Charles Schwab vs. E*TRADE

Charles Schwab and E*TRADE are two of the most popular investment platforms available today. Both are full-service products, meaning that they support most mainstream assets and research options. Furthermore, they are largely comparable in both price and services. There are, however, differences between them. Here’s how the two of them stack up against one another.

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**Charles Schwab vs. E*TRADE: Fees**

There are usually four types of fees to look out for when choosing a trading platform. You should look out for these when evaluating any investment or trading service:

Trading Fees: Any fixed charge attached to each trade that you make. This can come in the form of a flat fee or what’s known as the “spread.” This is when your broker charges you based on the difference, if any, between the buying and the selling price of an asset.
Trading Commissions: This is when a broker will charge you a percentage based on the volume or value of each trade.
Inactivity Fees: Any fees that the broker charges you for not trading, such as for keeping money in a brokerage account.
Non-Trading/Other Fees: Any form of fee for trading on this platform not covered above. For example, a brokerage might charge you for making deposits into your brokerage account, taking money out of it or signing up for additional services.

In the case of Schwab and E*TRADE, their fee structures are almost identical. Both companies charge nothing to trade stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or any other product listed on a mainstream stock exchange. They also charge no inactivity fees, nor fees for basic transactions such as depositing money or taking it out. Both firms charge $0.65 per contract to trade options, and both firms charge $1.50 per contract to trade futures. For high-volume traders, E*TRADE reduces the cost of options to $0.50 per contract.

Schwab charges up to $74.95 to trade mutual funds, though it also offers a selection of no-load, no-fee mutual funds through its Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource. On the flip side, E*TRADE charges nothing for no-load funds and varying fees for load funds. In short, both E*TRADE and Schwab you will have access to a significant no-fee fund list, which is a collection of several thousand funds listed by each firm that you can trade for free. While the listings differ, both of these trading platforms offer enough no-fee options that the average investor should be able to find options to meet his or her needs. The result is that you will likely trade mutual funds free of charge except in unusual circumstances.

Finally, both firms offer broker-assisted trading.

**Charles Schwab vs. E*TRADE: Services & Features**

In most significant respects, E*TRADE and Schwab offer comparable services and features.

With both Schwab and E*TRADE you can trade all mainstream securities. This includes stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds, options and futures. Neither platform supports direct investment in cryptocurrency. Both platforms also offer all mainstream forms of trading data. Investors can look up price information, trading volume, volatility indicators and all other major technical indicators. When available, this information goes back to the lifetime of the asset. Both platforms allow you to create customizable charts, comparing assets or data in the same interface based on your trading needs.

Both platforms have even created a dual-brand approach to investing. With Schwab and E*TRADE alike you can choose between the firm’s main brand and a second brand developed for sophisticated traders. In Schwab’s case, this second brand is called StreetSmart Central, while E*TRADE has launched Power E*TRADE. Both are independent trading platforms built for a dedicated audience of sophisticated investors. In both cases, StreetSmart Central and Power E*TRADE offer better customization, some additional data analysis and more real-time data. These are more complex, information-dense platforms, and are well-suited for highly experienced or professional traders.

The major difference between these two platforms comes in small ways. In particular, E*TRADE offers “paper” trading, an important feature that Schwab omits. This tool allows you to simulate a series of trades to see what impact they might have on your investment portfolio over the long term. This stock market game can let you test trading strategies or make plans without committing money.

**Charles Schwab vs. E*TRADE: Online & Mobile Experience**

Again, the trading experience with both Schwab and E*TRADE proves largely consistent. Users have several options when they trade with these two platforms. You can trade through either a web-based portal or on an app through either E*TRADE or Schwab, and can choose to do so through either their main brands or their sophisticated platforms. (However, it is important to understand that both StreetSmart Central and Power E*TRADE are highly complicated tools. It is very unlikely that a retail investor will get much extra value out of them, and you will likely have to wade through a significantly steeper learning curve in the process.)

E*TRADE and Schwab have both developed clean, efficient user interfaces. Both platforms show their age somewhat, with their designs slightly favoring the websites over the apps. However, this can be just as easily chalked up to the density of information that these platforms offer. It is simply not easy to elegantly fit a full-featured trading platform into the limited screen space that a smartphone allows.

Novice investors may find E*TRADE’s platform somewhat more user-friendly. E*TRADE’s brand has always been introducing investment to newcomers, and it expresses that in its modern incarnation. Both on its website and its app, E*TRADE makes it slightly easier to navigate around your trading space and the design emphasizes basic information such as price history. This may add an extra click or two for experienced investors who would like to research their trades a bit more in-depth, but creates a less daunting experience for newcomers.

This is not to say that E*TRADE’s platform is necessarily easy. Investors will still quickly bump into deep lists of asset classes, options ranging from bonds to ETFs and the classic candy cane-colored candlestick charts that make up investing. All of this may prove somewhat confusing to newcomers. However, they will likely find this space somewhat more intuitively laid out than Schwab’s.

Schwab’s platform, on the other hand, may slightly favor experienced investors. In addition to the All-In-One Trading Ticket (which, again, may confuse newcomers to the market), Schwab tends to offer better original analysis and data gathering. Inexperienced investors will likely take little value from market research, while sophisticated investors may find it highly useful.

**Charles Schwab vs. E*TRADE: Who Should Use It?**

The truth is, as we have noted above, there’s not much daylight between E*TRADE and Schwab. Both offer almost the exact same product at almost the exact same price. This is particularly true for a retail investor. Unless you trade at a very high level you will almost certainly not see a significant functional difference between these two platforms. This leaves two ways to choose among them.

The first is to review the small differences that do exist. If you, for example, use the retail services of Schwab, you will likely take additional value from also investing with them directly. You may prefer the paper trading options offered by E*TRADE, or the slight ease of use this platform offers over its counterpart. This is a perfectly viable option.

However, we recommend that a better choice might simply be to navigate into each trading platform yourself and test the waters. While both are well-designed products, each has its own layout and idiosyncrasies. The best way forward is likely to see which platform fits you best by using it for a little while without actually investing any money.

Bottom Line

Businessman checks his portfolio using a mobile app

Schwab and E*TRADE are two of the biggest, most well-established trading platforms in the market. They offer largely identical prices and services, and either one would serve you very well as an investor. The best one for you will depend on what your specific needs are and which works better for your preferences.

Tips for Investing

Once you’ve settled on a financial goal, consider talking with a financial advisor so you can develop an investment plan. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s matching tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Before you make a choice, be sure you learn a little bit more about everything that E*TRADE and Schwab have to offer. In our reviews we dive into the details of E*TRADE’s platform, and we do the same with Schwab.