Fidelity Investments vs Charles Schwab Review

The StockBrokers.com 2017 Brokerage Review compares Charles Schwab vs Fidelity Investments. Compare Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments trade commissions, fees and overall broker ratings by using the table below. Is Charles Schwab or Fidelity Investments a better online broker?

Looking at both brokers, first we will take a look at the commission rates for both placing regular stock and options trades. Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $4.95. Looking at options, the base fees charged are the same for both brokers, $4.95. Contracts cost $0.65 each at both brokerages. It should be noted that not every broker uses a flat rate stock trade fee structure, so it is important to read the full commission notes (head over to any online brokerage review page, then navigate to the "Commission Notes" section).

Alongside trade commissions, being able to trade the way you want is a must. Fidelity Investments offers clients Stock Trading, Options Trading and Mutual Funds while Charles Schwab offers Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading. When it comes to mutual funds, Fidelity Investments offers its clients access to 13204 different mutual funds while Charles Schwab has 5165 available funds, a difference of 8,039.00. Commission free ETFs can also be a nice plus, with Charles Schwab having the upper hand thanks to its 229 available ETFs compared to Fidelity Investments's offering of 91.

Last but not least, by breaking down important features that each broker offers, we can really help to separate the two brokers. Fidelity Investments has virtual trading, Charles Schwab doesn't. For mobile trading, Charles Schwab along with Fidelity Investments both support the iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Furthermore, some investors like to bank online, and multiple brokerages provide these services to clients. Clients can have Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards at Fidelity Investments while clients at Charles Schwab can have Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans. On the whole, when it comes to tools, research, and trading on the go, Charles Schwab posted awards for Best in Class - Platforms & Tools and Best in Class - Research in 2014, while Fidelity Investments found itself with Best in Class - Platforms & Tools, Best in Class - Research and Best in Class - Mobile Trading.

Overall, both Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments are rated 4.50 stars.