Zecco vs E*TRADE

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This is a real David and Goliath battle, E*TRADE should be able to knock Zecco for Six. But with the advent of the internet the playing field has been leveled out. So let’s match them up together and see what happens.

The first thing I should say is E*TRADE have a network of over 500 local branches that offer conventional banking products along with brokerage services. But since this website is about choosing the best broker we’ll disregard that and concentrate on their respected trading platforms, customer service and of course price.

So we’ve made it easy for you to compare each broker in the tables below. You can quickly compare prices and services offered without having to view each individual website.

Products & Services
Broker	Zecco	E*TRADE
Rating	[rating:4/5]	[rating:3/5]
website	Visit the Zecco Website	Visit the E*TRADE Website
Our Review	Read OurFull Zecco Review	Read Our Full E*TRADE Review
	Bank Deposits	Bank Deposits
	Bonds	Bonds
	Certificates of Deposits	Certificates of Deposits
	Day Trading	Day Trading
Services	Extended Hours Trading	Extended Hours Trading
	ETFs	ETFs
	IRAs	IRAs
	Mutual Funds	Mutual Funds
	Trading Community	Trading Community

Services Overview

It’s immediately obvious that E*TRADE are the winners here. Zecco just can’t match E*TRADE’s full product portfolio, hardly surprising really considering E*TRADE’s size.

The lack of certificates of deposits isn’t really an issue, but one thing that’s disappointing from Zecco’s point of view is that they don’t offer after hours trading. A lot of brokers charge a premium for this service but Zecco don’t even do that. So basically if you trade after hours E*TRADE are the best choice.

One other thing to say is that E*TRADE offer discounts to frequent traders. If you’re a frequent trader and trade over 150 times a quarter then you get preferential pricing. See Fees & Commissions.

Trading Tools
	Zecco	E*TRADE
	Automated Trading	Automated Trading
	Investor Resource Center	Investor Resource Center
	Mobile Trading	Mobile Trading
	Online Advisor	Online Advisor
Trading Tools	Profit & Loss Calculator	Profit & Loss Calculator
	Streaming Charts	Streaming Charts
	Stock & Fund Screeners	Stock & Fund Screeners
	Tables & Graphs	Tables & Graphs
	Training & Education	Training & Education
	Virtual Trading	Virtual Trading

Trading Tools Overview

Zecco don’t fare too badly when it comes to trading tools. Their platform will be a little on the basic side for some though. There’s a reason for this however; they’ve specifically designed their platform to suit beginners, therefore it’s easy to use and navigate around but lacks some of the more sophisticated tools.

The E*TRADE platform has a more mature feel to it. There are more sophisticated trading tools and better charting options. Level 2 data is also available free of charge to qualifying accounts.

It does however lack two things that are vital in my view. Firstly there’s no virtual trading platform, this is unforgivable for a broker of E*TRADE’s size. All traders need to practice trades to test out new strategies, so not having access to a virtual trading platform is a major problem.

The second is there’s no user community. Trading can be a lonely business sometimes, so it’s nice to be able to talk about trading with other like minded individuals, they’re also a great place to learn from.

Summary

So which Broker should you choose? Well if you’re a serious trader with an account balance in excess of $50,000 and trade over 150 times a quarter E*TRADE is the way to go.

If on the other hand you’re a beginner Zecco is the prime candidate. They’re not only cheaper for smaller accounts but offer excellent training and education, add to that the valuable trading community and you have a very accomplished broker.

E*TRADE have an excellent trading platform but they’re very expensive, even after their discount for frequent traders. If they reduced their prices I would have no hesitation in giving them five stars, but since that’s not going to happen anytime soon, I’ll stick with three.

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