Trade Ideas Vs ThinkorSwim

Trade Ideas and ThinkorSwim are fierce rivals when it comes to providing market intelligence for stock trading. In fact, from a distance, the two can easily pass for Siamese twins. But they aren’t! Look even closer and you’re bound to find quite a few differences between them.

And, therefore, in this comparison, we would like to shed more light on the similarities and differences between these two trading services.

The Similarities

So, what are the similarities between these two services? Well, as we have already seen, the two platforms are designed to make good use of modern technology. Indeed, they represent a new era in the world of trading and make it possible for you to trade even while you’re on the move.

Besides that, the two provide educational services. As you know, education is an important part of understanding trades and investments. And perhaps another notable similarity is that TradeIdeas and ThinkorSwim are premium products meaning they offer premium features which cannot be found freely elsewhere.

1. Mobile-Readiness

Both services are mobile-ready which is a plus to a majority of people who prefer to trade or study on the move. The two provide the means through which to initiate trades and track them remotely. What’s more? You get an identical user-interface whether you access either of the systems via a computer or through mobile.

That said, Think or Swim seems to have a slightly better mobile platform than TradeIdeas and that’s because theirs allows you to connect with trading specialists and share your screen for further assistance.

2. Chatroom Services

Entering the world of trading may seem like a simple undertaking but in reality, it can be overwhelming. In that case, chat rooms and message boards can prove to be of immense value. Fortunately, these two platforms provide chat rooms that are highly interactive. And, therefore, as a beginner trader, you can rely on other chat room members and moderators to learn about different market trends.

3. Charts

Without charts, it would be virtually impossible to understand the visual representation of a stock’s performance over time. And with thousands of indicators available, it’s possible to analyze the price action.

So, charts are an indispensable part of stock trading and we’re glad to confirm that both Trade Ideas and Think or Swim provide some awesome charts. These are not just charts but highly advanced tools with advanced customization tools and even the resources you need to draw patterns and projections.

4. Social Stats

This is an ingenious feature that’s shared by these two services. As you know, social statistics are an important part of stock trading. And fortunately, these two systems come with built-in tools for scouring social statistics and making fundamental analysis in combination with technical analysis.

At the end of the day, you’re able to get highly accurate and up-to-date analytics equaling a greater likelihood to make better trade decisions.

The Differences

There are quite a few differences between these two systems. And it’s only by taking a really close look at the two that we can begin to appreciate the strengths offered by either one of them.

1. Pricing

As for Trade Ideas, you have to make an upfront payment to access the premium features. You can either choose to get started with the standard plan which goes for $1068 per year or $118 per month. This plan provides you with access to the basic but highly important features such as the charts, price alerts and so forth.

However, if you’re looking for something that’s highly advanced, the Premium plan that goes for $228 per month or $2268 per year is worth taking a closer look at. That’s because it provides you with all the tools you’d find under the standard package along with access to artificial intelligence.

On the contrary, you don’t need to pay an upfront cost to access ThinkorSwim. However, you’d have to part with commissions and/or options contract fees. What you need to keep in mind is that their commissions are at an average of $6.95 per stock you trade – which is higher than the industry average.

The good thing with Think or Swim is that all of their features are available for free no matter your account balance, trade volume or level of experience.

2. Education

Even though both services provide investor education services, we think that Trade Ideas offers a slightly better deal. Why so? Our spot check of TD America’s educational content revealed that they mainly provide generalized training through pre-recorded content. That said, they still offer daily lesson and demonstrations.

Now, the reason we think Trade Ideas has an upper hand here is that they offer personalized training. In fact, the minute you join them, you’ll be given some professional training by one of their in-house members of staff. And that’s a really cool thing because you get quite a bit of personalized coaching which is awesome especially if you’re a beginner.

3. Market Intelligence

Although TD America has really tried to create an innovative system that puts all the information under your fingertips, they are no match to what Trade Ideas has to offer. Under Trade Ideas, you get a fully-fledged automated market analysis system which is powered by the latest AI technology.

With Think or Swim, you’d need to scour the markets and pay attention to every tiny detail so you can initiate a trade. But TradeIdeas takes the hassle out of trading thereby providing you with the opportunity to sit pretty, enjoy life and only open trades when it’s right.

Therefore, in our view, Trade Ideas offers a much better deal as far as market intelligence is concerned. And we love the fact that they keep improving their systems to offer better and better analyses.

4. Beginner-Friendliness

Both systems are user-friendly but Think or Swim seems best suited for folks who already know quite a few things about stock trading. Trade Ideas, on the other hand, seems suited for all levels of trading experience. If you’re a beginner, you’ll benefit from the one-on-one training offered here. What’s more?

This system effectively automates the stock analysis process making it easier for you to make informed decisions without having to spend long hours behind your computer.

5. Alerts

Both platforms provide you with alerts. Plus they also provide you with filtering features which ensure you only get alerts that are relevant to your style of trading. That said, we’re of the opinion that Trade Ideas offers better alerts than Think or Swim. What’s more?

To customize the Think or Swim alerts, you have to make use of the Alert () function. But with Trade Ideas, you don’t need to code a single line – just interact with a friendly interface, choose the kind of alerts you’d like to receive and that’s it.