Compare brokers side by side before you choose.

Compare trust, fees, platforms, and withdrawals. See the trade-offs and details worth checking before you choose.

Choose brokers

Pick 2-4 brokers to compare

The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.

Broker 1

Broker 2

VS field	Fidelity fidelity.com Stock BrokerETF BrokerETF	Interactive Brokers interactivebrokers.com Stock BrokerETF BrokerOption
Decision summary
Overall score

Trust score	100	94

Cost score	89	88

Platform score	94	93

Withdrawal score	89	80

Best for	Evidence supports Fidelity as a U.S.-focused, highly regulated multi-asset broker for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, options, cash management, managed portfolios, and sepa…	Active traders · Advanced investors · International-market investors

Watch out	Needs verification	Fee schedule is complex and varies by product, plan, market and entity · Country availability/restrictions need entity-specific review · No single universal max leverage figure fo…

Trust & regulation
Regulators	Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC is SEC registered and regulated by FINRA; FBS and NFS are members of NYSE and SIPC. Source	Regulated by SEC/FINRA/CFTC/NYSE in the US and by FCA, Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, Hong Kong SFC, SEBI, Kanto Local Finance Bureau and MAS for regional affiliates. Source
License numbers	FBS CRD# 7784 / SEC# 8-23292; NFS CRD# 13041 / SEC# 801-50706, 8-26740. Source	US CRD 36418 / SEC 8-47257; UK FCA 208159; AU AFSL 453554; India SEBI INZ000217730 and NSDL IN-DP-602-2021; Singapore MAS CMS100917; Japan Kanto Local Finance Bureau No.187. Source
Regulated entities	Primary securities brokerage entities are Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (FBS) and National Financial Services LLC (NFS), each member NYSE/SIPC; advisory and crypto entities differ by product. Source	Major regulated entities include Interactive Brokers LLC plus UK, Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Singapore affiliates. Source
Negative balance protection	Not applicable/not disclosed as a CFD-style negative balance protection policy; margin trading can create debt/interest obligations. Source	No universal negative-balance-protection promise found for Interactive Brokers LLC; IBKR describes real-time margin requirements and protective liquidations to return accounts to margin compliance. Source
Investor compensation	SIPC coverage up to $500,000/$250,000 cash plus Fidelity excess SIPC; FDIC sweep coverage may apply to eligible cash programs; important exclusions apply. Source	Interactive Brokers LLC securities accounts are protected by SIPC up to $500,000, including $250,000 cash sublimit, plus excess SIPC coverage up to an additional $30 million per account with $900,000 cash sublimit, subject to $150 million aggregate; futures/options on futures are excluded. Regional schemes vary. Source
Restricted countries	U.S.-persons focused; sanctioned countries/prohibited parties restricted; no exhaustive country availability list found. Source	Official available-countries page lists countries/territories where applications are available rather than a concise restricted-country list. Treat unsupported/sanctioned-country restrictions as country/entity-dependent and requiring manual review. Source

Trust & regulation

Regulators

Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC is SEC registered and regulated by FINRA; FBS and NFS are members of NYSE and SIPC.

Source

Regulated by SEC/FINRA/CFTC/NYSE in the US and by FCA, Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, Hong Kong SFC, SEBI, Kanto Local Finance Bureau and MAS for regional affiliates.

Source

License numbers

FBS CRD# 7784 / SEC# 8-23292; NFS CRD# 13041 / SEC# 801-50706, 8-26740.

Source

US CRD 36418 / SEC 8-47257; UK FCA 208159; AU AFSL 453554; India SEBI INZ000217730 and NSDL IN-DP-602-2021; Singapore MAS CMS100917; Japan Kanto Local Finance Bureau No.187.

Source

Regulated entities

Primary securities brokerage entities are Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (FBS) and National Financial Services LLC (NFS), each member NYSE/SIPC; advisory and crypto entities differ by product.

Source

Major regulated entities include Interactive Brokers LLC plus UK, Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Singapore affiliates.

Source

Negative balance protection

Not applicable/not disclosed as a CFD-style negative balance protection policy; margin trading can create debt/interest obligations.

Source

No universal negative-balance-protection promise found for Interactive Brokers LLC; IBKR describes real-time margin requirements and protective liquidations to return accounts to margin compliance.

