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Best Places to Open an IRA in 2026: 5 Brokers Compared

By · Updated · Prices checked October 3, 2026

The short answer: Fidelity is our top pick for most people: no account fees or minimums, commission-free stock and ETF trades, index funds with a 0% expense ratio, and phone support around the clock.457 Charles Schwab is a near-equal second. For 2026 you can put up to $7,500 into an IRA, or $8,600 if you are 50 or older.1

At a glance

IRA providers ranked, prices as published on October 3, 2026
#ServiceBest forAccount feesMinimum to openScore /10
1 Fidelity Most people None4 $04 9.6
2 Charles Schwab Full-service support and a big fund lineup None8 $08 9.1
3 E*TRADE Active investors who want an opening bonus None14 $014 8.6
4 Vanguard Buy-and-hold investors in Vanguard funds $25 a year, waived with e-delivery20 $0; $3,000 for Admiral index funds23 7.2
5 Robinhood Savers chasing an IRA match who will stay five years None; Gold $5 a month for the 3% match26 $027 7.0

An IRA (individual retirement account) is a tax-advantaged account you open yourself, separate from any workplace plan. A Traditional IRA can lower your taxes now; a Roth IRA lets your money grow and come out tax-free in retirement. The account is only a container: what matters is where you open it and what you invest in inside it.2

The big brokers have all cut stock and ETF commissions to zero, so the differences now are account fees, the quality of their own index funds, how small an amount you can invest, how easy they are to reach, and any bonus they pay to win your money.

The 5 places to open an IRA, ranked

1

Fidelity

Best for most people

9.6/10

Account fees
None4
Minimum to open
$04

No account fees, no minimum and commission-free online stock and ETF trades.4 Fidelity’s ZERO index funds, including ZERO Total Market (FZROX), charge a 0% expense ratio and have no minimum.5

  • Fractional shares of U.S. stocks and ETFs from $1.6
  • 24/7 phone support and more than 200 branches.7

Pros

  • Zero-cost index funds
  • Invest any amount from $1
  • Strong service and branches

Cons

  • No IRA match or opening bonus
  • ZERO funds are Fidelity-only, so check before you plan to move brokers

Visit Fidelity

2

Charles Schwab

Best for full-service support and a big fund lineup

9.1/10

Account fees
None8
Minimum to open
$08

Schwab charges nothing to open or keep any type of IRA and has no minimum.8 It offers more than 200 index mutual funds with no transaction fees and commission-free index ETFs.9

  • Fractional shares of S&P 500 stocks from $5.10
  • 24/7 phone and chat support.11
  • The $0 commission doesn’t cover over-the-counter stocks, transaction-fee mutual funds, futures, bonds or trades on foreign exchanges.12

Pros

  • No fees and a huge low-cost fund lineup
  • Round-the-clock support

Cons

  • Fractional shares limited to S&P 500 stocks
  • No IRA match

Worth knowing: In 2022 Schwab paid $187 million to settle SEC charges over undisclosed cash-allocation costs in its robo-advisor. It doesn’t affect a self-directed IRA, but matters if you use Schwab Intelligent Portfolios inside one.13

Visit Charles Schwab

3

E*TRADE

Best for active investors who want an opening bonus

8.6/10

Account fees
None14
Minimum to open
$014

Owned by Morgan Stanley. No IRA fees or minimums, $0 online commissions on U.S. stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and options, and $0.65 per options contract.1415 It runs a retirement promotion: when we checked, new clients could earn a cash credit of up to $10,000 for moving new money in by October 31, 2026.16

  • Core Portfolios, its automated option, starts at $500.17
  • Fractional shares from $5 per order.18
  • 24/7 phone support.19

Pros

  • Cash bonus for new retirement money
  • Strong tools for active traders

Cons

  • Bonuses scale with deposit size, so most savers earn far less than the headline
  • No zero-cost index funds of its own

Visit E*TRADE

4

Vanguard

Best for buy-and-hold investors in Vanguard funds

7.2/10

Account fees
$25 a year, waived with e-delivery20
Minimum to open
$0; $3,000 for Admiral index funds23

The home of low-cost index investing. Its Total Stock Market Admiral fund (VTSAX) costs 0.04% a year.23 Trades in Vanguard funds and in stocks are commission-free online.21

  • The $25 annual account fee is waived if you choose electronic statements.20
  • Fractional shares only for Vanguard ETFs, not individual stocks.22
  • Phone support weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.24

Pros

  • Excellent low-cost funds
  • Ideal if you only want to buy and hold

Cons

  • An account fee unless you go paperless
  • Higher minimums and shorter support hours than Fidelity or Schwab

Visit Vanguard

5

Robinhood

Best for savers chasing an IRA match who will stay five years

7.0/10

Account fees
None; Gold $5 a month for the 3% match26
Minimum to open
$027

The only broker here that adds money to your contributions: Robinhood matches 1% of what you put in, or 3% if you pay for Robinhood Gold.25 On a $7,500 contribution, 3% is $225 a year, against $60 for Gold.

