Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs easyMarkets, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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Charles Schwab and easyMarkets are well-known online brokers, both offering unique advantages to their clients. Founded in 1971, Charles Schwab is a publicly traded firm and also operates as a bank, providing diverse financial services. In contrast, easyMarkets, founded in 2001, is not publicly traded and does not hold banking status. When it comes to regulatory trust and safety, Charles Schwab stands out with a perfect Trust Score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com, indicating a high level of trust. The firm boasts five Tier-1 licenses, further cementing its reputation for reliability.
easyMarkets, while newer than Charles Schwab, offers competitive services with its own set of credentials. It holds a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 84, placing it in the 'trusted' category. The firm maintains two Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, showcasing a commitment to maintaining trusted regulatory standards. Both brokers cater to clients seeking secure platforms for trading, but with different structures and regulatory standings, they offer varied experiences to their users. Whether prioritizing a firm with banking capabilities or one with a strong online presence, investors can choose based on their personal needs and trust preferences.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
Charles Schwab is an attractive option for forex traders thanks to its lack of a minimum deposit requirement and commission-free trading. With easy access to the powerful thinkorswim platform through Schwab One and Schwab Global accounts, traders can explore a variety of financial instruments, including forex, which incurs costs primarily through the bid/ask spread. The average spread for EUR/USD pairs in October 2024 was 1.35 pips, slightly on the higher end. Schwab also provides a handy calculator within thinkorswim to estimate overnight carry charges, aiding in more informed trading decisions. Schwab is rated 4 out of 5 stars for its commissions and fees and holds the 23rd position out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
easyMarkets, on the other hand, stands out with its transparent and fixed spread pricing model. The platform offers a consistent 0.8 pips spread for EUR/USD pairs on its proprietary and TradingView platforms, while users of MT4 experience higher spreads of 1.7 pips for the Standard account. However, if you have a VIP account, you can benefit from a lower spread of 0.7 pips. For those using MT5, spreads are variable but start from 0.7 pips. easyMarkets is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and is positioned at number 52 among 63 brokers, according to ForexBrokers.com.
In summary, Charles Schwab offers a commission-free trading experience with slightly higher spreads, demanding a more substantial initial trade size due to its margin requirements. easyMarkets caters to traders who prefer fixed spreads, especially through its proprietary platform or TradingView. Each broker comes with its unique advantages, rated distinctly by ForexBrokers.com, with Charles Schwab having a slight edge over easyMarkets in terms of both ratings and rankings.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 |
| 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 | No |
| 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 easyMarkets both provide access to forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts, yet the breadth of their investment options diverges significantly. Charles Schwab offers an impressive selection with 40,000 tradeable symbols, including 73 forex pairs. This extensive range allows investors to explore a vast array of U.S. and international exchange-traded securities, such as shares from major companies like Apple and Vodafone. While neither platform allows for the purchase of actual, delivered cryptocurrency, both offer cryptocurrency derivatives for those interested in digital assets.
In contrast, easyMarkets presents a more limited selection with 230 tradeable symbols and 63 forex pairs. The platform does not support the purchase of exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, which may be a drawback for investors looking for diversified stock options. However, easyMarkets does provide copy trading features, allowing users to mimic successful trading strategies. Overall, this narrower range of investment options earns easyMarkets a rating of 3.5 stars, ranking it 54th out of 63 brokers. Meanwhile, Charles Schwab maintains a robust 5-star rating, securing the 5th position for its expansive investment offerings according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 230 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 63 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| 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.
Charles Schwab and easyMarkets both offer a range of trading platforms and tools to suit different traders' needs. Charles Schwab provides a comprehensive experience with simulated trading options via a free virtual demo account, as does easyMarkets. Both brokers have developed proprietary platforms, ensuring a tailored experience for their users. They also offer Windows-based desktop and web-based trading platforms, catering to those who prefer either the traditional desktop setup or the flexibility of the web. Notably, easyMarkets supports MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, while Charles Schwab does not. This could be a deciding factor for traders looking for platforms with broader community support and automated trading capabilities. Furthermore, easyMarkets includes copy trading for traders who wish to follow seasoned pros, a feature Charles Schwab lacks.
