HoldLens is informational only — we do not execute trades, hold client funds, or act as an investment advisor. This page lists the brokerage accounts our team has personally evaluated and uses. If you choose to open an account through one of the links on this page, HoldLens may receive a small affiliate bonus from the broker, at zero additional cost to you. That income helps fund the editorial work behind the site.
What this page is — and what it is not
What it is: a disclosed list of regulated brokerage platforms (each independently licensed by FINRA / SIPC / FCA / BaFin / CySEC / ASIC / MAS in their respective jurisdictions) where our team has opened accounts at some point. Each broker is described in factual terms: what it is, who it tends to fit, and what to read carefully before signing up.
What it is NOT: a recommendation that you should open any of these accounts. HoldLens is not a registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, or financial planner. We do not know your financial situation, tax residency, risk tolerance, or investment goals — only you (and a licensed professional, if you choose to consult one) can evaluate whether any specific broker fits your circumstances. Always read the broker's own customer agreement, fee schedule, risk disclosure, and deposit-protection terms before funding an account.
How we chose what to list
Three filters: (1) the broker must be licensed in at least one major regulatory regime — US (FINRA / SIPC), UK (FCA), EU (CySEC, BaFin, AMF, or equivalent), Australia (ASIC), or Asia-Pacific (MAS / SFC / FSA-Japan); (2) the broker must publish a transparent fee schedule and a clear customer agreement; (3) at least one member of the HoldLens team must have personally opened, funded, and executed a trade with the broker. The list deliberately mixes US-only platforms (Schwab, Robinhood), EU-only platforms (Trade Republic), and globally-available platforms (IBKR, eToro, Public, moomoo) so that visitors from different regions can find a broker that actually serves their jurisdiction.
The brokers
Affiliate links pending activation. Our broker partnerships are listed below for transparency. Direct sign-up links activate on this page once each broker's referral program completes operator-side approval. In the meantime you can search for any of the broker names below directly to evaluate them.
Interactive Brokers
Global (US-domiciled, services 200+ countries)
What it is. A US-listed (NASDAQ: IBKR) prime-broker-grade platform that has been around since 1978. Originally built for professional traders, the retail product (IBKR Lite / Pro) inherited the same API, the same global market reach, and the same SIPC insurance coverage on US accounts.
Who it tends to fit. Investors who want access to non-US markets (London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Toronto and 100+ exchanges), pro-grade order routing, and the lowest-in-industry margin rates. Also the platform of choice when an investor wants programmatic / API access alongside a regular brokerage account.
Read carefully. The interface is dense. The Pro tier has commission tiers; the Lite tier is commission-free on US equities but routes through a payment-for-order-flow model. Read both before picking.
Sign-up link not yet active. Search for Interactive Brokers directly to evaluate the platform.
Charles Schwab
United States
What it is. One of the largest US brokerages by client assets ($8+ trillion). Full-service: cash account, brokerage account, IRAs, fractional shares, ETFs, options, fixed income, even direct CD purchases. The 2020 acquisition of TD Ameritrade brought the thinkorswim platform under the same roof.
Who it tends to fit. US residents who want a single one-stop home for their long-term portfolio, IRAs, and active trading. The research depth is meaningful — Schwab's equity ratings and fund analyst reports are publicly cited by financial press.
Read carefully. International trading is limited compared to IBKR. New-account funding promos shift quarterly — read the current terms, not last year's.
Sign-up link not yet active. Search for Charles Schwab directly to evaluate the platform.
What it is. A modern commission-free brokerage with a social-investing layer (visible portfolio sharing, member discussion threads, commentary from professional analysts). FINRA / SIPC insured. Notably, Public removed payment-for-order-flow as a revenue model — the platform earns through tipping, premium memberships, and securities lending.
Who it tends to fit. Newer investors who appreciate transparency about how a broker makes money, plus the social discovery layer (what experienced members hold, what they are accumulating). Fractional-share support is strong.
Read carefully. Order routing is solid but not the absolute lowest-latency — fine for buy-and-hold, less ideal for active trading. Tax-loss-harvesting tooling is thinner than at full-service brokers.
Sign-up link not yet active. Search for Public.com directly to evaluate the platform.
What it is. The mobile-first brokerage that popularised commission-free trading. SIPC-insured, regulated by FINRA / SEC. Retirement accounts (IRAs) and a Gold premium tier (margin, market data, larger instant deposits) round out the product.
Who it tends to fit. Mobile-native users who want a clean, fast UX for buying and holding US equities, ETFs, options, and (where available) crypto. Fractional shares supported.
Read carefully. Robinhood has historically generated revenue through payment-for-order-flow. The product is excellent for casual buy-and-hold; investors who want professional-grade research, complex order types, or international markets will outgrow it.
