Charles Schwab vs Merrill Edge
Charles Schwab comes out ahead of Merrill Edge 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 stockbrokers.com scored it and what customers say on trustpilot
Choose Merrill Edge if…
- • You have a reason to pick Merrill Edge that is not on this list
Round by round
- Round 1What 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 ↗
Merrill Edge5/104.5 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 2What customers say on TrustpilotCharles Schwab winsMerrill Edge5/10
1.3 out of 5
TrustScore from 128 reviews on Trustpilot
- 1.3 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 3What an options contract costsTie
Nothing to separate them here.
- Round 4What a stock trade costsTie
Nothing to separate them here.
- Round 5What it takes to open an accountTie
Nothing to separate them here.
- Round 6How many Trustpilot reviewsCharles Schwab winsMerrill Edge5/10
128 reviews
reviews on Trustpilot, rated 1.3 out of 5
- 128 reviews, against 782 reviews
Source: trustpilot.com ↗
Charles Schwab wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
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%
- 4.5 out of 5 stars, against 5 out of 5 stars
- 128 reviews, against 1,169 reviews
- 1.3 out of 5, against 1.5 out of 5
- 128 reviews, against 782 reviews