Skip to content

Compare brokers side by side before you choose.

Pick up to four brokers and quickly spot the differences that change a decision: trust, fees, platforms, withdrawals, restrictions, and notes you should verify.

Built for final-shortlist moments: select brokers, scan the trade-offs, then open the profile for deeper source notes.

Selected
4
Rows
25+
Max
4

Choose brokers

Pick 2-4 brokers to compare

The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.

Broker 1
Broker 2
Broker 3
Broker 4
VS field
T. Rowe Price

troweprice.com

Stock BrokerETF BrokerETF
Charles Schwab

schwab.com

Stock BrokerETF BrokerMutual Fund
Fidelity

fidelity.com

Stock BrokerETF BrokerETF
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

us.etrade.com

Stock BrokerETF BrokerBond
Decision summary
Overall score
78
91
91
88
Trust score
88
100
100
93
Cost score
72
92
89
86
Platform score
70
94
94
89
Withdrawal score
73
89
89
89
Best for
U.S. retirement investors · T. Rowe Price mutual fund and ETF investors · investors consolidating long-term brokerage and fund accounts
Best suited for U.S.-centric investors and active traders who want a large, bank-affiliated multi-asset brokerage with $0 online listed stock/ETF commissions, strong platform dept…
Evidence supports Fidelity as a U.S.-focused, highly regulated multi-asset broker for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, options, cash management, managed portfolios, and sepa…
U.S. self-directed stock/ETF investors · Options traders · Futures traders needing CME/ICE US/CFE access
Watch out
Needs verification
Needs verification
Needs verification
Needs verification
Trust & regulation
Regulators
TRPIS is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and member FINRA/SIPC; brokerage accounts are carried by Pershing LLC, member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.
Source
SEC; FINRA; SIPC; CFTC; NFA; FDIC
Source
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC is SEC registered and regulated by FINRA; FBS and NFS are members of NYSE and SIPC.
Source
FINRA/SEC/SIPC for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC; NFA/CFTC for futures; FDIC for Morgan Stanley Private Bank deposits; NYDFS for Zero Hash crypto-related services disclosed by E*TRADE.
Source
License numbers
T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc. CRD#: 8348 / SEC#: 8-25130.
Source
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. CRD 5393; SEC 801-29938 and 8-16514
Source
FBS CRD# 7784 / SEC# 8-23292; NFS CRD# 13041 / SEC# 801-50706, 8-26740.
Source
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC: CRD# 149777; SEC# 801-70103 and 8-68191. E*TRADE Futures LLC: NFA ID 0401545 from NFA BASIC search result.
Source
Regulated entities
Brokerage accounts are offered by T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc.; advisory services by affiliated registered investment advisers; brokerage accounts are carried by Pershing LLC.
Source
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Charles Schwab Futures and Forex LLC; Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB
Source
Primary securities brokerage entities are Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (FBS) and National Financial Services LLC (NFS), each member NYSE/SIPC; advisory and crypto entities differ by product.
Source
Securities and advisory services: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC; commodity futures/options on futures: E*TRADE Futures LLC; banking: Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association; crypto commission charged by zerohash with Zero Hash NYDFS virtual currency business licenses noted on crypto page.
Source
Negative balance protection
No negative balance protection policy was found; margin involves additional risk and is subject to approval.
Source
Not disclosed as retail brokerage negative balance protection; futures/forex are leveraged and losses may exceed initial investment.
Source
Not applicable/not disclosed as a CFD-style negative balance protection policy; margin trading can create debt/interest obligations.
Source
No negative balance protection found; official margin/futures disclosures state customers may lose more than deposited funds and be liable for deficits.
Source
Investor compensation
T. Rowe Price and Pershing are SIPC members; Pershing custody assets have SIPC protection up to $500,000 including $250,000 cash, plus excess SIPC coverage from Lloyd's and other insurers.
Source
SIPC protection up to $500,000 including a $250,000 cash limit for brokerage account assets; futures accounts are not protected by SIPC.
Source
SIPC coverage up to $500,000/$250,000 cash plus Fidelity excess SIPC; FDIC sweep coverage may apply to eligible cash programs; important exclusions apply.
Source
SIPC: up to $500,000 including $250,000 cash; excess of SIPC policy: $1B aggregate firmwide, $1.9M per client uninvested cash; FDIC: brokerage sweep up to $500,000 individual/$1,000,000 joint and bank deposits at least $250,000 or $500,000 for Premium Savings where conditions are met.
Source
Restricted countries
The U.S. personal-investing site says its funds are offered and sold only to persons residing in the United States; broader country restrictions for brokerage account opening were not fully enumerated.
Source
Not all products, services, or investments are available in all countries; Schwab is not registered outside the United States and products/services may not be registered in a user's jurisdiction.
Source
U.S.-persons focused; sanctioned countries/prohibited parties restricted; no exhaustive country availability list found.
