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Fidelity vs Charles Schwab 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

August 29, 2023

Is Fidelity better than Charles Schwab? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, our analysis finds that Fidelity (98.44%) is better than Charles Schwab (94.51%). Our top pick overall for 2023, Fidelity is a value-driven online broker offering $0 trades, industry-leading research, excellent trading tools and an easy-to-use mobile app.

Select Brokers

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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAlly Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxE*TRADE
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFidelity
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFirstrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxMerrill Edge
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxRobinhood
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSoFi Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxtastytrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTD Ameritrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTradeStation
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTradier
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVanguard
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxWebull

Compare

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Overall Rating Fidelity Charles Schwab
Overall 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Fidelity Review Charles Schwab Review
Broker Screenshots Fidelity Charles Schwab
Trading Platform & Tools Gallery (click to expand)
Research Gallery (click to expand)
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees Fidelity Charles Schwab
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $0.00 $6.95
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $49.95 Varies
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.65 $0.65
Futures (Per Contract) (Not offered) $2.25
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $32.95 $25
Margin Rates Fidelity Charles Schwab
Margin Rate Under $25,000 13.58% 13.58%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 13.08% 13.08%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 12.13% 12.13%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 12.08% 12.08%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 11.83% 11.83%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 9.50% Varies info
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 9.25% Varies info
Account Fees Fidelity Charles Schwab
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $25.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $0.00 $50.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options Fidelity Charles Schwab
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares info Yes Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 4 4
Futures Trading info No Yes
Forex Trading info No No
Crypto Trading info No No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 0
Mutual Funds (No Load) info 5843 14996
Mutual Funds (Total) info 10000 17912
Bonds (US Treasury) info Yes Yes
Bonds (Corporate) info Yes Yes
Bonds (Municipal) info Yes Yes
Advisor Services info Yes Yes
International Countries (Stocks) info 25 12
Order Types Fidelity Charles Schwab
Order Type - Market info Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit info Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours info Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - OCO info Yes Yes
Order Type - OTO info Yes Yes
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes Yes
Beginners Fidelity Charles Schwab
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Bonds) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator info Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info No No
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Webinars (Archived) info Yes Yes
Progress Tracking info Yes No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info Yes No
Stock Trading Apps Fidelity Charles Schwab
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes Yes
Trading - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Trading - Simple Options info Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options info Yes Yes
Order Ticket RT Quotes info Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes info Yes No
Stock App Features Fidelity Charles Schwab
Market Movers (Top Gainers) info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info Yes Yes
Videos on Demand info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes No
Option Chains Viewable info Yes Yes
Watch List (Real-time) info Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) info Yes No
Watch Lists - Create & Manage info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization info Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 92 130
Stock App Charting Fidelity Charles Schwab
Charting - After-Hours info Yes No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes Yes
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 129 32
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes Yes
Charting - Stock Comparisons info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Fidelity Charles Schwab
Active Trading Platform info Active Trader Pro StreetSmart Edge
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes No
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info No No
Trade Journal info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 92 130
Stock Chart Features Fidelity Charles Schwab
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 129 41
Charting - Drawing Tools info 37 15
Charting - Notes info Yes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades info Yes No
Charting - Corporate Events info Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Date Range info Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Time Bars info Yes Yes
Charting - Automated Analysis info Yes Yes
Charting - Save Profiles info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info Yes Yes
Charting - Study Customizations info 5 7
Charting - Custom Studies info No No
Day Trading Fidelity Charles Schwab
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes Yes
Streaming TV info Yes Yes
Direct Market Routing - Stocks info Yes Yes
Ladder Trading info No No
Trade Hot Keys info Yes Yes
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info No No
Short Locator info Yes Yes
Order Liquidity Rebates info No No
Research Overview Fidelity Charles Schwab
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Screener - Bonds info Yes Yes
Misc - Portfolio Allocation info Yes Yes
Stock Research Fidelity Charles Schwab
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 11 7
Stock Research - Earnings info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Social info Yes Yes
Stock Research - News info Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG info Yes Yes
Stock Research - SEC Filings info Yes Yes
ETF Research Fidelity Charles Schwab
ETFs - Strategy Overview info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Sector Exposure info Yes Yes
ETFs - Risk Analysis info Yes Yes
ETFs - Ratings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap info Yes Yes
ETFs - PDF Reports info Yes Yes
Mutual Fund Research Fidelity Charles Schwab
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Prospectus info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info Yes Yes
Options Trading Fidelity Charles Schwab
Option Chains - Basic View info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Streaming info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Total Columns info 26 44
Option Chains - Greeks info 5 5
Option Chains - Quick Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes Yes
Option Probability Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Probability Analysis Adv info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Greeks info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Adv Analysis info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Rolling info Yes Yes
Option Positions - Grouping info Yes Yes
Banking Fidelity Charles Schwab
Bank (Member FDIC) info No Yes
Checking Accounts info No Yes
Savings Accounts info No Yes
Credit Cards info Yes Yes
Debit Cards info Yes Yes
Mortgage Loans info No Yes
Customer Service Fidelity Charles Schwab
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) info Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) info Yes No
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
24/7 Support info Yes Yes
Overall Fidelity Charles Schwab
Overall 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Fidelity Review Charles Schwab Review
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Fidelity vs Charles Schwab Comparison

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. We spend hundreds of hours each year testing the platforms, mobile apps, trading tools and general ease of use among online brokerages, as well as comparing commissions and fees, to find the best online broker.

