SpeedTrader
SpeedTrader is a privately held US broker-dealer (FINRA/SIPC) serving active day traders with direct market access across equities, ETFs, options, and OTC securities, delivered via desktop, web, mobile, and API platforms. Revenue comes primarily from per-share, per-trade, and options commissions, plus payment for order flow.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What SpeedTrader does
SpeedTrader, Inc. is a privately held US broker-dealer founded in 1999/2000 and headquartered in Katonah, New York. It is a member of FINRA and SIPC and operates alongside its commonly-owned affiliate SpeedTrader International Limited. The company provides online trading access in equities, ETFs, options, and OTC/pink-sheet securities, targeted at active day traders who require direct market access, low-latency execution, and professional-grade tools.
The firm delivers its service through a multi-platform architecture: SpeedTrader PRO (DAS Trader Pro, the desktop terminal with Level-2 quotes, advanced charting, customization, and hot keys), ActiveWeb (browser-based with candlestick charting and Level-1 streaming quotes), iSPEEDTRADER (mobile), and Sterling Trader (zero-commission). Underlying the platforms are 25+ order-routing options for execution optimization and integration with 12 third-party short-locate services. An API Trading Services layer supports programmatic and algorithmic strategies. Direct market access is the core technology differentiator, complemented by extensive short-locate aggregation.
SpeedTrader's revenue model is primarily transaction-based: per-share commissions (as low as $0.0009/share), per-trade commissions (as low as $2.49/trade), and options per-contract fees ($0.25/contract), supplemented by subscription/platform fees, account-related fees, and payment for order flow (up to $0.0028/share routed to venues such as SpeedRoute, Lampost Capital, CODA Markets, and Volant). Clearing and custody are outsourced to Axos Clearing and Curvature Securities. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the website, mobile app stores, and a self-service onboarding flow, with an affiliate program and free paper-trading demo supporting customer acquisition; international clients are served through SpeedTrader International with Chinese-language support.
SpeedTrader firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpeedTrader
- Legal name
- SpeedTrader, Inc.
- Website
- https://speedtrader.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SpeedTrader is a privately held US broker-dealer (FINRA/SIPC) serving active day traders with direct market access across equities, ETFs, options, and OTC securities, delivered via desktop, web, mobile, and API platforms. Revenue comes primarily from per-share, per-trade, and options commissions, plus payment for order flow.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where SpeedTrader is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SpeedTrader business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Stock and ETF Trading Commissions: Commission-based revenue from per-share and per-trade pricing plans for stocks and ETFs. Provides competitive rates for active day traders who execute high volumes of transactions.
- Options Trading Commissions: Per-contract fees for options trading, generating revenue from active options traders.
- Software and Platform Fees: Fees for accessing advanced trading platforms and professional trading tools beyond basic execution services.
- Account Fees: Various account-related fees including margin interest, wire transfers, and other account maintenance charges.
- Payment for Order Flow: Revenue from directing non-directed orders to exchanges and broker-dealers in exchange for payment, disclosed per SEC Rule 606 regulations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Per Trade Plan for Stocks and ETFs |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Per Share Plan for Stocks and ETFs |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Options Trading |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
SpeedTrader product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SpeedTrader is a US-registered online broker-dealer providing active day traders with direct market access (DMA) to equities, ETFs, options, and OTC/pink-sheet securities. Customers execute trades through proprietary multi-device platforms — SpeedTrader PRO (desktop), ActiveWeb (browser), iSPEEDTRADER (mobile), and Sterling Trader — supported by 25+ order routing destinations, integrated short locate services, and programmatic API trading.
Product overview
SpeedTrader is a direct market access broker serving active day traders for over 25 years. The company offers a multi-platform architecture consisting of SpeedTrader PRO (desktop software), ActiveWeb (web-based platform), and iSPEEDTRADER (mobile app) as the core trading platforms. Additional services include Sterling Trader (zero-commission platform), API Trading Services for programmatic trading, Short Selling Stock Locate (access to 12 third-party locate services), OTC & Pink Sheets trading, and Direct Market Access with 25+ routing options. The company provides flexible pricing including per-trade ($2.49/trade), per-share ($0.0009/share), and options ($0.25/contract) commission structures.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SpeedTrader PRO: Desktop trading platform with advanced charting, real-time Level 2 quotes, and direct market access.
- ActiveWeb
- Sterling
- iSPEEDTRADER
- SpeedTrader International
Products and services
- SpeedTrader PRO (Desktop) Advanced desktop trading software providing real-time Level-2 quotes, advanced charting, direct market access, hot keys, and deep customization, designed for active day traders who require professional-grade execution tooling.
- ActiveWeb Browser-based trading platform offering candlestick charting, real-time Level-1 quotes, and streaming news for traders who want platform access without installing desktop software.
- iSPEEDTRADER (Mobile) Mobile trading application for iOS (and Android) devices with candlestick charting, real-time Level-2 quotes, and a market viewer, enabling full trading capabilities on phones and tablets.
- Sterling Trader Zero-commission trading platform available to SpeedTrader clients, providing professional-grade trading tools for cost-sensitive active traders.
