All aboard for a TradeStation Broker Review. This award-winning company has been chugging along since its founding in 1982, originally under the brand name Omega Research. The TradeStation Brokerage service offers analysis and research tools to accommodate traders of all levels. Experienced technical traders won’t need much of an introduction to this well-established service. They are known for their proprietary coding language called EasyLanguage.
Click the banner to get started with TradeStation!
Table of Contents
TradeStation Broker Review and Discount
Our TradeStation review looks at the bells and whistles of this broker. You’ll find a vast library of educational materials at TradeStation University.
Knowledgeable articles, eBooks, and video tutorials are available on various trading topics to educate traders on trading technology and trading itself.
The customizable radar screen enables traders to monitor up to 1,000 symbols in real-time.
OptionStation Pro platform is a comprehensive options analysis system with easy drag-and-drop position management and advanced features, including integrated probability cones and interactive 3-D position graphs.
Portfolio Maestro is a state-of-the-art backtesting tool that runs on decades of historical data daily and intraday. It’s able to handle even the most complex strategies.
For example, it produces Performance, Optimization, Optimization Performance, Order, and Trade Log reports. At the same time, it enables traders to do Monte Carlo, Walk Forward, and Correlation analysis.
Highlights
- The TradeStation review of their platform finds it’s available for browser and desktop trading. It also has a mobile app for trading on the go.
- The mobile app is available for iOS and Android and allows customization. Traders can monitor their trades in real time, place orders with one click, analyze their charts, and set up alerts.
- Access to a browser is needed to access TradeStation Web Trading. Even if traders aren’t home at their desktop computers, they can still securely log in to check and manage their accounts.
- The desktop version is among the best available. Traders can enter and exit trades rapidly. Tools are available to customize charts and test and automate trading strategies.
- The interface is very straightforward and user-friendly for beginners. They also offer a wide range of complex features for seasoned traders who may wish to create their indicators using EasyLanguage.
Active Traders
As a broker, TradeStation stands out because of its trading platform. And even if their rates aren’t the lowest, you’ll find them as good, if not better, than most popular brokers.
Customer Support, on the other hand, has received excellent reviews. It’s a common complaint among traders not to receive timely responses from their brokers.
Traders can contact their TradeStation broker by phone Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Eastern time. Customer Support is available via live chat and email 24 hours daily between Sunday, 3:30 p.m. to Friday, 8 p.m. Eastern time.
The only warning I would give in this TradeStation review regarding opening an account is that it’s geared toward active traders. A part-time trader may find the fees too high.
Plus, they may consider the numerous features, functions, and tools overwhelming. This broker is ideal for active and experienced traders. As a go-to brokerage for the pros for a long time, with the new reduced account minimum, it also became attractive to newbies.
Naturally, you all know that the best trading and stock training comes from your own experience and the know-how of others. I’m talking about the wisdom of those who have been through the trenches and your hands-on experience. The Bullish Bears community offers both.
TradeStation Fees and Pricing Review
- \$99.95 per month, but it’s waived if you trade 50 contracts, have a \$10,000 balance, or trade 5,000 shares
- TS Select requires a $2,000 minimum deposit and includes $0 commission fees on stocks, ETFs, options, and futures
- Select also has free web trading, mobile apps trading, and desktop trading
- TS GO includes free web and mobile app trading, but trading surcharges apply to desktop trading. A \$0 minimum deposit is required.
- Both the TS Select and TS Go plans include free real-time data
Fees are important to traders, so our TradeStation review covers you. Currently, TradeStation offers individual, joint, IRA, entity, and custodial accounts. Also included are funding options of a check, wire transfer, Smart transfer, or ACAT electronic transfer.
Full info on pricing, including unbundled pricing, tiered plans, and per-contract rates, can be found at TradeStation. Their rates are comparable to other brokerage firms, and prices are stated outright with no hidden fees.
TradeStation EasyLanguage®
TradeStation’s EasyLanguage® programming is designed for traders captaining their ships. We use it to create powerful trading indicators, strategies, and custom trading applications.
What’s more, EasyLanguage® harnesses the power of the TradeStation platform. By extending the ways you can view the extensive real-time and historical market data and account, position, and trade manager information, the power is truly in your hands.
With thousands of built-in keywords, functions, and properties, developers can design and create virtually any market analysis, scanning, or order management tool. I’d be remiss not to mention that with EasyLanguage®, you can write your program to back-test and automate your boldest trading ideas.
TradeStation Indicators
Here’s a list of TradeStation indicators:
- HeatMap Indicator allows you to find what’s relevant
- Moving Average Indicator adds EMAs and SMAs to your chart
- Linear Regression Channel Indicator outlines high, middle, and low prices
- Squeeze Indicator measures volatility using Bollinger and Keltner bands
- Trend Indicator measure, you guessed it, trends moving up and down
- Wave Indicator measures price swing on a stock
- Trailing Stop Indicator so you know when to sell a stock
- Value Chart Indicator finds overbought and oversold territory
- MACD Indicator follows trends using moving averages
TradeStation indicators can do a lot to help you as you begin stock trading. After all, who doesn’t like to have a little direction when the direction is so important? There are different schools of thought on indicators, however. Some traders are all for it. And others are against it. It all comes down to your trading style.
TradeStation contains over 120 technical indicators that include technical data (price data, volume, momentum, and so on) in their analysis. It’s up to you how you apply these indicators to your charts, or you can modify them to suit your trading preferences. A favorite approach of mine is to include an indicator within another analysis technique, like a strategy. You can even set audible and visual alerts for indicators to notify you when the market meets the conditions you specified in your indicator. How great is that?
Final Thoughts: TradeStation Review
Do you have ideas for strategies? Do you have a knack for logic? EasyLanguage may be the way to go! Unlike other trading platforms, TradeStation offers tools to accommodate traders of all skill levels. But what sets Tradestation apart is its proprietary coding language called EasyLanguage.
Despite the 120 indicators available, some traders want to steer their ships. And for traders who wish to create their own TradeStation indicators, EasyLanguage® is where they turn.
TradeStation has fast order execution, great customer service, high-end technology, and more. TradeStation is at the forefront, while other brokers are slipping on technology and speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
TradeStation offers real-time level 2 quotes for stocks, futures, and options on their free trading platform.
Around since 1982, the award-winning TradeStation has been a brokerage and trading software platform rolled into one. TradeStation topped all other brokers in winning the award for the "Best for Active Trading" platform. Also, for the eighth year in a row, they won in the category of "#1 Platform Technology" in the 2020 Online Broker Review conducted by StockBrokers.com.
Investors cannot purchase shares of TradeStation because the company is privately held.
TradeStation is a good overall broker for beginners. They also have a robust paper trading platform that allows traders to practice their trading style before trading with real money.
TradeStation is a legitimate broker that's regulated by the SEC and FINRA.
TradeStation does not require a minimum deposit to open an account.
- Stocks & ETFs: $0 commissions
- Stock Options: $0 commissions
- Platforms: Free
- Margin Less Than $50,000: 13.5%
- Margin $50,000 – $499,999: 12.5%
- Margin $500,000+: negotiated
