TD Ameritrade is no longer an active broker — it merged into Charles Schwab, completed 2024. The question in 2026 is not whether to open a TD account (you cannot) but what happened to the thinkorswim platform, existing account transitions and what today's Schwab client experience looks like versus the old TD experience.
This review synthesizes public Schwab-TD integration disclosures and thinkorswim's post-merger positioning. For current Schwab account options and platform features, refer to Schwab directly.
The merger is complete — TD is now Schwab
Schwab announced completion of the TD Ameritrade acquisition in 2024. All former TD accounts have been migrated to Schwab infrastructure. The TD Ameritrade brand no longer accepts new accounts. If you are searching for "TD Ameritrade" you are effectively searching for legacy Schwab clients or looking for a broker that used to exist.
Existing TD clients who were transitioned should have received Schwab account numbers, new platform logins, and continued access to thinkorswim (which Schwab explicitly preserved as a strategic asset — the platform, its scripting language and its paperMoney simulator all remain).
thinkorswim survived the merger — and got broader access
The best thing that came out of the TD-Schwab merger for retail traders is that thinkorswim is now available to all Schwab clients, not just legacy TD clients. That is a genuinely positive outcome. thinkorswim's Analyze tab, ThinkScript, and options analytics are among the best retail platforms available anywhere.
For anyone previously drawn to TD Ameritrade because of thinkorswim, the answer is simply "open a Schwab account and use thinkorswim from there." The platform lives on with essentially all its functionality intact.
What Schwab does differently than TD did
Fee structure, account minimums and platform access at Schwab post-merger are broadly aligned with the old TD conventions but with Schwab-specific service and integration. Schwab's own StreetSmart Edge platform still exists alongside thinkorswim; traders can choose which to use.
Legacy TD Ameritrade features that were unique (specific paperTrading nuances, particular API endpoints) mostly transitioned to Schwab equivalents. Some third-party integrations that were TD-specific required updates during the transition — most have adapted.
API access: from TD Ameritrade API to Schwab Trader API
TD Ameritrade offered a well-used developer API. Post-merger, Schwab consolidated that under the Schwab Trader API. Developers who built on the TD API have needed to migrate authentication + endpoint conventions to the Schwab side. That transition was mostly straightforward but not instantaneous.
For developers building trading tools today, the Schwab Trader API is the successor and is the correct integration target. Alternatives for developer-first brokerage include Alpaca and Interactive Brokers' TWS API.
Legacy TD Ameritrade content on the web is stale
Much of the "TD Ameritrade review" content indexed on the web was written before the Schwab merger completed. Fees, account minimums and platform screenshots from those articles may not reflect current Schwab conditions. Treat pre-2024 TD content as historical, not actionable.
For current retail broker comparisons in 2026, the relevant peers to Schwab are Interactive Brokers, tastytrade, Webull and Robinhood depending on the workflow.
What if you want to open an account today
Open a Schwab account. You will get thinkorswim access, Schwab's platform ecosystem, and the same underlying custodial infrastructure that used to be TD. For active traders focused on options + charting, that combination is one of the best available. For low-cost passive investors, Schwab's ETF and mutual fund line-up remains competitive.
Alternatives depending on your workflow: for lowest commissions and global markets, Interactive Brokers. For options-focused with tastylive education, tastytrade. For zero-commission mobile-first, Webull.
What existing thinkorswim educational content still applies
The vast majority of thinkorswim educational content — tutorials, YouTube walkthroughs, ThinkScript documentation, paperMoney strategy guides — remains accurate post-merger. The platform's core workflows, Analyze tab, chart tools and scripting language did not change materially with the Schwab integration. If you learned thinkorswim under TD, you still know thinkorswim under Schwab.
What did change: account management, funding workflows, tax documents, and customer support routing all now go through Schwab. Bookmark the Schwab client login rather than the old TD one.
Our current assessment
TD Ameritrade does not exist as an active broker in 2026. The best thing about it — thinkorswim — is preserved and expanded through Schwab. Legacy TD reviews are stale. Anyone searching for TD Ameritrade should open a Schwab account and evaluate the current thinkorswim + Schwab combination as the actual product decision. See the brokers hub.