Head-to-head comparison across ratings, fees, asset coverage, and platform breadth.
4.1 / 5
Best-in-class short-locate inventory for active day traders and short sellers. Now a Clear Street division with ~8,000 ETB names, an in-house HTB desk sourcing 100M+ shares/month, 40+ DMA routes, and no PFOF. $30K minimum; not for beginners or buy-and-hold.
3.8 / 5
Best for Bank of America customers with $100K+ combined balances who want IRA, banking, credit card, and brokerage under one login. Outside that fit, Fidelity, Schwab, or IBKR are stronger pure-trading platforms.
Each broker scored 0–5 across the same 8 dimensions.
Green cells mark the winner on each metric. Tie rows are uncoloured.
| Metric | CenterPoint | Merrill | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| OverallEditorial score | 4.10 / 5 | 3.80 / 5 | CenterPoint |
| Sub-ratingsCommissions & fees | 4.00 | 3.80 | CenterPoint |
| Sub-ratingsPlatforms & tools | 4.50 | 3.80 | CenterPoint |
| Sub-ratingsMobile app | 2.00 | 3.50 | Merrill |
| Sub-ratingsResearch | 3.00 | 5.00 | Merrill |
| Sub-ratingsEducation | 2.50 | 4.00 | Merrill |
| Sub-ratingsCustomer service | 4.30 | 4.00 | CenterPoint |
| Sub-ratingsRange of investments | 2.50 | 3.00 | Merrill |
| Sub-ratingsActive trading | 5.00 | 3.30 | CenterPoint |
| PricingLowest margin rate | 8.00% | 4.50% | Merrill |
| PricingDefault cash sweep yield | — | 0.01% | Merrill |
| PricingPFOF on equities | Does not accept | Does not accept | Tie |
| Asset class | CenterPoint | Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| OTC / Pink Sheets | Yes | |
| Listed options (single + multi-leg) | Yes | |
| Mutual funds | No | Yes |
| US Treasuries / bonds | No | |
| IRAs (limited) | Limited | |
| Hard-to-borrow short locates | Yes | |
| OTC / penny stocks | No | |
| Options (Levels 1–5) | Yes | |
| US Treasuries | Yes | |
| Corporate / muni bonds, CDs | Yes |