Fidelity vs TD Ameritrade vs Etrade vs Vanguard

TD Ameritrade vs Etrade vs Fidelity vs Vanguard

TD Ameritrade vs Fidelity vs Etrade vs Vanguard: Comparison Chart
Broker Commissions Investment Products Trading Tools Customer Service Research
Ameritrade Review $9.99
Fidelity Review $7.95
Etrade Review $9.99
Vanguard Review $7-$20

TD Ameritrade vs Fidelity vs Vanguard vs Etrade: Brokers Review 2012


We start our broker comparison with the most important factor for most investors - investing costs. Fidelity is the best priced company among these online brokers, offering flat-rate $7.95 commission for stock and ETF trades. Etrade and TD Ameritrade charge slightly higher, $9.99 per trade rate. Vanguard rate is $7 for the first 25 trades, $20 for subsequent trades for accounts with less than $50,000.

TD Ameritrade and Etrade are charging $50 and Fidelity charges $75 for the mutual funds transactions. Vanguard rate is $8 for accounts with over $1 million, $20 for accounts $500,000–$1 million and $35 for accounts under $500,000.

Vanguard has a $20 annual maintenance fee for regular accounts and $10 monthly "low-balance fee" for all accounts below $2,500 in balance. All three Vanguard's competitors in this review don't have these fees and, unlike Vanguard, provide very good research services that will be more than enough for most investors.

TD Ameritrade is at the first spot when comparing customer service. Fidelity also got very high rating in this category. Vanguard seems to have understaffed customer service and therefore it's not easy to get a response with this brokerage, which could get frustrating at times.

All discount brokerages in this review (except Vanguard) offer powerful trading tools that will satisfy most investors. TD Ameritrade bought one of the best online brokers - ThinkorSwim and it benefits a lot from this acquisition. Because of ThinkorSwim's excellent trading technology, TD Ameritrade is the only company in this comparison suited for active traders as well as Forex and Futures investors.


TD Ameritrade vs Fidelity vs Vanguard vs Etrade: Summary


Because TD Ameritrade offers the most value to prospective customers, we strongly recommend it over Fidelity, Etrade and Vanguard. Don't forget to read detailed reviews (containing brokerage promotions, if any) for TD Ameritrade (TD Ameritrade Review), Fidelity (Fidelity Review), Etrade (Etrade Review) and Vanguard (Vanguard Review) before deciding on a particular firm.


Recent articles

Online brokers promotions:
Copyright ©2009-2012 Brokerage-Review.com. All rights reserved.
The stock brokerage firm you select is solely responsible for its services to you, the user. Brokerage-Review.com shall not be liable for any damages or costs of any type arising out of or in any way connected with your use of a brokerage house's services. Brokerage-Review.com has partner relationships with other companies. As a partner, we often provide reviews of products and services based on our personal opinions. We are not compensated for positive reviews. While we strive to make sure that the information we present here is true and accurate upon publication, the rates and offers that we share with you may change without notice, so please visit the sites we reference for more up to date information.