Two Rivals: M1 Finance and Webull
Which stock broker can give you the investing tools you need, M1 Finance or Webull? Webull offers
advanced platforms, while M1 provides cash tools and pre-built ETF and stock portfolios.
For a more detailed comparison, keep reading.
Comparison Table
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|
|
| Rating |
|
|
| Stocks |
$0 |
$0 |
| Options (per contract) |
na |
$0 |
| Initial Funding Requirement |
$100 |
$0 |
| Inactivity Fee |
$0 |
$0 |
| IRA Annual Fee |
$3/mo (waived in some cases) |
$0 |
| Full Account Transfer |
$100 |
$75 |
| Partial Account Transfer |
$100 |
$75 |
| Account Closing Fee |
$0 |
$0 |
| Trading Experience & Technology |
|
|
| Mobile |
|
|
| Research Amenities |
|
|
| Portfolio & Analysis Reports |
|
|
| Customer Service and Education |
|
|
M1 Finance Pros and Cons
With a securities account at M1 Finance, you’ll be able to get some very useful features at low cost. These are some of the more notable services:
- Ability to borrow cash using investments as collateral
- High-Yield Cash Accounts with FDIC insurance
- Retirement accounts
But M1 has many downsides. A few examples include:
- A monthly fee may apply to get the company’s full platform access
- Complicated method of investing
- Research tools are very underdeveloped
Webull Pros and Cons
With a brokerage account at Webull, you’ll get these strengths:
- Browser and desktop platforms
- Simulated trading
- In-depth security profiles
But like all brokers, Webull does have some weaknesses:
- Security search engine is very limited
- Educational section is still pretty basic
Category #1: Style of Investing
M1 Finance has a unique investing system. It creates baskets of securities (usually stocks or ETFs) with themes like Retirement 2026 and Hedge Funds. M1 customers can browse through these baskets (called Pies) and pick one.
There’s no commission, and M1 clients can build their own Pies if they want. It’s even possible to put just one security inside a Pie.
The main drawback of this setup is that M1 mainly focuses on
stocks and ETFs inside its Pie system. There are no mutual funds, options, bonds, or other investments there. The other disadvantage is that M1 customers don’t directly send orders to the exchanges. They send them to M1, which then sends them to the exchanges during specific trading windows. The result is that M1 customers have less control over time and price.
Webull does offer automated investing through
Webull Advisors, although the broker’s main experience is still self-directed trading. The obvious advantage of this system is that traders send orders to the exchanges, which gives them much more control over time and price.
They also get a wider range of investments. Webull’s lineup includes:
- Stocks (including select OTC securities)
- Options
- Futures
- Bonds
- ETFs
- Money market funds
Winner: Webull
Category #2: Website Trading
With our M1 trial account, we found a website without many tools. Charting is almost useless. There are no graphing tools, and line is the only format. Don’t even think about trying to expand a chart to full-screen mode, and 5 years of price history is the most you’ll get.
Because M1 customers don’t actually send orders to the exchanges, there is no order ticket. Investors add Pies to their accounts, and the broker takes it from there.
On the positive side, there is a watchlist on the site, and there’s a convenient funds transfer tool that can be used to establish recurring deposits.
Webull’s site has even fewer tools on it. But the firm provides a browser platform that is launched from within the site. With this software, Webull customers get:
- Full-screen charting with many tools
- User-friendly order ticket with bracket orders
- Second trade ticket that can send multiple orders at once
- Practice mode
- Watchlists and alerts
Winner: Webull
Category #3: Desktop Platforms
Webull traders who don’t find what they’re looking for on the broker’s browser platform can check out the firm’s desktop program. The two platforms are very similar, although the desktop system does have custom layouts, which the browser platform lacks.
For some odd reason, digital currencies can’t be traded on the desktop system, and it has fewer technical indicators. Nevertheless, it does deliver a lot of the same impressive features that are available on the browser system.
M1 Finance has no desktop platform at all, which shouldn’t be all that surprising because the company doesn’t emphasize active trading.
Winner: Webull
Category #4: Mobile Apps
Both brokerage firms in this clash have mobile apps. M1’s unfortunately is as simple as its website. This means there is no decent charting, and the order ticket really isn’t an order ticket at all. It is possible to browse through M1’s Pies or create your own and make an investment.
