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Head to head
Charles Schwab or Fidelity Investments? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
The full-service US giant that also happens to own the best retail trading platform in the business.
The research-and-education benchmark for US investors, with the cheapest funds in the industry attached.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall both land on 4.6 out of 5. On commissions there is little between them — €0.00 against €0.00 for a reference EUR 5,000 order. Charles Schwab scores 93 against 73 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Charles Schwab covers more ground with 9 of 14 asset classes against 7. We rate platform and app at 4.6 out of 5 for both. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
Fidelity InvestmentsFidelity InvestmentsFidelity InvestmentsFidelity InvestmentsFidelity InvestmentsUp to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 30 Aug 2026
| Criterion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Group index | 93 of 100 | 73 of 100 |
| Best for | US long-term investorsOptions and futures tradersRetirement accountsInvestors who want branchesOne-account consolidation | US long-term investorsIndex fund and ETF buyersResearch-driven stock pickersRetirement accountsCash management |
| Regulation | SECFINRAFDIC | SECFINRAFDIC |
| Top-tier licences | 3 | 3 |
| Investor protection | US$500,000 | US$500,000 |
| Listed group | Yes | No |
| Banking licence | Yes | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | No | No |
| Audited financials | Yes | Yes |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | 1 | 2 |
| Founded | 1971 | 1946 |
| Headquarters | Westlake, US | Boston, US |
| Fees | 4.6 | 4.7 — Better |
| Safety & regulation | 4.9 — Better | 4.7 |
| Trading platform | 4.8 — Better | 4.5 |
| Product range | 4.2 — Better | 3.9 |
| Mobile app | 4.4 | 4.6 — Better |
| Research | 4.7 | 4.9 — Better |
| Customer support | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 4.2 | 4.3 — Better |
| Account opening | 4.3 — Better | 4.2 |
| Education | 4.6 | 4.8 — Better |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €0.00 | €0.00 |
| Minimum deposit | None | None |
| Stocks (per order) | Free | Free |
| US stocks | Free | Free |
| ETFs | Free | Free |
| Options | US$0.65 | US$0.65 |
| Futures | US$2.25 | Not offered |
| Crypto | Not offered | in the spread |
| Bonds (order) | US$1 | US$1 |
| Funds (order) | US$49.95 | US$49.95 |
| EUR/USD spread | n/a | n/a |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | n/a |
| FX conversion | 1 % | 1 % |
| Inactivity fee | None | None |
| Custody fee | None | None |
| Withdrawal fee | US$15 | free — Better |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 9 — Better | 7 |
| Exchanges | 12 | 25 — Better |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| Futures | Yes | No |
| Forex | Yes | No |
| CFDs | No | No |
| Crypto | No | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities | Yes | No |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | No | No |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | No | No |
| Platforms | Schwab.com web platformthinkorswim Desktopthinkorswim WebSchwab Mobilethinkorswim MobileSchwab Trader API | Fidelity.com web platformFidelity Trader+ (formerly Active Trader Pro)Fidelity MobileFidelity Crypto |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum leverage | 1:2 | 1:2 |
| Account opening | Under 10 minutes online for US residents; 1–2 weeks for a Schwab One International account | Around 10 minutes online for US residents; funded and tradable the same day via a linked bank |
| Account types | Schwab One brokerageSchwab Global AccountTraditional / Roth / Rollover IRASchwab One International | The Fidelity Account (brokerage)Fidelity Cash Management AccountTraditional / Roth / Rollover IRAFidelity Youth and custodial accounts |
| Payment methods | Bank transferCheque | Bank transferCheque |
| Account currencies | USD | USD |
| Deposit time | Instant to 3 business days (ACH, wire, cheque) | Instant trading availability on a linked bank transfer; 1–3 business days to fully clear |
| Withdrawal time | 1–3 business days by ACH; same day by wire | 1–3 business days by electronic funds transfer; same day by wire |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | n/a |
| Languages | EnglishSpanishChinese | EnglishSpanishChinese |
| Channels | PhoneEmailLive chatBranch | PhoneEmailLive chatBranch |
| Availability | 24/7 | 24/7 |
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
Charles Schwab
The full-service US giant that also happens to own the best retail trading platform in the business.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Fidelity Investments
The research-and-education benchmark for US investors, with the cheapest funds in the industry attached.
Pros
Cons
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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