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Fidelity Investments vs Firstrade 2019
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 Fidelity Investments better than Firstrade? After scoring brokers on over 4,000 data points for our 2019 review, Fidelity Investments (86.62%) is better than Firstrade (67.1%). From industry-leading research to excellent trading tools, mobile apps, and retirement services, Fidelity defines “value” and provides investors with everything they need to succeed, and more.
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| Open Account | Open Account |
Overall Rating
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
| Overall | ||
| Fidelity Investments Review | Firstrade Review |
Trading Fees
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Trade Fee (per trade) | $4.95 | $0.00 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $4.95 | $0.00 |
| Options Base Fee | $4.95 | $0.00 |
| Options Per Contract Fee | $0.65 | $0.00 |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $49.95 | $0.00 |
| Broker Assisted Trades Fee | $32.95 | $19.95 |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Margin Rates
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
| Under $24,999.99 | 9.58% | 9.50% |
| $25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 9.08% | 9.00% |
| $50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 8.13% | 8.50% |
| $100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 8.08% | 8.00% |
| $250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 7.83% | 7.75% |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 5.50% | 6.00% |
| Above $1,000,000.00 | 5.25% | 5.25% |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Account Fees
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
| IRA Annual Fee | 0 | 0 |
| IRA Closure Fee | 0 | 0 |
| Returned ACH Fee | 0 | 50 |
| Returned Wire Fee | 0 | 50 |
| Stock Certificate Processing Fee | 0 | 300 |
| Stock Certificate Delivery Fee | 100 | 300 |
| Paper Statement Fee | 0 | 5 |
| Paper Confirmation Fee | 0 | 3 |
| Domestic Wire Fee | 0 | 30 |
| International Wire Fee | 0 | 50 |
| Commissions & Fees |
Investment Options
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
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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 | 2 |
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Futures Trading |
No | No |
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Forex Trading |
No | No |
| Commission-Free ETFs | 500 | all |
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Mutual Funds (No Load) |
4031 | 5234 |
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Mutual Funds (Total) |
11782 | 12603 |
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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 |
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Advisor Services |
Yes | No |
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International Trading |
Yes | No |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Order Types
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
|
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 |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - OCO |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - OTO |
Yes | Yes |
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Order Type - OTOCO |
Yes | No |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading Platforms
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
|
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | No |
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Desktop Platform (Mac) |
Yes | No |
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Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
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Paper Trading |
No | No |
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Trade Journal |
Yes | No |
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Watch Lists - Total Fields |
91 | 13 |
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Two-Factor Authentication Login |
Yes | No |
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Heat Mapping |
Yes | Yes |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Charting Features
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
|
Charting - Trade Off Chart |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Indicators / Studies |
166 | 58 |
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Charting - Drawing Tools |
22 | 5 |
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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 |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Save Profiles |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
5 | 6 |
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Charting - Custom Studies |
No | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Day Trading
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
|
Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields |
Yes | No |
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Streaming Time & Sales |
Yes | No |
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Streaming TV |
Yes | No |
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Direct Market Routing - Stocks |
Yes | No |
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Direct Market Routing - Options |
Yes | No |
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Ladder Trading |
No | No |
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Trade Hot Keys |
Yes | No |
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Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
Yes | No |
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Level 2 Quotes - Options |
Yes | No |
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Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
Yes | No |
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Short Locator |
Yes | No |
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Client Liquidity Rebates |
No | No |
| Winner | check_circle |
Mobile Trading Apps
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
|
iPhone App |
Yes | Yes |
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Android App |
Yes | Yes |
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Apple Watch App |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - After-Hours |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Conditional Orders |
No | No |
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Trading - Mutual Funds |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Simple Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Complex Options |
Yes | No |
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Trading - Option Rolling |
No | No |
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Touch / Face ID |
Yes | Yes |
| Winner | check_circle |
Mobile App Features
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
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Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | No |
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Stock Alerts - Advanced 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 | No |
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Stream Live TV |
Yes | No |
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Barcode Lookup |
No | No |
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Research Overview
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
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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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Research - Futures |
Yes | No |
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Research - Forex |
No | No |
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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 | No |
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Screener - Bonds |
Yes | Yes |
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Misc - Portfolio Builder |
Yes | No |
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Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Stock Research
