Trading Fees Comparison Calculator
Compare trading fees across different fee structures.
See how commissions, spreads, and per-share fees impact your trading costs.
Broker trading fees can dramatically erode returns — especially for active traders. A comprehensive comparison requires accounting for commissions, spreads, exchange fees, and financing costs (for margin accounts).
Total trading cost per round-trip (buy + sell): Total Cost = (Commission Buy + Commission Sell) + (Spread Cost × Trade Size) + Exchange Fees + Regulatory Fees
Commission cost:
- Flat fee brokers (e.g. Interactive Brokers tiered): $0.005/share, min $1.00 per order
- Commission-free brokers (e.g. Robinhood, Webull, Schwab): $0 commission on US stocks/ETFs
- Futures: $0.25–$2.25 per contract per side (e.g. NQ Micro = $0.25/side at some brokers)
- Options: $0 to $0.65 per contract; $0.65/contract is common at TD Ameritrade, E*Trade
Spread cost (especially significant for forex and CFDs): Spread Cost = Spread (pips or %) × Lot Size
Forex example: EUR/USD spread = 1.2 pips = $12 per standard lot (100,000 units).
Regulatory fees (US markets):
- SEC fee: $8.00 per $1,000,000 sold (negligible for small trades)
- FINRA TAF: $0.000166 per share sold, max $8.30 per order
- Exchange fees: Vary; typically $0.001–$0.003 per share (often rebated for limit orders adding liquidity)
Financing / margin interest: Daily Margin Interest = (Margin Balance × Annual Rate) ÷ 365
Typical margin rates: 5–12% annually at most brokers; Interactive Brokers ~6.8% for balances under $100K (2024 rates).
Break-even gain calculation: Break-Even Move (%) = Total Round-Trip Cost ÷ Trade Value × 100
Worked example — stock trade comparison: Buy 100 shares of a $50 stock ($5,000 position), then sell.
| Broker | Commission (RT) | Spread Cost | Total Cost | Break-Even |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission-free (Robinhood) | $0 | ~$0.05/sh = $5 | $5 | 0.10% |
| Traditional ($5 flat/trade) | $10 | ~$0.05/sh = $5 | $15 | 0.30% |
| IB tiered (0.005/sh) | $1.00 | ~$0.03/sh = $3 | $4 | 0.08% |
For a day trader making 5 round-trips/day: commission-free saves $250+/month vs. $5-per-trade brokers — $3,000/year in savings on costs alone.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
SuperGlobalCalculator is independently built and maintained. See how we build and verify our calculators.