Basic data of broker
Recommended for Investors and traders looking for solid research, low fees and great customer service
Recommended for Investors and traders looking for low fees, quick account opening and simple platforms
USA
USA
Fees
Low trading and non-trading fees, high fund fees
Low trading and non-trading fees, high fund fees
Stock and ETF fees
Forex fees
Fund fees
Bond fees
Options fees
Futures fees
Crypto fees
CFD fees
Non-trading fees
Deposit and withdrawal
1
1
Deposit type
Withdrawal type
Account opening
$0
$0
1 day
1 day
Proof of identity: SSN and national ID / passport / driver's license Proof of residency: bank statement / utility bill
None for those with an IP address in the US; for those that don't--2 utility bills, drivers license, passport
Trading platform
Markets and products
Research, education
Great
Mid-range
Customer service
Security
$500k (securities up to $500k, cash up to $250k)
$500k (securities up to $500k, cash up to $250k)
$500k (securities up to $500k, cash up to $250k)
$500k (securities up to $500k, cash up to $250k)
1971
2010
USA, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore
USA
For detailed information and hands-on experience, read our review of this broker.
For detailed information and hands-on experience, read our review of this broker.
Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.
Charles Schwab's service is on par with Merrill Edge's and a comparison of their fees shows that Charles Schwab's fees are similar to Merrill Edge's.
Account opening takes somewhat more effort at Charles Schwab compared to Merrill Edge, deposit and withdrawal processes are about the same quality at Charles Schwab, while customer service quality is somewhat better than Merrill Edge's.
Our experts rated the trading platform of Charles Schwab as somewhat worse than the platform of Merrill Edge, found that clients have access to slightly more markets and products with Charles Schwab, while Merrill Edge provides just about the same quality of research and education.
More alternatives to Charles Schwab and Merrill Edge