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.
Other comparisons with these two
If one of these two is on your shortlist but the other is not the right opponent, these cover the same brokers against different rivals: Moomoo vs. Ally Invest, Webull vs. E*TRADE and Moomoo vs. M1 Finance. Every pairing in the matrix is written, so the one you want exists.
Figures and rules in this article are checked against the official sources below. Where they disagree with us, they win.
