Markets vs Robinhood

Markets vs Robinhood (& other stock apps)

You already know how to trade stocks. Markets gives you the same familiar assets — TSLA, NVDA, AAPL — but removes the constraints that legacy platforms built in decades ago.

This page is for traders coming from Robinhood, eToro, Trading 212, or any traditional brokerage.

Side-by-side comparison

The honest trade-off

Robinhood has real advantages — SIPC insurance, regulatory protection, familiar UI. We're not here to pretend otherwise.

Here's the honest comparison:

Choose Robinhood if:

• You want to buy and hold shares long-term (dividends, ownership)
• You want regulatory protection on your funds
• You're a US resident and happy with market hours

Choose Markets if:

• You want to trade outside market hours — weekends, overnight, pre-market
• You want to go long AND short on any asset, anytime
• You believe in self-custody of your funds
• You want global access to macro trading (FX, commodities, indices)
• You trade actively and value 24/7 liquidity

The one thing that's different: perpetuals vs stocks

On Robinhood, you buy the stock. If you buy 1 share of TSLA at $800, you own that share.

On Markets, you trade a perpetual, which is an instrument that tracks TSLA's price. You don't own the share, but your profit and loss moves exactly with Tesla's price.

For active traders, this changes very little about the experience:

• You see the same price moving up and down
• You open and close positions the same way
• Your P\&L is calculated the same way

The key differences:

• No dividends (you don't own the share)
• No voting rights
• You use leverage (which amplifies both gains and losses)
• You pay a small funding rate to hold positions overnight

What Markets does NOT do

To be fully transparent:

• ❌ No Options — Markets trades perpetuals only. No calls, puts, strike prices, or expiry dates. Perpetuals are actually simpler.
• ❌ No Traditional Futures — No quarterly contracts that expire and require rollover
• ❌ No Share Ownership — If you need dividends or shareholder rights, use a brokerage
• ❌ No SIPC — Your funds are in your own wallet. Self-custody means you're responsible

Common questions from Robinhood users