UBS vs. Vanguard, Fidelity, and Schwab: Highlights
• UBS, Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard offer investing accounts in brokerage and advisory modes.
• Automated advice is easiest to find at Vanguard, Schwab, and Fidelity, while UBS focuses more on advisor-led planning and portfolio management.
• Self-directed brokerage accounts can be opened at Vanguard, Schwab, and Fidelity.
Before you open your next financial account, you’ll definitely want to take a look at Vanguard, UBS, Fidelity Investments, and Charles Schwab. These four giants offer investing and much more.
UBS and 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)
|
11.825%
|
$0
|
$0
|
|
Fidelity
|
$0
|
$49.95
|
11.825%
|
$0
|
$0
|
|
Vanguard
|
$0
|
$20
|
12%
|
$25*
|
$25*
|
|
UBS
|
varies
|
varies
|
varies
|
$170
|
$170
|
UBS and Competitors: Services
Charles Schwab: $0 commissions + ACAT rebate + satisfaction guarantee at Charles Schwab.
Visit Schwab Website
Fidelity, Vanguard, and UBS: none
Financial Planning
A range of financial-planning services can be obtained at all four investment firms in this contest. UBS generally caters to larger households, and advisor minimums can vary by advisor or team. Vanguard requires $50,000 for one of its advice programs, while Schwab and Fidelity offer lower-cost entry points. Schwab’s automated program requires $5,000, and Fidelity Go has no minimum to open, although the account starts investing once the balance reaches $10. UBS, Schwab, and Fidelity have branch locations where financial-planning services can be obtained. Vanguard has no physical offices.
Prices for financial planning vary based on a variety of factors, such as how the financial plan is obtained and the client’s relationship with the firm. The budget planning tools through Schwab and Fidelity are free.
Winner: Draw between Schwab and Fidelity
Investing
Once a financial plan is drawn up, it’s time to get down to business. Investing accounts are available at all four securities firms in both investment-advisory and brokerage formats. Because UBS specializes in full-service investing, accounts generally must be opened through local financial advisors at branch locations, and not all areas have UBS offices. Nevertheless, UBS, as a full-service firm, has one of the largest lists of tradable products. These instruments include hedge funds and private real estate besides the standard lineup of securities such as stocks and bonds.
Fidelity is the only firm here to offer trading in cryptocurrencies, while Schwab delivers the futures and forex markets. Vanguard does not offer trading in OTC or foreign stocks, while Schwab and Fidelity do.
Automated accounts can clearly be opened at Vanguard, Schwab, and Fidelity. UBS also has advisory solutions with automated elements, but its public materials focus more on advisor-led portfolio management than on a standard self-serve robo account. Vanguard Digital Advisor starts at $100, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios starts at $5,000, and Fidelity Go has no minimum to open.
Because the four financial firms in our survey are investing powerhouses, they do offer a lot of different tax shelters. Expect to find custodial accounts, 529 plans, retirement accounts, and more.
Winner: Tie between Schwab and Fidelity
Cash Management
The four financial giants in this contest don’t stop at investing. Cash-management products are
available at all four firms, although the exact extent of the services varies quite a bit. At the
low end is Vanguard with a hybrid bank-brokerage account that delivers investing in a small
selection of money market funds plus an FDIC-sweep system.
Fidelity also has such an account, although other securities can be traded in the account. Plus, Fidelity’s account has a debit card and checkbook, which are missing at Vanguard. Fidelity also has a broader mobile-app lineup for cash management and related features, although the main Fidelity Investments app now handles many of these functions directly.
UBS and Schwab operate their own banks, so besides money market mutual funds, there are FDIC-insured deposit accounts. UBS has a savings account, while Schwab delivers both checking and savings. Schwab’s checking account comes with unlimited ATM fee refunds around the world, one of the few companies we know of to offer such a program.
Winner: Schwab
Margin
The four brokerage firms in this faceoff pride themselves on delivering a wide range of services to
their customers, so it goes without saying that margin trading is available, at least in brokerage
accounts. Schwab is the only broker-dealer to display the maintenance margin requirement for each
ticker symbol on its software platforms. It also has the lowest starting margin rate along with
Fidelity at 11.825%. Schwab offers negotiated rates for margin balances above $500k.
Winner: Schwab
Websites
All four investment firms in this faceoff have websites, of course. Quality of trading tools varies quite a bit. UBS and Vanguard have the simplest sites. Fidelity and Schwab deliver advanced trading tools like conditional orders and very good charting. Technical studies and drawing tools are standard fare, and Schwab’s website has a browser-based platform that incorporates a price ladder and more.
Winner: Schwab
Mobile Apps
Fidelity offers multiple mobile apps. Its main investing app comes with a large suite of financial tools, including market news and check deposit.
Schwab also has two apps. Instead of a cash-management app, the company has rolled out a thinkorswim app that has many powerful trading tools. The order ticket, for example, can submit orders for futures and forex. And charting is on a very high level with lots of gadgets and gizmos.
The Vanguard and UBS apps are on the simple side with few advanced tools. Charts on the Vanguard app, for example, only have line format.
Vanguard has the simplest app of the four. Charting is very limited, for instance, and options cannot be traded.
Winner: Schwab
Desktop Programs
UBS and Vanguard stop with their mobile apps. Fidelity and Schwab, however, deliver desktop programs that provide much higher levels of trading. On these platforms, a wide variety of pro-level tools will be found. Examples include direct-access routing, advanced order types, Level II quotes, and sophisticated charting. Schwab offers paper trading free of charge.
Winner: Schwab
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Bonus Services
Systematic Mutual Fund Purchases: Possible at Vanguard, Schwab, and Fidelity (Vanguard customers can only enroll Vanguard funds).
DRIP: Dividends can be converted into fractional shares of stocks and ETFs at Schwab, Vanguard, and Fidelity.
Extended Hours: Some form of extended-hours trading is available at all four investment firms. UBS restricts its service to institutional clients, while Vanguard only has an after-hours period. Schwab has overnight trading in some ETFs.
Fully-Paid Stock Lending: On tap at Vanguard, Fidelity, and Schwab.
Fractional Shares: Available at Fidelity for thousands of securities (and at Vanguard for Vanguard ETFs and at Schwab for the S&P 500 stocks).
Initial Public Offerings: Investors at Fidelity, UBS, and Schwab can purchase shares of IPOs.
IRA Lineups: Individual Retirement Accounts are available at all four companies. Fees are assessed in some situations at Vanguard and UBS.
Winner: Draw between Schwab and Fidelity
Our Recommendations
Mutual Funds: Schwab has the best fund screener, while Fidelity has the largest number of mutual funds. In third place is Vanguard.
Long-Term Investors & Retirement Savers: A financial planner at UBS, Fidelity, or Schwab is highly recommended.
Frequent Stock Trading: Fidelity or Schwab with either’s desktop platform.
Small Investors: UBS is the worst of the four on this one. Because Fidelity offers so many securities for fractional trading starting at just $1, it is in first place.
Beginners: We suggest an investment-advisory account preferably with a human advisor at any of the four.
Judgment
The world’s ultra wealthy should head to UBS. Everyone else should head to Charles Schwab.
Charles Schwab: $0 commissions + ACAT rebate + satisfaction guarantee at Charles Schwab.
Visit Schwab Website
Fidelity, Vanguard, and UBS: none
Updated on 4/2/2026.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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