For self-directed investors wanting to hold individual bonds to maturity, these platforms provide the deepest inventory and best tools:
Buying municipal bonds (munis) online is a "choose your own adventure" between buying (like a specific local bridge project) or bond funds (a diversified basket). 1. Top Online Brokers for Individual Bonds where to buy municipal bonds online
: Ranked best overall for bond trading in 2026. It offers access to over 100,000 offerings and a unique "Bond Ladder" tool to help you stagger maturities and manage interest rate risk. For self-directed investors wanting to hold individual bonds
: Look for funds like the iShares California Muni Bond ETF (CMF) or iShares New York Muni Bond ETF (NYF) to potentially avoid both federal and state taxes if you live in those states. It offers access to over 100,000 offerings and
: For higher returns, the VanEck High Yield Muni ETF (HYD) targets riskier, non-investment-grade bonds. 3. Essential Research Tool: EMMA
: The gold standard for low-cost passive funds . Popular options like the Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTEB) provide broad exposure with extremely low expense ratios (around 0.03%). Specialized ETFs :
: Best for global and active traders . It boasts the widest selection, with over 1 million global bonds available, though it requires a steeper learning curve than domestic-focused brokers.