Source
Official promotional terms exclude non-U.S. residents and residents of any jurisdiction where an offer is not valid. Full account-opening country availability/restriction list was not located in public pages checked.
Source
Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit
Brokerage taxable minimum $2,500; Brokerage IRA minimum $1,000; mutual fund non-retirement minimum $2,500; IRA minimum $1,000; subsequent brokerage investments $100.
Source
$0 minimum for standard U.S. brokerage and IRA accounts; Schwab One International accounts require a minimum deposit but amount is not disclosed in checked official pages.
Source
$0 to open a retail brokerage account; Fidelity states no account minimum and ability to invest with as little as $1; exceptions apply by account/product.
Source
Brokerage accounts: no minimum funding requirements; Core Portfolios: $500 minimum; Premium Savings/Bank CD/Checking: $0 minimum opening deposit but must be funded within 90 days to remain open where disclosed.
Source
Spread from
Not applicable as a U.S. securities/mutual-fund brokerage; ETFs and stocks trade at market bid/ask spreads rather than broker-quoted forex/CFD spreads.
Source
Not applicable to this stock/ETF investment broker profile; no CFD/FX spread schedule identified as a core product in reviewed sources.
Source
Not applicable to Fidelity's core U.S. stock/ETF brokerage model; securities trade by exchange/market prices rather than quoted CFD/FX spreads.
Source
Not applicable as a primary pricing metric for this U.S. securities/futures/banking platform; E*TRADE discloses commissions, contract fees, bond markups/markdowns and margin rates rather than forex/CFD-style spreads.
Source
Commission
Not disclosed in extracted official sources; needs editor review.
Source
stock_commission: $0 online commission for listed stocks and ETFs; OTC equities $6.95; broker-assisted service charge $25; etf_commission: $0 online commission for listed U.S.-exchange ETFs; options_commission: $0 online base commission plus $0.65 per options contract; futures_commission: $2.25 per contract, per side, for futures and futures options; exchange, regulatory, overnight, NFA, and market-data fees may apply; mutual_fund_commission: $0 on thousands of Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource funds; all other mutual funds up to $74.95 per purchase; bond_commission: New-issue bonds/CDs: $0 online/selling concession included; Treasuries online $0; most other secondary bonds $1 per bond with $10 minimum and $250 maximum; forex_commission: $0 commission; forex trade costs are reflected in the bid/ask spread
Source
$0 online U.S. stock and ETF trades; $0 online options commission plus $0.65/contract; other product/service fees apply.
Source
stock_commission: $0 for online U.S. exchange-listed stock trades; OTC stock trades $6.95 online or $4.95 for 30+ trades/quarter; broker-assisted trades add $25.; etf_commission: $0 online ETF trades.; options_commission: Options: $0 base commission, $0.65 per contract, reduced to $0.50 with 30+ trades per quarter; exercise/assignments $0; regulatory/exchange fees may apply.; futures_commission: Futures and options on futures: $1.50 per contract per side plus exchange, NFA and other fees.; mutual_fund_commission: $0 for no-load, no-transaction-fee funds; load funds per prospectus; E*TRADE states $0 for online U.S.-listed mutual fund trades in FAQs.; bond_commission: Bonds/CDs: $1 per bond for online secondary trades ($10 min/$250 max); U.S. Treasury auction and online Treasury secondary trades $0; broker-assisted online secondary pricing plus $20 commission.; crypto_commission: Cryptocurrency commission: 0.50% on notional trade value, charged by zerohash, of which E*TRADE receives a portion.
Source
Maximum leverage
Margin is offered to qualified taxable brokerage accounts but a maximum leverage ratio was not disclosed on reviewed official pages.
Source
Not disclosed as a single broker-level maximum; leverage/margin depends on product, account approval, and regulatory/product requirements.
Source
No universal maximum leverage ratio disclosed for Fidelity retail brokerage; margin borrowing is available subject to approval and margin requirements/rates rather than a single max leverage figure.
Source
Product-dependent. For securities margin, official margin disclosure gives minimum Reg T margin account equity of $2,000 and portfolio margin eligibility at $100,000 equity plus Level 4 options approval, but no single maximum leverage ratio. For futures, overnight margin is 100% of exchange minimum requirements and intraday margin is 50% of initial requirements for all products except Bitcoin; eligible futures IRAs are 200% of initial requirements with $25k minimum equity.
Source
Deposit fee
No fee to open a brokerage account; returned deposit checks cost $20. Other inbound funding fees are not clearly disclosed on the reviewed pages.
Source
$0 for funds entering a standard brokerage account; banking deposit services generally no monthly/account minimum fees, but certain services can have fees
Source
$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and Fidelity does not charge wire fees; external banks may charge.
Source
ACH Transfer Money is free; incoming wire transfers listed as $0; incoming non-U.S. currency may incur conversion fees from Wells Fargo/MSPBNA note says MSPBNA does not charge fees on incoming USD wires.
Source
Withdrawal fee
Brokerage wire out $15; linked money market wire $0 if $5,000 or more and $5 if under $5,000; account transfer out/termination $50.
