Ratings breakdown
Reviews from actual traders
What do you think about Alpaca?
Tell the community your thoughts.
The platform is great in terms of what they offer. Automation is outstanding compared to any else l have tried. Placing premarket orders are limited to LIMIT orders only which very standard to most brokers around. Alpaca is extremely friendly towards automation which is at the end what l was looking for.
Many thanks for your feedback here! We are so glad to hear that you are enjoying Alpaca's platform and APIs! If we can help you as you continue to build and trade with Alpaca, please do not hesitate to reach out to Alpaca Support.
Terrible broker, they locked my money for weeks because they needed documents that they haven't ask before I deposit. Also many day trades that I held to swing they moved the avg price up out of nothing. Do not use this broker. It should be illegal what they do.
We apologise for any frustration caused here. Please kindly reach out to support@alpaca.markets and we would be happy to look into this further.
"Algorithmic API-first" broker can't even implement option brackets due to technical challenges. Can't attach orders to existing positions.
On TV: you often can't replace orders, gives an error "order doesn't exist"; buying power isn't displayed; GTC orders for shares only; no GTC extended orders.
Lots of limitations that add up to a frustrating experience and possibly money lost.
Thank you for this detailed review. We apologize for the frustration these limitations have caused. Expanding our advanced order types and tightening our TradingView integration are top priorities for our team right now, and your feedback regarding GTC orders and buying power displays has been passed along. Please contact us at support@alpaca.markets with your account details so we can look into those specific platform errors.
It works seamlessly with Trading View, although there is a bit of a lag in timing (on paper trading practice) and it requires an even number of shares.
Thank you for the feedback! We're glad the TradingView integration is treating you well. The minor lag you're experiencing is typically a characteristic of the paper trading/simulation environment rather than live execution.
Don't waste your time with Alpaca.
You don't have to look hard, just check out their incident history: https://status.alpaca.markets/history. At the time of writing this, they have incidents all the time. I would not trust my money with a company like this.
Here's my situation that made me quit doing business with Alpaca:
I accidentally submitted a sell order for my position seconds after RTH closed that still had TIF set to day (no extended hours). My order became stuck in a pending state and I was unable to edit the order, cancel the order or liquidate the position. I was forced to hold overnight and lost thousands of dollars as the position ran away from me while I had no control.
I contacted Alpaca support shortely after RTH closed to try to resolve my issue. They did not respond for 7 hours! They proceded to tell me this behavior is expected in their system because my order reached the venue marked for RTH and there is no way for an order to be changed or a position to be liquidated while that order is pending in this scenario.
Poor response times. Questionable infrastructural integrity with the frequent incidents published to their status page. Stick with a big name instead of this company.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the frustration caused here.
We would like the opportunity to review your specific case further. Please reach out to us directly at support@alpaca.markets.
I transferred $80k on Monday to fund a new account via domestic wire, still nothing in the account on Thursday. I contacted them via email at least 5 times at this stage, nothing back apart from an acknowledgement that they're busy. I went on their forum then, and posted a question about the hold up. I received a DM from a support staff member, who I shared my account number and email with, and who now looks likely to be a scammer pretending to be a staff member...yay!! Absolutely useless level of support and zero help on multiple fronts. I should have stayed with tradestation
Hello, thank you for reaching out. We apologize for the delay. Our support team is currently experiencing an unusually high volume of requests, but we will work to expedite your tickets on our end.
We will send you a private message to continue the conversation and assist further.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Alpaca – Where “Relationship Manager” Means “Your Account, Their Feelings”**
After three years and eight different brokers, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the… Alpaca. Let’s just say they didn’t exactly win the “Broker of the Year” award in my heart.
Sure, basic services are basic. But the real fun begins with the **fee structure** – a delightful treasure hunt for hidden costs! It’s like they took “transparency” and gently placed it in a shredder. Who doesn’t love a surprise fee? Keeps life spicy.
But the pièce de résistance is the **Relationship Manager™**. Oh, what power! One moment you’re trading, the next your account is frozen – not because of rules, not because of risk, but because someone’s *feelings got hurt*. That’s right. In a world of algorithms and compliance manuals, Alpaka gives you something truly special: **emotional banking**.
Did my daily $4 million trading volume protect me? Absolutely not. When the Relationship Manager is offended, the spreadsheet of your trading activity is no match for the spreadsheet of their grievances.
So, to **Daniel & Navad** – best of luck! That coveted 3.9-star rating is well within reach if you keep treating customers with this level of corporate arrogance. You’re almost there! 👏
**Final verdict:** If you enjoy mystery fees and accounts held hostage by mood-based decisions, Alpaca might just be your spirit animal. For the rest of us? There are seven other brokers. And counting.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience did not meet expectations. Account restrictions and reviews are never based on personal views or individual discretion, they are driven by regulatory, compliance, and risk requirements that we are obligated to follow consistently across all clients.
We aim to be transparent in our pricing and processes and your comments are helpful input on where our communication can be clearer. If you would like, we’re happy to review any specific fees or account actions with you and provide detailed explanations.
If you would like us to take another look at your case, please let us know. We value your time with Alpaca and are always available should you wish to reconnect or need assistance down the road.
I’ve been using Alpaca since 2022, and they have been exceptional every step of the way. The Tradingview integration is seamless, offering commission-free trades and platform stability that has only improved over the years. Any minor issues I've encountered were handled flawlessly by their team. Unlike IBKR, which I used previously, Alpaca offers fast execution and a modern, developer-first approach that fits my trading style perfectly. Alpaca is my top recommendation for dependable, cost-effective trading.
