The StockBrokers.com annual review (9 years running) takes six months to complete and produces over 30,000 words of research each year. Here's how we test.
Is Charles Schwab better than E*TRADE? Based on over 4,000 data points from our 2019 annual broker review, Charles Schwab (84.06%) is better than E*TRADE (83.68%).
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Promo Offer
$0 Commissions for online stock, ETF & options trades. Join E*TRADE today! Open Account
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Special Offer
$0 online stock, ETF, and options commissions at Schwab. Open Account
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| Open Account | Open Account |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
| Overall | ||
| E*TRADE Review | Charles Schwab Review |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Trade Fee (per trade) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Base Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Per Contract Fee | $0.65 | $0.65 |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $19.99 | $49.95 |
| Broker Assisted Trades Fee | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature |
E*TRADE
Open Account |
Charles Schwab
Open Account |
| Under $24,999.99 | 10.50% | 9.58% |
| $25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 10.25% | 9.08% |
| $50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 9.75% | 8.13% |
| $100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 9.25% | 8.08% |
| $250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 8.75% | 7.83% |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 8.25% | 6.58% |
| Above $1,000,000.00 | 7.25% | 6.25% |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $60.00 | $50.00 |
| Returned ACH Fee | $0.00 | $25.00 |
| Returned Wire Fee | $0.00 | $25.00 |
| Stock Certificate Processing Fee | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| Stock Certificate Delivery Fee | $75.00 | N/A |
| Paper Statement Fee | $2.00 | $0.00 |
| Paper Confirmation Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Domestic Wire Fee | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| International Wire Fee | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Commissions & Fees |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
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Stock Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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OTCBB / Pink Sheets |
Yes | Yes |
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Options Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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Complex Options Max Legs |
4 | 4 |
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Futures Trading |
Yes | Yes |
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Forex Trading |
No | No |
| Commission-Free ETFs | all | all |
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Mutual Funds (No Load) |
6266 | 5846 |
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Mutual Funds (Total) |
9062 | 5846 |
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Bonds (US Treasury) |
Yes | Yes |
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Bonds (Corporate) |
Yes | Yes |
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Bonds (Municipal) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Advisor Services |
Yes | Yes |
|
International Trading |
No | Yes |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
Order Type - Market |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Limit |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Stop |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - Contingent |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - MultiContingent |
No | Yes |
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Order Type - OCO |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - OTO |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - OTOCO |
Yes | Yes |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | Yes |
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Desktop Platform (Mac) |
Yes | Yes |
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Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
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Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
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Trade Journal |
No | Yes |
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Watch Lists - Total Fields |
125 | 108 |
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Two-Factor Authentication Login |
Yes | Yes |
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Heat Mapping |
No | Yes |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
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Charting - Trade Off Chart |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Indicators / Studies |
118 | 41 |
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Charting - Drawing Tools |
33 | 15 |
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Charting - Historical Trades |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Corporate Events |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Automated Analysis |
No | Yes |
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Charting - Save Profiles |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
6 | 6 |
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Charting - Custom Studies |
No | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
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Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields |
No | Yes |
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Streaming Time & Sales |
Yes | Yes |
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Streaming TV |
Yes | Yes |
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Direct Market Routing - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Direct Market Routing - Options |
Yes | No |
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Ladder Trading |
Yes | No |
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Trade Hot Keys |
Yes | Yes |
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Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Level 2 Quotes - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
Yes | Yes |
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Short Locator |
No | No |
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Client Liquidity Rebates |
No | No |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
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iPhone App |
Yes | Yes |
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Android App |
Yes | Yes |
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Apple Watch App |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - After-Hours |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Conditional Orders |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Simple Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Complex Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Option Rolling |
No | No |
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Touch / Face ID |
Yes | Yes |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
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Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | No |
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Charting - After Hours |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Drawing |
No | No |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
Yes | Yes |
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Customizable Homescreen |
Yes | No |
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Heatmapping |
Yes | Yes |
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Stream Live TV |
Yes | Yes |
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Barcode Lookup |
Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
Research - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB |
Yes | Yes |
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Research - Fixed Income |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Screener - Bonds |
Yes | Yes |
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Misc - Portfolio Builder |
Yes | Yes |
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Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
Stock Research - Reports |
4 | 8 |
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Stock Research - Earnings |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Insiders |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Metric Comp |
No | Yes |
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Stock Research - SEC Filings |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Social |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Balance Sheet |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Cash Flows |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - News |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - ESG |
No | No |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
ETFs - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Sector Exposure |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Risk Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Performance Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Reports |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Reports |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Country Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - StyleMap |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
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Option Chains - Streaming |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Chains - Total Columns |
30 | 41 |
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Option Chains - Greeks |
5 | 5 |
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Option Chains - Quick Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Analysis - P&L Charts |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Probability Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Probability Analysis Adv |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Greeks |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Rolling |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Grouping |
Yes | Yes |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
Has Education - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - Mutual Funds |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - Fixed Income |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - Retirement |
Yes | Yes |
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Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
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Videos |
Yes | Yes |
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Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
12 | 50 |
|
Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | Yes |
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Live Seminars |
Yes | Yes |
|
Progress Tracking |
No | No |
|
Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
Yes | No |
|
Investor Magazine |
No | Yes |
| Education | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
|
Retail Locations |
30 | 357 |
|
Member FDIC |
Yes | Yes |
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Checking Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
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Savings Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
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Credit Cards |
No | Yes |
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Debit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
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Mortgage Loans |
No | Yes |
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No Fee Banking |
No | Yes |
| Banking | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | E*TRADE | Charles Schwab |
| E*TRADE Review | Charles Schwab Review | |
| Overall | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
The StockBrokers.com annual broker review assesses more than a dozen different brokers over six months, surfacing the best online stock brokers. This review compares Charles Schwab vs E*TRADE. Is Charles Schwab or E*TRADE a better online broker?
First, we will make a comparison of the stock and option trading fees for trading with both brokers. Charles Schwab and E*TRADE charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0. With options, the base fee is $0 for both Charles Schwab and E*TRADE. Option contracts run $0.65 a piece at both brokerages. Note that some brokers charge a per-share fee instead of a flat-fee commission. For a full breakdown of commissions, read our online broker reviews.
For our next comparison of these two brokers, being able to trade the way you want is a must. Charles Schwab and E*TRADE provide clients with Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading. When it comes to mutual funds, E*TRADE boasts an offering of 9062 mutual funds compared to Charles Schwab's 5846 available funds.
Last but not least, by breaking down important features, tools, etc that each broker offers, we can really help to separate the two. E*TRADE makes virtual trading available to clients, while Charles Schwab does not. For mobile trading, Charles Schwab and E*TRADE both have a iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Furthermore, some investors like to bank online, and multiple brokerages provide these services to clients. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts and Debit Cards are available to clients of E*TRADE while Charles Schwab offers customers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.
Overall, between Charles Schwab and E*TRADE, Charles Schwab is the winner.
All pricing data was obtained from a published web site as of 02/18/2019 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. For stock trade rates, advertised pricing is for a standard order size of 500 shares of stock priced at $30 per share. For options orders, an options regulatory fee per contract may apply.
