E*TRADE

E*TRADE Reviews

Brokerage

57Signal
33% positive
39reviews
How the signal works
The signal score

A score out of 100 for how well reviewed a product is. It rises with positive reviews and with how many there are; negative and mixed reviews take points off.

So a handful of glowing reviews can’t beat a product lots of people like. No sponsored placements.

Updated 12 NovCompare with M1

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What people mention

Topics grouped from customer reviews, with how many mention each; read the originals below.

Real customer experiences (39)

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Reddit · r/etrade · Jun 27, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit post

Mobile app login repeatedly errors out even after clearing cache and reinstalling, forcing browser access while support pushes tech help to Monday.

Reddit · r/Bogleheads · Feb 18, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They say E*TRADE exited its mutual fund business during the 2008 downturn and returned less than they had put in. They moved to Vanguard and prefer a brokerage that does not flinch in rough markets.

Reddit · r/Bogleheads · Feb 18, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They moved from E*TRADE to Fidelity because E*TRADE could not buy fractional shares without DRIP. They also warn of a transfer-out fee and that any fractional shares get sold during the move.

Reddit · r/Bogleheads · Feb 18, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They could not get E*TRADE to convert or open a trust account despite providing many documents. They moved to Schwab, where it went smoothly, and say they would never use E*TRADE again.

Reddit · r/Bogleheads · Dec 17, 2025

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They hit an ESPP funding problem after their credit union merged and got conflicting instructions from different reps over three weeks. They filed a FINRA complaint and plan to transfer out.

Reddit · r/etrade · Aug 28, 2025

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

Moving funds into the checking account first and then to the brokerage once left them ineligible for the transfer promotion bonus.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Aug 15, 2025

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They also bank at E*TRADE for the high-interest accounts, but transferring their late father's assets was a nightmare of runaround and lies. They say the terrible customer service is not worth it and plan to move to Fidelity.

Reddit · r/TheRaceTo10Million · Nov 3, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

A partial transfer out to Robinhood did not work and a call to E*Trade could not explain why; they also believe its margin rate is higher than rivals'.

Reddit · r/etrade · Oct 14, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit post

Closing an inactive account and transferring the remaining balance drags on for months despite forty-minute security verification calls.

Reddit · r/etrade · Oct 6, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

Dealings with staff were chaotic: a deposit was pushed before arranging an advisor call, a promised advisor went silent, a manager hung up on them, and a fee to move a custodial account out would not be waived.

Reddit · r/etrade · Sep 5, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit post

Debit card was declined about 70 percent of the time even for basic purchases like gas, and the accounts were frozen nearly every other week, including once after a PayPal flag, leaving no emergency access to money.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Jun 19, 2026

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

Beneficiary department mixed another customer's shares into an inherited account transfer to Fidelity, then refused to provide a written negligence letter and made aggressive collection threats before the return finished processing.

Reddit · r/etrade · Dec 23, 2025

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

Accounts held for a decade or more were treated as newly opened by someone else; despite sending a passport, license and selfies and being verified, access stayed restricted and a letter of instruction was needed for withdraw-only access.

Reddit · r/etrade · Sep 7, 2025

Negative

Summary of a Reddit post

After moving all positions to another brokerage, leftover cash from fractional share sales could not be withdrawn: the transfer menu had no option, wires were unavailable, and a check request returned an error.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Jun 4, 2025

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They hold funds at E-Trade, Fidelity and Schwab and say E-Trade got worse after the Morgan Stanley purchase, with excess cash swept to a near-zero-yield account and bond quotes adjusted against them.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Jun 4, 2025

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They were an E-Trade customer until the Morgan Stanley takeover, were then pushed by their employer to use Morgan Stanley for years and tried its managed accounts, and say Fidelity is far better.

Reddit · r/investing · Nov 22, 2024

Negative

Summary of a Reddit post

They tried to buy a bankrupt OTC stock on E-Trade along with several other brokers and were blocked everywhere at first, as the stock had been moved to a restricted market tier.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Nov 8, 2024

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They were with E*TRADE for over 20 years, from entering trades over dial-up, but felt the service declined sharply after the Morgan Stanley acquisition and eventually left for Fidelity.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Nov 7, 2024

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They ended up with an E*TRADE account after the Capital One investments takeover and have been stuck getting the runaround for a year over writing off a delisted stock so they can close it. They call the service terrible.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Nov 7, 2024

Negative

Summary of a Reddit post

They hold a small Roth at E*TRADE and found phone support painful, with about an hour on hold and an unenthusiastic rep, while Fidelity answered instantly. Doing anything there felt nearly impossible.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Nov 7, 2024

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They were an E*TRADE customer for a time and eventually moved all their holdings to Fidelity, calling the switch one of the best decisions they ever made. They did not give specifics beyond that.

Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Nov 7, 2024

Negative

Summary of a Reddit comment

They have had to wait hours to reach a human at E*TRADE, whereas Fidelity takes only minutes, so phone support wait times were their main complaint about the brokerage.

Common questions about E*TRADE

Is E*TRADE worth it?

Of the 39 reviews with a clear verdict, 33% are positive, 10% mixed and 56% negative. The praise mentioned most is reliable. The most common complaint is poor support.

What do people like about E*TRADE?

The praise reviewers mention most: reliable (5 reviews), easy to use (4 reviews) and helpful support (4 reviews). For example: Clean interface and mobile app outperform Fidelity in daily use, though order routing steers trades to market makers instead of auto-rolling treasuries.

What are the most common complaints about E*TRADE?

The complaints reviewers mention most: poor support (11 reviews), slow transfers (4 reviews) and account frozen (2 reviews). For example: Closing an inactive account and transferring the remaining balance drags on for months despite forty-minute security verification calls.

What does the signal score of 57 mean?

It's how well reviewed E*TRADE is, out of 100. Negative and mixed reviews take points off, and so does having only a few reviews: a product needs plenty of them, compared with the most-reviewed products here, to reach the high 80s and 90s. It's worked out from reviews only, needs at least 5 of them, and updates as new ones come in.

What are the specs of E*TRADE?

Category: Brokerage. Type: Brokerage account. Fees: $0 commissions for online US-listed stock, ETF, mutual fund and options trades (exclusions apply).

Where do these E*TRADE reviews come from?

39 are quotes from Reddit, each linked to the original. Customer reviews are checked for spam before they appear. Every review, written here or quoted, is read as positive, mixed or negative.

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