Webull’s mobile app does much more. Horizontal charting is enabled with several advanced tools. Technical studies include Bollinger Bands and exponential moving average. Time & sales data also make an appearance, and we really like the community forum.
Winner: Webull
Category #5: Investment Education
If you’re just getting started on your investing journey, you may need learning materials to build the understanding you need to make good trading decisions. M1 Finance has several articles on its website devoted to financial education. They tend to focus on personal finance rather than strict trading, but they may still help beginners. Examples include:
- The definition of wealth
- Taxes on dividends, dividend taxes
- What is a mutual fund?
Webull’s site has a similar selection of articles that cover mostly trading topics. These tend to be very short, sometimes just a sentence long. They can still be useful as a source of information. Here’s a sampling:
- What is a hard-to-borrow stock?
- How much leverage does Webull offer?
- What are the trading hours for crypto?
Winner: Draw
Category #6: Screeners and Security Analysis
Webull has a stock screener that can scan multiple markets, although only securities supported on the U.S. platform can actually be traded there. There are about 20 search criteria.
Stock profiles have a treasure trove of information. Here are a few examples:
- SEC statements
- News articles
- Details on order flow
- Press releases
M1 Finance has a very simple stock screener that has just 4 search variables. Stock profiles have almost no information on them.
Winner: Webull
Category #7: Day Trading
Shorting. Not possible at M1, but shorting is possible at Webull. In fact, it has some pretty good tools for shorting.
Level II Quotes. Once again, not available at M1, but they are at Webull
(for $2.99 a month on their own, or included with Webull Premium).
Direct-access Routing. Unfortunately, you can’t send orders to specific market makers at either firm.
Routing Fees and Rebates. And these aren’t available at either broker, either.
Winner: Webull
Category #8 Cash Management
If you need a cash account, you could skip your traditional neighborhood branch and use one
with M1 Finance. The company currently offers
High-Yield Cash Accounts with FDIC insurance.
These are not checking or savings accounts, and an open investment account is required to use them.
M1’s current cash features include:
- APY on cash balances
- FDIC insurance on participating cash balances
- Easy transfers between M1 accounts
Webull does currently offer cash-management features, and the broker pays a very high
3.35% APY rate on uninvested cash.
Winner: M1 Finance
Category #9: Margin Borrowing
M1 Finance offers a low-cost margin service called M1 Borrow. It’s basically a portfolio line of
credit. Funds can be withdrawn or used to buy more securities. Account assets serve as collateral,
and you can borrow up to
50% of your account’s value. The interest rate on the loan is just
5.65% . Best of all, there’s no credit check and no application to fill out.
Webull also offers margin accounts. The broker charges between 5.74% and 8.74%. What we like most about the firm’s margin service is very clear margin details on every security profile.
Winner: Draw
Category #10: Miscellaneous Services
IRAs: If you want to put some money away for retirement, both brokerage houses offer Individual Retirement Accounts. Only M1 Finance has the SEP account.
IPO Availability: Webull, but not M1, offers access to upcoming equity Initial Public Offerings.
Fractional-share Trading: This is where M1 Finance excels. Investments in Pies are made
with whole dollars, which means the underlying securities trade in fractional shares. Webull
now offers this service too.
Dividend Reinvestment Program: M1 Finance offers a free DRIP service, although a $25 minimum cash
balance is required for it to kick in. Webull also offers dividend reinvesting.
Extended Hours: Webull has both pre-market and after-hours trading. M1 Finance offers neither.
Winner: Webull
Promotions
Webull:
Get 12 FREE STOCKS worth up to $3,600 and a 3.5% bonus on IRA deposits with Webull！
M1 Finance:
Get $75 bonus for making a $10K deposit at M1 Finance.
At Last, Our Recommendations
Beginners: We have to go with M1 Finance. Its pre-built Pies take a lot of the guesswork out of the investing process.
Stock/ETF Trading: Webull is the easy choice here. Its two computer platforms make trading straightforward, while M1 Finance still doesn’t offer any actual trading to speak of.
Small Accounts: Webull gets our endorsement. M1 Finance has a
$100 investment minimum for taxable accounts. Retirement accounts require
$500.
Long-Term Investors and Retirement Savers: Webull.
Webull vs M1 Finance: Judgment
Both brokerage houses have their own unique approach to investing and money management. Frequent
traders should obviously choose Webull.
Free Webull Account
Open Webull Account
Updated on 4/17/2026.
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