Source

Investor compensation

SIPC coverage up to $500,000/$250,000 cash plus Fidelity excess SIPC; FDIC sweep coverage may apply to eligible cash programs; important exclusions apply.

Source

Interactive Brokers LLC securities accounts are protected by SIPC up to $500,000, including $250,000 cash sublimit, plus excess SIPC coverage up to an additional $30 million per account with $900,000 cash sublimit, subject to $150 million aggregate; futures/options on futures are excluded. Regional schemes vary.

Source

Restricted countries

U.S.-persons focused; sanctioned countries/prohibited parties restricted; no exhaustive country availability list found.

Source

Official available-countries page lists countries/territories where applications are available rather than a concise restricted-country list. Treat unsupported/sanctioned-country restrictions as country/entity-dependent and requiring manual review.

Source

Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	$0 to open a retail brokerage account; Fidelity states no account minimum and ability to invest with as little as $1; exceptions apply by account/product. Source	USD 0 account minimum for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite; broker accounts can require a USD 10,000 up-front deposit applied against commissions. Source
Spread from	Not applicable to Fidelity's core U.S. stock/ETF brokerage model; securities trade by exchange/market prices rather than quoted CFD/FX spreads. Source	Spot currency spreads advertised as narrow as 1/10 pip on Interactive Brokers Australia pricing overview; spreads vary by product/entity/market. Source
Commission	$0 online U.S. stock and ETF trades; $0 online options commission plus $0.65/contract; other product/service fees apply. Source	IBKR Lite offers $0 commissions on US stocks and ETFs; IBKR Pro uses fixed/tiered commissions and third-party/exchange/regulatory fees may apply by market/product. Source
Maximum leverage	No universal maximum leverage ratio disclosed for Fidelity retail brokerage; margin borrowing is available subject to approval and margin requirements/rates rather than a single max leverage figure. Source	Not expressed as a single max leverage figure; margin requirements are product-, account-, entity- and regulation-dependent and IBKR applies real-time risk margin. Source
Deposit fee	$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and Fidelity does not charge wire fees; external banks may charge. Source	Most standard bank/security deposit methods show no IBKR deposit fee in the extracted official fee table, but physical currency deposits incur a special handling fee of 1% of deposit amount, minimum $50; third-party/bank fees may apply. Source
Withdrawal fee	$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and domestic bank wire withdrawals; foreign exchange wire up to 3% of principal; receiving bank may charge. Source	Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after the second withdrawal IBKR charges listed fees by currency/method (example USD: wire 10.00, check 4.00, ACH/EFT/SEPA 1.00). Source
Inactivity fee	No explicit inactivity-fee line found in official fee schedule; official account pages state no retail brokerage account fees/no account or subscription fees. Treat as needs manual confirmation before publishing as '$0 inactivity fee'. Source	USD 0 inactivity fee for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite account minimums page. Source

Costs & account conditions

Minimum deposit

$0 to open a retail brokerage account; Fidelity states no account minimum and ability to invest with as little as $1; exceptions apply by account/product.

Source

USD 0 account minimum for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite; broker accounts can require a USD 10,000 up-front deposit applied against commissions.

Source

Spread from

Not applicable to Fidelity's core U.S. stock/ETF brokerage model; securities trade by exchange/market prices rather than quoted CFD/FX spreads.

Source

Spot currency spreads advertised as narrow as 1/10 pip on Interactive Brokers Australia pricing overview; spreads vary by product/entity/market.

Source

Commission

$0 online U.S. stock and ETF trades; $0 online options commission plus $0.65/contract; other product/service fees apply.

Source

IBKR Lite offers $0 commissions on US stocks and ETFs; IBKR Pro uses fixed/tiered commissions and third-party/exchange/regulatory fees may apply by market/product.

Source

Maximum leverage

No universal maximum leverage ratio disclosed for Fidelity retail brokerage; margin borrowing is available subject to approval and margin requirements/rates rather than a single max leverage figure.

Source

Not expressed as a single max leverage figure; margin requirements are product-, account-, entity- and regulation-dependent and IBKR applies real-time risk margin.

Source

Deposit fee

$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and Fidelity does not charge wire fees; external banks may charge.

