hello all,
I'm fairly new to the market, have around 10k sunk into it with different accounts. however I'm just using RBC Direct Investing currently.
I was wondering what you guys prefer as a platform and why? I'm considering making a switch in the future though RBC works great for me now; I feel in the future I'll regret not having switched.
What's your preferred trading platform?
byu/ResponsibleCaramel13 ininvesting
Posted by ResponsibleCaramel13
5 Comments
To clarify what I meant above wasn’t for trading, I more meant investing platform.
I hear people tall about wealth simple, quest trade etc, though I’d like to hear people’s first hand experiences using them before moving multiple accounts.
ThinkorSwim is one of the best, if not the best, out there available to retail.
It really depends on what you plan to do over the next few years, not just what works today.
RBC Direct Investing is totally fine if you’re mostly buy-and-hold, value simplicity, and like everything under one bank. Where people start to regret it later is usually fees and flexibility, not reliability.
A lot of folks switch once they start caring about:
lower commissions
easier ETF/stock purchases
better UI and reporting
access to US markets without extra friction
Platforms like Questrade or Interactive Brokers tend to appeal more as portfolios grow or strategies evolve, while Wealthsimple is popular for its simplicity if you’re mostly passive.
If RBC works for you now, there’s no rush, just be intentional. The “regret” usually comes from staying on a platform after your needs change, not from starting on a conservative one.
Curious what your long-term plan is (mostly passive vs more active)? That usually determines the best fit more than the platform itself.
I don’t really have a single “preferred” platform, it depends on what you’re trying to do.
For long-term investing, I care most about low fees, reliability, and clean execution, not flashy features. Any large, boring platform that lets you buy broad ETFs and hold them for years does the job just fine.
For learning and research, I value platforms with good account reporting and basic analytics so I can actually understand my behavior over time.
I’m less interested in active trading tools because, in my experience, most people’s results are driven more by asset allocation, time in the market, and behavior than by the platform itself.
If your current platform works, is low-cost, and you trust it, there’s usually no urgency to switch. Most “regret” comes from strategy mistakes, not from picking the “wrong” broker.
401k was my first ever account and it was with Fidelity. So that’s where I opened all of my other accounts. I like that because, there’s only one account (username, pwd) to manage. It’s easy for the wife too, in case I die unexpectedly.
I have never tried any other platform, but Fidelity meets my needs. With personal finances, I believe in keeping things simple.