Compare Charles Schwab vs Merrill Edge

Online brokers compared for fees, trading platforms, safety and more. See how Charles Schwab stacks up against Merrill Edge!

Charles Schwab vs Merrill Edge	‹ TD Ameritrade vs Merrill Edge › CITIC Securities vs Merrill Edge	‹ Fidelity vs Charles Schwab › eToro vs Charles Schwab
open account	Visit broker	Visit broker
overall rating	4.8	4.7
overall pros	Free stock and ETF trading Outstanding research Great customer service	Low trading fees Easy and seamless account opening Strong parent company
overall cons	High fees for some mutual funds Only US/Canada markets available	Limited to US clients and products No demo account Few options for deposit/withdrawal
fees	4.4 Free stock/ETF trading Some mutual funds and bonds are free Low non-trading fees High fees for non-free mutual funds	4.4 Low trading fees Low non-trading fees Low stock and ETF fees / Free stock trading High financing rate
account opening	4.4 Fast Fully digital No minimum deposit $25,000 minimum deposit for non-US clients	5.0 Fast Fully digital No minimum deposit Only US clients are accepted
deposit and withdrawal	2.2 No deposit fee User-friendly High fee for wire (bank transfer) withdrawals	2.2 Free withdrawal No deposit fee User-friendly Credit/Debit card not available Only one account base currency Slow withdrawal - over 3 days
web trading platform	4.3 User-friendly Clear fee report Price alerts Limited customizability (for charts, workspace)	4.3 User-friendly Clear fee report Two-step (safer) login Limited customizability (for charts, workspace)
mobile trading platform	4.2 User-friendly Touch/Face ID login Order confirmation No price alerts	4.8 User-friendly Two-step (safer) login Touch/Face ID login Poor search function
desktop trading platform	4.0 Clear fee report Good customizability (for charts, workspace) Good variety of order types Only for Windows
markets and products	3.3 Stock ETF Fund Bond Options Futures	2.3 Stock ETF Fund Bond Options
research	4.3 Good interactive chart Data on asset fundamentals Trading ideas for stocks and ETFs Hard to navigate among research tools	4.0 Trading ideas Data on asset fundamentals Quality news flow Limited interactive charting No/limited set of analytic tools
customer service	4.5 Phone support Live chat Fast response time No email support	4.5 Phone support Live chat No email support
education	4.5 Demo account Trading platform tutorial Educational videos Not well-structured	3.5 Trading platform tutorial Educational videos No demo account
safety	Majority of clients belong to a top-tier financial authority High level of investor protection Banking background No negative balance protection	Majority of clients belong to a top-tier financial authority High level of investor protection Banking background No negative balance protection
recommended for	Investors and traders looking for solid research, low fees and great customer service	Investors and traders looking for low fees, quick account opening, and simple platforms

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