  • To keep the match, matched money must stay in the IRA for 5 years, and you must keep Gold for at least 1 year.25
  • Roth and Traditional IRAs only, with fractional shares but no mutual funds.27

Pros

  • Free money on every contribution
  • Simple app with fractional shares

Cons

  • No mutual funds
  • $100 fee to transfer out28

Worth knowing: In January 2025 two Robinhood broker-dealers paid $45 million combined to settle SEC charges covering more than 10 violations, including recordkeeping and suspicious-activity reporting failures.29

Visit Robinhood

How we ranked them

We rated each service from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on 6 criteria, weighted by how much each matters for retirement wealth. The score is the weighted average, scaled to 10. Ratings come from each company’s own published prices and features and from the independent reviews in the sources list, checked on October 3, 2026.

  1. Costs and fees (30%). Account fees, minimums, commissions and transfer fees.
  2. Investment choice (20%). Low-cost index funds, ETFs, mutual funds and the broker’s own fund lineup.
  3. Ease of investing small amounts (15%). Fractional shares and low fund minimums, so every dollar gets invested.
  4. Customer service (15%). Phone hours, branches and help for retirement questions.
  5. Track record (10%). SEC or FINRA actions against the broker. Check any firm free on FINRA BrokerCheck.
  6. Bonuses and matches (10%). IRA matches or cash bonuses for opening or moving an account.
Ratings by criterion (1–5)
ServiceCostsChoiceEaseServiceRecordExtrasScore /10
Fidelity5555539.6
Charles Schwab5545439.1
E*TRADE5444448.6
Vanguard4433527.2
Robinhood4253257.0

Before you open an account

Decide between a Traditional and a Roth IRA first; our Roth vs Traditional calculator compares them with your own numbers. If your employer offers a 401(k) match, capture that before funding an IRA. And look up any broker or adviser on FINRA BrokerCheck, which is free and shows registrations, disciplinary actions and complaints.3

Moving an old 401(k) or an IRA from another broker is usually free to receive. The broker you are leaving may charge a transfer-out fee, and some will refund it if you ask.

How to choose

  • Want the simplest low-cost default? Fidelity or Schwab.
  • Only ever buying Vanguard funds? Vanguard, with paperless statements.
  • Moving a large balance? Compare E*TRADE’s cash bonus with Robinhood’s 1% transfer match.
  • Contributing the maximum every year and staying put? Robinhood’s 3% Gold match can be worth it.

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Common questions

Where is the best place to open an IRA?

In our comparison, Fidelity ranks first because it has no account fees or minimums, offers index funds with a 0% expense ratio, sells fractional shares from $1 and answers the phone 24/7. Charles Schwab ranks a close second.

How much can I put in an IRA in 2026?

The IRA contribution limit for 2026 is $7,500. If you are 50 or older you can add a $1,100 catch-up contribution, for $8,600 in total. The limit applies across all your Traditional and Roth IRAs combined.

Do IRAs have fees?

At Fidelity, Schwab, E*TRADE and Robinhood, an IRA has no annual account fee. Vanguard charges $25 a year unless you choose electronic statements. The funds you buy inside the IRA have their own expense ratios.

Is the Robinhood IRA match worth it?

It can be. Robinhood matches 1% of contributions, or 3% with its $5-a-month Gold membership, which is $225 on a $7,500 contribution. You must keep the matched money in the IRA for five years and stay in Gold for one year, and Robinhood offers no mutual funds.

Can I have an IRA and a 401(k)?

Yes. You can contribute to both in the same year. If you or your spouse are covered by a workplace plan, your Traditional IRA deduction may be reduced at higher incomes, and Roth IRA contributions phase out above certain income limits.

Sources

  1. 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500 — Internal Revenue Service
  2. Publication 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) — Internal Revenue Service
  3. About BrokerCheck — FINRA
  4. Straightforward and Transparent Pricing — Fidelity Investments
  5. No minimum investment mutual funds — Fidelity Investments
  6. Fractional Shares — Fidelity Investments
  7. Fidelity: Why It’s One of Our Favorite Brokers — NerdWallet
  8. What is an IRA? — Charles Schwab
  9. Index funds & ETFs — Charles Schwab
  10. Schwab Starter Kit — Charles Schwab
  11. Charles Schwab Review 2026 — NerdWallet
  12. Pricing Guide for Individual Investors — Charles Schwab
  13. Charles Schwab Corporation Subsidiaries to Pay $187 Million (press release 2022-104) — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2022
  14. Traditional IRA — E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
  15. E*TRADE Rates and Fees — E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
  16. Retirement Account Promo: Get up to $10,000 — E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
  17. Individual Retirement Accounts — E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
  18. Fractional Shares — E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
  19. E*TRADE Review 2026 — NerdWallet
  20. Annual account service fees — Vanguard
  21. Investing in individual stocks & other ETFs — Vanguard
  22. Dollar-based Trading: Fractional Shares — Vanguard
  23. Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX) — Vanguard
  24. Vanguard Review 2026 — NerdWallet
  25. IRA match FAQ — Robinhood
  26. Robinhood Gold Membership — Robinhood
  27. What You Need to Know About Robinhood’s IRA — NerdWallet
  28. Should You Invest With Robinhood? Our 2026 Review — NerdWallet
  29. Robinhood to Pay $45 Million Combined to Settle SEC Charges (press release 2025-5) — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2025

This guide is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, medical, legal, or tax advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy any product. Prices and features change; confirm them with the provider before you sign up.

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