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Fidelity vs Merrill Edge 2025

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

July 03, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Fidelity vs Merrill Edge, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Fidelity
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.65
Merrill Edge
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.65

Range of investments

When deciding between Fidelity and Merrill Edge for your investment needs, it’s essential to consider their available options and services. Fidelity stands out with a five-star rating in the Range of Investments, ranked 3rd by StockBrokers.com, while Merrill Edge receives a 4.5-star rating and holds the 7th spot. Both brokers offer a variety of investment vehicles, including stock trading, mutual funds, and options trading. However, Fidelity distinguishes itself with the availability of fractional shares trading and crypto trading, providing three different cryptocurrencies. In comparison, Merrill Edge does not offer fractional shares or cryptocurrency trading at this time.

If you’re interested in traditional or Roth IRA accounts, both Fidelity and Merrill Edge have you covered, offering these retirement savings options. For investors looking to engage in margin trading or explore Over-the-Counter (OTC) stocks, both brokers support these options. However, when it comes to niche markets like forex or futures trading, neither broker currently offers these services, which could be a deciding factor for more specialized investors.

When it comes to personalized financial guidance, both Fidelity and Merrill Edge offer advisor services to help investors make informed decisions. Whether you're starting fresh or have years of experience, these services may provide valuable insights. Ultimately, the choice between Fidelity and Merrill Edge will depend on specific investment preferences and the value placed on diverse trading capabilities, as Fidelity extends its offerings in unique areas like fractional shares and cryptocurrencies, enhancing its appeal for a more comprehensive investment strategy.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Futures Trading info
Crypto Trading info Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 3 0
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market

Trading platforms and tools

When choosing between Fidelity and Merrill Edge for online trading platforms, Fidelity emerges as the slightly better option, earning a higher rating of 4.5 stars compared to Merrill Edge's 4 stars. Both platforms have strengths and offer comprehensive tools, but Fidelity's broader range of features and higher ranking by StockBrokers.com give it a competitive edge. The overall experience on Fidelity is bolstered by a more extensive set of technical indicators and drawing tools for charting, making it a preferred choice for traders who prioritize analytical capabilities.

Fidelity offers both Windows and Mac desktop applications, while Merrill Edge does not provide desktop-specific versions beyond their browser-based platform. Both companies deliver web-based trading platforms, but Fidelity stands out for offering a downloadable experience alongside that. Specifically, Fidelity supports a wider variety of technical features in charting, including 129 indicators versus Merrill Edge's 105 and 38 drawing tools versus Merrill Edge’s 23. Fidelity users can also utilize features like having a trading journal, which is not available with Merrill Edge.

In other aspects, both brokers allow traders to adjust open orders directly on stock charts, and they each offer the ability to display corporate events and historical trades. Merrill Edge, however, surpasses Fidelity by offering more fields in watch lists, at 285 compared to Fidelity's 92. Nevertheless, when it comes to chart personalization, both platforms are on equal footing, offering features like multiple chart profiles and automated technical analysis. Although Merrill Edge provides more customization fields for stock charts' SMA studies, Fidelity retains a slight lead overall, thanks to its combination of trading platform availability and advanced charting capabilities.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes
Paper Trading info
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 92 285
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 129 105
Charting - Drawing Tools info 38 23
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025

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Beginners and education

When it comes to educating investors, both Fidelity and Merrill Edge provide comprehensive resources across various investing topics. Fidelity and Merrill Edge cover a wide range of subjects, including stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, and bonds, ensuring users have access to essential knowledge in these areas. Both platforms enhance their learning experiences with educational videos and webinars, while also offering quizzes to help reinforce understanding. Fidelity takes it a step further with the ability for users to track their learning progress, an advantage not currently offered by Merrill Edge.

Fidelity is highly regarded in the field of investor education, receiving a perfect five-star rating and securing the #2 spot out of 14 brokers according to StockBrokers.com rankings. Merrill Edge also performs well, earning a 4.5-star rating and landing at #5 in the same evaluation. Unfortunately, neither broker currently provides paper trading, a feature that would allow beginners to practice without financial risk. Still, both platforms are strong contenders for those looking to expand their investment knowledge, with Fidelity offering a slight edge in educational support and user engagement tracking.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025

Stock trading apps

When considering a stock trading app, Fidelity emerges as a slightly stronger choice compared to Merrill Edge. Fidelity consistently offers comprehensive features across devices, enabling users to leverage advanced charting capabilities, video on demand, and even streaming live TV. It provides 119 technical studies as it ranks third among 14 brokers, reflecting its extensive functionality. Merrill Edge, although slightly lagging in these areas with 34 technical studies, maintains a competitive edge by offering reliable services and a 4.5-star rating, placing it sixth among the same group of brokers.

