Personal Finance · head to head
Mint vs Fidelity
The short version
- Only Mint has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere; Fidelity options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission
- They diverge on capability: Mint covers Expense tracking, Fidelity covers Commission-free trading.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mint and Fidelity actually diverge.
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 Mint
- Expense tracking
- Budgets
- Bill tracking
- Credit score monitoring
- Financial insights
- Bank connections
- Bank-level encryption
- Verisign secured
Only in Fidelity
- Commission-free trading
- Retirement planning
- Advisory services
- Research tools
- Bank accounts
- Investment accounts
- IOS support
Both cover
- Web support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Mint
- Legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connectionsnot Fidelity
- Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot Fidelity
Fidelity
- Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFsnot Mint
- Holding IRAs, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accountsnot Mint
- Trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one accountnot Mint
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Mint
- Service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
- Bank connections supported for only 17,000 financial institutions; many regional or international banks not supported
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
Mint
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Mint review.
Fidelity
On request- Brokerage$undefined/month
- Commission-free trading
- Research tools
- Advisory$undefined/month
- Personal advisor
- Wealth management
Which should you pick?
Choose Mint if
- You need expense tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want budgets.
Choose Fidelity if
- You need commission-free trading.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want retirement planning.
Questions people ask
- Is Mint or Fidelity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mint starts at Free and Fidelity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mint or Fidelity?
- Mint has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mint and On request for Fidelity.
- Does Mint or Fidelity run on more platforms?
- Mint runs on Web, iOS, Android. Fidelity runs on Web, IOS, Android.
- Can I use Mint for free?
- Yes. Mint has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fidelity starts at On request.
- What is Mint best used for?
- Mint is most often used for legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connections, users transitioning to credit karma for continued money management features. Of those, legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connections and users transitioning to credit karma for continued money management features are not what Fidelity is typically brought in for.
- What can Mint do that Fidelity cannot?
- Mint covers Expense tracking, Budgets, Bill tracking, Credit score monitoring. Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Advisory services, Research tools. Both handle Web support, Android support.