Ally Invest vs Charles Schwab Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Ally Invest and Charles Schwab are two leading discount brokerages offering commission-free stock and ETF trading. Use this head-to-head comparison table to evaluate fees, features, trading tools, and account options to help you decide which broker is right for you in 2026.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Ally Invest vs Charles Schwab (2026)
Feature Ally Invest Charles Schwab
Website https://www.ally.com/invest/ https://www.schwab.com/
Broker Type Discount (online self-directed brokerage) Full-service
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 eligible US stocks/ETFs ($2+); $4.95 + $0.01/share if <$2 $0 online (listed stocks/ETFs)
Fractional Shares? No Yes (most U.S.-listed stocks/ETFs, from $1)
Percent Allocations? No Yes (Personalized Portfolio Builder)
Crypto Trading? No Yes, via Schwab Crypto (BTC/ETH currently; not NY/LA/territories)
Crypto Fees N/A 0.75% of notional value (min $0.01) per buy/sell
Options Trading? Yes Yes
Options Fee $0 commission + $0.50 per contract $0 online commission + $0.65 per contract
Bond Trading Available? Yes Yes
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes Yes (receives PFOF rebates)
Interface: Web trading? Yes Yes
Desktop trading? No Yes, thinkorswim desktop (Windows/Mac; free for brokerage clients)
API Trading? No Yes, Trader API (Individual) for self-directed retail accounts (orders, data; via developer.schwab.com)
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes Yes
Total Mutual Funds Thousands (500+ fund families) ~14,500 from 600+ families (incl. 4,000+ NTF)
NTF Mutual Funds Over 5,400 4,000+ (no-load via OneSource & others)
Non-NTF Fund Fee $0 (no-load); fund loads otherwise Up to $74.95/buy online ($0 sell); some $49.95; 8.5% cap, <$100 exempt
Early Redemption Fee? Yes (no Ally fee) No; $49.95 Schwab fee on NTF funds held ≤90 days (some exemptions)
Redemption Hold (Days) Varies by fund (prospectus); no Ally broker hold period listed 90 days (NTF/OneSource funds; some Schwab Funds exempt)
Early Redemption Fee Fund-specific (often 0–2%); Ally $0 for no-load sales $49.95 online/automated phone; $49.95 + $25 broker-assisted
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes ($2,000 minimum equity required) Yes ($2,000 min. cash or marginable securities)
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional/Roth/Rollover at Invest; SEP at Ally Bank) Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, Rollover, Inherited, Custodial, SIMPLE)
HSAs Offered? No Yes (HSBA via participating HSA providers; no standalone Schwab HSA)
Money Market Sweep? Yes (Apex FDIC bank sweep; 0% interest) Yes (Cash Features Program: Bank Sweep or Schwab One Interest)
CDs Offered? Yes (brokered CDs; $24.95 per transaction) Yes (brokered CDs via Schwab CD OneSource)
Robo-Advisor: Offered Yes Yes
Robo-Advisor Service Robo Portfolios Schwab Intelligent Portfolios® (Premium also offered)
Robo-Advisor Fees 0% cash-enhanced (30% cash buffer) or 0.30% market-focused; ETF expenses extra $0 advisory (standard); $300 one-time + $30/mo (Premium); ETF OERs 0.02–0.15%. Mins $5k/$25k.
Basics: Headquarters Charlotte, NC Westlake, TX
Year Founded 2017 1971
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (self-clearing)
Local Branches? No Yes, more than 420 branches in 48 U.S. states
New Account Minimum $0 $0

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