Both Fidelity and Merrill Edge provide apps compatible with iPhone and Android, allowing seamless stock trading experiences on mobile devices. They each support options trading and real-time streaming quotes, ensuring that users stay informed and can execute trades efficiently. However, Fidelity offers additional features like mobile after-hours stock trading, an Apple Watch app, and the ability to create and customize watch lists and columns, giving it a leading role in mobile platform versatility.

In terms of charting and analysis, Fidelity's app stands out with after-hours charting, and the option to view multiple time frames and compare stocks directly within the app. Its robust offering in technical studies surpasses Merrill Edge’s, providing users with more in-depth analytical tools. While both apps cater to different charting views, such as landscape mode, Fidelity’s comprehensive approach equips traders with a more detailed understanding and flexibility, which can be crucial for making informed investment decisions.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - After-Hours info Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 119 34
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025

Fees

When examining the account fees and charges between Fidelity and Merrill Edge, it's clear that both platforms offer appealing features to investors with slight variations in specific areas. Both Fidelity and Merrill Edge have eliminated minimum deposit requirements, making it easy for investors to start trading. They also offer commission-free stock trades and charge the same rate of $0.65 per options contract, ensuring low trading costs. However, a notable difference is in the IRA closure fee, with Fidelity charging nothing whereas Merrill Edge imposes a $49.95 fee.

Both platforms offer free account transfers (ACAT) whether partial or full, ensuring flexibility for investors looking to move their assets between different brokerages. The cost-free options exercise and assignment fees further align the services of Fidelity and Merrill Edge, creating a seamless trading experience. Despite these similarities, Fidelity stands out with consistently transparent rates for margin balances at various levels, whereas Merrill Edge's fees vary depending on individual circumstances.

For investors needing margin accounts, Fidelity provides clear rate percentages, starting at 13.075% for balances below $25,000, while offering slightly lower rates as balances increase. In comparison, Merrill Edge's varied rates necessitate further inquiry for specific margin rate information. Overall, Fidelity offers a more predictable fee structure with zero charges on numerous standard services, although both platforms provide competitive offerings suited to a range of investor needs.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 $0.65
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $0.00 $49.95

Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025

Day Trading

When considering Fidelity and Merrill Edge for day trading, both platforms offer useful tools, but Fidelity provides a few more features that may benefit active traders. Fidelity's offerings include streaming time and sales for stocks, streaming live TV, direct market routing, and keyboard hotkey trade entry. These features could aid traders in quickly executing decisions and staying informed on live market conditions. Fidelity also provides level 2 quotes to give deeper insight into market pricing and has basic strategy backtesting capabilities. A notable advantage for those who short sell is Fidelity's short locator tool, which allows traders to view the real-time availability of shares available to short.

On the other hand, Merrill Edge also provides some competitive features, including streaming time and sales and level 2 quotes, which help traders analyze the depth of the market. However, it does not offer streaming live TV, direct market routing, keyboard hotkeys for quick trade entries, or a short locator tool. Both platforms lack ladder trading capabilities, advanced strategy backtesting, and order liquidity rebates. Overall, while both platforms serve day traders, Fidelity might offer a slight edge with its broader range of trading tools tailored for active trading strategies.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes Yes
Streaming TV info Yes
Direct Market Routing - Equities info Yes
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info
Short Locator info Yes

Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms for 2025

Market Research

In comparing Fidelity and Merrill Edge for their market research prowess, Fidelity stands out by offering a more comprehensive suite of resources. Both brokers are well-rated, with 5 stars each, but Fidelity takes a slight edge by providing additional features like social media sentiment data for stock research. Fidelity also offers a wider selection of downloadable PDF reports for stocks, boasting 11 compared to Merrill Edge's 3. Furthermore, Fidelity is ranked higher by StockBrokers.com, placing 3rd out of 14 brokers, while Merrill Edge follows slightly behind in 5th place.

Both Fidelity and Merrill Edge excel at providing research options across various asset types, including stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, pink sheets/OTCBB, and bonds. They also allow users to view their portfolio allocation by asset class, a useful tool for investors looking to diversify. For those interested in socially responsible investing, both brokers offer ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) research. Additionally, each offers screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds, equipping investors with a robust set of tools for generating trade ideas.

While both platforms offer ETF research and screeners, and various downloadable reports, Fidelity falls short on providing downloadable mutual fund research reports, a service offered by Merrill Edge. Nonetheless, Fidelity's strengths in downloadable stock research reports and unique features like social media sentiment analysis may tip the scales for those who value access to extensive information. Both offer a strong market research experience, but Fidelity provides a slightly more extensive array of tools and resources.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Research - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars

Banking

When it comes to banking services, both Fidelity and Merrill Edge offer a variety of financial products, though there are some distinctions. Fidelity provides debit cards, credit cards, mortgage loans, and certificates of deposit (CDs). Meanwhile, Merrill Edge expands its offerings by also including checking and savings accounts alongside debit and credit cards, mortgage loans, and CDs. For individuals looking for comprehensive banking solutions, Merrill Edge's inclusion of checking and savings accounts may offer convenience, while Fidelity's banking options remain extensive with its focus on investment-related products.