Source

Most standard bank/security deposit methods show no IBKR deposit fee in the extracted official fee table, but physical currency deposits incur a special handling fee of 1% of deposit amount, minimum $50; third-party/bank fees may apply.

Source

Withdrawal fee

$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and domestic bank wire withdrawals; foreign exchange wire up to 3% of principal; receiving bank may charge.

Source

Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after the second withdrawal IBKR charges listed fees by currency/method (example USD: wire 10.00, check 4.00, ACH/EFT/SEPA 1.00).

Source

Inactivity fee

No explicit inactivity-fee line found in official fee schedule; official account pages state no retail brokerage account fees/no account or subscription fees. Treat as needs manual confirmation before publishing as '$0 inactivity fee'.

Source

USD 0 inactivity fee for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite account minimums page.

Source

Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, crypto, fixed income, bonds and CDs; Fidelity says stocks include domestic and international. Source	Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, spot currencies, bonds, mutual funds and cash-balance services, with availability varying by entity/country/account permission. Source
Trading platforms	Fidelity.com, Fidelity mobile app, Fidelity Trader+ Web/Desktop/Mobile mode, and legacy Active Trader Pro Classic. Source	IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation, IB Gateway, IBKR Mobile and web/client portal tools. Source
Account types	Broad account menu including taxable brokerage, retirement/IRA, cash management, HSA, custodial/youth, education, trust/business, managed and crypto accounts. Source	Supports individual and institutional accounts; official minimums page also distinguishes advisor, family office, hedge fund and broker account structures. Source
Deposit methods	EFT/ACH, bank wire, check/mobile check, direct deposit, recurring deposit, Fidelity-to-Fidelity/account transfer, transfer of assets, and eligible payment apps. Source	Wire transfer, check, direct bank transfer/ACH, SEPA/regional bank transfers where available, and securities transfer methods such as ACATS; physical cash deposits are against policy. Source
Withdrawal methods	EFT/ACH, bank wire, paper check, Fidelity-to-Fidelity transfers, third-party/person-to-person transfers and eligible debit card/ATM access. Source	Bank wire/transfer, checks and regional transfer rails such as BACS/GIRO/ACH/EFT/SEPA where available; securities transfer methods such as ACATS may also apply. Source
Withdrawal processing time	EFT withdrawals 1-3 business days; bank wire same day if submitted by 4 p.m. ET; paper check about 5-6 days. Source	Not captured as a single verified processing-time SLA; varies by withdrawal method, currency, region and receiving bank. Source

Markets, platforms & payments

Tradable assets

Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, crypto, fixed income, bonds and CDs; Fidelity says stocks include domestic and international.

Source

Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, spot currencies, bonds, mutual funds and cash-balance services, with availability varying by entity/country/account permission.

Source

Trading platforms

Fidelity.com, Fidelity mobile app, Fidelity Trader+ Web/Desktop/Mobile mode, and legacy Active Trader Pro Classic.

Source

IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation, IB Gateway, IBKR Mobile and web/client portal tools.

Source

Account types

Broad account menu including taxable brokerage, retirement/IRA, cash management, HSA, custodial/youth, education, trust/business, managed and crypto accounts.

Source

Supports individual and institutional accounts; official minimums page also distinguishes advisor, family office, hedge fund and broker account structures.

Source

Deposit methods

EFT/ACH, bank wire, check/mobile check, direct deposit, recurring deposit, Fidelity-to-Fidelity/account transfer, transfer of assets, and eligible payment apps.

Source

Wire transfer, check, direct bank transfer/ACH, SEPA/regional bank transfers where available, and securities transfer methods such as ACATS; physical cash deposits are against policy.

Source

Withdrawal methods

EFT/ACH, bank wire, paper check, Fidelity-to-Fidelity transfers, third-party/person-to-person transfers and eligible debit card/ATM access.

Source

Bank wire/transfer, checks and regional transfer rails such as BACS/GIRO/ACH/EFT/SEPA where available; securities transfer methods such as ACATS may also apply.

Source

Withdrawal processing time

EFT withdrawals 1-3 business days; bank wire same day if submitted by 4 p.m. ET; paper check about 5-6 days.

Source

Not captured as a single verified processing-time SLA; varies by withdrawal method, currency, region and receiving bank.

Source

Loading broker comparison

Compare brokers side by side before you choose.

Pick 2-4 brokers to compare