Which platform is the best for overseas investment? What are the differences between Futu, Tiger Brokers, and Longbridge? How to get lifetime commission? How to open an account safely?
Repost of an old article, first published on the same-name WeChat public account in June 2024.
First off, NVIDIA's pre-market price has reached $1,183. Congrats to those holding it!
My NVIDIA purchase at $119 is almost a 10x return now.
Although I sold some too early, the profits are still quite substantial.
Now, back to the title's question.
Which brokerage should you use for overseas investments? What are the differences between Futu, Tiger Brokers, and Longbridge?
This is a question many friends ask me.
I started trading Hong Kong and U.S. stocks in 2016, so I’ve witnessed the entire development of internet brokerages for these markets.
It’s also how I made my second bucket of gold (the first, of course, was my high-paying internet job).
So, I think I’m qualified to answer this question.
1. Background, Licenses & Fund Safety
All three have impressive backgrounds.
Futu: CEO Li Hua (we call him Brother Ye), Tencent’s 18th employee, Tencent-backed, listed on the U.S. stock market.
Tiger Brokers: CEO Wu Tianhua, former head of NetEase’s Youdao Search, Xiaomi-backed, listed on the U.S. stock market.
Longbridge: Co-founder & CEO Zhu Liangliang, former senior tech expert at Alibaba, backed by PhillipCapital and Yuanjing Capital.
Beyond their stellar founders and teams, Futu, Tiger Brokers, and Longbridge all hold financial licenses in Hong Kong, the U.S., Singapore, and other regions, complying with local regulations. So, safety isn’t a major concern.
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission has an Investor Compensation Fund, which covers up to HKD 500,000 if a brokerage goes bust. (For those with larger funds, you could open accounts with multiple brokerages and keep no more than HKD 500,000 in each.)
Historically, licensed brokerages rarely collapse outright. The worst-case scenario is a sale, where the brokerage and its licenses are sold to another firm.
For investors, this isn’t a disaster. You’d typically be notified in advance to withdraw funds—no sudden disappearances.
So, fund safety isn’t something to lose sleep over.
2. App Experience
In terms of app experience, Futu, Tiger Brokers, and Longbridge all crush traditional brokerages.
Despite being the "Asian financial hub," Hong Kong lags behind mainland China in internet tech.
Even today, many traditional Hong Kong brokerages still have apps that look like they’re from the 1990s.
Meanwhile, these internet brokerages offer a far superior experience.
Futu, Tiger Brokers, and Longbridge all excel in this regard.
3. Commissions
Beyond safety and app experience, commissions are another key factor.
Overseas investing is niche, and supply and demand dictate pricing, so commissions are higher than for A-share brokerages.
But compared to traditional Hong Kong brokerages, they’re much cheaper. For example, China Merchants Securities (Hong Kong) and Bank of China charge at least HKD 100 per trade.
Here’s a comparison of commissions for Futu, Tiger Brokers, and Longbridge:
Unlike A-shares, Hong Kong and U.S. stock brokerages charge a platform fee on top of commissions.
Total fee = Commission + Platform Fee.
1. Let’s take trading 100 shares of Apple as an example. At $195 per share, 100 shares cost $19,500.
Futu’s fee: Commission is 0.0049 * 100 = $0.49, but the minimum is $0.99, so $0.99.
Platform fee is 0.005 * 100 = $0.50, minimum $1, so $1. Total fee: $1.99.
Tiger Brokers’ fee: Commission is 0.0039 * 100 = $0.39, minimum $0.99, so $0.99.
Platform fee is 0.005 * 100 = $0.50, minimum $1, so $1. Total fee: $1.99.
Longbridge’s fee:
Commission is $0 during the promotion period. Sign up via this link: https://bit.ly/6cqhk, deposit $20,000, and get official rewards + lifetime zero commissions + exclusive $100 cash rebate.
If you’ve already registered, 👉🏻 click https://bit.ly/cqxg, log in, and modify the referrer to: 709752 to enjoy the rebate.
Platform fee is 0.005 * 100 = $0.50, minimum $1, so $1. Total fee: $1.
Clearly, Longbridge has a huge advantage in fees—half of Futu and Tiger Brokers for the same trade.
2. Since fees are calculated per share, low-priced stocks can have disproportionately high fees.
Take Faraday Future, which surged from $0.04 to $3.9 in a week—a 100x gain.
Suppose you spotted this at $0.10 and wanted to spend $1,000 on 10,000 shares for fun.
Futu’s fee: Commission is 0.0049 * 10,000 = $49.
Platform fee is 0.005 * 10,000 = $50. Total fee: $99.
Tiger Brokers’ fee: Commission is 0.0039 * 10,000 = $39.
Platform fee is 0.005 * 10,000 = $50. Total fee: $89.
Longbridge’s fee: Commission is $0 during the promotion. Sign up via https://bit.ly/6cqhk, deposit $20,000, and get rewards + lifetime zero commissions + exclusive $100 cash rebate. If registered, 👉🏻 click https://bit.ly/cqxg, log in, and modify referrer to: 709752 to enjoy the rebate.
Platform fee is 0.005 * 10,000 = $50. Total fee: $50.
So, spending $1,000 on a meme stock could cost $50–$100 in fees—a 5–10% loss upfront, plus another fee when selling.
Two takeaways:
1. Avoid meme stocks if possible.
2. If you must, pick a low-fee brokerage like Longbridge—half the cost.
High fees can skew decisions. One group member missed out on $180,000 in gains because fees scared them off.
Another member risked a few hundred bucks without overthinking fees and bagged a 9x return. Sweet.
Now, some might ask: With such high costs and barriers, why bother with overseas investing?
My opening story answers that. Put bluntly: Because you can actually make money here.
Same name across platforms—feel free to connect.
That’s all for this article. Need an account? Sign up here:
✨Longbridge Hong Kong: https://bit.ly/6cqhk
✨Longbridge Singapore: https://bit.ly/6cqsg
If already registered, 👉🏻 click https://bit.ly/cqxg, log in, and modify referrer to: 709752 to get official rewards + exclusive $100 cash rebate + lifetime zero commissions.
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