The Brokerage Scorecard
We rate brokerages the way we rate everything, on specific, checkable facts. We scored the 5 biggest online brokers on fees, ease of use, what you can actually buy, and account variety. The apps everyone uses make the nicest experience — and still finished last.
The old giants swept the top
Fidelity scored 9.3/10, Interactive Brokers 8.8, and Charles Schwab 8.0. The three decades-old incumbents took the whole podium.
The popular apps finished last
Robinhood — the app that made investing mainstream — scored 6.5, fourth of five. Webull scored 6.0, last. The two names most tied to "new investing" were the two lowest overall.
It's not the app — it's what's behind it
Robinhood actually makes the best interface: 9.0 on ease of use, above Fidelity's 8.0. Where it falls short is depth — it doesn't offer mutual funds or bonds, and still lacks the 529s, HSAs, and specialty retirement accounts the giants carry. That's 3.0 on account variety and 5.0 on what you can buy, against Fidelity's 10.0 and 9.0.
The takeaway
If you only buy stocks on your phone, the popular apps are fine. If you want retirement accounts, more asset types, and room to grow, the boring giants win. The famous name tells you about the marketing, not the brokerage.
Each score is the average of independent dimension ratings — fees, ease of use, what you can buy, and account variety — tied to specific facts and not influenced by affiliate relationships. See how scores work →