Apple (AAPL): the cheapest way to buy
How the routes compare
From abroad, US stocks usually go through an international broker or an exchange. Facts only: account opening, funding, fees, hours, getting money back, what you hold.
Interactive Brokers (IBKR Pro)
For: long-term investors, larger amounts, fee-conscious.
- Account
- Open online; eligible countries and documents per IBKR's rules
- Funding
- Bank wire; IBKR lists no deposit fee, your bank's wire fee applies
- Fees
- Fixed: US$0.005/share, min US$1, capped at 1% of trade value; 0.00206% SEC fee on sells
- Hours
- US market hours (pre/post-market per broker rules)
- Cashing out
- First two withdrawals each month free, then US$10 per USD wire
- What you hold
- Real shares with dividends (US withholding depends on your tax status)
Futu / moomoo
For: people who like a Chinese-language app and trade both HK and US stocks.
- Account
- Open online; which entity you sign with (Futu Securities International, moomoo US/AU/SG, etc.) depends on where you live
- Funding
- Bank transfer; fees per your bank
- Fees
- Futu Securities International: US$0.0049/share commission (min 0.99) + US$0.005/share platform fee (min 1); moomoo US currently $0 commission (US residents only, promotional)
- Hours
- US market hours (pre/post-market per broker rules)
- Cashing out
- Sale proceeds go to your broker account; withdrawal rules per entity
- What you hold
- Real shares with dividends (US withholding depends on your tax status)
Exchanges
For: people who already hold USDT, smaller amounts, or want to trade when the US market is closed.
- Account
- Online identity check (Binance says usually within 48 hours)
- Funding
- Buy USDT by card or P2P (OKX's official USD card fee is 2.49%; Binance and Gate estimated at ~2.2% and 2.5%), or transfer USDT in
- Fees
- Binance US stocks 0.1% (min US$0.35); Gate 0.1%; OKX stock perps 0.05% taker
- Hours
- Binance 24/5; Gate 24/7
- Cashing out
- You get USDT back; turning it into dollars means P2P or another off-ramp
- What you hold
- Binance US stocks: real shares held by Alpaca; tokenized stocks and perps hold no shares
AAPL on the three exchanges right now
Checked daily against each exchange's stock and contract lists. Tradable ones show product, fee and hours; eligibility and referral rewards still being verified.
- Product
- AAPL（US stocks traded directly, Alpaca custody）
- Type
- Spot
- Quoted in
- USDT
- Fee
- 0.1% (min US$0.35)
- Hours
- 24/5
- Minimum
- US$5
Binance US stocks traded directly (7,000+ tickers, Alpaca custody)
- Product
- XAAPL / AAPL perp（X-prefixed tokenized spot / stock perps）
- Type
- Spot + perps
- Quoted in
- USDT
- Fee
- spot taker 0.10% / perp taker 0.05%
- Hours
- 24/7
- Minimum
- 10 USDT (tokenized spot)
OKX XAAPL tokenized spot, AAPL perp
- Product
- AAPL（Gate Stocks (US)）
- Type
- Spot + perps
- Quoted in
- USDT
- Fee
- 0.10%
- Hours
- 24/7
- Minimum
- 0.01 share
Contract data (Gate perp · 2026-11-11 09:58 UTC+8)
Thinly traded contracts with shallow depth have wide spreads and can be hard to exit. Leverage is the platform cap; what you can use depends on your position tier.
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About the company
- Apple, the US company behind iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods; listed on NASDAQ as AAPL.
FAQ
Is the "AAPL" on an exchange real Apple stock?
Depends on the product. Binance's US stock trading buys real shares, executed and held by Alpaca Securities; OKX's XAAPL and Gate's gStocks/xStocks are tokenized certificates, not equity; the three exchanges' stock perpetuals only track the price. Binance's announcement lists no eligible countries, and none of the three global sites accepts US residents.
Broker or exchange: which is cheaper?
Depends on the amount and whether you already hold USDT. IBKR charges US$0.005 a share with a US$1 minimum, so the US$20,000 example above pays just the US$1 minimum; exchanges charge about 0.1%, but turning dollars into USDT costs an estimated 2.2–2.5% on its own. Exchanges only come out ahead if you already hold USDT or want to trade while the US market is closed. Change the amount in the calculator above.
How much tax is withheld on US dividends?
For non-US tax residents the US generally withholds 30%; residents of countries with a US tax treaty may qualify for a lower rate — see the IRS guidance and your broker's tax forms. For tokenized certificates, dividends are handled by the issuer and vary.
Related stocks
Other tickers on the same list.
Open accounts on all three
Listings and prices change daily. With all three, use whichever has it and costs least.
Spot fee 0.1% (0.075% paid in BNB); 7,000+ US stocks; gold, silver and oil perps 24/7.
Spot 0.08% / 0.10%; 230 stock perps incl. Hong Kong, Japan and Korea; gold and oil perps 24/7.
US, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and Taiwan stocks in USDT; perps on A-shares such as Cambricon.
The global sites of Binance, OKX and Gate are all closed to US residents (Binance also excludes US citizens). Each restricts a different set of other places — including Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, the UK and mainland China — see the restricted list on each exchange's page. Not investment advice; we earn commission through referral links.