- API Trading Services Programmatic/algorithmic trading access enabling customers to build automated trading strategies and custom applications with direct market access through SpeedTrader's API.
- Short Selling Stock Locate Aggregated short locate service providing SpeedTrader traders access to twelve third-party locate providers for identifying shares available to short, streamlining short-selling execution.
- OTC & Pink Sheets Trading Trading access to over-the-counter and pink sheet securities, enabling customers to trade penny stocks and non-exchange-listed equities through SpeedTrader's platform.
- Direct Market Access Order routing infrastructure giving customers access to 25+ execution venues — exchanges, ECNs, and dark pools — for optimized price discovery and trade execution.
Quantifiable outcome
- Per-trade commissions as low as $2.49
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use SpeedTrader
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
SpeedTrader technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
SpeedTrader partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and historical.
- Axos ClearingcorePrimary clearing firm relationship providing custody, settlement, and back-office services. SpeedTrader creates quarterly order routing 606 reports for Axos Clearing and offers AXOS Clearing account access to clients.
- Curvature SecuritiescoreSecondary clearing firm relationship providing clearing services for select SpeedTrader accounts. SpeedTrader creates quarterly order routing 606 reports for Curvature Securities.
- Apex Pro ClearinghistoricalHistorical clearing relationship (2020-2021 routing reports reference Apex Pro Clearing). Relationship appears to have transitioned to Curvature Securities for Apex-related services.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SpeedTrader competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TradeStation: TradeStation is a long-standing active-trader focused online broker offering direct market access, advanced charting, and platform subscriptions—essentially the same niche and product set as SpeedTrader, including per-share and per-trade pricing tiers for stocks and options.
- Interactive Brokers: Interactive Brokers serves active and professional traders globally with DMA, low per-share/commission pricing, multi-asset trading, and a powerful API and Trader Workstation platform—directly comparable to SpeedTrader's professional-trader positioning and API trading services.
- Lightspeed Trading: Lightspeed is a direct-access broker specializing in equities and options for active day traders, offering professional platforms, short locate services, and routing options—closely aligned with SpeedTrader's DMA and active-trader value proposition.
- Cobra Trading: Cobra Trading is a smaller direct-access broker focused on active day and short-selling traders, offering DMA platforms, competitive locate access, and pro-platform features that mirror SpeedTrader's focused trader offering.
- CenterPoint Securities: CenterPoint Securities is a direct-access broker catering specifically to professional active day traders with DMA routing, short locate integrations, and Level-2/platform features that overlap closely with SpeedTrader's product stack.
- Robinhood Markets: Robinhood is a consumer-facing online broker-dealer serving large volumes of active retail traders via mobile-first UX and zero-commission trading plus PFOF revenue—competing with SpeedTrader for the same active retail day-trader wallet share.
- Webull: Webull is an online broker-dealer offering commission-free stock/options trading with advanced charting, Level-2 data, and a mobile-first platform—directly competing with SpeedTrader on commission pricing and active-trader tooling.
- Firstrade: Firstrade is an online broker-dealer offering zero-commission stock/options trading with active-trader platform features—targeting similar active retail traders as SpeedTrader with a competing commission-free value proposition.
Broad incumbents
- Charles Schwab: Charles Schwab is a large incumbent broker-dealer with active-trader platforms (StreetSmart), zero-commission stock/ETF trading, and PFOF—encroaching on SpeedTrader's niche from above with broader product breadth and balance-sheet capabilities.
Emerging players
- Tradier: Tradier is an API-first brokerage and trading infrastructure provider enabling developers and fintechs to embed brokerage and DMA trading—adjacent and emerging relative to SpeedTrader's API Trading Services, with potential to compete for the same algo/active-trader volume.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SpeedTrader social profiles
Digital presenceSpeedTrader compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
SpeedTrader financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpeedTrader leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SpeedTrader subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
SpeedTrader funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpeedTrader M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SpeedTrader
What does SpeedTrader do?
SpeedTrader is a US-registered online broker-dealer providing active day traders with direct market access (DMA) to equities, ETFs, options, and OTC/pink-sheet securities. Customers execute trades through proprietary multi-device platforms — SpeedTrader PRO (desktop), ActiveWeb (browser), iSPEEDTRADER (mobile), and Sterling Trader — supported by 25+ order routing destinations, integrated short locate services, and programmatic API trading.
Is SpeedTrader a public or private company?
SpeedTrader is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SpeedTrader founded?
SpeedTrader was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SpeedTrader based?
SpeedTrader is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does SpeedTrader make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Stock and ETF Trading Commissions are the primary driver. The others are options Trading Commissions, software and Platform Fees, account Fees and payment for Order Flow.
Who are SpeedTrader's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TradeStation, Interactive Brokers, Lightspeed Trading, Cobra Trading, CenterPoint Securities, Robinhood Markets, Webull and Firstrade. Charles Schwab is listed as a broad incumbent. Tradier is listed as an emerging player.
Does SpeedTrader have an API?
Yes. SpeedTrader offers API Trading Services for automated and programmatic trading. The company provides direct market access with access to over 25 routing options.