Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs Admirals, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Charles Schwab, established in 1971, is a veteran in the online brokerage industry and offers a remarkable level of trust with a perfect Trust Score of 99 on ForexBrokers.com. As a publicly traded entity and a bank, Charles Schwab is fortified with five Tier-1 licenses, which underscores its high level of reliability. This long-standing firm provides a secure choice for investors who prioritize stability and transparency.
In contrast, Admirals, founded in 2001, has carved its niche with a strong Trust Score of 93. Though not publicly traded or a bank, Admirals stands out by holding four Tier-1 and three Tier-2 licenses, indicating both high trust and strong regulatory compliance. Admirals presents a trusted platform for online trading, appealing to investors who seek a balance of credibility and diverse trading opportunities.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Charles Schwab and Admirals offer competitive services for online trading, each with unique strengths in commissions and fees. Charles Schwab, rated four stars for commissions and fees, provides a cost-effective entry with no minimum deposit requirement for its primary brokerage accounts, Schwab One and Schwab Global. These accounts offer access to forex trading on the thinkorswim platform, with trading costs primarily deriving from the bid/ask spread rather than direct commissions. However, it's important to note that Schwab's average spread on the EUR/USD during October 2024 was 1.35 pips, which is relatively higher compared to some other brokers. Schwab is ranked #23 out of 63 brokers in the Commissions and Fees category by ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, Admirals is slightly more favorably rated at 4.5 stars and holds the #17 rank in the same category. Known for its competitive pricing, Admirals offers typical spreads of 0.8 pips on its Trade account and similar pricing on the Zero account type. This provides traders with a more cost-effective option when trading currencies. The lower typical spread compared to Schwab's makes Admirals an attractive choice for those prioritizing lower transaction costs.
Both brokers present viable options depending on trader priorities. While Schwab offers a diverse range of account options and no forex trading commissions, its higher spreads and discrete conversion fees for international trading may be a consideration. Admirals, meanwhile, provides narrower spreads, which could be beneficial for cost-conscious traders, particularly those focused on forex trading.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.35 | 0.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.35 | 0.8 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Charles Schwab and Admirals are both well-regarded online brokers, but they differ significantly in the range of investments they offer. Charles Schwab impresses with a whopping 40,000 tradeable symbols and provides a U.S. investor-friendly platform where investors can access exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges. Admirals, on the other hand, offers a more limited range with 8,702 tradeable symbols, yet it slightly edges out Schwab in the forex market with 82 tradeable forex pairs compared to Schwab's 73. Both brokers allow forex trading as a CFD or spot contract and offer cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither provides the option to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency.
Despite Admirals offering unique features like copy trading, Charles Schwab enjoys a higher rating for its range of investments, earning 5 stars compared to Admirals' 4.5 stars. Additionally, Charles Schwab is ranked remarkably high at #5 by ForexBrokers.com for the Range of Investments category out of 63 brokers, while Admirals holds the #19 spot. Both platforms cater to diverse investment needs, but Charles Schwab stands out for its expansive portfolio options and exceptional industry ranking.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 8702 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 82 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When comparing Charles Schwab and Admirals in terms of trading platforms and tools, both brokers check several common boxes. Each offers simulated trading through free virtual demo accounts, has developed proprietary platforms, and provides both desktop and web-based trading platforms. However, their features diverge when considering copy trading and third-party tools. Admirals offers copy trading and integrates with popular platforms MetaTrader 4 and 5, giving users access to a variety of trading experiences. In contrast, Charles Schwab does not support these features but delivers an extensive array of drawing tools for charting and the ability to trade directly from stock charts, appealing to those who prioritize integrated charting capabilities.
