6 Best Online Brokers for Futures Trading and Commodities
Our deep, independent analysis of online brokers sorts through key account details to find and evaluate the information investors want when choosing a futures trading platform.
Over 60 investment account providers reviewed and rated by our expert Nerds.
More than 50 years of combined experience writing about finance and investing.
Hands-on testing of the account funding process, broker websites and trading platforms.
Dozens of objective ratings rubrics, and strict guidelines to maintain editorial integrity.
To see our full methodology and learn more about our process, read our criteria for evaluating brokers.
Futures trading is a complicated business, even for experienced investors, and so is shopping for a futures and commodities broker. It’s not just about contract fees and trading platforms (although both are important factors to consider).
Trading in futures requires looking for a broker that offers the highest level of real-time data and quotes, an intuitive trading platform, an abundance of charting and screening tools, technical indicators and a wealth of research — plus the ability to leverage your account with reduced day-trading margin requirements. All of that, and you still want low costs and high-quality customer support.
These are the features and services we focused on in our rankings, concentrating on the world of online discount brokers that serve self-directed traders (not pros) seeking to quickly execute their own futures strategies.