Guides · Updated 2026-11-09 · Backtest and paper results only, not financial advice.

Which Brokers Let AI Trade for You? Robinhood, Alpaca, IBKR and 12 More

Several brokers now let an AI agent like ChatGPT, Claude or Grok place real trades, and they handle safety very differently. Robinhood and Alpaca let an AI place orders without approving each one by default. Interactive Brokers makes you submit every AI-drafted order yourself, though eligible clients can now turn on Autonomous Trading inside a separate, funded AI Partition. TradeStation, tastytrade, Questrade, Webull's hosted MCP and Leverate require a confirmation on every order. We track 15 brokers, with a source link and a check date for every cell, on our broker AI tracker (last checked 2026-10-21, with some entries updated since). This is a factual comparison, not a recommendation.

Quick answer by broker

Broker	Can the AI place orders?	Approval model	Paper / sandbox
Alpaca	Yes (stocks, ETFs, crypto, options)	None enforced by the MCP; Alpaca says to review AI-suggested orders yourself	Yes, default (ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=true); $100k simulated; ChatGPT plugin is paper-only for orders
Robinhood	Yes (equities, options, crypto)	Trade approvals OFF by default for MCP accounts (toggle in Safety Controls; still rolling out)	No paper mode described in Robinhood's agent docs
Interactive Brokers	Default: AI drafts instructions, you submit each. New: IBKR Autonomous Trading lets eligible clients' AI place trades in a funded AI Partition	Review & Approve: you review and submit every AI order. Autonomous Trading: no per-order approval, limited to the cash, products and order types of a dedicated AI Partition	Paper accounts usable, but connector can't be restricted to paper only
TradeStation	Yes, with explicit confirmation	Explicit confirmation before every order	Simulated environment for API developers (by request) unverified
Tradier	Yes	No Tradier-side confirmation step described; depends on your AI client's tool approvals partial	Yes, separate paper token (PAPER_TRADING=true)
tastytrade	Yes (defaults to PRODUCTION)	Dry-run-first confirmation token on every order	Sandbox (no market data, resets every 24h)
moomoo	Yes (needs trade:write scope + trade password)	Scope-based; docs advise confirming symbol/qty	Yes, paper trading with real market data (OpenAPI)
Public	Yes (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds)	Preflight check before each order; no Public-side per-trade approval described (ChatGPT may ask before write actions)	No paper mode in Public's API/MCP docs unverified
Webull	Yes: Cloud MCP creates order instructions you confirm in the Webull app; local server places orders	Cloud MCP: every order instruction must be confirmed in the Webull app or desktop	Yes, UAT environment (default)
Questrade	Yes (draft + push approval)	Push approval in app for every order; agent can't place, change or cancel on its own	No practice mode mentioned in MCP docs unverified
NinjaTrader	Yes (futures)	No per-order approval on NinjaTrader's side; order tools are flagged destructive so most clients pause; optional risk limits	Yes, separate Demo server
Charles Schwab	Yes via Trader API	Depends on community MCP used unverified	No API paper mode (paperMoney is thinkorswim-only)
*ETRADE**	Yes via API (preview then place)	Community MCP: opt-in preview→place	Sandbox with canned test data only
Zerodha (India)	No regular orders (GTT orders only)	N/A (read-only)	No unverified
Leverate (via partner brokers)	Yes (CFDs on the partner broker's platform)	Two-phase: you approve every order in your AI app; no autonomous trading	Yes, demo accounts supported

From brokers.json. Every cell's source and check date is on the tracker. Features change fast; confirm with the broker before you rely on any of this.

Robinhood: real agent trading, approvals off by default

Robinhood lets you connect an outside AI agent to its Trading MCP. You open a separate MCP account for the agent, and Robinhood says the agent can only place trades there (Robinhood: onboarding an external agent). It can place long equities, options and crypto orders, but not multi-leg options. The setting to watch is trade approvals: Robinhood says approvals are on by default for its built-in agents and off by default for MCP accounts, so an outside agent can place eligible trades without your confirmation on each one. You can switch it on under Safety Controls, though Robinhood says that setting is still rolling out (Robinhood: trading with your agent). On paper trading, our tracker's finding is: no paper mode described in robinhood's agent docs for MCP accounts.

Alpaca: the easiest place to start on paper

Alpaca has an official open-source MCP server that can trade stocks, ETFs, crypto, options (Alpaca MCP docs). Paper trading is the default, with Yes, default (ALPACA_PAPER_TRADE=true); $100k simulated; ChatGPT plugin is paper-only for orders money (Alpaca paper trading). The catch: the MCP doesn't enforce an approval step, so reviewing the AI's orders is up to you. That's why every bot on our leaderboard is set up for Alpaca's paper endpoint only, and why our tested prompts refuse live endpoints.

