Personal Finance · head to head
Fidelity vs Personal Capital
The short version
- Only Personal Capital has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Fidelity options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission; Personal Capital wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
- They diverge on capability: Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Personal Capital covers Investment tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fidelity and Personal Capital actually diverge.
| Attribute | Fidelity | Personal Capital |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | transaction | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 1946 | 2010 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, IOS, Android), 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 Fidelity
- Commission-free trading
- Retirement planning
- Advisory services
- Research tools
Only in Personal Capital
- Investment tracking
- Retirement calculator
- Fee analyzer
- Net worth tracking
- Real estate
Both cover
- 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.
Fidelity
- Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFsnot Personal Capital
- Holding IRAs, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accountsnot Personal Capital
- Trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one accountnot Personal Capital
Personal Capital
- Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Fidelity
- Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Fidelity
- Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Fidelity
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Personal Capital
- Wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
- The annual advisory fee is charged as a percentage of assets under management on a tiered structure rather than a flat subscription
- Assets are custodied at Pershing Advisor Solutions rather than by the provider itself
Pricing, plan by plan
Fidelity
On request- Brokerage$undefined/month
- Commission-free trading
- Research tools
- Advisory$undefined/month
- Personal advisor
- Wealth management
Personal Capital
Free- FreeFree
- Account tracking
- Net worth monitoring
- Investment analysis
- Premium$undefined/month
- Financial advisor access
- Personalized advice
Which should you pick?
Choose Fidelity if
- You need commission-free trading.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want retirement planning.
Choose Personal Capital if
- You need investment tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want retirement calculator.
Questions people ask
- Is Fidelity or Personal Capital better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fidelity starts at On request and Personal Capital at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fidelity or Personal Capital?
- Personal Capital has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Fidelity and Free for Personal Capital.
- Does Fidelity or Personal Capital run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Personal Capital for free?
- Yes. Personal Capital has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fidelity starts at On request.
- What is Fidelity best used for?
- Fidelity is most often used for commission free trading of us stocks and etfs, holding iras, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accounts, trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one account. Of those, commission free trading of us stocks and etfs and holding iras, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accounts are not what Personal Capital is typically brought in for.
- What can Fidelity do that Personal Capital cannot?
- Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Advisory services, Research tools. Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, Web support, IOS support.