The BEST Online Trading Brokers for 2025 – And the Insane 90% Off Apex Prop Trading Sale You Don’t Want to Miss

If you’re serious about day trading in 2025, you face two huge decisions:

• Which broker or platform you should use – direct-access or commission-free?
• Whether you should trade your own capital or use a prop firm like Apex Trader Funding.

In a recent deep-dive ranking of 17 popular online brokers, day trader Ross Cameron compared platforms on 30+ factors – including execution speed, commissions, platform UX, and account requirements. At the same time, futures prop firms like Apex Trader Funding are running aggressive promotions, including a massive 90% Off “Mega Sale” that can give you access to large funded accounts at a tiny fraction of the usual cost.

In this article, we’ll walk through:

• The two main camps of brokers in 2025 (direct access vs commission-free).
• Why execution speed and platform tools matter more than most traders think.
• How small-account traders are boxed in by the PDT rule and high capital requirements.
• Why many traders use futures prop firms like Apex instead – especially during big sales.
• The details of the current Apex Trader Funding 90% Off Mega Sale and how to claim it.

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2025 Broker Landscape: Speed vs “Free” – You Can’t Have Both

The broker comparison breaks today’s platforms into two main camps:

1. Direct-Access Brokers (Fast, But Not Free)

These are the brokers that route orders directly to the exchanges or premium routes. They typically charge a commission, but in return you get:

• Very fast execution – critical for momentum and scalping strategies.
• Granular control over routing and smart order handling.
• Professional-grade Level II data, hotkeys, hotkey offsets, and halt levels.

In the video breakdown, platforms like:

• Lightspeed
• Guardian
• CenterPoint
• Cobra

consistently showed much faster real-world fill speeds compared to typical “zero commission” brokers. In fact, Lightspeed ranked at the top of the list for speed and usability, even after factoring in commissions.

For active equity day traders, the conclusion was clear: Speed costs money – but missing trades costs more.

2. Commission-Free Brokers (Cheap on Paper, Expensive in Slippage)

On the other side, you have the popular commission-free brokers:

• Webull
• Robinhood
• Fidelity (commission-free stock/ETF trading)
• E*TRADE, Charles Schwab (in their commission-free setups)

These brokers rely heavily on Payment For Order Flow (PFOF). Market makers pay the broker for your orders, then profit by capturing fractions of a cent on each share. In return, you get:

• No explicit commission, which is attractive for newer traders.
• Sometimes a bit of “price improvement” on fills.

But in the testing, the trade-off was obvious: Execution speeds were slower and less consistent than with true direct-access routes. Fidelity’s real money fill tests, for example, were surprisingly slow when timed frame-by-frame on video.

For fast-moving pre-market and small-cap momentum, that delay can be the difference between catching the breakout… or buying the top.

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Why Platform UX Is Just as Important as Execution Speed

The comparison didn’t stop at fill times. It also looked at critical platform UX features that active traders rely on:

• Level II depth of market (seeing bids/asks beyond the top of book).
• Hotkeys and hotkey offsets (like “Buy Ask + 0.10” or “Sell 50% of position”).
• The ability to scale out by percentage – selling 25%, 50%, etc., without manual share math.
• Live halt levels and resumption quotes, essential for volatile small-cap names.

Many “brokerage app” style platforms failed these tests completely. Some:

• Didn’t support proper hotkeys.
• Didn’t allow ask/bid offsets for fast limit orders.
• Didn’t show halt levels at all.

For casual investors, that might be fine. For serious day traders trading fast markets? It’s a dealbreaker.

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The PDT Trap: Why So Many Active Traders Look at Prop Firms

In the US, pattern day trading rules (PDT) require $25,000+ in a margin account to day trade stocks freely. That’s a big hurdle for most new traders.

You can:

• Trade a small cash account and wait for T+2 settlement.
• Or look at international brokers that don’t enforce PDT (with their own risks and requirements).

But there’s a third path that has exploded in popularity: Futures prop firms.

Why Futures Prop Firms Like Apex Trader Funding Are So Popular

• No PDT rule – futures don’t have the same pattern day trading constraints.
• Low upfront cost to access higher “funded” account sizes.
• The firm takes on the capital risk after you pass the evaluation.
• You focus on execution, risk management, and consistency.

When you combine the broker reality (speed vs “free,” plus PDT capital requirements) with the opportunity of discounted evaluations, prop trading starts to look very attractive – especially when firms like Apex Trader Funding run big seasonal promotions.

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Apex Trader Funding’s 90% Off Mega Sale – What You Get

Lifetime PA Fees – Christmas Special

Once you pass and get funded, Apex charges a one-time Performance Account (PA) fee. During this sale, those fees are heavily discounted:

• $25K / $50K / $100K PA: Normally $65 → $84.60 All-In (including first month + fees in sale structure)
• $150K / $250K / $300K PA: Normally $125 → $144.60 All-In

Additional Perks During the Sale

• Resets: Just $60 if you break rules or want a fresh start.
• One Day To Pass – if you hit the profit target following the rules, you don’t have to drag it out.
• NO Consistency Rule in Evaluations – you’re not forced to “spread” your profits across multiple days.
• Up to 20 PA accounts per household – potential to scale if you’re consistently profitable.

And yes, this offer is time-sensitive:

⏰ 90% Off Ends Tuesday, December 16th at 11:59 PM ET

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How This Ties Back to Broker Choice & Trading Strategy

In the broker comparison, the takeaway was: “Free” is not really free if slow execution and weak tools cause you to miss trades or chase entries.

Direct-access brokers like Lightspeed were ranked highest because:

• They provide blazing-fast execution.
• They offer full hotkey support, Level II, halt levels, and robust routing.

However, that performance requires:

• Paying commissions (which add up with high share size), and
• Usually larger account sizes to meet platform or PDT requirements.

This is exactly why many traders do both:

• Use a strong broker or platform for charting, analysis, and sometimes smaller personal accounts.
• Combine that with a prop firm account (like Apex) to access larger capital and futures markets without the $25K PDT barrier.

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Step-by-Step: How to Claim the 90% Off Apex Evaluation

1. Visit the promo link:
   https://tinyurl.com/ApexPropDeals
2. Choose your evaluation size
   Decide which account size fits your strategy and risk tolerance (e.g., $25K, $50K, $100K, $150K, $250K, or $300K).
3. Enter the promo code at checkout:
   Use code PROPDEALS for the 90% discount.
4. Confirm the discounted price
   You should see the evaluation drop from $196 down to about $19.60 for the first month.
5. Complete checkout and start your evaluation
   Connect your preferred futures platform, follow Apex rules, and work toward hitting the profit target.

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Final Thoughts: Put the Odds Back in Your Favor

The 2025 broker breakdown makes one thing very clear: You can’t afford to trade seriously with a slow, crippled platform.

Whether you choose:

• A direct-access stock broker like Lightspeed or another fast platform,
• A solid commission-free broker for lighter trading, or
• A futures prop firm like Apex Trader Funding to bypass PDT and leverage their capital…

…your tools and cost structure directly impact your bottom line.

Huge promotions like this 90% Off Apex Mega Sale don’t last forever. If you’ve been thinking about testing your strategy in a prop environment, this is one of those rare windows when the cost of trying is extremely low.

Light up your trading like a Christmas tree, respect your risk, and use the right tools. Merry trading – and here’s to finishing the year strong. 🎄✨

🎁 Lock In 90% Off Apex Now – Use Code PROPDEALS