Charles Schwab vs tastytrade 2025
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs tastytrade, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs tastytrade, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Bottom line: Charles Schwab offers a wider range of investments and services than tastytrade, earning 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranking #2 out of 14 brokers by StockBrokers.com (tastytrade: 4 stars, #10). Both brokers cover core needs like stocks, options, futures, forex, margin, fractional shares, and IRAs, but Schwab adds mutual funds, OTC stocks, and advisor services. Tastytrade stands out for crypto access with 17 coins, while Schwab does not offer crypto.
Investment options compared: Both Schwab and tastytrade let you trade stocks, options, futures, forex, on margin, and in fractional shares. Schwab supports OTC stocks and thousands of mutual funds; tastytrade does not. For crypto, tastytrade offers trading in 17 coins, whereas Schwab offers none. Both provide Traditional and Roth IRA accounts. Only Schwab includes advisor services for guided help.
Who each fits best: Choose Charles Schwab if you want the broadest menu—especially mutual funds, OTC stocks, and access to advisors—along with top-tier range ratings. Choose tastytrade if you prioritize active trading with stocks, options, and futures and want built-in crypto trading across 17 coins.
Feature |
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Stock Trading | Yes | Yes |
Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes |
Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
OTC Stocks | Yes | No |
Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Options Trading | Yes | Yes |
Futures Trading | Yes | Yes |
Crypto Trading | No | Yes |
Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 | 17 |
Range of Investments |
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Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market
If you’re choosing between Charles Schwab and tastytrade for trading platforms and tools, Schwab takes the lead for depth and flexibility. It earns 5 stars and ranks #1 of 14 brokers at StockBrokers.com, while tastytrade scores 4 stars and ranks #8. Both can handle everyday trading on desktop and web, but Schwab better suits traders who want the widest set of settings, data fields, and built-in analysis; tastytrade works well if you prefer a cleaner setup with plenty of chart drawing tools.
Platform access is a draw: both offer downloadable Windows and Mac apps plus a browser platform. Schwab adds paper trading, while tastytrade does not. Each includes a trading journal and lets you adjust open orders right on a chart. Watch lists are where Schwab pulls away, offering up to 580 columns versus 33 at tastytrade, which can matter if you track lots of metrics or run screeners. Both support saving multiple chart layouts and creating custom studies.
For charting, both show notes, historical trades, corporate events, and custom date ranges, and both let you tweak studies. Schwab packs in 374 technical indicators versus 308 for tastytrade and supports automated chart pattern recognition; tastytrade lacks automated patterns but offers more drawing tools (31 vs 24). When editing a simple SMA study, Schwab provides 35 fields to fine-tune compared with 7 at tastytrade. In short, Schwab delivers more analysis features, while tastytrade covers the essentials with a focus on hands-on drawing.
Feature |
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Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | Yes |
Paper Trading | Yes | No |
Watch Lists - Total Fields | 580 | 33 |
Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 308 |
Charting - Drawing Tools | 24 | 31 |
Platforms & Tools |
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Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025
In the Charles Schwab vs tastytrade education matchup, both brokers teach stocks, ETFs, and options, offer educational videos and webinars, and let you track learning progress. Charles Schwab goes further with mutual funds and bonds education, plus quizzes and built-in paper trading. tastytrade does not offer mutual funds or bonds education, quizzes, or paper trading.
For beginner investors who want a wider course catalog and a way to practice before risking money, Charles Schwab is the stronger pick. Ratings reflect that: Charles Schwab earns 5 stars for education and ranks #1 out of 14 brokers at StockBrokers.com. tastytrade earns 4 stars and ranks #9, making it appealing for options-focused learners who prefer videos and webinars.
Feature |
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Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes |
Education (Options) | Yes | Yes |
Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes | No |
Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | No |
Paper Trading | Yes | No |
Videos | Yes | Yes |
Webinars | Yes | Yes |
Education |
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Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025
For most stock traders on mobile, Charles Schwab comes out ahead. Schwab’s app is rated 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 14 brokers by StockBrokers.com, while tastytrade earns 4.5 stars and ranks #10. Both deliver the basics—iPhone and Android apps, streaming quotes, options trading, alerts, and customizable watchlists—but Schwab adds more charting tools, built-in video content, live TV, and Apple Watch support.
