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Personal Finance · head to head

Charles Schwab vs Banktivity

Charles Schwab logo

Charles Schwab

Personal Finance

Investing made simple

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Banktivity logo

Banktivity

Personal Finance

Personal finance for Mac and iOS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Charles Schwab broker-assisted trades cost $25 and automated phone trades cost $5 in addition to the standard $0 online commission, per the App Store listing for Schwab Mobile; Banktivity runs on macOS, iPhone and iPad only, with no Windows, Android or web version
  • They diverge on capability: Charles Schwab covers Commission-free trading, Banktivity covers Account tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Charles Schwab and Banktivity actually diverge.

Attributes where Charles Schwab and Banktivity differ
AttributeCharles SchwabBanktivity
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidMac, IOS
Founded19712007

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Charles Schwab

  • Commission-free trading
  • Retirement planning
  • Wealth management
  • Research tools
  • Web support
  • Android support

Only in Banktivity

  • Account tracking
  • Bill management
  • Investment tracking
  • Budget forecasting
  • Mac support

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • IOS support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Charles Schwab

  • Budget Managementnot Banktivity
  • Expense Trackingnot Banktivity
  • Investment Trackingnot Banktivity

Banktivity

  • Personal budgeting and money management on a Macnot Charles Schwab
  • Investment and net worth trackingnot Charles Schwab
  • Retirement planning projectionsnot Charles Schwab
  • Connecting to over 14,000 financial institutionsnot Charles Schwab

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Charles Schwab

  • Broker-assisted trades cost $25 and automated phone trades cost $5 in addition to the standard $0 online commission, per the App Store listing for Schwab Mobile
  • Options trades carry a $0.65 per-contract fee on top of the $0 online commission, per the App Store listing for Schwab Mobile

Banktivity

  • Runs on macOS, iPhone and iPad only, with no Windows, Android or web version
  • Pricing is not shown on the product page and sits behind a separate plans page

Pricing, plan by plan

Charles Schwab

On request
  • Individual BrokerageFree
    • Commission-free trading
    • Research tools
  • Schwab Advisor Services$undefined/month
    • All Brokerage features
    • Wealth management
    • Personal advisors

Banktivity

On request
  • Monthly$4.99/month
    • Full feature access
    • Cloud sync
  • Annual$39.99/month
    • All monthly features
    • Discounted rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Charles Schwab if

  • You need commission-free trading.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement planning.
Charles Schwab review

Choose Banktivity if

  • You need account tracking.
  • You work on Mac, IOS.
  • You also want bill management.
Banktivity review

Questions people ask

Is Charles Schwab or Banktivity better?
Neither clearly leads. Charles Schwab starts at On request and Banktivity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Charles Schwab or Banktivity?
Charles Schwab starts at On request and Banktivity at On request.
Does Charles Schwab or Banktivity run on more platforms?
Charles Schwab runs on Web, IOS, Android. Banktivity runs on Mac, IOS.
What is Charles Schwab best used for?
Charles Schwab is most often used for budget management, expense tracking, investment tracking. Of those, budget management and expense tracking are not what Banktivity is typically brought in for.
What can Charles Schwab do that Banktivity cannot?
Charles Schwab covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Wealth management, Research tools. Banktivity covers Account tracking, Bill management, Investment tracking, Budget forecasting. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, IOS support.
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