Fidelity Investments is a top-rated U.S. brokerage, known for its $0 trading commissions and robust research tools. Its platform offers commission-free stock and ETF trades, a $0 account minimum, and extensive retirement and investment services. Fidelity’s low fees, broad product lineup, and strong customer support make it tough to beat for many investors. Even so, different investors have different needs. For example, some want cheaper funds (Vanguard), crypto trading (Robinhood or eToro), or hands-off investing (Betterment). As one guide notes, top competitors to Fidelity include Charles Schwab, Vanguard, Robinhood, LPL Financial, and Fisher Investments.

Fidelity offers $0 stock/ETF trades and strong research tools.

What is Fidelity?

Fidelity Investments founded 1946 manages over $14 trillion in client assets. It serves individual and institutional investors with brokerage, retirement planning, banking, ETFs, mutual funds, and more. Fidelity is well known for its commission-free U.S. stock and ETF trades, thousands of no-transaction-fee mutual funds, and modern trading platforms. Its platforms web and mobile are praised for research and analysis tools, and Fidelity offers 24/7 customer support. In fact, a 2025 review found Fidelity is the best overall online brokerage due to its low fees and wide-ranging features. For these reasons many new investors find Fidelity appealing.

Why Look for Fidelity Alternatives?

While Fidelity is a do-it-all broker, some investors may prefer other firms for specific features. For example, Charles Schwab is often cited as equally full-featured with great service. Vanguard is famed for ultra-low-cost index funds and passive investing. Robinhood and Webull attract younger traders with fully commission-free mobile platforms and crypto access. Highly active traders may gravitate to Interactive Brokers (IBKR), which offers global markets and tiered pricing; IBKR Lite even provides $0 trades and 20,000+ mutual funds. Meanwhile, tech-driven investors might choose SoFi, eToro, or other fintech apps for social or crypto trading. In short, the best choice often depends on your goals and style: some brokers cater to advanced traders, while others like Schwab or Fidelity make it easy for beginners.

Full-Service Brokerage Alternatives

Established firms like Charles Schwab and Vanguard offer many of Fidelity’s strengths. Schwab AUM ~$7.1T provides $0 stock/ETF trades, extensive mutual funds, and a suite of powerful trading platforms. It has a strong reputation for customer service and investor education. As one review notes, Charles Schwab does it all well, from low fees to solid research to no account minimum, with a customer-first approach and 24/7 support. TD Ameritrade clients now go through Schwab after their 2020 merger.

Vanguard AUM ~$7.7T is renowned for pioneering low-cost index funds and ETFs. Its fees on mutual funds are among the industry’s lowest, which appeals to buy-and-hold investors. However, Vanguard’s platform is more geared to long-term investors. A 2025 comparison noted that Fidelity’s trading tools and research resources are far superior to Vanguard’s, even though both now charge $0 stock trades.

Other major brokerage alternatives include E*TRADE by Morgan Stanley and Merrill Edge by Bank of America. E*TRADE is well-suited to active traders, offering multiple advanced platforms and 24/7 support. It lets users trade stocks, options, futures, mutual funds and more, with over 5,000 no-fee mutual funds. Merrill Edge provides a solid integrated option for Bank of America customers, with $0 stock trades and strong banking ties.

For hands-on traders, Interactive Brokers stands out. IBKR is often called the broker to the pros. Its IBKR Pro platform is made for active traders (with volume-based discounts), while IBKR Lite offers $0 trades on U.S. stocks and ETFs. IBKR gives access to global markets and over 20,000 funds. (It has a stripped-down interface by design, focusing resources on trading tools.) Overall, IBKR is ideal if you need deep market access and the lowest possible costs.

ETRADE by Morgan Stanley is noted for its advanced trading tools, 24/7 support, and large selection of no-fee mutual funds.*

Commission-Free & Mobile Trading Platforms

In recent years a new class of brokers has emerged with $0 commissions and easy apps. Robinhood pioneered this trend. Launched in 2013, Robinhood now has over 20 million users and ~$221B in assets. It appeals to younger, tech-savvy investors with its streamlined mobile app, fractional shares, and commission-free trades. Robinhood’s simplicity and speed make it a low-cost Fidelity alternative for beginners or crypto traders. In 2025 Robinhood offers crypto trading, options, and even a cash management account. Its trade-offs include no human advisors and fewer advanced tools, but for a self-directed investor it offers ease, speed, and accessibility.