Feature Fidelity logoFidelity
Merrill Edge logoMerrill Edge
Checking Accounts info Yes
Savings Accounts info Yes
Debit Cards info Yes Yes
Credit Cards info Yes Yes
Mortgage Loans info Yes Yes
Brokerage CDs info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2025

Winner

After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that Fidelity is better than Merrill Edge. Fidelity finished with an overall score of 96.2%, while Merrill Edge finished with a score of 92.7%.

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

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Fidelity or Merrill Edge?

Fidelity provides cryptocurrency trading options with access to three coins, while Merrill Edge currently does not offer any crypto trading services.

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025

Does Fidelity or Merrill Edge offer IRAs?

Fidelity and Merrill Edge both offer traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual fees; however, while Fidelity does not charge a closure fee, Merrill Edge charges $49.95 when closing IRA accounts.

Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025

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Overall Rating Fidelity Merrill Edge
Overall 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Fidelity Review Merrill Edge Review
Broker Screenshots Fidelity Merrill Edge
Broker Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees Fidelity Merrill Edge
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $0.00 N/A
Mutual Fund Trade Fee info Varies info Varies info
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 $0.65
Futures (Per Contract) info (Not offered) (Not offered)
Broker Assisted Trade Fee info $32.95 $29.95
Margin Rates Fidelity Merrill Edge
Margin Rate Under $25,000 info 13.075% Varies info
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 info 12.575% Varies info
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 info 12.125% Varies info
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 info 11.575% Varies info
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 info 11.325% Varies info
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 info 9.00% Varies info
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 info 8.75% Varies info
Account Fees Fidelity Merrill Edge
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $0.00 $49.95
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $0.00 $0.00
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options Fidelity Merrill Edge
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 4 4
Futures Trading info
Forex Trading info
Crypto Trading info Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 3 0
Fixed Income (Treasurys) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) info Yes Yes
Traditional IRAs info Yes Yes
Roth IRAs info Yes Yes
Advisor Services info Yes Yes
International Countries (Stocks) info 25 0
Order Types Fidelity Merrill Edge
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
Order Type - OTO info Yes
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes Yes
Beginners Fidelity Merrill Edge
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes Yes
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator info Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Progress Tracking info Yes
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info Yes Yes
Stock Trading Apps Fidelity Merrill Edge
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info 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
Stock App Features Fidelity Merrill Edge
Market Movers (Top Gainers) info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info Yes
Videos on Demand info Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Option Chains Viewable info Yes Yes
Watch List (Real-time) info Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Create & Manage info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization info Yes
Stock App Charting Fidelity Merrill Edge
Charting - After-Hours info Yes
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes Yes
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 119 34
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes Yes
Charting - Stock Comparisons info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Fidelity Merrill Edge
Active Trading Platform info Active Trader Pro Merrill Edge Market Pro
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info
Trade Journal info Yes
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 92 285
Stock Chart Features Fidelity Merrill Edge
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 129 105
Charting - Drawing Tools info 38 23
Charting - Notes info Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades info Yes Yes
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 8
Charting - Custom Studies info
Day Trading Fidelity Merrill Edge
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes Yes
Streaming TV info Yes
Direct Market Routing - Equities info Yes
Ladder Trading info
Trade Hot Keys info Yes
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info
Short Locator info Yes
Order Liquidity Rebates info
Research Overview Fidelity Merrill Edge
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes Yes
Research - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes Yes
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes Yes
Portfolio Asset Allocation info Yes Yes
Stock Research Fidelity Merrill Edge
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 11 3
Stock Research - Earnings info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Social info Yes
Stock Research - News info Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG info Yes Yes
Stock Research - SEC Filings info Yes Yes
ETF Research Fidelity Merrill Edge
ETFs - Investment Objective info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total 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 Merrill Edge
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective 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 Merrill Edge
Option Chains - Total Greeks info 5 5
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes Yes
Banking Fidelity Merrill Edge
Bank (Member FDIC) info Yes
Checking Accounts info Yes
Savings Accounts info Yes
Credit Cards info Yes Yes
Debit Cards info Yes Yes
Mortgage Loans info Yes Yes
Customer Service Fidelity Merrill Edge
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) info Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
Email Support info Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
24/7 Support info Yes Yes
Overall Fidelity Merrill Edge
Overall 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 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 Merrill Edge Review
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