Tastyworks Review 2024: Best Platform for Stocks, Options

Tastyworkds, a globally reputed online broker, is now termed Tastytrade. And while the name has changed, the features, spanning across stocks, Options, ETFs, and other instruments, haven’t. Offering access to many research tools, an extensive product set, and loads of educational resources, Tastytrade doesn’t have an aura about itself. And do not get me started on the fancy name.

Tastyworks was renamed Tastytrade on February 22, 2023

Yet, opening an account and getting started with an online broker is a huge commitment. Therefore, I will evaluate and review Tastytrade across many metrics to help you decide if it is the proper Option or stock broker for you. By the end of this comprehensive review, you should be able to tell Tastytrade apart from other brokers while making a few tasty trades of your own.

Pros and Cons

Before I evaluate Tastytrade in detail, listing the pros and cons is more than appropriate. Here is the list:

Pros

1. Offers low Options trading fees
2. Zero inactivity fees
3. A decent collection of educational tools
4. Low trading fees
5. Offers free stock trading

Cons

1. It doesn’t provide a demo account
2. Not an out-and-out forex broker
3. Bank transfers incur withdrawal fees
4. Fewer deposit and withdrawal options:

Tastytrade is one of the few online brokers that attract a $0 commission on stocks and ETFs.

Background and History

This online brokerage platform came into existence in 2017. What started as a platform for trading stocks and Options graduated to Futures trading. Leading Tastytrade is Scott Sheridan, acting CEO, which gives users a platform to manage their funds and not rely on robo-advisors.

Regarding regulatory posture, Tastytrade operates by considering the U.S.-specific regulatory posture.

Tastytrade also extends its services to the crypto world, as Tastycrypto is a digital asset conglomerate operating as a DeFi wallet and is available as an Android and iOS app. Crypto trading was launched in 2021.

The Signup Flow

Before I help you explore the features, knowing TastyTrade’s signup flow is essential.

The login page is basic, and you need to feed all the details and hit “Continue” to get started.

After that, you need to answer a few questions — including the country of residence, type of account, and the nature of the account. Once done, you need to feed in the personal credentials, anything you can validate using government IDs, utility bills, and more.

The flow is a tad elaborate as you need to fill in everything — from the citizenship status to employment information, the contact details of a trusted individual, and more.

In most cases, your Tastytrade account gets verified in under 24 hours.

All Platforms Explored

One of the best things about Tastytrader is its ability to be used across web interfaces, desktops, the Android platform, and the iOS ecosystem. Here are the traits specific to each platform:

Web Interface 

• Offers advanced charts and tools for analysis
• Fast trading interface with easy-to-access and clickable options
• A visual trading setup
• Easy Options trade rollup interface
• Allows easy order adjustments

Desktop App

• It runs locally on your PC
• Access to charting tools
• An option to track order chains
• A detailed analysis tab

Mobile (Android) App

• Fast trading support
• Easy trading management interface
• Access to learning tools
• Access to custom layouts
• Access to stock fundamentals

iOS and iPad App

• Drag-and-drop functionality
• Biometric security enhancements
• Advanced charting tools
• Real-time content feeds
• Access to curated watchlists

Tastytrade desktop app paves the way for nifty trading tools like setting up trading stop losses, handling position closures with ease, setting up rolls, and setting profit targets.

Features and Offerings

With the sign-up flow, history, and other elements out of the way, it is time to focus on the Tastytrade features. Here is what it gives:

Packed With Numerous Trading Products

As a trading and online brokerage platform, Tastyworks or Tastytrade comes with diverse trading instruments. For starters, you can get hold of standard US stocks on Tastytrade. The platform offers high liquidity and supports instant trade executions as well. Plus, it lets you keep a tab on the dividends.

Stock purchases are commission-free, and you can access international markets like Europe, Asia, and Canada on Tastytrade. Besides stocks, you can even trade standard ETFs with Tastytrade, allowing you to work with an odd lot of under 100. Plus, you can trade Indices and Commodities as well.

