Skip to content

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
Lightspeed

lightspeed.com

Options BrokerFutures BrokerETF
Charles Schwab

schwab.com

Stock BrokerETF BrokerMutual Fund
Decision summary
Overall score
78
91
Trust score
82
100
Cost score
66
92
Platform score
90
94
Withdrawal score
72
89
Best for
Active stock and ETF traders · Options traders · Day traders
Best suited for U.S.-centric investors and active traders who want a large, bank-affiliated multi-asset brokerage with $0 online listed stock/ETF commissions, strong platform dept…
Watch out
Needs verification
Needs verification
Trust & regulation
Regulators
Registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer; member FINRA, NFA and SIPC.
Source
SEC; FINRA; SIPC; CFTC; NFA; FDIC
Source
License numbers
CRD#: 104369 / SEC#: 8-52843
Source
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. CRD 5393; SEC 801-29938 and 8-16514
Source
Regulated entities
Lightspeed Financial Services Group LLC, U.S. broker-dealer; CRD 104369; SEC 8-52843; member FINRA, NFA and SIPC.
Source
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Charles Schwab Futures and Forex LLC; Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB
Source
Negative balance protection
No explicit negative balance protection was found; margin and day-trading disclosures warn clients can lose more than they deposit and be responsible for shortfalls.
Source
Not disclosed as retail brokerage negative balance protection; futures/forex are leveraged and losses may exceed initial investment.
Source
Investor compensation
SIPC member; SIPC coverage available only for securities and cash held in connection with purchase or sale of securities in equities and equities options accounts.
Source
SIPC protection up to $500,000 including a $250,000 cash limit for brokerage account assets; futures accounts are not protected by SIPC.
Source
Restricted countries
Country-level restricted list not found on official pages; legal disclosure lists Section 311 prohibited entities/banks for which accounts/access cannot be maintained.
Source
Not all products, services, or investments are available in all countries; Schwab is not registered outside the United States and products/services may not be registered in a user's jurisdiction.
Source
Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit
Lightspeed Trader Pro from $2,500 for U.S. accounts and $5,000 for non-U.S. accounts; platform comparison lists $5,000 for Trader Pro/Web & Mobile, $25,000 for Sterling/EZE, $30,000 Connect API, $50,000 DAS, $175,000 portfolio margin.
Source
$0 minimum for standard U.S. brokerage and IRA accounts; Schwab One International accounts require a minimum deposit but amount is not disclosed in checked official pages.
Source
Spread from
Not applicable or not broker-level for this investment-platform profile; review if leveraged products apply.
Source
Not applicable to this stock/ETF investment broker profile; no CFD/FX spread schedule identified as a core product in reviewed sources.
Source
Commission
Not disclosed in extracted official sources; needs editor review.
Source
stock_commission: $0 online commission for listed stocks and ETFs; OTC equities $6.95; broker-assisted service charge $25; etf_commission: $0 online commission for listed U.S.-exchange ETFs; options_commission: $0 online base commission plus $0.65 per options contract; futures_commission: $2.25 per contract, per side, for futures and futures options; exchange, regulatory, overnight, NFA, and market-data fees may apply; mutual_fund_commission: $0 on thousands of Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource funds; all other mutual funds up to $74.95 per purchase; bond_commission: New-issue bonds/CDs: $0 online/selling concession included; Treasuries online $0; most other secondary bonds $1 per bond with $10 minimum and $250 maximum; forex_commission: $0 commission; forex trade costs are reflected in the bid/ask spread
Source
Maximum leverage
Reg T allows borrowing up to 50% of purchase price; portfolio margin may exceed 4:1 intraday/2:1 overnight; futures intraday leverage is discretionary, usually 2:1 and can be as high as 4:1.
Source
Not disclosed as a single broker-level maximum; leverage/margin depends on product, account approval, and regulatory/product requirements.
Source
Deposit fee
Lightspeed does not charge for ACH transfers and does not charge to receive incoming wire deposits; third-party transfers not accepted.
Source
$0 for funds entering a standard brokerage account; banking deposit services generally no monthly/account minimum fees, but certain services can have fees
Source
Withdrawal fee
ACH withdrawals free; domestic wires $20; international wires $50; standard check free, overnight check $45; outgoing ACAT $95.
Source
No fee for routine withdrawals from standard brokerage per FAQ; full outbound ACAT $50 and outgoing wire $25; Schwab Bank Investor Checking has unlimited ATM fee rebates for cash withdrawals worldwide, subject to conditions.
Source
Inactivity fee
Accounts below $15,000 are charged a $25 monthly minimum inactivity/minimum commission fee minus actual commissions if they generate less than $25 monthly commissions.
Source
$0 annual maintenance/inactivity fee for standard brokerage accounts
Source
Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets
Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and futures options.
Source
Stocks; fractional shares; ETFs; mutual funds; bonds/CDs/fixed income; money market funds; options; futures; futures options; forex; international stocks/ADRs/foreign ordinaries; cash products; annuities; alternatives; crypto ETPs/securities/futures.
Source
Trading platforms
Lightspeed Trader Pro, Lightspeed Web & Mobile, Sterling Trader Pro, Lightspeed Connect API, EZE EMS, DAS Trader Pro, and futures platforms including efutures powered by CQG, CQG Trader, CQG One.
Source
Schwab.com; Schwab Mobile; thinkorswim desktop; thinkorswim web; thinkorswim mobile; paperMoney
Source
Account types
Individual, Joint, Traditional/Roth/SEP/Rollover/Limited Margin IRA, Corporate, LLC, Partnership, Hedge Funds, Trusts, plus institutional account arrangements.
Source
Individual Brokerage; Joint Brokerage; Schwab One Brokerage; Investor Checking-linked brokerage; Futures Account; Global Account; IRAs; custodial, education, trust, estate, organization, and business retirement accounts; Schwab Intelligent Portfolios.
Source
Deposit methods
ACH electronic transfers, wire transfers, and account transfers/ACAT; third-party transfers not accepted.
Source
ACH/electronic transfer/MoneyLink; wire transfer; check/mail check; Schwab Mobile Deposit for checking; direct deposit for checking; account transfer/ACAT; branch/in-person deposit where available.
Source
Withdrawal methods
Withdrawals by ACH, wire, ACAT transfer to another institution, or check request.
Source
Transfer to linked bank/checking; wire transfer; check; ATM/debit card for Schwab Bank Investor Checking; ACAT outbound account transfer.
Source
Withdrawal processing time
ACH transfers take 2 business days; withdrawal requests received by 2:30 PM ET are processed same day; wires usually received same business day; checks take 3-5 business days after same-day processing.
Source
Cash moved from brokerage to linked Investor Checking is generally available in seconds, but weekend/after-hours transfers may not be available until the next business day; other withdrawal methods vary/not fully disclosed on checked pages.
Source

BrokerVS provides broker comparison research only. Scores and evidence can vary by country, account type, and legal entity; users should verify source links before opening an account.