Betterment vs Charles Schwab

Betterment is a great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies. How does it compare to Charles Schwab? Read our comparison chart below.

Betterment offers automatic investing starting at $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000. There is no fee to open an account and no minimum deposit required. All balances get automatic rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, and access to financial experts.

While Charles Schwab offers stock and ETF trades at $0 commission and options trading at $0 commission + $0.65 per contract. There is no minimum deposit, no maintenance fee, and no inactivity fee.

Compare Betterment with Charles Schwab, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

	Betterment	Charles Schwab
	SPECIAL OFFER Compare Pricing - Learn More Read Betterment Review	SPECIAL OFFER $0 Commissions on Online Stock, ETF, and Options Trades - Learn More Read Charles Schwab Review
	Benefits and Features
Savings	Betterment Cash Reserve - Earn 4.00% APY**
Stock Trading		$0 commission on U.S. stocks and ETFs
Options Trading		$0 + $0.65 per contract
Annual Fee	Digital: 0.25% annual fee for accounts with $20,000 or more or with monthly recurring deposits of $250 or more, $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000 Premium: 0.65% for accounts $100,000 or more	None
Cryptocurrency Trading		No
Minimum Deposit	$0	$0
Checking	No-Fee Checking
Mutual Fund Trading		$0 for funds from Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource and up to $74.95 per purchase for all other funds
Commission Free ETFs		2,000+ across asset classes and fund companies, $0 commission through Schwab ETF OneSource™.
Phone Support	Yes
Live Chat Support	No
Email Support	Yes
Human Advisors	Yes ($100k minimum)
Robo Advisor	Yes
Assets Under Management	$50+ Billion
Minimum Investment	$0
Tax Loss Harvesting	Yes
Goal Tracker	Yes
Automatic Deposits	Yes
Broker Assisted Trades		$25.00 service charge
Inactivity Fee		None
Maintenance Fee		$0
Online Platform	Yes
iPhone App	Yes
Android App	Yes
Banking	Offers checking account with a free debit card, and a high-yield cash account	Yes
Mobile App	iOS & Android	Yes
Desktop App		Yes
Futures Trading		$2.25 per contract
Customer Service		24/7
Locations		300 locations
Online Community		Yes
Seminars		Yes
Trading Platform		Desktop, Web Trading, Mobile Apps
Virtual Trading		Yes (thinkorswim platforms)
Single Stock Diversification	No
Fractional Shares	Yes
Taxable Accounts	Yes
401k Plans	Yes
IRA Accounts	Yes
Roth IRA Accounts	Yes
SEP IRA Accounts	Yes
Trust Accounts	Yes
529 Plans	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews
Annual Fee
Minimum Deposit
Human Advisors
Customer Service
Stock Trading
Options Trading
Mutual Fund Trading
Online Platform
Banking
Mobile App
Commissions and Fees
Ease of Use
Research
Pros & Cons	Pros: No minimum investment Customized portfolios Automatically invest extra funds Cons: Limited investment options High fees for large investors	Pros: Vast selection of commission-free ETFs and mutual funds 2 platforms (one for beginners and one for advanced traders) 24/7 customer service including online chat Cons: Commission costs on mutual funds outside of the commission-free funds Robo-advisor option requires a minimum investment of $5,000
Bottom Line	Great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... Read full review	Good choice for beginning and advanced investors looking to invest in ETFs and mutual funds or investors that require extensive research... Read full review
	Compare Pricing Betterment Cash Reserve - Earn 4.00% APY** Invest with Automated Portfolios	$0 Commissions on Online Stock, ETF, and Options Trades 500 Commission-Free Online and Options Trades Schwab's Referral Offer - Up to $1,000 Bonus
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. Betterment: Pricing information from published website as of 01/12/2025 Charles Schwab: Pricing information from published websites as of 01/22/2025.

Which is Better: Betterment or Charles Schwab?

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Articles on Betterment

Betterment Review

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Is Betterment Worth The Fee

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Betterment Roth IRA

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Articles on Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab is one of the oldest names in the world of investing. With low fees, no account minimums, and robust research tools, it's a good brokerage for all levels of investors.