When it comes to charting capabilities, easyMarkets offers 30 drawing tools, which slightly outnumbers Charles Schwab's 24 tools, providing more versatility in technical analysis. However, Schwab compensates with an extensive 580 fields for watch lists compared to easyMarkets' 8, allowing for more detailed market monitoring. Both brokers enable trading directly from stock charts, enhancing trading convenience. For overall platform and tool ratings, Charles Schwab shines with a five-star rating and ranks 5th out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com, whereas easyMarkets holds a respectable four-star rating and a 35th place ranking. These differences highlight Charles Schwab's strength in offering a highly rated and widely recognized trading experience.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 15 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 24 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 580 | 8 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing Charles Schwab and easyMarkets for their mobile trading apps, both platforms offer apps for iPhone and Android users. Charles Schwab stands out with its comprehensive feature set, including stock and forex price alerts and auto-saving chart drawings, which easyMarkets does not offer. Furthermore, Schwab provides 374 technical studies for charting compared to the 81 offered by easyMarkets. Both apps allow users to sync watchlists with their online accounts, draw trendlines, and view multiple time frames on stock and forex charts. For creating watchlists with real-time quotes, both apps perform well, although Charles Schwab's app offers a more enhanced experience with additional features like auto-saving drawings on charts.
In terms of user ratings and rankings, Charles Schwab excels with a stellar rating of 5 out of 5 stars for its mobile trading app, ranking 6th out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. This rating reflects Schwab's user-friendly app design and extensive feature offerings. Meanwhile, easyMarkets holds a respectable rating of 4 stars but ranks lower at 30th place. Overall, for those seeking advanced charting tools and alerts, Charles Schwab seems to be the preferred choice, while easyMarkets may appeal to users prioritizing simplicity and essential trading tools.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 81 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of Charles Schwab and easyMarkets, both platforms provide daily market commentary and forex news sourced from well-known entities such as Bloomberg and Reuters. However, easyMarkets differentiates itself by offering technical analysis tools from Trading Central, including analytics that Charles Schwab does not. Additionally, easyMarkets provides a sentiment-based trading tool that reveals the ratio of long versus short positions across various currency pairs, a feature Charles Schwab lacks. Both brokers supply an economic calendar showing key upcoming global news events, ensuring investors stay informed of significant market shifts.
Despite some differences in tool offerings, Charles Schwab secures a 5-star rating for research, with an impressive ranking as the 4th best among 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. In contrast, easyMarkets holds a 3.5-star rating, positioned at 43rd place. This highlights Charles Schwab's commitment to delivering highly rated research options, while easyMarkets offers specialized features that might appeal to traders looking for specific tools like sentiment analysis.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational offerings for beginners from Charles Schwab and easyMarkets, both platforms provide a wealth of resources to help novice traders get started. Charles Schwab offers a wide range of educational content, including over ten articles, videos, and archived webinars focused on forex and CFDs. easyMarkets matches this, also providing a similar quantity of educational materials on these topics. Both platforms go a step further by hosting at least one educational webinar each month and offering a searchable archive of recorded sessions, ensuring beginners can continue learning at their own pace.
In terms of video content, both Charles Schwab and easyMarkets offer over ten beginner-friendly videos focused on trading topics. They also cater to more advanced traders with an additional selection of advanced trading videos. Furthermore, each platform provides an investor dictionary containing over fifty key investing terms, a helpful tool for those new to trading jargon. Despite the similarities, Charles Schwab shines slightly brighter with a perfect five-star rating for education compared to easyMarkets' 3.5 stars. This difference is reflected in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where Charles Schwab holds the sixth position out of 63 brokers for educational resources, while easyMarkets is ranked 39th.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 easyMarkets. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while easyMarkets finished with an overall rank of #42.
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
|
easyMarkets
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 84 |
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Both Charles Schwab and easyMarkets do not offer the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency, but they both provide options for trading cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both Charles Schwab and easyMarkets provide options for ACH or SEPA transfers and bank wires for depositing and withdrawing account funds, but only easyMarkets offers additional payment methods such as Skrill and Visa or Mastercard, whereas neither broker supports PayPal transactions.
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 | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | easyMarkets Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
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| Regulation | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 84 | |
| 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 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | No | |
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| 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 | No |
| Investments | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 230 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 63 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 580 | 8 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 15 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 24 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 81 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | easyMarkets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | easyMarkets Review |
| Overall | Charles Schwab | easyMarkets | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 84 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | easyMarkets Review |
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