Webull is another popular zero-fee platform. It targets the mobile-first generation with slick desktop and mobile apps. Webull offers unlimited commission-free trading in stocks, ETFs, options and crypto. Its strength is a wide selection of assets (including futures and crypto) and advanced technical tools. Unlike Robinhood, Webull provides more research and charting features, which can benefit active traders.

Other no-commission apps include SoFi Invest and Public.com. SoFi Invest combines banking and investing under one roof. It charges $0 on stock and ETF trades, has a $0 account minimum, and offers fractional shares. SoFi’s platform also provides IPO access and a large mutual fund lineup. Bankrate notes: SoFi Active Investing’s $0 trading commission, fractional shares and $0 account minimum are attractive to new investors. More advanced investors will appreciate the company’s wide mutual fund selection and IPO access. Public.com brands itself as a social investing network. It also offers $0 stock/ETF trades and even pays you to trade options. It gives crypto and bond trading, plus a high-yield cash account.

Moomoo and Ally Invest are other examples. Moomoo by Futu provides $0 commissions and even higher APY on idle cash. Ally Invest (part of Ally Bank) lets bank customers trade $0 stock/ETF trades and features very low options fees (just $0.50 per contract). These platforms serve investors who want low costs and simple digital interfaces.

Modern trading apps like Webull offer $0 stock and ETF trades and advanced tools (Webull also supports crypto and futures).

Robo-Advisors & FinTech Platforms

For hands-off investors, robo-advisors and fintech services are viable Fidelity Competitors. Betterment is a leading example of an automated advisor. It builds diversified portfolios and manages them automatically. As one overview states, Betterment is a leading robo-advisor that helps people grow their wealth through smart, automated investing and personalized retirement planning. Betterment offers features like tax-loss harvesting and allows goal-based planning. It also offers high-yield cash accounts up to ~4.4% APY with FDIC insurance for idle cash. For clients who want help, Betterment’s premium plans connect you with CFP financial advisors.

Wealthfront is a similar robo-advisor not cited here that focuses on automated investing and financial planning tools. These platforms compete with Fidelity’s managed accounts by offering lower fees typically ~0.25% of assets and automated portfolios of ETFs.

Other fintech alternatives include eToro and Stash. eToro is known for social and crypto trading. It allows buying 30+ cryptocurrencies and even features CopyTrader social investing, where you can mimic other traders. eToro holds client cash in FDIC-insured accounts and offers a large coin selection. It does charge spreads and fees on some trades. Stash lets users invest small amounts fractional shares with educational content. It is a new company providing banking, which includes early paycheck, and targets new investors, having more than 5 million users. Stash and eToro are nicheier, but they can demonstrate that fintech applications can be used by sections of the Fidelity customer base.

Betterment is an automated investment and retirement planning app which is a robo-advisor and creates smart user-built portfolios and automated plans.

Advisory Firms and High-Touch Alternatives

Lastly, certain Fidelity Competitors are brokers that are advisory networks but not pure. LPL financial is an independent broker-dealer that employs 29,000+ advisors and manages approximately 1T assets. Its does not market proprietary funds as Fidelity does; therefore, the advisors of this firm can provide impartial advice. LPL is commonly used by investors seeking a committed relationship with an advisor. According to one of the sources, LPL is not a seller of proprietary products, which gives its advisors the opportunity to provide personalized advice, free of bias, which makes LPL an attractive option to Fidelity.

Fisher Investments is a huge fee-only advisory firm $236B AUM specialized with high net worth clients. It also provides actively managed portfolios that are client specific. Fisher’s model is characterized by professional management and research, however, it demands high account minimums of about 500k and has management fees of 1 per cent and above. Some investors may opt to use Fisher as opposed to the DIY model by Fidelity because they want a hands-on advisor to give guidance regularly. Simply put, these advisory firms are dealing with Fidelity on service as opposed to trading or low fees. When choosing a broker, always consider security and protection against digital threats, similar to how investors protect systems from malware like Infector Virus.

Top Fidelity Competitors Comparison Table

Fidelity is one of the leading brokers in the U.S., known for its low fees and robust research tools. Many investors also explore fidelity alternative investments to diversify portfolios and find solutions that fit their unique goals. Here are the most trusted investment platforms competing with Fidelity this year.

