Ameriprise Competitors: Cost
| Broker Fees |
Stock/ETF
Commission |
Mutual Fund
Commission |
Margin
Rate |
Maintenance
Fee |
Annual IRA
Fee |
|
Charles Schwab
|
$0
|
$49.95 ($0 to sell)
|
12.075%
|
$0
|
$0
|
|
Fidelity
|
$0
|
$49.95
|
12.075%
|
$0
|
$0
|
|
Vanguard
|
$0
|
$20
|
12.25%
|
$25*
|
$25*
|
Ameriprise and Competitors: Services
Ameriprise vs. Vanguard, Fidelity, and Schwab Introduction
If you’re looking for a brokerage firm for your next investing account, you really need to check out Fidelity, Vanguard, Ameriprise, and Charles Schwab. Here’s the rundown on these four financial powerhouses:
Investing and Trading
Investing accounts in brokerage and managed modes will be found at all four companies in this survey. Online
discount accounts will only be found at Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard. Ameriprise offers traditional
full-service accounts only.
On the self-directed side of things, all four broker-dealers provide large lists of tradable products.
Expect to find stocks, options, funds (mutual, exchange-traded, and closed-end), and fixed income at any one of the four. Only Fidelity offers cryptocurrencies, and only Schwab has futures and forex. Ameriprise has the most esoteric offerings, which include private equity, hedge funds, and off-exchange products. Over-the-counter (OTC) stocks will be found at Schwab, Fidelity, and Ameriprise, but not at Vanguard. Brokerage accounts at Ameriprise do not come with zero-commission trading, which is available at the other three, and this issue of course is a major difference.
Advisory accounts with varying fees and minimums are available at all four firms. Human financial planners are available at all four as well, although Vanguard has no branch locations. Robo accounts are available at Schwab, Vanguard, and Fidelity, but not at Ameriprise.
Winner: Tie between Fidelity and Schwab
Cash Management
All four firms in this contest go beyond investing with cash-management features. Debit cards are available at Fidelity, Ameriprise, and Schwab. Schwab and Fidelity offer unlimited ATM fee reimbursements worldwide. Ameriprise’s ATM rebate program depends on Achiever Circle status, with unlimited rebates for Achiever Circle Elite members.
At all four firms, FDIC-sweep programs can be used to capture some pretty impressive insurance levels
on uninvested cash. And money market mutual funds are available as well. Some of these pay north of
3.6% interest per year.
Winner: Another draw between Fidelity and Schwab
Margin
If trading with leverage is on your radar, the four brokerage firms in this matchup have exactly what
you’re looking for—but not necessarily at the price you’re looking for. Ameriprise’s tiered schedule
ranges from 10.25% to
13.25%. Vanguard’s schedule is from
10.25% to 12.25%.
Schwab clients pay anywhere from 10.325% to 12.075%.
Fidelity is at 10.325% to 12.075%.
Winner: Schwab and Fidelity
Website Tech
The Vanguard and Ameriprise websites can be used to download statements, place trades, and perform other account functions. A more advanced experience will be found at Fidelity. Its website has multiple trade tickets with some pretty advanced features, like trailing, conditional, and bracket orders. Options have all sorts of advanced tools, like a strategy builder, a probability calculator, and integrated spreads.
Although we do very much like Fidelity’s advanced website, Fidelity Trader+ Web now provides a browser-based
trading platform as well. Schwab’s thinkorswim web also runs in a browser and delivers some pretty impressive trading tools. These include a stock screener, Level II quotes, and multiple trade tickets. Charts on thinkorswim have technical studies and drawing tools, and a simulated mode makes getting extra practice a breeze.
Without thinkorswim, the Schwab website by itself is quite good. We found advanced scanning tools for options, bonds, stocks, and funds. Conditional orders make appearances, and a great many educational resources can be found as well.
Winner: Schwab
Mobile Apps
Moving to mobile platforms, we find an Ameriprise app with some really nice features. These include watchlists, bill pay, mobile check deposit, connections to other accounts, and a document upload tool. Equity trading is also available for eligible accounts.