For stocks, ETFs, commodities, and more, you can trade standalone assets or Futures and even Options on Futures.

In case you are on the fence and unsure as to what tradable options you get on Tastytrade, here are a few quick snaps captured for you:

Also, if you want to focus on the contract-bound Futures, Tastytrade offers the following instruments: the energy markets, metals futures, and more.

Finally, there are the Futures Options in play, which work as the derivatives of derivatives and are meant for the more experienced traders. Here are the selections supported by Tastytrade:

Multiple Account Types

The standout feature has to be the availability of different account types. For instance, I started with the Individual account with the owner while evaluating the sign-up flow. Now, on Tastytrade, you can open a Joint account, Rights of Survivorship account, TIC joint account, retirement account, entity account, and International accounts.

Crypto Trading Support

Even though crypto trading qualifies within the trading instrument category, a twist comes. To trade crypto on Tastytrade, you must revisit the account settings and enable cryptocurrency trading.

Here are some of the supported assets:

• Bitcoin Cash (BCH/USD)
• Polkadot (DOT/USD)
• Dogecoin (DOGE/USD)
• Ethereum (ETH/USD)
• Litecoin (LTC/USD)
• Solana (SOL/USD)

Besides the mentioned traits, this online Options broker makes room for several pro-trading features like the in-platform video feed for quick learning, a built-in follow feed, and more. Then, there is a packed “Learn Center” to help you get a feel for the trading strategies and acquire futures and options trading skills.

Fee Structure, Overheads, and Limits

Like any other trading platform, even Tastytrade has a set fee structure. You need not pay any commission to trade fractional shares and stocks — open or close. For trading Options on Stocks, the open commission is $1.

The prices are a tad lofty for standard Futures and Futures Options, with $2.50 being the Open commission and Tastytrade levying zero closing commission. For CME event contract Futures Options, the platform charges $0.50 per trade; for micro Futures, the same is $0.85.

Then there are capped commissions if you want to know the costs per leg. Here is what the fee structure looks like:

For crypto trading, the overheads are capped at $10 per order, regardless of the quantity. However, 1% of the order value is levied for single purchases and sales.

As Tastytrade supports leveraged trades, the concept of margin fees creeps in. This varies between 11% to 8%, depending on the account balance.

Are you already willing to fund the account and start trading? Before you do, here are the supported payment methods to note:

1. Wire transfers
2. Bank transfers
3. Checks

You should keep one tiny thing in mind, though — Tastytrade only accepts USD deposits.

As for the limits, you can deposit even $1 initially. If you are looking for an upper ceiling, Check-based deposits can be as high as you want. For bank transfers, the same is $1000 per transaction.

Bank deposits and withdrawals are free, and even incoming wires are fee-less. However, if you wish to withdraw funds using checks, a $5 fee is charged.

Security and the State of Customer Support

Tastytrade employs a ton of security implementations to safeguard user funds and data. These include the following:

1. Advanced encryption protocols, including SSL certificates
2. Vigilant monitoring and regular audits
3. Implementations like two-factor authentication and more

Customer support-wise, Tastytrade starts with an exhaustive “Help Center and Support” page. You can put in any query and get it addressed quickly. Then, there is the live support page that answers every one of your queries.

Besides the mentioned features, Tastytrade lets you connect with the team via email and telephone.

Generally, Tastytrade’s customer support team responds within a few hours. Even the most extensive of queries can be addressed in under 24 hours. However, in-person support is only available on the weekdays.

Who Should Consider Tastytrade?

If you are an advanced trader who wants nothing less than the entire array of Options, Futures, and Futures Options, Tastytrade is the online broker to consider. And while this isn’t a forex broker, it is FINRA and SIPC-insured with sums up to $500,000 covered in case of insolvency — making it one of the more dependable options around.