Start with the workflow you need
The best broker for an AI project depends on whether you want a ready-made agent, a connected assistant or a programmable trading environment. Choosing on “AI support” alone hides those differences.
| Broker | Documented route | Most relevant question |
|---|---|---|
| Robinhood | Built-in Agents and external-agent connections to a dedicated account. | Do you want the native mobile experience or your own assistant? |
| Public | Native Agents, MCP and a trading API. | Do you need a recurring workflow or external tools? |
| Alpaca | Trading APIs and a separate paper trading environment. | Who will build, host and maintain the strategy? |
Sources: Robinhood, Public and Alpaca. Features checked October 3, 2026; this is not an execution-quality or returns ranking.
If you already have a broker
Check its supported AI workflow before moving assets. List the assets and order types you need, whether the account is eligible, what the assistant can read, and the approval process for trading.
Test a read-only request against the broker’s own holdings screen. Then inspect the complete proposed order, including account and time in force. A familiar chat interface does not remove account restrictions.
If you want to experiment without live money
Alpaca documents separate paper credentials and endpoints. That makes it an option for testing a bot’s order handling, though someone still has to implement or choose the software that runs it.
Set simulated capital to the amount you might actually use. A $100,000 simulation says little about whether a $500 account can implement the same positions. Paper fills also cannot reproduce every live execution cost.
If you want to use Agency
Agency currently connects Robinhood and Public. Alpaca is listed as coming soon; it is not an available Agency connection today. Agency supports stocks and ETFs even where a broker offers additional asset classes elsewhere.
Compare Robinhood’s three workflows or Public’s options. Choose the combination that supports your actual plan, not the longest feature list.