Though many U.S. brokers offer basic trading features, such as an app, charting tools, stock research and educational content, the depth of those features can vary widely. Let's compare Fidelity vs Charles Schwab.

Is Fidelity or Charles Schwab better for beginners?

In stock trading, the more you know, the better you’ll do. Taking advantage of resources like articles, webinars, videos and interactive elements is a great way to shorten the learning curve. In our analysis, we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials.

For 2023, our review finds that Fidelity offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than Charles Schwab. Fidelity offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement), while Charles Schwab offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement). Neither have Paper Trading.

What about Fidelity vs Charles Schwab pricing?

Fidelity and Charles Schwab charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Fidelity and Charles Schwab both charge $0.65 per option contract. For futures, Charles Schwab charges $2.25 per contract and Fidelity charges (Not offered) per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does Fidelity or Charles Schwab offer a wider range of investment options?

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that Charles Schwab offers a more comprehensive offering than Fidelity. Fidelity ranks #6 out of 17 brokers for our Investment Options category, while Charles Schwab ranks #2.

Fidelity offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Advisor Services, while Charles Schwab offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading and Advisor Services. Neither have Forex Trading Looking at Mutual Funds, Fidelity trails Charles Schwab in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with Charles Schwab offering 7168 and Fidelity offering 3401.

Do Fidelity and Charles Schwab offer cryptocurrency?

In our analysis of top U.S. brokerages, we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum. Though crypto has risen steadily in popularity, availability still varies from broker to broker. Our review finds that neither Fidelity and Charles Schwab offer crypto trading.

Which trading platform is better: Fidelity or Charles Schwab?

To compare the day trading platforms of Fidelity and Charles Schwab, we focused on trading tools and functionality across both web and desktop-based platforms. Popular day trading platform tools include streaming real-time quotes, stock alerts, trading hotkeys, direct market routing, streaming time and sales, customizable watch lists, backtesting, and fully functional charting packages, among many others. For day trading, Fidelity offers a better experience.

Does Fidelity or Charles Schwab offer a better stock trading app?

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of Fidelity and Charles Schwab, we found Fidelity to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. Fidelity ranks #4 out of 17 brokers, while Charles Schwab ranks #8.

Fidelity Trading App Gallery

Charles Schwab Trading App Gallery

Which broker is better for researching stocks?

For research, Charles Schwab offers superior market research than Fidelity. Fidelity ranks #6 and Charles Schwab ranks #1.

Over the years, we've found that the best brokers provide rich market commentary, a variety of third-party research reports, and thorough quote screens that are not just easy to navigate, but that also include a comprehensive selection of fundamental data. Robust stock, ETFs, and mutual fund screeners are also must-haves for trade idea generation.

How do Fidelity and Charles Schwab compare in terms of minimum deposit required?

Fidelity requires a minimum deposit of $0.00, while Charles Schwab requires a minimum deposit of $0.00. From our testing, we found that SoFi is the only broker that requires a minimum deposit.

Which broker offers better margin rates for accounts under $25,000?

Fidelity charges 13.58% for accounts under $25,000 while Charles Schwab charges a margin rate of 13.58%. The industry average of the 17 brokers we track is 11%.

Does Fidelity offer fractional shares? Does Charles Schwab?

Fidelity and Charles Schwab allow traders to trade fractional shares. Our research has found that 41% of brokers offer fractional shares investing. Fractional shares allow traders to buy a part of a whole share of stock. For example, if Amazon is trading at $1,000, you could buy half a share for $500.

Can you trade penny stocks with Fidelity or Charles Schwab?

Both Fidelity and Charles Schwab allow you to trade penny stocks. Fidelity charges $0.00 per trade while Charles Schwab charges $6.95. Penny stocks are companies whose shares trade for under $5 and are listed over the counter (OTC). For brokers that do offer penny stock trades, the average commission is $3.

Does either broker offer banking?

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Debit Cards and Credit Cards are offered by Fidelity while Charles Schwab offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.

Which broker offers stronger customer service?

StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research group Confero to conduct phone tests from locations across the United States to thoroughly evaluate the quality and speed of brokerage customer service. (Read more about How We Test.) Here are the results of our current testing.

Fidelity was rated 3rd out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 8.6 out of 10.

Charles Schwab was rated 2nd out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 8.9 out of 10.

Is Fidelity good?

Our top pick overall for 2023, Fidelity is a value-driven online broker offering $0 trades, industry-leading research, excellent trading tools and an easy-to-use mobile app.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, Fidelity was rated No. 1 Overall Broker and No. 1 for Commissions & Fees, Education, IRA Accounts and Penny Stocks. It also ranked among Best in Class for Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Ease of Use, Active Trading, Beginners, Customers Service, and Penny Stocks. Fidelity also won four StockBrokers.com Industry Awards: No. 1 for Fractional Shares, Innovation, New Tool and Order Execution.

Is Charles Schwab good?

As the granddaddy of discount brokers, Charles Schwab understands how to deliver value to its customers, providing a comprehensive roster of tools, advice and actionable ideas at reasonable cost.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, Charles Schwab was ranked No. 1 for Research and was among Best in Class for Commissions & Fees, Platforms & Tools, Investment Options, Ease of Use, Beginners, Customer Service, IRA Accounts, and Overall.

Fidelity vs Charles Schwab Winner

Overall winner: Fidelity

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1 Fidelity Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal. Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.

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