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 better than TD Ameritrade? After scoring brokers on over 4,000 data points for our 2019 review, TD Ameritrade (86.98%) is better than Fidelity (86.62%).
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| Open Account |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
| Overall | ||
| TD Ameritrade Review | Fidelity Review |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
| 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 | $49.99 | $49.95 |
| Broker Assisted Trades Fee | $44.99 | $32.95 |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature |
TD Ameritrade
Open Account |
Fidelity |
| Under $24,999.99 | 10.25% | 9.58% |
| $25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 10.00% | 9.08% |
| $50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 9.00% | 8.13% |
| $100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 8.75% | 8.08% |
| $250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 8.50% | 7.83% |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 8.50% | 5.50% |
| Above $1,000,000.00 | 7.75% | 5.25% |
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Returned ACH Fee | $25.00 | $0.00 |
| Returned Wire Fee | $25.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Certificate Processing Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Stock Certificate Delivery Fee | $500.00 | $100.00 |
| Paper Statement Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Paper Confirmation Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Domestic Wire Fee | $25.00 | $0.00 |
| International Wire Fee | $25.00 | $0.00 |
| Commissions & Fees |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Stock Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
OTCBB / Pink Sheets |
Yes | Yes |
|
Options Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
Complex Options Max Legs |
4 | 4 |
|
Futures Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Forex Trading |
Yes | No |
| Commission-Free ETFs | 571 | all |
|
Mutual Funds (No Load) |
5185 | 4031 |
|
Mutual Funds (Total) |
12418 | 11782 |
|
Bonds (US Treasury) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Bonds (Corporate) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Bonds (Municipal) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Advisor Services |
Yes | Yes |
|
International Trading |
Yes | Yes |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Order Type - Market |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Limit |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Contingent |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - MultiContingent |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - OCO |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - OTO |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - OTOCO |
Yes | Yes |
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | Yes |
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Desktop Platform (Mac) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
|
Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Trade Journal |
Yes | Yes |
|
Watch Lists - Total Fields |
514 | 91 |
|
Two-Factor Authentication Login |
Yes | Yes |
|
Heat Mapping |
Yes | Yes |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Charting - Trade Off Chart |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Indicators / Studies |
411 | 166 |
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Charting - Drawing Tools |
22 | 22 |
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Charting - Historical Trades |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Corporate Events |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Automated Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Save Profiles |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
9 | 5 |
|
Charting - Custom Studies |
Yes | No |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Alerts - Advanced Fields |
Yes | 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 | Yes |
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Ladder Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Trade Hot Keys |
Yes | Yes |
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Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
|
Level 2 Quotes - Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
Yes | Yes |
|
Short Locator |
No | Yes |
|
Client Liquidity Rebates |
No | No |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
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 |
No | 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 |
Yes | No |
|
Touch / Face ID |
Yes | Yes |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - After Hours |
Yes | Yes |
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Charting - Drawing |
Yes | No |
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Charting - Study Customizations |
Yes | Yes |
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Customizable Homescreen |
No | Yes |
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Heatmapping |
No | Yes |
|
Stream Live TV |
Yes | Yes |
|
Barcode Lookup |
Yes | No |
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Misc - Portfolio Builder |
Yes | Yes |
|
Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Stock Research - Reports |
7 | 12 |
|
Stock Research - Earnings |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - Insiders |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Research - Metric Comp |
Yes | Yes |
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Stock Research - SEC Filings |
Yes | Yes |
|
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 |
|
Stock Research - News |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Research - ESG |
No | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
ETFs - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Top 10 Holdings |
Yes | Yes |
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ETFs - Sector Exposure |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Risk Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Performance Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap |
Yes | Yes |
|
ETFs - Reports |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
Yes | Yes |
|
Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
Yes | Yes |
|
Mutual Funds - Reports |
Yes | 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 |
No | Yes |
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Mutual Funds - StyleMap |
Yes | Yes |
|
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings |
Yes | Yes |
| Research | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Option Chains - Streaming |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Chains - Total Columns |
33 | 26 |
|
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 |
|
Option Probability Analysis Adv |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Greeks |
Yes | Yes |
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Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Rolling |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Grouping |
Yes | Yes |
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
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 |
|
Paper Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Videos |
Yes | Yes |
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Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
500 | 8 |
|
Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Live Seminars |
Yes | Yes |
|
Progress Tracking |
Yes | Yes |
|
Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
Yes | Yes |
|
Investor Magazine |
Yes | Yes |
| Education | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
|
Retail Locations |
364 | 197 |
|
Member FDIC |
No | No |
|
Checking Accounts |
Yes | Yes |
|
Savings Accounts |
No | Yes |
|
Credit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
|
Debit Cards |
Yes | Yes |
|
Mortgage Loans |
No | No |
|
No Fee Banking |
Yes | Yes |
| Banking | ||
| Winner | check_circle |
| Feature | TD Ameritrade | Fidelity |
| TD Ameritrade Review | Fidelity 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 vs TD Ameritrade.
To start this comparison, first, we will take a look at the online broker commission rates for placing regular stock and options trades. Fidelity and TD Ameritrade both cost $0 per trade. Looking at options, the base fees charged are the same for both brokers, $0. Option contracts cost $0.65 each at both brokerages. 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. TD Ameritrade offers clients Stock Trading, Options Trading, Mutual Funds, Forex Trading and Futures Trading while Fidelity offers Stock Trading, Options Trading and Mutual Funds. Looking at mutual funds, Fidelity trails TD Ameritrade by 636 total mutual funds, with TD Ameritrade offering 12418 and Fidelity offering 11782.
Trading access aside, by comparing popular features and functionality, we can break down relevant differences between both brokers. TD Ameritrade makes virtual trading available to clients, while Fidelity does not. Taking a look at mobile trading, Fidelity and TD Ameritrade both have a 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, Debit Cards and Credit Cards are offered by TD Ameritrade while Fidelity offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards.
Overall, between Fidelity and TD Ameritrade, TD Ameritrade 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.
TD Ameritrade, Inc. and StockBrokers.com are separate, unaffiliated companies and are not responsible for each other’s services and products. View terms.
