Charles Schwab vs Betterment

Charles Schwab is a good choice for beginning and advanced investors looking to invest in ETFs and mutual funds or investors that require extensive research. How does it compare to Betterment? Read our comparison chart below.

Charles Schwab offers stock and ETF trades at $0 commission and options trading at $0 commission + $0.65 per contract. There is no minimum deposit, no maintenance fee, and no inactivity fee.

While Betterment offers automatic investing starting at an annual fee of 0.25% of your account balance. There is no fee to open an account and no minimum deposit required. All balances get automatic rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, and access to financial experts.

Compare Charles Schwab with Betterment, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

	Charles Schwab	Betterment


	SPECIAL OFFER $0 Commissions on Online Stock, ETF, and Options Trades - Learn More Read Charles Schwab Review	SPECIAL OFFER Get up to 1 Year Managed Free - Learn More Read Betterment Review
	Benefits and Features
Savings
Stock Trading	$0 commission on U.S. stocks and ETFs
Options Trading	$0 + $0.65 per contract
Annual Fee		0.25% for accounts under $100,000 0.40% for accounts $100,000+
Minimum Deposit	$0	$0
Checking		No-Fee Checking
Mutual Fund Trading	$0 for no-transaction-fee funds $49.95 for all other funds
Commission Free ETFs	2,000+ across asset classes and fund companies, $0 commission through Schwab ETF OneSource™.
Phone Support		Yes
Live Chat Support		No
Email Support		Yes
Human Advisors		Yes ($100k minimum)
Robo Advisor
Assets Under Management		$14 Billion
Tax Loss Harvesting		Yes
Goal Tracker		Yes
Automatic Deposits		Yes
Broker Assisted Trades	$25.00 service charge
Customer Service	24/7
Inactivity Fee	None
Maintenance Fee	$0
Online Platform		Yes
iPhone App		Yes
Android App		Yes
Banking	Yes
Mobile App	Yes	Yes
Desktop App	Yes
Futures Trading	$2.25 per contract
Locations	300 locations
Online Community	Yes
Seminars	Yes
Virtual Trading	No
Single Stock Diversification		No
Fractional Shares		Yes
Taxable Accounts		Yes
401k Plans		Yes
IRA Accounts		Yes
Roth IRA Accounts		Yes
SEP IRA Accounts		Yes
Trust Accounts		Yes
529 Plans		No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews

Stock Trading
Options Trading
Mutual Fund Trading
Online Platform
Banking
Mobile App
Commissions and Fees
Ease of Use
Research
Annual Fee
Minimum Deposit
Human Advisors
Customer Service
Pros & Cons	Pros: Vast selection of commission-free ETFs and mutual funds 2 platforms (one for beginners and one for advanced traders) 24/7 customer service including online chat Cons: Commission costs on mutual funds outside of the commission-free funds Robo-advisor option requires a minimum investment of $5,000	Pros: No minimum investment Customized portfolios Automatically invest extra funds Cons: Limited investment options High fees for large investors
Bottom Line	Good choice for beginning and advanced investors looking to invest in ETFs and mutual funds or investors that require extensive research... Read full review	Great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... Read full review

	$0 Commissions on Online Stock, ETF, and Options Trades 500 Commission-Free Online and Options Trades Schwab Starter Kit - $50 Bonus	Get up to 1 Year Managed Free Get 1 Month Managed Free Get 6 Months Managed Free
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. Charles Schwab: Pricing information from published websites as of 11/14/2021. Betterment: Pricing information from published website as of 04/04/2018

Get up to 1 Year Managed Free

Get Started

New Betterment customers only. Accounts must be funded within 45 days of signup. Terms apply.

Get 1 Month Managed Free

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Deposit $15,000 - $99,999 within 45 days and get 1 month managed free

Get 6 Months Managed Free

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Deposit $100,000 - $249,999 within 45 days and get 6 months managed free

Which is Better: Charles Schwab or Betterment?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing Charles Schwab or Ally Invest.

Articles on Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab is one of the oldest names in the world of investing. With low fees, no account minimums, and robust research tools, it's a good brokerage for all levels of investors.

Articles on Betterment

Betterment Review

Betterment offers low fees and good returns. But there are risks you should NOT ignore. Read this review to see if Betterment is better.

Betterment Returns

Betterment has low fees and is good for beginners. But what about their returns? Let's take a look at this robo-advisor's performance.

Betterment Fees

Betterment offers no minimum deposit and good returns. But are the fees worth it? Read on to learn about this robo-advisor's costs.

Betterment vs Charles Schwab Intelligent Portfolio

Is Betterment Safe

Betterment offers low fees, no minimum balance and good returns. But is it a good idea? Find out if it's safe to invest your money with this robo-advisor.