E*TRADE vs. Fidelity: 2023 Comparison
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If you're considering opening a brokerage account at E*TRADE or Fidelity, you should know there's no wrong choice: Both brokers offer competitive features for investors, including quality trading platforms, commission-free trading of stocks and exchange-traded funds and a wide selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds.
While Fidelity edges out E*TRADE slightly in our analysis of customer support and research and data, E*TRADE excels in other areas, including offering a wider selection of tradable securities and volume discounts on options trades that make it the lower-cost broker for options traders. Here's a direct comparison of the two brokers:
E*TRADE is best for:
Frequent traders.
Beginner investors.
Research and data.
Retirement planning assistance.
E*TRADE at a glance
Account minimum | $0 |
Stock trading costs | $0 |
Options trades | No base commission; $0.65 per contract (volume discount available) |
Account fees (annual, transfer, closing, inactivity) | No annual or inactivity fee. $75 full transfer out fee; $25 partial |
Number of no-transaction-fee mutual funds | Over 6,500 |
Tradable securities | • Stocks • Bonds • Mutual funds • ETFs • Options • Futures |
Trading platform | Two platforms available for free to all customers: • E-Trade Web • Power E-Trade |
Mobile app | Two apps: • E*TRADE mobile • Power E*TRADE Available on iOS and Android. |
Research and data | Free and extensive, with 10 external providers available at no cost. |
Customer support options (includes how easy it is to find key details on the website) | Phone, email and chat support 24/7; 29 local and 2 national branches |
» Read our full review of E*TRADE
Fidelity is best for:
Frequent traders.
Beginner investors.
Research and data.
Retirement planning assistance.
Fidelity at a glance
Account minimum | $0. |
Stock trading costs | $0. |
Options trades | No base commission; $0.65 per contract. |
Account fees (annual, transfer, closing, inactivity) | None. |
Number of no-transaction-fee mutual funds | More than 3,300 no-transaction-fee mutual funds. |
Tradable securities | • Stocks. • Bonds. • Mutual funds. • ETFs. • Fractional shares. • Options. • FOREX. • Bitcoin and Ethereum. |
Trading platform | Fidelity.com and Active Trader Pro. Both free for all customers. |
Mobile app | Available for iOS and Android; advanced features. |
Research and data | Free and extensive. |
Customer support options (includes how easy it is to find key details on the website) | Phone, email and live chat 24/7; more than 200 local branches. |
NerdWallet rating 5.0 /5 | NerdWallet rating 5.0 /5 | NerdWallet rating 5.0 /5 |
Fees $0 per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs | Fees $0 per trade | Fees $0 per trade |
Account minimum $0 | Account minimum $0 | Account minimum $0 |
Promotion Get $100 when you open a new, eligible Fidelity account with $50 or more. Use code FIDELITY100. Limited time offer. Terms apply. | Promotion None no promotion available at this time | Promotion Get up to 12 free fractional shares (valued up to $3,000) when you open and fund an account with Webull. |
» Read our full review of Fidelity
Want to compare more options? View our full list of the best online brokers.
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We collect data directly from providers through detailed questionnaires, and conduct first-hand testing and observation through provider demonstrations. The questionnaire answers, combined with demonstrations, interviews of personnel at the providers and our specialists’ hands-on research, fuel our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance across more than 20 factors. The final output produces star ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars).
For more details about the categories considered when rating brokers and our process, read our full methodology.
