Hey guys, first post, great site! I'm not new to trading, I swing trade and have used Scottrade and Ameritrade. However, as I go deeper into the rabbit hole of trading, I keep reading that I need a 'direct access trading software/system'. Which makes complete sense to me (on paper). I've done a bunch of searches but they generate random threads, probably because my terminology is not correct. So do I need software or a direct access broker or are they the same thing? I know of CyberTrader and RealTick, but what other company's are out there that are reputable? After reading my post, I probably could use a clarification too if I'm wrong... thanks