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
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Stock Research - Reports |
12 | 1 |
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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 |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - SEC Filings |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Social |
Yes | No |
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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 |
Yes | No |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
ETF Research
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
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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 |
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ETFs - Reports |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Mutual Fund Research
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
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Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
Yes | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - Reports |
No | No |
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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 |
Options Trading
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
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Option Chains - Streaming |
Yes | No |
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Option Chains - Total Columns |
26 | 8 |
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Option Chains - Greeks |
5 | 5 |
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Option Chains - Quick Analysis |
Yes | No |
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Option Analysis - P&L Charts |
Yes | No |
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Option Probability Analysis |
Yes | No |
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Option Probability Analysis Adv |
Yes | No |
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Option Positions - Greeks |
Yes | No |
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Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
Yes | No |
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Option Positions - Rolling |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Grouping |
Yes | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Beginners
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
|
Has Education - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - ETFs |
Yes | No |
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Has Education - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Has Education - Mutual Funds |
Yes | No |
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Has Education - Fixed Income |
Yes | No |
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Has Education - Retirement |
Yes | Yes |
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Paper Trading |
No | No |
|
Videos |
Yes | Yes |
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Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
8 | 5 |
|
Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Live Seminars |
Yes | No |
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Progress Tracking |
Yes | No |
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Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
Yes | No |
|
Investor Magazine |
Yes | No |
| Education | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Banking
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
|
Retail Locations |
197 | 2 |
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Member FDIC |
No | No |
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Checking Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
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Savings Accounts |
Yes | No |
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Credit Cards |
Yes | No |
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Debit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
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Mortgage Loans |
No | No |
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No Fee Banking |
Yes | No |
| Banking | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Overall
| Feature | Fidelity Investments | Firstrade |
| Fidelity Investments Review | Firstrade Review | |
| Overall | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. For our annual broker review, we assess over a dozen brokers on hundreds of different variables to find the best online broker. Yielding a database of over 4,000 data points, let's compare Fidelity Investments vs Firstrade.
To start this comparison, first, we will take a look at the online broker commission rates for placing regular stock and options trades. Fidelity Investments, with its regular stock trades costing $4.95, is more expensive than Firstrade's rate of $0 per trade. Looking at trading options, Firstrade's base fee is $0 while Fidelity Investments's is $4.95. Option contracts are pricier at Fidelity Investments, costing $0.65 versus $0 at Firstrade. It's important to note that not all brokers charge a flat fee per trade. Thus, it is important to read the full commission notes for each broker, which we include with each online broker review.
Next to commission rates, being able to trade what you want is important. Fidelity Investments alongside Firstrade offer clients Stock Trading, Options Trading and Mutual Funds. Looking at mutual funds, Firstrade boasts an offering of 12603 mutual funds compared to Fidelity Investments's 11782 available funds.
Trading access aside, by comparing popular features and functionality, we can break down relevant differences between both brokers. Neither Fidelity Investments and Firstrade offer virtual trading. Taking a look at mobile trading, Both Fidelity Investments and Firstrade offer clients access to an iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Not to be left out, online banking is also a nice benefit for many investors, and some brokerages provide these services to clients. Checking Accounts and Debit Cards are offered by Firstrade while Fidelity Investments offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards.
Overall, between Fidelity Investments and Firstrade, Fidelity Investments is the winner.
Fidelity Investments Review
Firstrade Review
To start this comparison, first, we will take a look at the online broker commission rates for placing regular stock and options trades. Fidelity Investments, with its regular stock trades costing $4.95, is more expensive than Firstrade's rate of $0 per trade. Looking at trading options, Firstrade's base fee is $0 while Fidelity Investments's is $4.95. Option contracts are pricier at Fidelity Investments, costing $0.65 versus $0 at Firstrade. It's important to note that not all brokers charge a flat fee per trade. Thus, it is important to read the full commission notes for each broker, which we include with each online broker review.
Next to commission rates, being able to trade what you want is important. Fidelity Investments alongside Firstrade offer clients Stock Trading, Options Trading and Mutual Funds. Looking at mutual funds, Firstrade boasts an offering of 12603 mutual funds compared to Fidelity Investments's 11782 available funds.
Trading access aside, by comparing popular features and functionality, we can break down relevant differences between both brokers. Neither Fidelity Investments and Firstrade offer virtual trading. Taking a look at mobile trading, Both Fidelity Investments and Firstrade offer clients access to an iPhone App, iPad App and Android App. Not to be left out, online banking is also a nice benefit for many investors, and some brokerages provide these services to clients. Checking Accounts and Debit Cards are offered by Firstrade while Fidelity Investments offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards.
Overall, between Fidelity Investments and Firstrade, Fidelity Investments is the winner.
Fidelity Investments Review
Firstrade Review
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.
