Charles Schwab vs E*Trade
Charles Schwab comes out ahead of E*Trade on 3 of the 6 things that decide this, going by what each company publishes and what independent review sites report. The one that matters for you may be one the leader loses.
The verdict
Charles Schwab takes it, 3–0 on rounds.
On the published figures and the independent review sites, Charles Schwab takes 3 of 6 rounds. Treat that as a starting point and check the current figures on both pages, because prices and plans move.
Choose Charles Schwab if…
- • You want Charles Schwab's edge on what borrowing on margin costs and what stockbrokers.com scored it
Choose E*Trade if…
- • You have a reason to pick E*Trade that is not on this list
Round by round
- Round 1What borrowing on margin costsCharles Schwab winsCharles Schwab8/10
10.625%
margin rate
- margin rate on a 50,000 dollar balance
Source: investingintheweb.com ↗
E*Trade5/1011.70%
Margin rate for $50,000 to $99,999.99
- 12.45%, against 11.825%
Source: investingintheweb.com ↗
Charles Schwab wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 2What StockBrokers.com scored itCharles Schwab winsCharles Schwab8/10
Not stated
schwab.com does not state a StockBrokers.com '5 out of 5 stars' rating. Checked homepage, awards page, compare-us, trading, thinkorswim, and why-schwab pages — all cite StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual Aw
- StockBrokers.com rating
Source: stockbrokers.com ↗
E*Trade5/104.5 out of 5 stars
StockBrokers.com rating
- 4.5 out of 5 stars, against 5 out of 5 stars
Source: stockbrokers.com ↗
Charles Schwab wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 3What customers say on TrustpilotCharles Schwab winsE*Trade5/10
1.1 out of 5
TrustScore from 769 reviews on Trustpilot
- 1.1 out of 5, against 1.5 out of 5
Source: trustpilot.com ↗
Charles Schwab wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 4What an options contract costsTieE*Trade7/10
65 cents
per options contract, 50 cents at 30 or more trades a quarter
Source: work-club.com ↗
Nothing to separate them here.
- Round 5What a stock trade costsTie
Nothing to separate them here.
- Round 6What it takes to open an accountTie
Nothing to separate them here.
Side by side
- margin rate on a 50,000 dollar balance
- StockBrokers.com rating
- 65 cents, against 0 cents
- 1.5 out of 5, against 3.9 out of 5
- 782 reviews, against 14,081 reviews
- 11.825%, against 5.20%
- 12.45%, against 12.075%
- 4.5 out of 5 stars, against 5 out of 5 stars
- 1.1 out of 5, against 1.3 out of 5
- 12.45%, against 11.825%