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Charles Schwab vs JP Morgan Chase (2025)
Charles Schwab vs JP Morgan (Chase): which firm is better? Compare (Roth) IRA accounts, online
investing fees, stock broker mutual fund rates, and differences.
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JP Morgan vs Schwab: Overview
Charles Schwab has a large percentage of the brokerage world’s business. But J.P. Morgan Investing
wants to change that. Can it succeed? We may have the answer.
Services
| Broker Review |
Cost |
Investment Products |
Trading Tools |
Customer Service |
Research |
Overall Rating |
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Charles Schwab
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Chase
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Category #1: Cost
| Broker Fees |
Stock/ETF
Commission |
Mutual Fund
Commission |
Options
Commission |
Maintenance
Fee |
Annual IRA
Fee |
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Charles Schwab
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$0
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$49.95 ($0 to sell)
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$0.65 per contract
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$0
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$0
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Chase
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$0
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$0
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$0.65 per contract
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$0
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$0
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Category #2: Investment Styles
J.P. Morgan Investing:
J.P. Morgan Investing offers only self-directed accounts. These cost nothing and have no minimum balance.
A decent selection of investment vehicles is available. It includes:
- Equities
- Options
- Mutual and exchange traded funds
- Fixed income assets
Schwab:
Unlike its competitor, Schwab has managed and self-directed accounts. Schwab also offers both automated
and old-school packages with human advisors and all sorts of customizable features. Robo accounts have no
management fees.
Self-directed accounts at Schwab deliver all the investment vehicles J.P. Morgan Investing offers plus futures contracts and foreign stocks. Schwab also has fewer restrictions on penny stocks.
Winner: Schwab
Promotions
Charles Schwab: $0 commissions + satisfaction guarantee at Charles Schwab.
Chase:
Get $0 stock commissions at J.P. Morgan.
Category #3: Websites
J.P. Morgan Investing:
J.P. Morgan Investing uses the same website that Chase Bank customers use. Brokerage accounts appear in
a discrete section.
Investment tools tend to be rather elementary. Charting, for example, has several flaws. A graph cannot be displayed the full width of the computer monitor, and it’s not possible to expand it vertically, either.
The order ticket for self-directed accounts only has 4 trade types (market, limit, stop, and stop limit).
Schwab:
Schwab is a totally different animal. It has several web-based tools, including a trade bar and a browser platform. The latter has full-screen charting, a very advanced order ticket, and some very sophisticated options tools.
The website by itself can be used to research, investigate, and track performances. Although there’s a lot more on the site compared to J.P. Morgan Investing’s site, it is still easy to navigate.
Winner: Schwab
Category #4: Other Software
J.P. Morgan Investing:
J.P. Morgan Investing clients can use the Chase Bank app. Investment accounts, whether automated or self-directed, will be found inside. The same charting software from the website is used. A chart cannot be rotated horizontally, which is a must for us.
There is a watchlist on the app (synced from the website), but alerts are missing in action. The website order ticket is used on the mobile platform.
J.P. Morgan Investing clients have nothing else in this category, so the mobile app is it.
Schwab:
Schwab has a mobile app (actually two) and much more. The broker-dealer has rolled out a desktop platform and a smartwatch app.
Schwab’s mobile apps have many great resources, including a large selection of educational and research widgets. This library includes podcasts, streaming CNBC, and audio market updates. Charting and order entry are on a higher level than the tools we found on the J.P. Morgan Investing app.
Schwab’s watch app of course has fewer resources, but there are some useful ones. And the broker’s desktop platform is a great resource for advanced traders. We especially like the order ticket, which has Level 2 quotes integrated.
Winner: Schwab
Category #5: Margin
J.P. Morgan Investing:
J.P. Morgan's margin schedule starts at
12.25% and ends at 7.25% for balances above $10 million.
Schwab:
Schwab does offer margin accounts (and option spreads) for self-directed customers. The company’s
margin schedule starts at 12.575% and drops for large balances.
Winner: Tie
Category #6: Education and Security Research
J.P. Morgan Investing:
On both the J.P. Morgan Investing website and mobile app, we found a decent selection of learning materials. These tend to be in article format, although there are a few videos. Topics gravitate towards personal finance rather than investing specifically.
Security profiles at J.P. Morgan Investing have minimal amounts of data on them. Research reports on some stocks are available from CFRA and J.P. Morgan Equity Research.
Schwab:
Schwab’s website has tons more information on stock profiles. There are reports from no less than 6 analysts. Profiles have details that won’t be found at J.P. Morgan Investing, including information on preferred shares, if any, and peer performances.
For general education, Schwab also has more materials, including podcasts and slideshows.
Winner: Schwab
Category #7: Miscellaneous Services
Extended Hours Trading: Available at Schwab but not at J.P. Morgan Investing.
Banking Tools: Checks and debit cards are available with both brokerage firms via linked bank accounts. Schwab has the most generous ATM policies and the lowest account fees.
DRIP Service: Stocks and funds inside self-directed accounts at both firms can be set up to pay cash dividends as additional shares.
Individual Retirement Accounts: Schwab has more IRA types. Plus, J.P. Morgan Investing customers have to pay $75 to close a retirement account.
Initial Public Offerings: Schwab, but not J.P. Morgan Investing, offers access to impending IPOs.
Fractional Shares: Schwab has a service called Stock Slices. The securities that make up the S&P 500 index can be purchased in whole dollars. There’s a $5 minimum. J.P. Morgan Investing has no such service.
Periodic Mutual Fund Investing: Both firms offer this.
Winner: Schwab
Finally, Our Recommendations
ETF/Stock Trading: With better software, research resources, and fractional-share trading, hands down it is Schwab.
Long-Term Investors & Retirement Savers: Both brokerage firms have IRAs and target-date mutual funds. But only Schwab has individual 401k accounts, annuities, and traditional financial planning services. We endorse Schwab.
Mutual Fund Trading: With twice the number of mutual funds and better fund research tools, Schwab gets the nod.
Small Accounts: For automated investing, Schwab is the only option. For self-directed trading,
Schwab has the advantage.
Beginners: Schwab has better learning materials. Plus, its desktop platform has a demo mode, which makes it easy to practice.
Promotions
Charles Schwab: $0 commissions + satisfaction guarantee at Charles Schwab.
JP Morgan Chase:
Get $0 stock commissions at J.P. Morgan.
JP Morgan vs Charles Schwab Judgment
If J.P. Morgan Investing wants to take business away from Charles Schwab, it has much work to do.
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Updated on 6/3/2025.
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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