Software · head to head
Charles Schwab vs Fidelity
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; Fidelity options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission
- They diverge on capability: Charles Schwab covers Wealth management, Fidelity covers Advisory services.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Charles Schwab and Fidelity actually diverge.
| Attribute | Charles Schwab | Fidelity |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1971 | 1946 |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (transaction), free tier (No), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Wealth management
Only in Fidelity
- Advisory services
Both cover
- Commission-free trading
- Retirement planning
- Research tools
- Bank accounts
- Investment accounts
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Charles Schwab
- Budget Managementnot Fidelity
- Expense Trackingnot Fidelity
- Investment Trackingnot Fidelity
Fidelity
- Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFsnot Charles Schwab
- Holding IRAs, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accountsnot Charles Schwab
- Trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one accountnot 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 $0 online commission, per the App Store listing for Schwab Mobile
Fidelity
- Options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission
- Non Fidelity mutual funds carry a 49.95 USD transaction fee per purchase
- Secondary market bonds cost 1.00 USD per bond, while new issues are free
- A foreign settlement fee of 50 USD applies per trade
- Margin rates are tiered by debit balance, from 11.825 percent below 25,000 USD down to 7.50 percent at 1 million USD or more, against a base rate of 10.575 percent effective 12 December 2025
- Margin liquidation by the broker costs 32.95 USD per liquidation
Pricing, plan by plan
Charles Schwab
On request- Individual BrokerageFree
- Commission-free trading
- Research tools
- Schwab Advisor Services$undefined/month
- All Brokerage features
- Wealth management
- Personal advisors
Fidelity
On request- Brokerage$undefined/month
- Commission-free trading
- Research tools
- Advisory$undefined/month
- Personal advisor
- Wealth management
Which should you pick?
Choose Charles Schwab if
- You need wealth management.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
Questions people ask
- Is Charles Schwab or Fidelity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Charles Schwab starts at On request and Fidelity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Charles Schwab or Fidelity?
- Charles Schwab starts at On request and Fidelity at On request.
- Does Charles Schwab or Fidelity run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- 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 Fidelity is typically brought in for.
- What can Charles Schwab do that Fidelity cannot?
- Charles Schwab covers Wealth management. Fidelity covers Advisory services. Both handle Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Research tools, Bank accounts.