Software · head to head
Personal Capital vs Fidelity
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; Fidelity options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission
- They diverge on capability: Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Fidelity covers Commission-free trading.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Personal Capital and Fidelity actually diverge.
| Attribute | Personal Capital | Fidelity |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | transaction |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2010 | 1946 |
Identical on both: 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 Personal Capital
- Investment tracking
- Retirement calculator
- Fee analyzer
- Net worth tracking
- Real estate
Only in Fidelity
- Commission-free trading
- Retirement planning
- Advisory services
- 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 Fidelity
- Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Fidelity
- Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Fidelity
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
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
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
Personal Capital
Free- FreeFree
- Account tracking
- Net worth monitoring
- Investment analysis
- Premium$undefined/month
- Financial advisor access
- Personalized advice
Fidelity
On request- Brokerage$undefined/month
- Commission-free trading
- Research tools
- Advisory$undefined/month
- Personal advisor
- Wealth management
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.
Choose Fidelity if
- You need commission-free trading.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want retirement planning.
Questions people ask
- Is Personal Capital or Fidelity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Personal Capital 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, Personal Capital or Fidelity?
- Personal Capital has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Personal Capital and On request for Fidelity.
- Does Personal Capital or Fidelity 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 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 Fidelity is typically brought in for.
- What can Personal Capital do that Fidelity cannot?
- Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Advisory services, Research tools. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, Web support, IOS support.