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Personal Finance · head to head

Personal Capital vs Charles Schwab

Personal Capital logo

Personal Capital

Personal Finance

Invest wisely, retire confidently

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Charles Schwab logo

Charles Schwab

Personal Finance

Investing made simple

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Personal Capital has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; 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
  • They diverge on capability: Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Charles Schwab covers Commission-free trading.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Personal Capital and Charles Schwab actually diverge.

Attributes where Personal Capital and Charles Schwab differ
AttributePersonal CapitalCharles Schwab
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumtransaction
Free tierYesNo
Founded20101971

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 Personal Capital

  • Investment tracking
  • Retirement calculator
  • Fee analyzer
  • Net worth tracking
  • Real estate

Only in Charles Schwab

  • Commission-free trading
  • Retirement planning
  • Wealth management
  • Research tools

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.

Personal Capital

  • Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Charles Schwab
  • Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Charles Schwab
  • Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab

  • Budget Managementnot Personal Capital
  • Expense Trackingnot Personal Capital
  • Investment Trackingnot Personal Capital

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Personal Capital

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Account tracking
    • Net worth monitoring
    • Investment analysis
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Financial advisor access
    • Personalized advice

Charles Schwab

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

Which should you pick?

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.
Personal Capital review

Choose Charles Schwab if

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

Questions people ask

Is Personal Capital or Charles Schwab better?
Neither clearly leads. Personal Capital starts at Free and Charles Schwab at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Personal Capital or Charles Schwab?
Personal Capital has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Personal Capital and On request for Charles Schwab.
Does Personal Capital or Charles Schwab 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. Charles Schwab starts at On request.
What is Personal Capital best used for?
Personal Capital is most often used for tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard, managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors, retirement planning projections across linked accounts. Of those, tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard and managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors are not what Charles Schwab is typically brought in for.
What can Personal Capital do that Charles Schwab cannot?
Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Charles Schwab covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Wealth management, Research tools. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, Web support, IOS support.
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