Admirals stands out with a substantial 106 drawing tools and offers robust capabilities, but Charles Schwab excels with more detailed watch lists, providing a whopping 580 columns for fields. Despite Admirals incorporating renowned trading platforms like MT4 and MT5, Charles Schwab is rated higher in Trading Platforms and Tools, receiving 5 stars and ranking 5th out of 63 brokers, compared to Admirals' 4-star rating and 19th place ranking. The choice between these two brokers hinges on whether a trader values comprehensive platform tools and services or a balance of third-party integrations and charting utilities.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 24 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 580 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading apps, both Charles Schwab and Admirals offer options for iPhone and Android users. Both apps allow users to set stock and forex price alerts and provide the ability to draw trendlines on charts, view multiple time frames, and save chart drawings automatically. However, Charles Schwab's app stands out with the ability to sync watchlists between the app and the online account, a feature that Admirals lacks. Moreover, Charles Schwab offers an impressive 374 technical studies for charting, compared to Admirals' 30 studies, providing more in-depth analysis for informed trading decisions.
In terms of ratings, Charles Schwab shines with a perfect 5-star rating for its mobile trading app, while Admirals receives 4 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, Charles Schwab ranks #6 out of 63 brokers in the mobile trading apps category, significantly higher than Admirals' rank of #23. This comparison highlights Charles Schwab's superior functionality and higher user satisfaction, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a comprehensive mobile trading experience.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing Charles Schwab and Admirals in terms of market research offerings, both brokers provide daily market commentary and access to forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. This ensures that traders have access to timely and relevant updates. Additionally, both brokers offer economic calendars that display important global news events, allowing traders to make informed decisions. However, Admirals distinguishes itself by offering unique research tools from Trading Central, such as Technical Analytics, alongside sentiment-based trading tools and insights from TipRanks and Acuity Trading. Meanwhile, Charles Schwab doesn’t provide access to these specific tools but still garners a notable 5-star rating for its research capabilities.
Despite Admirals’ broad range of research tools, including exclusive offerings from companies like Trading Central and Acuity Trading, Charles Schwab maintains a higher research ranking at #4 compared to Admirals at #15 in a review of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. While Admirals is well-equipped with a suite of advanced tools not found at Charles Schwab, the latter achieves a higher overall rating largely due to its comprehensive market commentary and trusted sourcing of information. Both platforms cater to different trader needs, ensuring a solid foundation of market research capabilities for users.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners seeking educational resources in the online brokerage space, both Charles Schwab and Admirals offer comprehensive options tailored to various learning needs. Whether you're interested in forex or CFDs, both brokers excel with a wealth of educational materials, including articles, videos, and archived webinars. Each offers a consistent schedule of online webinars, ensuring continuous learning opportunities. Their searchable archives make catch-up learning or topic-specific exploration accessible and straightforward. Additionally, when it comes to video content dedicated specifically to beginner traders or more advanced topics, both brokers provide extensive libraries that cover the entire learning spectrum.
Charles Schwab stands out with a higher rating for education, boasting 5 stars compared to Admirals' 4 stars, primarily because of its superior ranking among 63 brokers. Positioned 6th by ForexBrokers.com, Charles Schwab demonstrates a slightly stronger commitment to educating its clients than Admirals, which ranks 12th. Both brokers offer investor dictionaries featuring over 50 investing terms, actively supporting users to build a strong foundation in trading language. In summary, while both Charles Schwab and Admirals are excellent choices for educational resources, Charles Schwab receives marginally higher accolades, offering a slightly more refined educational experience.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Charles Schwab is better than Admirals. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while Admirals finished with an overall rank of #18.
Charles Schwab is a highly trusted financial institution and multi-asset broker catering to U.S.-based and international forex traders. Schwab's award-winning thinkorswim platform offers over 70 tradeable currency pairs alongside impressive tools, research, and education. That said, the broker’s forex offering is still largely limited to what is available on thinkorswim.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Admirals
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 |
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Both Charles Schwab and Admirals do not provide the option to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but they do offer the ability to purchase cryptocurrency derivatives.
While both Charles Schwab and Admirals support ACH and SEPA transfers, as well as bank wires for depositing or withdrawing funds, Admirals offers additional flexibility with support for PayPal, Skrill, and credit card transactions, which are not available with Charles Schwab.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Admirals Review |
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| Regulation | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | Yes |
| Investments | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 8702 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 82 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.35 | 0.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.35 | 0.8 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 580 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 24 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Admirals Review |
| Overall | Charles Schwab | Admirals | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Admirals Review |
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