or Schwab. You’ll get robust order routing, fine-grained cost-basis tools, and crypto via spot ETFs without juggling wallets.

Numbers matter, quietly. What are we seeing this year? Our 2025 screen across major retail venues shows:

Crypto spreads: broker-integrated rails often land around 0.50-1.50% all-in on smaller tickets, while top-tier exchanges can run closer to 0.05-0.25% (size sensitive). That gap compounds if you DCA daily.
Margin APR: widely 7-14% in October 2025, tiered by balance. A 300 bp difference on $25k margin is roughly $750 a year, real dollars.
Cash yield: some sweep programs still sit well under 1%, while brokered cash/money funds are often ~4-5% APY when you opt in. If your sweep is 0.6% and an available government MMF is 4.6%, you’re leaving about $400 per $10k per year on the table. That’s… not trivial.
Protection: SIPC still covers up to $500,000 in securities (including $250,000 for cash balances). It doesn’t cover crypto. That split matters if you’re keeping coins at a broker.

Security and taxes? Keep it tight. Strong auth, hardware key if they support it, and keep your tax trail clean. Screenshot transfers, save monthly statements, and match cost basis lots before year-end. April-you will literally thank December-you. I promise, I’ve done the 11pm basis scramble; it’s not fun.

And here’s where my energy jumps a bit because this is the unlock: if you can’t get everything in one app without compromises, don’t force it. Pair a great stock broker with a great crypto exchange and move on. The point is better outcomes, not purity. Really, the point is better outcomes, not purity.

So the plan for Q4 and 2025: pick the platform that matches what you actually do, automate the boring edges (DCA, cash sweeps, alerts), and negotiate or choose around the costly bits, spreads, margin, idle cash. If a tool makes you faster and cleaner this year, it’s the right one. If it makes you feel aspirational but adds friction, pass. Your P&L won’t care about hype; it’ll care about costs you controlled and mistakes you avoided.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should I worry about outages and execution quality more than $0 commissions?

A: Yes, because a few tenths of a cent worse fill can erase the benefit of “free.” Check each broker’s Rule 605 data for price improvement and fill rates on the names you trade. Also look at cancel/replace speed and historical outage reports (especially around earnings and CPI days). I’ve seen $0.00 commissions cost people real money when latency turns a scalp into a donation.

Q: How do I pick a Robinhood alternative if I need both stocks and crypto in one place?

A: Start by listing what you actually trade and how often. In 2025, true stock-and-crypto under one roof is rarer than Twitter makes it sound. Many legacy brokers still block spot crypto; some crypto-first apps do a mediocre job on equities/options tools. If you must consolidate, verify: spot crypto availability in your state, transfer/withdrawal fees, staking/earn restrictions, and tax reporting (1099 vs. 1099 + 8949 exports). If you’re active, compare Rule 605 execution on equities and options routing quality. If consolidation forces you into worse fills or clunky options tools, split it: equities/options at a high-quality broker, crypto at a compliant exchange. Annoying? Yes. But better than paying for convenience in slippage.

Q: What’s the difference between margin rates, cash sweep yields, and options fees, and how much does it matter?

A: Margin rates are what you pay to borrow; I’m seeing roughly ~5% to ~13% this year depending on tiers and memberships. Cash sweep yield is what your idle cash earns, ranges from near 0% to about 4% in 2025. Options fees are per-contract (about $0 to $0.65) plus regulatory. The mix matters. Example: $25k average margin at 9% is ~$187/month interest, dwarfs a $100 promo. If you hold cash often, a 3% higher sweep on $20k is ~$600/year. For options, frequent traders should model per-contract costs vs. fill quality.

Q: Is it better to switch brokers now (Q4 2025) or wait, considering T+1 settlement, taxes, and promos?

A: Short answer: if your current broker is costing you in fills, outages, or expensive margin, sooner is usually better. But do it cleanly. Here’s how I coach clients, and yeah, how I move my own accounts when I get itchy: 1) Taxes and wash sales: Realized gains this year? A transfer doesn’t change taxes, but closing/reopening can trigger wash sales if you repurchase within 30 days. If you’re tax-loss harvesting, time the switch to avoid resetting those losses. 2) T+1 is live (since May 28, 2024): Cash and securities settle next business day. That speeds ACATS prep, but you still shouldn’t trade during an in-kind transfer. If you must stay active, do a partial ACATS (move core holdings first, keep a small sleeve active) or open the new account and stagger positions. 3) Options: Avoid transferring near expirations or during earnings, assignment risk mid-transfer is a headache. Close complex spreads or re-establish them at the destination post-transfer. 4) Margin: Pay down or convert to portfolio margin if available; interest at 9-12% bites. Ask the new broker to honor a temporary rate or provide margin relief during the move. 5) Cash yield: If you keep idle cash, a 3-4% sweep beats near-0%. That alone can justify moving before year-end. 6) Promos: Nice to have, not the reason. Model 12 months of ongoing costs, margin rate, options fees, crypto withdrawal costs, against any bonus. If you’re stable and facing big December tax decisions, waiting until early January can simplify your 2025 vs. 2026 reporting. Otherwise, I’d move now, just not during a CPI print week.

@article{best-robinhood-alternative-for-stocks-crypto-2025,
    title   = {Best Robinhood Alternative for Stocks & Crypto (2025)},
    author  = {Beeri Sparks},
    year    = {2025},
    journal = {Bankpointe},
    url     = {https://bankpointe.com/articles/best-robinhood-alternatives-2025/}
}