Every BrokerInsight rating is built on 200+ hours of hands-on research, real funded accounts, and a transparent 8-step methodology. Here's exactly how we do it.
200+
Hours per review
50+
Data points tested
Quarterly
Re-test frequency
4 analysts
Per broker review
Real accounts
Not demos
$0
Paid to influence rating
Affiliate revenue never influences our ratings. We've given low scores to brokers who pay us commissions, and high scores to brokers with no affiliate relationship whatsoever.
Every broker we review is tested with a real, funded account — not a demo. Our analysts trade with their own money so reviews reflect genuine user experience.
We re-test every broker quarterly, and immediately when a broker changes fees, platforms, or policies. Outdated information is actively harmful to traders.
Every broker is evaluated across six weighted categories. The weights reflect what matters most to a typical retail trader based on our user research.
Overall Score Composition
Score Weight
25%
The single biggest factor in long-term returns. We analyze every cost a trader might encounter.
Score Weight
20%
A great broker with a terrible platform is frustrating to use every day. We evaluate both web and mobile.
Score Weight
20%
Active traders live inside charts and screeners. We test every tool for depth, speed, and accuracy.
Score Weight
15%
Particularly important for beginner and intermediate investors building their knowledge base.
Score Weight
10%
Flexibility matters — from retirement accounts to the breadth of tradeable assets.
Score Weight
10%
When something goes wrong during a trade, you need fast, knowledgeable help.
Every broker review follows the same repeatable process — executed over four weeks by our research team before a single word is published.
Every review starts by opening a genuine funded account — not a demo. We go through the full onboarding process as a real customer would, noting friction points, verification speed, and deposit experience.
We spend significant time navigating the web platform, desktop app (if available), and mobile app — evaluating design, performance, and workflow efficiency for both beginner and experienced traders.
We execute actual trades — stocks, ETFs, and options where applicable — to evaluate order routing quality, fill speed, and the accuracy of price improvement disclosures in the broker's PFOF reports.
We comb through every fee disclosure, statement, and regulatory filing to surface all costs — including those brokers don't advertise prominently. We calculate the total annual cost of a typical retail trading account.
Our analysts use the charting platform intensively — running scans, drawing technical setups, backtesting strategies, and evaluating the options chain during live market hours to test real-world performance under load.
We contact each broker's support team anonymously via every available channel — live chat, phone, and email — with a mix of simple and complex questions, evaluating response time, accuracy, and professionalism.
We verify every broker's regulatory registrations through official government databases and review their history of disciplinary actions, customer complaints, and investor protection coverage.
After scoring across all six categories, a senior analyst reviews the final rating before publication. Reviews are re-tested quarterly or immediately when a broker makes significant changes to fees, platforms, or policies.
Each full broker review takes our team approximately 200 hours spread across four weeks. This includes hands-on testing, fee auditing, regulatory research, and editorial review — before publishing a single rating.
4 wks
Per Review
50+
Data Points
3 analysts
Per Broker
All ratings are on a 5.0 scale. Here's how to interpret each tier.
Best-in-class across the majority of categories. Recommended for most traders.
Strong performance with minor weaknesses. Good choice for most use cases.
Above average with meaningful trade-offs. May excel in one area while lacking in others.
Meets the basics but trails competitors in several key areas.
Significant shortcomings. We typically don't recommend these to our readers.
Our analysts are active market participants — not just writers. They trade daily with the same platforms they review.
Platform testing & execution quality
12 yrs experienceCost analysis & regulatory filings
9 yrs experienceDerivatives & advanced trading tools
11 yrs experienceScore review & publication standards
15 yrs experienceA Note on Anonymity
We don't publish analyst names or photos. This is intentional — it prevents brokers from recognizing our team during testing and prevents any individual from being solicited with incentives that could bias their work.
Common questions about how we work and how to trust our ratings.
Now that you know how we score brokers, put the methodology to work and find the right platform for your trading style.