Interactive Brokers: human in the loop, plus Autonomous Trading

IBKR's AI connector works with ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Perplexity and any MCP client. By default the AI drafts trade instructions and you open the AI Instructions tab to review and submit each one. IBKR says “instructions never become orders automatically” (IBKR AI integrations). IBKR now also offers IBKR Autonomous Trading: eligible clients can let a connected AI place stock and equity-option orders without approving each one, inside a dedicated AI Partition funded only with cash they allocate. It is limited to individual, non-margin accounts that first make at least 10 approved AI trades of $100 or more over two weeks, and it excludes margin, short selling and fractional shares (IBKR). IBKR first described a small, invite-only rollout on its October 15, 2026 earnings call. Paper: paper accounts usable, but connector can't be restricted to paper only.

Get the weekly receipts. One email a week with what the viral bots actually did, new tests, and broker AI-access changes. Free, plus the Bot Builder Starter Kit. Subscribe to the newsletter →

Brokers that confirm every order

TradeStation: Official MCP (Claude, ChatGPT); request access in HUB. Explicit confirmation before every order (source).
tastytrade: Official MCP (self-hosted, open source). Dry-run-first confirmation token on every order. Note that it defaults to production (source).
Questrade: Push approval in app for every order; agent can't place, change or cancel on its own (source).
E*TRADE: No official MCP; API + community MCPs. Community MCP: opt-in preview→place.

Brokers where orders can go straight through

Public: Preflight check before each order; no Public-side per-trade approval described (ChatGPT may ask before write actions).
Tradier: No Tradier-side confirmation step described; depends on your AI client's tool approvals. Paper: Yes, separate paper token (PAPER_TRADING=true).
moomoo: Scope-based; docs advise confirming symbol/qty. Live orders needs trade:write scope + trade password.
Webull: Cloud MCP: every order instruction must be confirmed in the Webull app or desktop. Paper: Yes, UAT environment (default).
NinjaTrader (futures): No per-order approval on NinjaTrader's side; order tools are flagged destructive so most clients pause; optional risk limits.

No official AI trading (yet)

Charles Schwab: No public MCP; Trader API + community MCPs. Paper: No API paper mode (paperMoney is thinkorswim-only).
Zerodha (India): Official Kite MCP (read-only; works with ChatGPT per Zerodha, Oct 2026). No regular orders (GTT orders only).

In total, 12 of the 15 brokers we track have an official MCP server of some kind.

How to connect an AI to a broker safely

Start on paper. Alpaca, Webull, Tradier, moomoo and NinjaTrader all have paper or demo modes in our tracker.
Use a separate, small account. Robinhood and IBKR already split agent trading into its own account or partition.
Turn on per-trade approval wherever the broker offers it, at least until you trust the setup.
Test the strategy first. Most viral bots we tested lost to buy-and-hold in backtests. See do AI trading bots work?
Check that “paper mode” really trades the strategy. In our ChatGPT prompt tests, several paper modes didn't.
Prefer a no-code platform? The AI trading tools directory lists bots and platforms with sourced prices.

FAQ

Does Robinhood allow AI trading bots?

Yes. Robinhood lets you connect an outside AI agent through its Trading MCP, and the agent trades in a separate MCP account. It can place equities, options and crypto orders. Robinhood says trade approvals are off by default for MCP accounts, so the agent can place eligible trades without asking you each time unless you turn approvals on. That setting is still rolling out. Robinhood doesn't describe a paper mode for MCP accounts.

Does Alpaca allow AI agents to trade?

Yes. Alpaca has an official open-source MCP server that can place stock, ETF, crypto and options orders. Paper trading is the default, with $100,000 in simulated money. The MCP doesn't enforce an approval step, so reviewing the AI's orders is up to you.

Can Interactive Brokers' AI place trades on its own?

By default, no. IBKR's AI connector drafts trade instructions and you review and submit each one. IBKR now also offers Autonomous Trading for eligible clients: the AI can trade stocks and equity options without per-order approval, but only inside a separate AI Partition funded with cash you allocate. You need an individual non-margin account and at least 10 approved AI trades of $100 or more over two weeks to qualify, per IBKR's AI page.

Which brokers have paper trading for AI agents?

From our tracker: Alpaca (paper by default), Webull (test environment by default), Tradier (separate paper token), moomoo (paper with real market data), NinjaTrader (demo server) and tastytrade (a sandbox that resets every 24 hours). Interactive Brokers has paper accounts, but its connector can't be locked to paper only.

Is it safe to let an AI trade my brokerage account?

It carries real risk, including losing money fast if the AI misreads an instruction. Start in paper or sandbox mode, use a separate account with a small balance, turn on per-trade approvals where the broker offers them, and check the order history often. Nothing here is advice.

Get the weekly receipts. Subscribe free and get the Bot Builder Starter Kit (14-page PDF): 5 tested prompts, a hype-detector checklist, and safe paper-trading rules.

Form not showing? Subscribe on beehiiv