Moomoo vs. E*TRADE (2026): Which One Should You Open?
Moomoo is cheaper per options contract and includes market depth. E*TRADE has the account shelf, the futures desk and thirty years of process.
Trading account chasing the lowest per-contract cost: Moomoo. Anything that needs a specialist account type or futures: E*TRADE.
If you searched "E*TRADE vs. Moomoo"
Same comparison. Word order does not change it — your monthly options volume and whether you need a specialist account type do.
Options pricing, head to head
Moomoo's pass-throughs are $0.0383 to open and $0.0416 to close, with no commission on top — among the lowest available anywhere, verified for our Moomoo fees breakdown.
E*TRADE charges $0.65 per contract, falling to $0.50 once you clear 30 trades in a quarter. At the reduced tier a ten-contract round trip still costs $10.00 against roughly eighty cents on Moomoo, so the volume tier narrows the gap without closing it. What it does buy is everything around the trade.
On one screen
| MOOMOO | E*TRADE | |
|---|---|---|
| Stock and ETF commissions | $0 | $0 |
| Options per contract | $0.0383 open / $0.0416 close, pass-through only | $0.65 per contract, falling to $0.50 above 30 trades a quarter |
| Futures | Not offered | Available |
| Level 2 market data | Included | Paid add-on |
| Margin | As low as 6.8% — falls on each tier above $25K | tiered by balance, starting around 10.00% and falling on larger balances |
| Retirement accounts | traditional, Roth and rollover IRAs | Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, and more |
| Custodial and trust accounts | Not offered | Yes |
| Transfer out (ACAT) | $75 | $75 |
Account types and retirement
E*TRADE's shelf is comprehensive and Moomoo's is not. If the money is for retirement, or the account is for a child or a business, this decides it regardless of per-contract cost.
Our E*TRADE vs. Ally Invest comparison covers the E*TRADE platform in more depth.
What each one costs to own
Moomoo is cheaper almost everywhere you look. Margin starts as low as 6.8% and falls on each tier above $25,000, against roughly 10% at E*TRADE before its own tiers kick in. Level 2 depth is included rather than sold as an add-on, which is a real saving for anyone who would otherwise pay for it.
E*TRADE charges for breadth, not for trades. There is no subscription. The cost shows up in the per-contract fee, in margin, and in the default cash sweep, which pays less than a money market fund you could hold instead. On a large idle balance that gap is worth more than the options savings.
Leaving costs the same either way. Both charge $75 to transfer an account out, so neither is cheaper to abandon. Our guide to closing a brokerage account for free covers the ways around it.
Who each one is wrong for
- Moomoo is wrong for retirement money, for futures, and for anyone who needs a custodial or trust account. The shelf is narrow and that does not change however good the pricing is.
- E*TRADE is wrong for a small account trading options weekly. At $0.65 a contract the fees are a visible drag on a portfolio measured in low four figures.
- Neither is wrong if you split them — E*TRADE for the retirement account, Moomoo for the trading one.
What this means for you
- High options volume, cost-sensitive: price Moomoo’s flat pass-throughs against E*TRADE’s volume tier using your real monthly count.
- Futures: E*TRADE. Moomoo does not offer them.
- Retirement or specialist accounts: E*TRADE.
- Trying Moomoo: note the $75 exit fee before funding.
Figures and rules in this article are checked against the official sources below. Where they disagree with us, they win.
