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Fidelity vs Wealthfront

Fidelity logo

Fidelity

Software

Building a better financial future

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wealthfront logo

Wealthfront

Software

Automated investing for your money

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fidelity options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission; Wealthfront the Automated Investing Account carries a 0.25% annual advisory fee on top of the underlying fund expenses
  • They diverge on capability: Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Wealthfront covers Automated portfolio management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fidelity and Wealthfront actually diverge.

Attributes where Fidelity and Wealthfront differ
AttributeFidelityWealthfront
Founded19462011

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 Fidelity

  • Commission-free trading
  • Retirement planning
  • Advisory services
  • Research tools

Only in Wealthfront

  • Automated portfolio management
  • Tax-loss harvesting
  • Financial planning
  • Index fund investing

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 Wealthfront
  • Holding IRAs, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accountsnot Wealthfront
  • Trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one accountnot Wealthfront

Wealthfront

  • Automated index fund investing with periodic rebalancingnot Fidelity
  • Tax loss harvesting in a taxable brokerage accountnot Fidelity
  • Buying fractional shares of individual stocks with no commissionnot 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

Wealthfront

  • The Automated Investing Account carries a 0.25% annual advisory fee on top of the underlying fund expenses
  • Tax-Loss Harvesting and automated rebalancing apply to the Automated Investing Account, not the self-directed Stock Investing Account
  • It is a US brokerage product and is not offered to investors outside the United States

Pricing, plan by plan

Fidelity

On request
  • Brokerage$undefined/month
    • Commission-free trading
    • Research tools
  • Advisory$undefined/month
    • Personal advisor
    • Wealth management

Wealthfront

On request
  • BasicFree
    • Automated investing
    • Tax-loss harvesting
    • Rebalancing
  • Premium Plus$50/month
    • All Basic features
    • Financial planning
    • Human advisor access

Which should you pick?

Choose Fidelity if

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

Choose Wealthfront if

  • You need automated portfolio management.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want tax-loss harvesting.
Wealthfront review

Questions people ask

Is Fidelity or Wealthfront better?
Neither clearly leads. Fidelity starts at On request and Wealthfront at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fidelity or Wealthfront?
Fidelity starts at On request and Wealthfront at On request.
Does Fidelity or Wealthfront run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Wealthfront is typically brought in for.
What can Fidelity do that Wealthfront cannot?
Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Advisory services, Research tools. Wealthfront covers Automated portfolio management, Tax-loss harvesting, Financial planning, Index fund investing. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, Web support, IOS support.
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