App coverage and trading access: Schwab and tastytrade both offer iPhone and Android apps. Schwab also supports Apple Watch; tastytrade does not. Schwab enables mobile after-hours stock trading; the tastytrade status was not specified in the data. Both apps support mobile options trading, streaming quotes, stock alerts, custom watchlists, editable watchlist columns, landscape charts, after-hours charting, and multiple time frames.
Charts and research on the go: Schwab provides 373 technical studies in its mobile charts and lets you compare symbols on the same chart. Tastytrade offers no technical studies and no on-chart symbol comparisons, making its charting simpler. Schwab also includes streaming live TV and videos on demand inside the app, while tastytrade does not offer those media features.
Feature |
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iPhone App | Yes | Yes |
Android App | Yes | Yes |
Apple Watch App | Yes | No |
Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
Charting - After-Hours | Yes | Yes |
Charting - Technical Studies | 373 | 0 |
Mobile Trading Apps |
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Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025
When comparing Charles Schwab and tastytrade, potential investors encounter several key differences in fees. Both platforms offer a minimum deposit requirement of zero dollars and charge no fees for standard stock trades, which can make them highly appealing to beginners or those seeking to minimize costs initially. However, for those interested in options trading, tastytrade edges out slightly with a lower fee of $0.50 per contract compared to Charles Schwab's $0.65. On the other hand, Charles Schwab presents a significant advantage with zero fees for IRA accounts management, including no charges for IRA closure, whereas tastytrade imposes a $60 fee for closing an IRA account.
Regarding margin accounts, the difference becomes even more pronounced as tastytrade offers lower interest rates across varying balance tiers. For balances below $25,000, tastytrade charges 11%, while Charles Schwab applies a 12.58% rate. As the margin balances increase, tastytrade remains cheaper, charging 10.5% for balances between $25,000 and $49,999 and 10% for balances between $50,000 and $99,999; meanwhile, Charles Schwab charges 12.08% and 11.13%, respectively. Investors interested in margin trading might find tastytrade's lower rates more attractive.
Additional cost considerations include fees for account transfers and options specifically. Charles Schwab charges nothing for partial account transfers and $50 for full transfers, whereas tastytrade imposes a $75 fee for both. Plus, while Charles Schwab doesn't charge for options exercises or assignments, tastytrade applies a $5 fee for each. Overall, the choice between these two platforms can significantly depend on the specific services a trader values most, be it more economical margin trading with tastytrade or cost-effective account management with Charles Schwab.
Feature |
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Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Options (Per Contract) | $0.65 | $0.50 |
Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $5.00 |
Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $5.00 |
IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $60.00 |
Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025
For stock day trading, Charles Schwab offers more real-time tools than tastytrade. Schwab includes streaming time and sales, streaming live TV, direct market routing, ladder trading, keyboard hotkeys for quick order entry, Level 2 quotes, and both basic and advanced strategy backtesting. It also provides a short locator to check borrowable shares. Neither broker pays order liquidity (maker/taker) rebates.
tastytrade covers some needs—ladder trading, streaming live TV, advanced backtesting, and a short locator—but it does not offer streaming time and sales, direct routing, Level 2 data, trading hotkeys, or basic backtesting. If you want deeper market visibility and faster order control for active day trading, Charles Schwab is the stronger fit, while tastytrade can work if you don’t need those extra stock-trading tools.
Feature |
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Streaming Time & Sales | Yes | No |
Streaming TV | Yes | Yes |
Direct Market Routing - Equities | Yes | No |
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | Yes | No |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting | Yes | No |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | Yes | Yes |
Short Locator | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2025 for Beginners and Active Traders
In the Charles Schwab vs tastytrade market research matchup, Charles Schwab is the clear winner. Schwab earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #1 of 14 brokers on StockBrokers.com, while tastytrade scores 1.5 stars and ranks #13. Choose Schwab if you want broad coverage, downloadable analyst reports, and extras like social sentiment and ESG research. Tastytrade fits traders who rely on screeners and a trading-first workflow, but it doesn’t match Schwab’s depth of research content.
