What Is Personal Finance$0 minimums and $0 commissions on stock and ETF trades are the norm now across major US brokerages. The meaningful differences sit in what each platform lets you trade, not what it costs to open an account.
| Broker | Min. deposit | Account fee | Markets | Products | Visit site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity | $0 | $0 (no account fee) | US + International (25 countries, 16 currencies) | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, options, crypto | Visit site |
| Charles Schwab | $0 | $0 | US + International (Schwab Global Account, ~12 foreign markets in local currency) | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, options, futures (thinkorswim) | Visit site |
| Vanguard | $0 (brokerage account). Fund minimums vary, e.g. $3,000 for many mutual funds | $25/year brokerage service fee (waivable, e.g. e-delivery or $1M+ assets) | US-focused. International exposure via funds/ETFs | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, limited options | Visit site |
| Robinhood | $0 | $0 | US-listed equities. Crypto trades globally 24/7 | Stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, futures | Visit site |
| E*TRADE (Morgan Stanley) | $0 | $0 | US-listed securities | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, options, futures | Visit site |
| Merrill Edge | $0 | $0 standing fee. ~$49.95 full transfer/account closeout fee applies | US only | Stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, money market funds | Visit site |
| Interactive Brokers | $0 (Cash account). No stated minimum for IBKR Lite | $0, no inactivity fee | US + International (160+ markets, 200+ countries) | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, options, futures, forex, crypto | Visit site |
| Webull | $0 (fractional shares from $1) | $0 | US + limited international (Hong Kong stocks) | Stocks (fractional), ETFs, options, futures, crypto, bonds/fixed income | Visit site |
How to read this table
- Product breadth varies more than fees do. Want futures or forex alongside stocks? Interactive Brokers and Schwab (via thinkorswim) go further than Fidelity or Vanguard. Want direct crypto trading in the same account as stocks? Robinhood and Interactive Brokers support it. Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, and Merrill Edge don't.
- International market access is the biggest differentiator for global investors. Interactive Brokers (160+ markets, 200+ countries) and Fidelity (25 countries) offer direct access to foreign exchanges. Most others limit you to US-listed securities, with international exposure only through funds or ETFs.
- Vanguard's model puts funds first, not account fees. Its $25 a year brokerage fee is easy to waive, but many of its own mutual funds carry their own $3,000 minimums, a different kind of cost than a per-trade commission.
- Two data points here couldn't be independently confirmed. Schwab's and Interactive Brokers' primary pricing pages blocked automated access, so those figures came from search-engine summaries of their own domains instead. Treat those two rows as accurate as of this check, not guaranteed current.
Nothing here recommends opening an account with a specific broker. None of these links are affiliate links. They go straight to each broker's own site. Before choosing a broker, read investing basics first, since the right account depends on what you plan to invest in.