Interactive Brokers vs Fidelity

Interactive Brokers is a good discount broker for experienced, high volume traders. . How does it compare to Fidelity? Read our comparison chart below.

Interactive Brokers offers trades starting at just 0.5 cents per share. It also offers a tiered pricing plan that awards high volume traders with even lower rates. There is a $10,000 opening account minimum ($3,000 for clients 25 and younger). There is a monthly activity fee unless required commission minimums are met.

While Fidelity offers stock trades at $0 per trade and more than 180 branch locations. There is no minimum deposit.

Compare Interactive Brokers with Fidelity, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

	Interactive Brokers	Fidelity
	Earn $200 with Referrals - Learn More Read Interactive Brokers Review	SPECIAL OFFER Commission-Free Trading - Online Stock, ETF and Option Trades - Learn More Read Fidelity Review
	Benefits and Features
Stock Trading	Fixed pricing: $0.0005 - $0.0035 per share (min $0.35 per order, max 1.0% of trade value). Tiered pricing: Starts at $0.0035 per share for less than 300,000 shares (min $0.35 per order, max 1% of trade value)	$0 per trade
Options Trading	$.15-$.70 per contract ($1 minimum per order)	$0 per online trade, plus $0.65 per contract
Annual Fee		None
Cryptocurrency Trading		No
Minimum Deposit	$10,000 for individual accounts; $5,000 for IRAs; $3,000 for clients 25 and under	$0
Mutual Fund Trading	$0 for no-transaction-fee funds. For transaction-fee funds, 3% trade value OR $14.95, per transaction, whichever is less, for transaction-fee funds	$0 transaction fee for Fidelity funds $0 on purchase for NTF (no transaction fee) non-Fidelity funds. ($49.95 on redemption if held less than 60 days) $49.95 on purchase for non-Fidelity funds; $0 on redemption. (Certain funds may have a $75 transaction fee).
Commission Free ETFs	48	357 including 28 Fidelity factor, sector, stock, and bond ETFs and 329 iShares® ETFs
Phone Support		(800) 343-3548; available 24/7
Live Chat Support		No
Email Support		Yes
Human Advisors		Optional coaching or investment management with human advisors (for added fees)
Robo Advisor		Optional Fidelity Go robo-advisory service
Assets Under Management		$4.9 Trillion
Tax Loss Harvesting		No
Goal Tracker		Yes
Automatic Deposits		Yes
Broker Assisted Trades	$30	$32.95 per trade for representative-assisted trades.
Customer Service	United States: Monday-Friday 8am - 10pm ET; Sunday 1pm - 7pm ET (24/7 Weekday service available in other countries)
Good For		More experienced DIY investors; Mutual fund investors
Inactivity Fee	$10/month for accounts under $100,000; $20/month for accounts under $2,000; $3/month for clients 25 and younger	$0
Maintenance Fee	Waived if account value is at least $100,000 OR if monthly commission requirements are met. If not met, the activity fee is the difference. For accounts less than $100,000: the commission requirement is $10/month. For accounts less than $2,000: the commission requirement is $20/month. For clients 25 and younger: the commission requirement is $3/month.	$0 account service fee
Online Platform		Yes (access to Active Trader Pro is available to those who trade 36 times or more in a rolling 12 month period)
iPhone App		Yes (4.8 stars, 1.7m ratings)
Android App		Yes (4.5 stars, 97k ratings)
Banking	No	Fidelity Cash Management Account includes reimbursed ATM fees, no monthly fee, no minimum balance requirement, FDIC insurance, mobile check deposit, free billpay and free checkwriting.
Mobile App	Yes
Desktop App	Yes
Two-Factor Authentication		Yes
Forex Trading	Available for qualified customers
Futures Trading	Yes
Locations	No	More than 180
Online Community	Yes	Yes, it has an investor forum
Seminars	Yes	Yes, frequent webinars and courses for beginners
Virtual Trading	Yes	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		Yes
	CreditDonkey® Reviews
Stock Trading
Options Trading
Mutual Fund Trading
Online Platform
Banking
Mobile App
Commissions and Fees
Ease of Use
Research
Pros & Cons	Pros: Large number of investments, including options, futures, and forex Customize trading platform Tools and opportunities for research Cons: $10,000 minimum to open an account. Platform can be too much for a beginner to understand Inactivity fees if you don't meet the trade commission requirements.	Pros: Research reports Beginner-friendly tools Mobile app Cons: Restricted platform
Bottom Line	Good discount broker for experienced, high volume traders... Read full review	Comprehensive online broker with in-depth research... Read full review
		Cash Management Account Commission-Free Trading - Online Stock, ETF and Option Trades
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. Interactive Brokers: Pricing information from published websites as of 09/15/2019. Fidelity: Pricing information from published website as of 12/05/2020.

Which is Better: Interactive Brokers or Fidelity?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing Interactive Brokers or eToro.

In short: Interactive Brokers' stock trading, options trading, and mobile app are outstanding. Fidelity's banking and research are excellent.

Articles on Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers Reviews

Do you have $10,000 and plenty of trading knowledge? Interactive Brokers may provide you with a solid trading platform. With their competitive fees and robust trading options, they are a common choice for the experienced trader.