Both brokers offer stock and ETF research and let you view portfolio allocation by asset class. Only Charles Schwab adds research for mutual funds, pink sheets/OTCBB, and bonds; tastytrade does not provide research for those areas. Schwab also includes stock research using social media sentiment data and ESG coverage, which tastytrade lacks. On reports, Schwab supplies seven downloadable PDF reports for stocks and provides PDF reports for ETFs; tastytrade offers zero stock PDFs and no ETF PDFs. Neither broker offers downloadable mutual fund reports.
For idea generation, both platforms include stock and ETF screeners. Charles Schwab also offers a mutual fund screener, while tastytrade does not. Each provides a bond screener, though only Schwab pairs it with dedicated bond research. If you want in-depth research across asset classes, pick Charles Schwab; if you prefer a lean, trade-oriented setup with basic screeners, consider tastytrade.
Feature |
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Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
Screener - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
Screener - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
Research - Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Screener - Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Research - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | Yes |
Research |
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When looking at the banking services offered by Charles Schwab and tastytrade, Schwab clearly provides a more comprehensive suite of options. Charles Schwab offers customers checking and savings accounts, a versatile combination for managing day-to-day expenses and long-term financial goals. In contrast, tastytrade does not provide these basic banking services. Schwab also issues debit and credit cards, things that offer convenience and flexibility in transactions, whereas tastytrade offers neither. For those interested in longer-term savings, Charles Schwab provides Certificates of Deposit (CDs), adding another layer to your savings strategy. Mortgage loans are available with Schwab, giving you an opportunity to manage larger financial investments through them. tastytrade, however, does not extend these banking options, focusing instead on trading services. This comparison highlights Charles Schwab's comprehensive banking capabilities compared to tastytrade's trading-specific offerings.
Feature |
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Checking Accounts | Yes | No |
Savings Accounts | Yes | No |
Debit Cards | Yes | No |
Credit Cards | Yes | No |
Mortgage Loans | Yes | No |
Brokerage CDs | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2025
After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that Charles Schwab is better than tastytrade. Charles Schwab finished with an overall score of 99.2%, while tastytrade finished with a score of 80.1%.
With the addition of TD Ameritrade's thinkorswim platforms and the enhancement of several features, Schwab is now a vigorous competitor with thought-provoking research and commentary and a client experience to fit any preference.
When comparing online brokers, Charles Schwab does not offer crypto trading, whereas tastytrade provides access to 17 different cryptocurrencies, making it a more versatile option for crypto enthusiasts.
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025
Both Charles Schwab and tastytrade offer traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual fees, but while Charles Schwab charges $0.00 as a closure fee for IRA accounts, tastytrade imposes a $60.00 fee.
Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025
Select Brokers
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0 of 5Overall Rating | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Research |
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Customer Service |
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Education |
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Ease of Use |
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Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | Charles Schwab Review | tastytrade Review |
Broker Screenshots | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
Trading Fees | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | $6.95 | N/A | |
Mutual Fund Trade Fee | Varies | N/A | |
Options (Per Contract) | $0.65 | $0.50 | |
Futures (Per Contract) | $2.25 | $1.00 | |
Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $25 | $0 |
Margin Rates | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 12.58% | 11% | |
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 12.08% | 10.5% | |
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 11.13% | 10% | |
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 11.08% | 9.5% | |
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 10.83% | 9% | |
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | Varies | 8.5% | |
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | Varies | 8% |
Account Fees | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $60.00 | |
Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $0.00 | $75.00 | |
Account Transfer Out (Full) | $50.00 | $75.00 | |
Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $5.00 | |
Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $5.00 |
Investment Options | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Stock Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
OTC Stocks | Yes | No | |
Options Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Complex Options Max Legs | 4 | 4 | |
Futures Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Forex Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Crypto Trading | No | Yes | |
Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 | 17 | |
Fixed Income (Treasurys) | Yes | Yes | |
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) | Yes | No | |
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) | Yes | No | |
Traditional IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
Roth IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
Advisor Services | Yes | No | |
International Countries (Stocks) | 12 | 0 |
Order Types | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Order Type - Market | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - Limit | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - After Hours | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - Stop | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - Trailing Stop | Yes | No | |
