E*TRADE: Invest. Trade. Save.
Overview
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley is a comprehensive mobile brokerage application designed for self-directed investing, active trading, and personal banking. The application is built to accommodate a wide spectrum of users, ranging from beginners looking for mutual funds to professional options traders who require advanced multi-leg order entry.
The application's trading engine offers commission-free online trades for US-listed stocks, ETFs, and options. Users can access real-time streaming market quotes, professional technical analysis charting, watchlists, and research screeners. For fundamental research, E*TRADE includes a live Bloomberg TV video feed directly within the app, helping traders stay informed about market-moving news.
On the banking side, the app supports high-yield savings accounts, mobile check deposit, and Zelle integration. The option execution module is designed for quick order entry, featuring pre-populated option chain data based on the chosen strategy.
However, user feedback highlights stability concerns. The app is prone to memory leaks that can cause the UI to freeze during periods of high market volatility, occasionally requiring a complete restart to execute trades. There are also visual bugs, such as small font sizes on certain screens and cost-basis calculation discrepancies in portfolio summaries.
Pros & Cons
Zero-Commission Trading: Offers commission-free trades for US-listed equities, exchange-traded funds, and option strategies.
Live Market Broadcasting: Features an in-app, high-definition streaming Bloomberg TV broadcast for real-time news.
Unified Wealth Management: Integrates investment portfolios with check deposits, high-yield savings, and Zelle banking rails.
Professional Research Suite: Provides comprehensive screener engines, analyst insights, and charting capabilities.
Direct Customer Support: Includes an in-app live chat tool to connect directly with customer service representatives.
Robust Option Building: Features interactive, multi-leg options building tools designed for advanced trading strategies.
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Memory Volatility Freezes: The application can lock up or freeze during heavy trading sessions, requiring a manual app reset.
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Ledger Calculation Inconsistencies: The portfolio dashboard occasionally displays incorrect cost-basis calculations or inaccurate historical returns.
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Font Scaling Issues: Recent updates reduced the size of account balance fonts on certain screens, making them difficult to read.
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Autofill Incompatibilities: The app's login page often fails to trigger credentials autofill when using third-party password managers like 1Password.
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FAQs
What are the transaction costs associated with E*TRADE?
Online stock, ETF, and options trades are commission-free, though standard regulatory fees and a $0.65 fee per options contract still apply.
Can checking accounts be linked to trading accounts in the app?
Yes, the app supports direct fund transfers, check imaging deposits, and Zelle integration.
Is options trading supported in the mobile app?
Yes, E*TRADE features a dedicated options trade ticket designed for executing single and multi-leg option strategies.
How can a user resolve interface freezes during a trade?
If the app freezes, the user should force close and restart the application or log in via a desktop browser to manage active positions.
Does the app provide real-time market data?
Yes, the application provides streaming quotes and real-time portfolio updates to active account holders.
Hot Reviews
Users report frequent performance issues during high-volume market events, noting that the app can freeze or crash, requiring a full system restart to place orders.
Several reviews point out bugs where the app displays incorrect "price paid" and "total gain" metrics for assets, causing confusion when tracking portfolio performance.
A recent layout update has drawn criticism for reducing font sizes in account balances and summary tables, with no option to adjust them within the app.
Traders appreciate the built-in screening tools, real-time streaming watchlists, and integrated Bloomberg TV feed, which help them monitor market movements.