Firstrade vs Fidelity Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Firstrade and Fidelity 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: Firstrade vs Fidelity (2026)
Feature Firstrade Fidelity
Website https://www.firstrade.com/ https://www.fidelity.com/
Broker Type Discount (self-directed online brokerage) Full-service
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 online ($19.95 broker-assisted) $0 online US stocks/ETFs
Fractional Shares? Yes (most U.S. stocks/ETFs; $5 min) Yes (7,000+ US stocks/ETFs, $1 min)
Percent Allocations? No Yes (Fidelity Basket Portfolios)
Crypto Trading? No Yes, via Fidelity Crypto® (BTC, ETH, SOL, LTC, FIDD) for US retail; also crypto ETPs in brokerage.
Crypto Fees N/A 1% of executed market value on buys/sells (Fidelity Crypto®/IRAs); none on FIDD vs USD.
Options Trading? Yes Yes
Options Fee $0 commission and $0/contract; plus pass-through ORF (~$0.02/contract from Jul 2026) and SEC sell fees $0 commission + $0.65/contract online; $0 for buy-to-close ≤$0.65. Extra fees for some indexes/pros.
Bond Trading Available? Yes (web only; net yield basis/markup) Yes; $0 online for new issues/US Treasuries; $1 per bond secondary (caps apply).
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes Yes (receives PFOF on equities from wholesalers and on options).
Interface: Web trading? Yes Yes (Fidelity.com web; Fidelity Investments iOS/Android app; Fidelity Trader+).
Desktop trading? No Yes (Fidelity Trader+ Desktop, PC/Mac; Active Trader Pro Classic also available)
API Trading? No No (no official public retail trading API)
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes Yes
Total Mutual Funds 11,000+ Over 10,000
NTF Mutual Funds 11,000+ Thousands (all Fidelity funds plus many NTF third-party)
Non-NTF Fund Fee $0 online; $19.95 broker-assisted (no-load) $49.95 per purchase (some up to $100); $0 redemption
Early Redemption Fee? No ($19.95 if held <90 days) No ($49.95 Fidelity short-term fee on most NTF funds held <60 days)
Redemption Hold (Days) 90 days 60 days (NTF FundsNetwork non-Fidelity funds)
Early Redemption Fee $19.95 $49.95 online (NTF funds held <60 days)
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes (approval; $2,000 min assets; not IRAs/custodial/ESA) Yes
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Rollover) Yes (traditional, Roth, SEP)
HSAs Offered? No Yes
Money Market Sweep? Yes (FDIC sweep via Apex; 0.15%; not margin/SIMPLE IRA/ESA) Yes
CDs Offered? Yes (primary $30; secondary net yield) Yes (brokered CDs)
Robo-Advisor: Offered No Yes
Robo-Advisor Service N/A Fidelity Go
Robo-Advisor Fees N/A $0 under $25,000; 0.35%/yr for $25,000+
Basics: Headquarters Flushing, NY Boston, MA
Year Founded 1985 1946
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation National Financial Services LLC
Local Branches? Yes (Flushing, NY HQ office, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm ET); no nationwide network Yes, ~215 U.S. Investor Centers
New Account Minimum $0 $0

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