Source
No fee for routine withdrawals from standard brokerage per FAQ; full outbound ACAT $50 and outgoing wire $25; Schwab Bank Investor Checking has unlimited ATM fee rebates for cash withdrawals worldwide, subject to conditions.
Source
$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and domestic bank wire withdrawals; foreign exchange wire up to 3% of principal; receiving bank may charge.
Source
Outgoing wire transfers: $25; full outgoing account transfer: $75; check requests: $0; stop payment requests: $25.
Source
Inactivity fee
No explicit inactivity fee found; T. Rowe Price discloses annual account maintenance/service fees instead.
Source
$0 annual maintenance/inactivity fee for standard brokerage accounts
Source
No explicit inactivity-fee line found in official fee schedule; official account pages state no retail brokerage account fees/no account or subscription fees. Treat as needs manual confirmation before publishing as '$0 inactivity fee'.
Source
No inactivity fee found in checked official Pricing and Rates account activity, special request and brokerage account pages.
Source
Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets
Brokerage supports ETFs, mutual funds, stocks including fractional shares, margin/options for qualified accounts, brokered CDs and bonds; Form CRS also references domestic/international equities, fixed income, certain alternatives and limited private funds.
Source
Stocks; fractional shares; ETFs; mutual funds; bonds/CDs/fixed income; money market funds; options; futures; futures options; forex; international stocks/ADRs/foreign ordinaries; cash products; annuities; alternatives; crypto ETPs/securities/futures.
Source
Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, crypto, fixed income, bonds and CDs; Fidelity says stocks include domestic and international.
Source
E*TRADE offers stocks, ETFs, options, futures, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, IPOs, crypto-related securities/futures, cash savings and managed portfolios.
Source
Trading platforms
Trades and account management are available via website, mobile app and registered representatives; Tele*Access supports account and fund information.
Source
Schwab.com; Schwab Mobile; thinkorswim desktop; thinkorswim web; thinkorswim mobile; paperMoney
Source
Fidelity.com, Fidelity mobile app, Fidelity Trader+ Web/Desktop/Mobile mode, and legacy Active Trader Pro Classic.
Source
E*TRADE Web/App for investors; Power E*TRADE Web/App/Pro for active and advanced traders.
Source
Account types
Broad retail, retirement, college savings, advisory, and brokerage account lineup.
Source
Individual Brokerage; Joint Brokerage; Schwab One Brokerage; Investor Checking-linked brokerage; Futures Account; Global Account; IRAs; custodial, education, trust, estate, organization, and business retirement accounts; Schwab Intelligent Portfolios.
Source
Broad account menu including taxable brokerage, retirement/IRA, cash management, HSA, custodial/youth, education, trust/business, managed and crypto accounts.
Source
Brokerage, retirement, managed portfolios, small-business retirement, banking and crypto-related account/exposure categories are listed on the official accounts page.
Source
Deposit methods
Fund via bank link, check, wire transfer, rollover, transfer from another firm or in-kind asset transfer.
Source
ACH/electronic transfer/MoneyLink; wire transfer; check/mail check; Schwab Mobile Deposit for checking; direct deposit for checking; account transfer/ACAT; branch/in-person deposit where available.
Source
EFT/ACH, bank wire, check/mobile check, direct deposit, recurring deposit, Fidelity-to-Fidelity/account transfer, transfer of assets, and eligible payment apps.
Source
Funding methods include Transfer Money (ACH), wire, external asset/account transfer, mobile or mailed checks, direct deposit and internal transfers.
Source
Withdrawal methods
Sale proceeds can be received through ACH/wire to bank or by check; money market sweep supports electronic transfer to linked bank and check-writing if enabled.
Source
Transfer to linked bank/checking; wire transfer; check; ATM/debit card for Schwab Bank Investor Checking; ACAT outbound account transfer.
Source
EFT/ACH, bank wire, paper check, Fidelity-to-Fidelity transfers, third-party/person-to-person transfers and eligible debit card/ATM access.
Source
Withdrawals/money movement supported via Transfer Money, wires, check requests, internal transfers and account transfers; exact outbound methods depend on account type and destination.
Source
Withdrawal processing time
Bank availability: 5 calendar days after micro-deposit verification or initial login/password connection; transactions generally posted overnight/next business day.
Source
Cash moved from brokerage to linked Investor Checking is generally available in seconds, but weekend/after-hours transfers may not be available until the next business day; other withdrawal methods vary/not fully disclosed on checked pages.
Source
EFT withdrawals 1-3 business days; bank wire same day if submitted by 4 p.m. ET; paper check about 5-6 days.
Source
ACH outbound to external account: contact receiving external institution; wire transfer: same business day if received before 6 p.m. ET; internal transfers generally immediate; full brokerage transfer electronically typically 10+ business days, paper/mail 3-6 weeks.
Source

BrokerVS provides broker comparison research only. Scores and evidence can vary by country, account type, and legal entity; users should verify source links before opening an account.