Sign-up link not yet active. Search for Robinhood directly to evaluate the platform.
eToro
European Union, United Kingdom, Australia (and select other regions; not US-equity)
What it is. A European-headquartered multi-asset platform with a distinctive CopyTrader feature — investors can mirror the trades of other public users on the platform automatically. Regulated by CySEC (EU), FCA (UK), and ASIC (Australia).
Who it tends to fit. EU / UK / AU investors who want a single account spanning equities, ETFs, commodities, and (where regulated) crypto. The CopyTrader product is a real differentiator — but it is a discretionary tool, and copy-trading does not eliminate the underlying market risk of any position.
Read carefully. Spread costs are higher than at pure-execution brokers. CopyTrader returns are public on the platform — they are real, but past performance of any copy target does not predict future returns. Use the same caution you would use picking a fund manager.
Sign-up link not yet active. Search for eToro directly to evaluate the platform.
moomoo
United States, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Malaysia
What it is. A US / APAC retail brokerage owned by Futu Holdings (NASDAQ: FUTU). Sister product to Futubull (which dominates Hong Kong retail). Pro-grade charting, free Level-2 US market data on the entry tier, and a research feed that draws from institutional sources.
Who it tends to fit. Active traders and chart-driven analysts who want institutional-feeling market data and analytics without paying Bloomberg-tier prices. Strong fit for investors with positions across US and APAC markets.
Read carefully. The product surface area is large — onboarding can feel busy. Some advanced features (margin, options, paper trading) are gated behind app sections that require activation.
Sign-up link not yet active. Search for moomoo directly to evaluate the platform.
Trade Republic
European Union (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal)
What it is. A German-licensed full bank (BaFin-supervised) operating an EU-wide mobile brokerage. €1 flat per trade. Cash held in segregated accounts at custodian banks; securities held in book-entry at Clearstream. Standard German deposit insurance (€100k) on cash; standard EU securities-segregation rules on holdings.
Who it tends to fit. EU-resident investors who want a clean, mobile-first home for long-term equity / ETF / bond positions, with negative-real-rate-aware cash interest paid on uninvested balances. Particularly strong for investors building a lifetime ETF savings plan (Sparplan).
Read carefully. Order execution routes through LS Exchange (a regulated venue, but quote spreads can be wider than primary-listing exchanges in low-liquidity windows). Not a fit for active intraday trading. No US-domiciled accounts — a separate EU residence is required.
Sign-up link not yet active. Search for Trade Republic directly to evaluate the platform.
Affiliate compensation, in plain English
When you click an affiliate link on this page and subsequently open and fund an account with the relevant broker, HoldLens may receive a referral fee from that broker. The fee structures vary — typically a one-time flat payment per funded account, with the exact amount set by each broker's referral program and subject to change. The fee is paid by the broker, not by you. Affiliate links do not change the price, terms, or conditions you receive at the broker.
We disclose this clearly because we think you deserve to know. If you would prefer to open an account without our affiliate link, simply navigate to the broker's website directly and sign up there — your terms and our editorial content remain identical either way.
What HoldLens never does
- We never receive payment in exchange for ranking, scoring, or featuring any specific ticker.
- We never receive payment for the order in which brokers appear on this page (the order reflects when each broker entered our list).
- We never tell you which broker to choose, how to allocate your money, or which specific securities to buy or sell.
- We never guarantee any outcome from following any signal, ranking, or analysis published on HoldLens.
Not investment advice — repeated, intentionally
The data published on HoldLens (ConvictionScore, smart-money positioning summaries, per-ticker dossiers, per-investor profiles) describes what tracked institutional investors and corporate insiders have disclosed in public SEC filings. It does not tell you what you should do with your money. Public 13F filings are reported with a 45-day SEC filing lag; insider Form 4 disclosures are reported with a 2 to 4 business-day lag. Past behaviour of any tracked investor does not predict future results, and our published 2026 backtest of the ConvictionScore over 221 ticker-quarter pairs found no statistically significant predictive signal for forward returns (Pearson r = −0.117). Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Questions about a partnership
If you have questions about any specific partnership listed here — including the exact fee a broker pays HoldLens, the duration of any referral cookie, or any conflict-of-interest concern — email [email protected]. We will respond on the record. We will also disclose any new partnership added to this page in our public changelog on the day it goes live.
More from HoldLens
- About HoldLens — operator identity, mission, editorial principles
- Methodology — how the ConvictionScore is computed (with the published backtest)
- The 45-day SEC lag, explained — why 13F data is never real-time
- The copy-trading myth — what 13Fs cannot tell you
- ConvictionScore explained — plain-English walkthrough