Complete Guide to Stock Trading Fees by Brokerage Firms: 2025 Fee Comparison and Efficient Trading Strategies

When starting stock investments, many people tend to focus solely on achieving returns. However, one of the factors that significantly impacts overall profits is the stock trading commission fee. It is important to properly understand and manage these costs, which must be paid with each transaction, as they can lead to substantial long-term losses.

Structure and Types of Stock Trading Commissions

The costs borne by investors during stock trading are not simple. The basic fee is the brokerage commission paid to the securities firm, and additional fees are incurred by related institutions such as the Korea Exchange and the Korea Securities Depository. When trading overseas stocks, currency exchange fees are also added.

The commission structures for domestic and international stocks differ. Domestic stock trading is relatively inexpensive, but when trading foreign stocks, especially U.S. stocks, additional costs such as SEC(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) fees, FINRA fees, and others are incurred. Most securities firms charge approximately 0.25% for online trading of U.S. stocks.

2025 Major Securities Firms’ Stock Trading Commission Status

Fees vary depending on the securities firm and even within the same firm depending on the trading platform. Analyzing the current status for the top 5 firms based on online trading:

Mirae Asset Securities charges 0.136% for domestic stock trading and 0.25% for U.S. stocks. New and dormant customers opening a non-face-to-face direct account are offered a 90-day exemption from domestic and U.S. stock trading fees.

Korea Investment & Securities applies a 0.147% fee for domestic stocks and 0.25% for U.S. stocks. They are running a promotion offering free U.S. stock trading fees for 3 months for new and dormant overseas stock customers.

Samsung Securities applies a tiered fee of 0.147216% plus a fixed 1,500 KRW for transactions under 10 million KRW. Overseas stock trading fees are 0.25%, and new/dormant customers holding non-face-to-face accounts are exempt from U.S. stock trading fees for 3 months.

Kiwoom Securities applies a differentiated fee, such as 0.015% for domestic stocks on the HeroMUN4 platform. U.S. stocks are charged at 0.25%, with a 3-month free period for new/dormant non-face-to-face account holders.

Shinhan Investment Corp. charges 0.1391639% plus 2,000 KRW for transactions under 30 million KRW. U.S. stock trading fees are 0.25%, and they offer the longest exemption of 1 year for new/dormant non-face-to-face account holders.

While overseas stock trading fees show little variation among firms, domestic trading costs can vary significantly depending on transaction size and platform. Therefore, choosing the most advantageous securities firm based on your main trading platform and transaction volume is key.

The Real Impact of Stock Trading Commissions on Profits

It might seem trivial to worry about a few cents in fees, but when considering compound interest effects, the situation changes dramatically. For example, suppose you make 10 transactions with 1 million KRW each, expecting a 10% return per trade. With a 0.1% fee, the final profit would be about 2.57 million KRW, but at 0.2%, it drops to approximately 2.54 million KRW—a difference of about 30,000 KRW. As your investment size and trading frequency increase, this gap grows exponentially.

A more problematic case is fixed fees. Samsung Securities, for example, charges a fixed 1,500 KRW for transactions under 10 million KRW. While it may seem small, doing 100 trades totals 150,000 KRW, which can significantly erode the profits of small-scale day traders.

Practical Strategies to Reduce Stock Trading Commissions

The first step is to understand the exact fee structure. Since each securities firm has a complex fee system, detailed calculations tailored to your trading size and frequency are necessary. Especially for small-scale day traders, confirming whether fixed fees apply is essential.

Use fee benefits strategically. Most major securities firms offer fee exemptions or discounts for new and dormant customers. Some allow you to choose when to start these benefits, so planning active trading and timing your applications accordingly can optimize savings.

Consciously manage your trading size and frequency. For firms like Shinhan Investment Corp. that impose fixed fees, it’s more efficient to execute larger trades in one go rather than multiple small trades. Since higher trade amounts often result in lower fee rates, if you don’t plan to split trades, a single large transaction is preferable.

Pay attention to exchange rates and currency conversion costs. When trading overseas stocks, securities firms’ exchange rates are often less favorable than banks or specialized currency exchange services. Preparing foreign currency when rates are low or utilizing the firm’s preferential exchange rate programs is a smart move.

Choose a securities firm optimized for your trading pattern. For small, frequent day traders, firms without fixed fees are ideal, while long-term investors dealing with large amounts benefit from tiered fee structures that reduce costs as transaction size increases.

Conclusion

Stock trading commissions are not just transaction costs—they are a key variable directly affecting investment returns. By focusing on profit pursuit while effectively managing fees, you can secure real gains. It is recommended to accurately understand your trading style, compare and analyze securities firms’ fee structures, and start trading under the most favorable conditions.