Platform	Best For	Account Minimum	Stock Fees	Unique Feature
Vanguard	Long-term investors	$0	$0	Low-cost index funds
Charles Schwab	Full-service investing	$0	$0	Strong research tools
Robinhood	Beginners & mobile users	$0	$0	Easy-to-use app
E*TRADE	Active traders	$0	$0	Advanced trading platform
Betterment	Passive investors	$0	$0	Automated portfolios
Interactive Brokers	Professionals	$0	$0.0035/share	Global market access
Merrill Edge	Bank of America users	$0	$0	Great integration with banking
SoFi Invest	New investors	$0	$0	Combined banking + investing

Fidelity Vs Competitors Comparison

Fidelity vs Vanguard: Vanguard has a reputation of the cheap mutual funds and ETFs. It is ideal in long term investing. Fidelity provides the same funds with additional research instruments. Vanguard has maintained simplicity unlike Fidelity which has concentrated on the trading tools.

If you like to buy and hold investing, Vanguard might suit you more.

Verdict: Vanguard wins for long-term investors. Fidelity wins for active traders.

Fidelity vs Charles Schwab: Both of the brokers are U.S. market giants. They provide zero commissions and excellent services. There is a more favorable mobile application experience in Fidelity. The financial planning is better with Schwab.

If you want more in-person support, Schwab has physical branches nationwide.

Verdict: Schwab is great for personal service. Fidelity is better for digital users.

Fidelity vs Robinhood: Robinhood transformed the beginner investment. It made trading enjoyable and easy. But Fidelity is better researched, retirement and more customer supportive.

Robinhood is great if you want fast trades on your phone. Fidelity suits serious investors who want depth.

Verdict: Robinhood for simplicity. Fidelity for all-in-one investing.

Fidelity vs E*TRADE: E*TRADE shines in trading experience. Its platform suits both beginners and pros. Fidelity’s platform is smoother for long-term investors. ETRADE app is built for traders who like charts and analytics. If you want to understand how advanced platform features affect trading, check our guide on Platform Event Trap for practical examples.

If you trade often, E*TRADE gives more technical tools.

Verdict: Fidelity is more balanced. E*TRADE wins for day traders.

Fidelity vs Betterment: Betterment is a robo-advisor that invests for you. It’s perfect for people who don’t want to manage portfolios manually. Fidelity offers both manual and automated investing. But Betterment’s automation and goal-based investing tools are very user-friendly.

If you like hands-free investing, Betterment is an easy choice.

Verdict: Fidelity offers control. Betterment offers automation.

Fidelity vs Interactive Brokers (IBKR): Interactive Brokers targets professionals and global traders. It has advanced tools and low costs for active users. Fidelity focuses more on the U.S. based investors and everyday traders.

If you trade across international markets, IBKR is unmatched. But its interface feels complex for beginners.

Verdict: IBKR for global traders. Fidelity for casual investors.

Fidelity vs Merrill Edge: Merrill Edge is ideal for Bank of America customers. It connects banking and investing under one roof. Fidelity, on the other hand, is better for pure investing experience.

If you already use Bank of America, Merrill makes sense. Otherwise, Fidelity offers more value.

Verdict: Merrill for BofA users. Fidelity for everyone else.

Fidelity vs SoFi Invest: SoFi Invest is new, easy to use and ideal as a beginner. It is a combination of banking and investing. Featuring more and superior long-term investing tools, Fidelity has the edge. The app at SoFi is a simple but minimal pro user.

Verdict: SoFi for new users. Fidelity for experienced investors.

All these options are a combination of features, charges, and services. One can be more suitable than Fidelity, depending upon what your aims are. Generally, Fidelity is a good omnibus option and the best overall to most. However, to find cheap funds, consult Vanguard, to find user-friendly services, refer to Schwab or SoFi, to free mobile trading, refer to Robinhood/Webull and to automated investing, refer to Betterment.Platforms have to comply with financial regulations to be transparent and safe to investors. To get to know more about compliance tools, read our guide Compliance Management System.

FAQs About Fidelity Investments Competitor

1. Is Fidelity still the best broker in 2025?
Yes, Fidelity remains one of the most balanced and reliable options.

2. Which broker is cheaper than Fidelity?
Robinhood, SoFi, and E*TRADE often has lower trading costs.

3. Which platform is best for beginners?
SoFi Invest and Robinhood are very beginner-friendly.

4. What broker is better for retirement accounts?
Fidelity and Vanguard are best for retirement investing.

5. Are Fidelity competitors safe to use?
Yes. All major brokers mentioned are regulated and insured.6. Are Fidelity Alternatives Safe?
Yes, all the largest brokers mentioned here are members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities Insurance is provided up to 500,000. Before opening any account with a given platform, you should always enquire about registration.