Fidelity vs. TD Ameritrade

Fidelity Investments is a platform catering to new and active traders. Its range of trading services span wealth management services, access to international markets and actively-managed ETFs. While it lacks access to crypto, forex and futures, it has almost everything else a trader needs to get up and running, including a hybrid advisor service that combines automated portfolio management with one-on-one financial coaching.

TD Ameritrade is an online brokerage service designed for beginner investors and active traders. It features user-friendly trading platforms and a variety of mutual funds. It may be best for new investors, frequent traders and advanced traders.

• International trading. Fidelity investors have access to international stocks from 25 countries across 16 currencies.
• Actively-managed ETFs. One of the platform’s more unique offerings, Fidelity’s actively-managed ETFs combine the tax-advantages of a passive ETF with the professional guidance of an actively managed fund.
• Hybrid advising. Fidelity blends an automated robo-advisor service with one-on-one financial coaching with an advisor.

• Paper trading. Investors can experiment with hypothetical money on a virtual market to test the viability of their trading strategies for going live.
• Multiple trading platforms. TD Ameritrade offers an impressive lineup of five distinct trading platforms across web, desktop and mobile.
• Available assets. Traders have access to a diverse lineup of seven tradable securities, including futures and the forex market.

• Limited securities. Despite its comprehensive offerings, Fidelity doesn’t offer access to futures, forex and crypto markets.
• Mutual fund fees. Investors looking to trade mutual funds will encounter a $49.95 fee.
• Account closures. Investors report having their Fidelity accounts blocked or closed without explanation.

• Steep learning curve. Numerous complaints about the brokerage cite the platform’s steep learning curve.
• Commissions. Investors must be wary of commissions on no-loan mutual funds and futures contracts.
• No direct access to foreign stocks. Investors can trade some international stocks over-the-counter but unlike its competitor, TD Ameritrade doesn’t offer direct access to foreign markets.

• Daily Dashboard. Review heatmaps, market news, earnings announcements and daily briefings from S&P Global.
• Stock and ETF screeners. Browse over 6,000 stocks and ETFs by numerous filters and search criteria.
• Equity summary score. Assess stocks with the Equity Summary Score by StarMine from Refinitiv.
• Real-time analytics. Set personalized alerts to detect trading opportunities in real time.
• Trade Armor. Analyze trade and risk strategies, profit and loss scenarios and entry or exit strategies with interactive charting technology.
• Stock dashboard. Explore technical events from Recognia, review social media trends and access independent research reports.

• Economic data. Monitor the US and global economies with over 400,000 data points from six continents.
• Custom alerts. Set custom alerts from a prepopulated list of events.
• Charting tools. Assess stock data with over 400 technical studies across 20 drawings, including eight Fibonacci tools.
• Options statistics. Compare option volumes to previous five-day averages and review implied and historical volatility.
• Strategy roller. Create covered call strategies that automatically roll forward monthly.
• Market Marker Move (MMM). Track projected price movements by market volatility to better anticipate shifts within the market.
• TradeWise. Access affiliate newsletters with recommendations from former Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) floor traders.
• Market monitor. Wield interactive heat-mapping to track the market and tweak your portfolio.

• Reviews are: Mixed.

• Customers praise: User-friendly platform and well-designed research tools.

• Customers complain about: Account access blocked for verification purposes or accounts closed without explanation.

• Reviews are: Mixed.

• Customers praise: Free educational resources and robust charting software.

• Customers complain about: Long wait times to speak with support reps.

• Phone. Call 800-972-2155.
• Email. Fill out a secure online form on Fidelity’s website for a response from the team within 48 hours.
• Live chat. Visit the Contact Us page on the Fidelity website to chat with the Virtual Assistant.

• Phone. For new clients call 800-454-9272. For existing clients call 800-669-3900.
• Live chat. Available 24/7 for active members.
• Social Media. Send a message via Facebook Messenger or X (formerlyTwitter).

Read our review

Read our review