This oversight is solved on the Vanguard app. It’s possible to buy and sell stocks, ETFs, and Vanguard
mutual funds. The order ticket has 4 trade types.
This is a rather small number that is increased on the
thinkorswim app from Schwab. There are 7 order types here, including trailing stop and limit on close. Charts on this heavy-duty trading app have hundreds of technical studies and several drawing tools. Schwab’s main app also has account-management resources that are missing on the thinkorswim app, such as mobile check deposit.
Fidelity has two apps as well: a main app with trading tools and a Bloom app, which is for cash-management
accounts. The main app has Standard and Classic navigation experiences, and Fidelity Trader+ Mobile adds an active-trading mode. Combined, they deliver a lot of investing brawn.
There are educational materials, watchlists, market news, artificial-intelligence features, and an advanced
trading ticket with 8 order types and lots of integrated option spreads.
Winner: Small advantage to Schwab
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Desktop Software
Vanguard and Ameriprise focus on long-term investment management. As such, they have no desktop software for high-powered trading. But Fidelity and Schwab do, and we really like both platforms.
Schwab’s program once again takes on the thinkorswim moniker. The trading platform delivers a very professional feel with all sorts of advanced tools including a backtesting gadget, an economic calendar, and pairs trading. Live streaming of CNBC is icing on the cake.
Fidelity Trader+ Desktop is Fidelity’s current advanced desktop trading platform, rebuilt from Active Trader Pro. It has advanced charting and a lot of great trading tools. Highlights include Level II data, alerts, Time & Sales, watchlists, options tools, multi-monitor layouts, and much more.
Winner: Schwab
Add-on Services
Individual Retirement Accounts: An IRA can be opened at any one of the four investment firms in
this survey. Ameriprise has annual IRA fees, while Vanguard can charge annual account service fees on brokerage IRAs and certain business retirement accounts.
Fully-Paid Securities Lending Program: Available at Schwab, Vanguard, and Fidelity.
Extended Hours: After-hours trading is available at Vanguard, Schwab, and Fidelity. The latter two
also have pre-market trading, and Schwab offers 24/5 trading in more than 1,300 stocks and ETFs.
Fractional Shares: Vanguard ETFs can be traded in whole dollars at Vanguard. Schwab offers fractions of
stocks and ETFs trading on the U.S. exchanges, and Fidelity customers can trade more than 7,000 stocks and ETFs in whole dollars.
Dividend Reinvestment Plans: DRIP service is on tap at all four firms, although Ameriprise
restricts it to certain account types.
Initial Public Offerings: Primary stock releases are available at Schwab and Fidelity. Ameriprise
customers can buy initial offerings of preferred securities and closed-end funds.
Winner: Pretty close between Schwab and Fidelity
Our Recommendations
Small Accounts: Because of Ameriprise’s steep fees and high account minimums, it’s a no-go for
small accounts. An online brokerage account with any of the three discount firms will work. Fidelity’s
fractional-share service makes it the top pick overall, and Vanguard’s account-service fee structure
makes it the least attractive. Fidelity Go, the company’s robo service, requires $10 to get going.
Long-Term Investors & Retirement Savers: A combination of investment accounts with a financial
planner at Ameriprise, Fidelity, or Schwab.
Beginners: An advisory account with any of the four.
Mutual Funds: Fidelity offers access to more than 10,000 mutual funds. Schwab offers
more than 4,000 no-load, no-transaction-fee mutual funds.
Frequent Stock Trading: We recommend Schwab with thinkorswim.
Ameriprise vs Competitors Outcome
Although Ameriprise is very good for old-fashioned in-person service, it is no match for Fidelity and,
especially, Charles Schwab.
Visit Charles Schwab Website
Visit Schwab Website
Updated on 8/28/2026.
Chad Morris has been analyzing investment firms for Brokerage-Review.com since 2015. Backed by FINRA Series 65, 66, and SIE credentials, his work reflects a deep knowledge of the retail brokerage industry and digital trading tools.
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