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Alpaca’s TradingView integration, fast execution, and developer-first approach have supported your trading so well. We truly appreciate you being with us on our journey as we continue to grow and improve the platform, and we’re grateful for your support and recommendation!
Alpaca Markets is an API-first broker designed primarily for algorithmic traders and developers.
Its strongest advantage is its robust, well-documented APIs and official SDKs (Python, Go, among others), which make it easy to build, test, and deploy automated trading strategies.
The main drawback is the user experience (UX). The web interface feels minimal and sometimes unintuitive, especially when compared to retail-focused brokers with rich visual dashboards and advanced charting tools.
That said, for quantitative traders, engineers, and anyone running systematic strategies, Alpaca offers exceptional value. In that sense, Alpaca is like a Costco of brokers: not designed for aesthetics, but optimized for scale, efficiency, and low costs.
Thank you for the detailed review! We’re glad to hear you value Alpaca’s robust APIs and SDKs for building and deploying automated strategies. We also appreciate your feedback on the web interface: we will be reviewing the interface and making updates soon to improve the user experience. Thank you for your continued support!
Trading now with Alpaca connected for over 3 months and have to say it's the best combo. Trade execution is super fast which reduces slippage. This adds up with 100+ trades a day.
I'm also using Alpaca API for training ML models for suggesting stocks to trade. Review in TradingView and off the trade it goes. Just make sure you have access to Algo Trader Plus. Unlocks more markets and real-time.
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear Alpaca is supporting your high frequency trading and multi leg workflows, and that execution speed is making a difference. We appreciate your continued support!
The system is responsive and useful. I specifically picked this one up for it's stated strengths as I considered API and WebSocket interfaces in my automation stack.
We appreciate your feedback and are excited to support you as you explore all the possibilities and continue your trading journey!
Alpaca has been an excellent API-first brokerage for equities trading. Order placement is straightforward, documentation is clear, and the platform has been reliable for automation workflows. It’s a strong choice for anyone building systematic or programmatic trading—highly recommended.
Thank you for the great feedback! We’re glad to hear Alpaca’s API first approach, clear documentation, and reliability have supported your automation workflows. We appreciate the recommendation and your support!
I really like the way it integrates with Tradingview. So much easier to place orders. Also customer service responded to my request in a very timely fashion. I have only been using it for a month or so. It works for me!!..... It's been a few years now and trading with Alpaca on Tradingview has only gotten better! Keep up the great work. Happy New Year
Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We’re happy to hear the TradingView integration continues to make trading easier and that our support team has been helpful along the way. We really appreciate your continued trust in Alpaca!
Alpaca has been an excellent broker to use with TradingView. The integration is seamless, allowing me to place and manage trades directly from TradingView charts with ease. Order execution is fast and reliable, and the overall platform feels very stable during live trading.
I really appreciate how clean and intuitive the interface is, which makes trading efficient and straightforward. Alpaca’s documentation is clear and helpful, and it’s obvious the platform is built with active traders and developers in mind. Overall, Alpaca has been a solid and dependable broker, and my experience using it with TradingView has been very positive. I would definitely recommend it to others.
Thank you for the great feedback! We’re glad to hear the TradingView integration has been seamless and that Alpaca has been reliable and intuitive for your trading. We appreciate the recommendation and your support!
Alpaca is ideal for algo traders with AI oversight due to their powerful MCP server.
Honestly, they've come a loooong way since they started.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We’re glad to hear Alpaca has been a strong fit for your algo trading needs. It’s been exciting to see how far the platform has come, we appreciate your support!
Love Alpaca I wish it had a total value column in TV and had more support by places like Plaid. Otherwise absolutely love it! I'm always happy with trade speed and execution.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you're happy with Alpaca's trade speed and execution - that's at the core of what we do! 🚀
We also really appreciate you taking the time to share your suggestions - we are always looking to improve our services and offerings.
Alpaca is an excellent broker for algorithmic and API-driven trading! The powerful, easy-to-use API with great documentation makes building and automating strategies a breeze. Commission-free trades on US stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto keep costs low, while fast execution, fractional shares, and reliable performance add huge value. Highly recommended for developers and algo traders—top-notch reliability and innovation! 5 stars.
Thank you so much for this amazing review! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that Alpaca is powering your algorithmic trading success! ⭐
When I started looking for a broker for automated trading, Alpaca was the first to come to mind. The connection with TradingView works without any problems. As a non-US citizen, I am glad that Alpaca is now more accessible to us. I really appreciate their work.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with Alpaca! We're honoured that we were top of mind when you were searching for an automated trading solution! 🌍 Alpaca is proud to service millions of clients on a global scale.
I would give Alpaca 6 stars if they offered pure cash accounts. Sadly I signed up after coming from IBKR, that do. I was looking for an advanced, fast connection for automation through traderspost.io, IBKR's connection is in beta and flacky. With a cash account I can avoid the trading rules limiting the number of trades. I thought I had a winner with Alpaca until I realised after signing up and transferring my funds the margin account issues Perhaps I am a special case. But I doubt it . Hey alpaca shoot me an email if you ever offer cash accounts. I'll come back unless IBKR has caught up to you by that time.... Tough learning on my part, not having to deal with those nasty trading rules.
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback, we truly appreciate it. We understand how frustrating some of the trading rules associated with margin accounts can be.
At this time, Alpaca accounts are margin based, meaning regulatory FINRA requirements such as the PDT rules apply and aren’t something we’re able to override. We understand this setup doesn’t suit every trading style and your situation is completely understandable.
Additionally, your feedback regarding cash accounts is well noted and something we are considering. We really appreciate you trying Alpaca and we hope to have the chance to support your trading needs again down the road!