Order Type - OCO | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - OTO | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - Broker Assisted | Yes | Yes |
Beginners | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes | |
Education (Options) | Yes | Yes | |
Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes | No | |
Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | No | |
Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
Retirement Calculator | Yes | No | |
Investor Dictionary | Yes | Yes | |
Paper Trading | Yes | No | |
Videos | Yes | Yes | |
Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
Progress Tracking | Yes | Yes | |
Interactive Learning - Quizzes | Yes | No |
Stock Trading Apps | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
Apple Watch App | Yes | No | |
Trading - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
Trading - After-Hours | Yes | Yes | |
Trading - Simple Options | Yes | Yes | |
Trading - Complex Options | Yes | Yes | |
Order Ticket RT Quotes | Yes | Yes | |
Order Ticket SRT Quotes | Yes | Yes |
Stock App Features | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Market Movers (Top Gainers) | Yes | Yes | |
Stream Live TV | Yes | No | |
Videos on Demand | Yes | No | |
Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
Option Chains Viewable | Yes | Yes | |
Watch List (Real-time) | Yes | Yes | |
Watch List (Streaming) | Yes | Yes | |
Watch Lists - Create & Manage | Yes | Yes | |
Watch Lists - Column Customization | Yes | Yes |
Stock App Charting | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Charting - After-Hours | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Technical Studies | 373 | 0 | |
Charting - Study Customizations | Yes | No | |
Charting - Stock Comparisons | Yes | No |
Trading Platforms | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Active Trading Platform | thinkorswim | tastytrade | |
Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | Yes | |
Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
Paper Trading | Yes | No | |
Trade Journal | Yes | Yes | |
Watch Lists - Total Fields | 580 | 33 |
Stock Chart Features | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 308 | |
Charting - Drawing Tools | 24 | 31 | |
Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Historical Trades | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Corporate Events | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Custom Date Range | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Custom Time Bars | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Automated Analysis | Yes | No | |
Charting - Save Profiles | Yes | Yes | |
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | Yes | No | |
Charting - Study Customizations | 35 | 7 | |
Charting - Custom Studies | Yes | Yes |
Day Trading | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Streaming Time & Sales | Yes | No | |
Streaming TV | Yes | Yes | |
Direct Market Routing - Equities | Yes | No | |
Ladder Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Trade Hot Keys | Yes | No | |
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | Yes | No | |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting | Yes | No | |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | Yes | Yes | |
Short Locator | Yes | Yes | |
Order Liquidity Rebates | No | No |
Research Overview | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
Research - Mutual Funds | Yes | No | |
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB | Yes | No | |
Research - Fixed Income | Yes | No | |
Screener - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
Screener - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
Screener - Mutual Funds | Yes | No | |
Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | Yes | |
Portfolio Asset Allocation | Yes | Yes |
Stock Research | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Stock Research - PDF Reports | 7 | 0 | |
Stock Research - Earnings | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - Insiders | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - Social | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - News | Yes | Yes | |
Stock Research - ESG | Yes | No | |
Stock Research - SEC Filings | Yes | No |
ETF Research | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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ETFs - Investment Objective | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings | Yes | No | |
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings | Yes | No | |
ETFs - Sector Exposure | Yes | No | |
ETFs - Risk Analysis | Yes | Yes | |
ETFs - Ratings | Yes | No | |
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | Yes | No | |
ETFs - PDF Reports | Yes | No |
Mutual Fund Research | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Prospectus | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - StyleMap | Yes | No |
Options Trading | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 5 | |
Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes | Yes |
Banking | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Bank (Member FDIC) | Yes | No | |
Checking Accounts | Yes | No | |
Savings Accounts | Yes | No | |
Credit Cards | Yes | No | |
Debit Cards | Yes | No | |
Mortgage Loans | Yes | No |
Customer Service | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
---|---|---|---|
Phone Support (Prospective Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
Phone Support (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
Email Support | Yes | Yes | |
Live Chat (Prospective Customers) | No | Yes | |
Live Chat (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
24/7 Support | Yes | No |
Overall | Charles Schwab | tastytrade | |
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Overall |
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Range of Investments |
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Platforms & Tools |
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Mobile Trading Apps |
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Research |
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Education |
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Ease of Use |
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Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | Charles Schwab Review | tastytrade Review |