Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs Exness, 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 Exness are online brokers with different histories and structures. Charles Schwab was founded in 1971, is publicly traded, and is also a bank. Exness launched in 2008, is not publicly traded, and is not a bank.
Regulation and trust differ as well. Charles Schwab holds five Tier-1 licenses and no Tier-2 licenses, while Exness holds two Tier-1 and three Tier-2 licenses. ForexBrokers.com assigns Schwab a Trust Score of 99 (highly trusted: 90–99) and Exness a Trust Score of 80 (trusted: 80–89). Scores of 70–79 are average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 should not be trusted.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
In the commissions and fees category, Charles Schwab and Exness both earn 4 out of 5 stars, but they take different approaches to pricing. Charles Schwab ranks #25 out of 36 brokers and does not charge forex trading commissions; instead, traders pay through the bid/ask spread, which averaged 1.35 pips on EUR/USD in October 2024. Schwab’s low barrier to entry is helped by no minimum deposit on its main brokerage accounts, though forex trading through Schwab One starts at a 10,000-unit trade size, and international currency trading through Schwab Global may involve conversion fees ranging from 0.2% to 1% depending on account size.
Exness ranks #33 out of 36 brokers and also earns 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees. Its pricing depends on the account you choose: Standard Cent and Standard accounts are commission-free but usually come with wider spreads, while the Pro account offers lower spreads and flexible execution. For traders who prefer commission-based pricing, Exness offers the Zero Spread account with a per-trade commission of $0.05 and the Raw account with commissions of up to $7 per round turn lot ($3.5 per side), both with tighter spreads.
Overall, Schwab may appeal more to traders who want a simple commission-free forex setup and access to international markets through a large broker, while Exness may fit traders looking for more account choices and the ability to pick between spread-based and commission-based pricing. Both brokers score the same star rating, but Schwab holds the higher ranking in this category.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.27 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.27 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to range of investments, Charles Schwab offers far more choice than Exness. Schwab provides access to about 40,000 tradeable symbols, including 73 forex pairs, while Exness offers 239 tradeable symbols and 78 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading as a CFD or spot contract, and both let clients trade cryptocurrency CFDs. Neither broker offers copy trading or the ability to buy actual, delivered cryptocurrency.
Charles Schwab also stands out for investors who want to buy real shares and other exchange-traded securities. It offers exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, such as Apple shares in the U.S. and Vodafone shares in London, while Exness does not offer these products. Reflecting this wider selection, Charles Schwab earns 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 36 brokers for Range of Investments, compared with Exness at 3.5 stars and #37 out of 36.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 239 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 78 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 Exness both give traders a choice of paper trading, a proprietary platform, a Windows desktop download, and a web-based platform, so each broker covers the main ways people like to trade and test strategies. Both also let users trade directly from charts, but neither offers copy trading. For charting and watch lists, the available details were not provided here, so the clearest differences come down to platform support and ratings.
The biggest split is that Exness supports both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, while Charles Schwab does not offer either one. Even so, Charles Schwab earns a higher score for Trading Platforms and Tools, with 5 out of 5 stars and a ForexBrokers.com rank of #7 out of 36 brokers, compared with Exness at 4 out of 5 stars and #15. In simple terms, Schwab may appeal more to traders who want a top-rated in-house platform experience, while Exness may be a better fit for those who want access to MT4 and MT5.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Charles Schwab and Exness both make it easy to trade from a phone, with iPhone and Android apps, price alerts, watchlist syncing, and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. For everyday mobile use, both apps cover the basics well and let users keep tabs on markets while away from a desktop.
Where Charles Schwab pulls ahead is in charting and overall app quality. Its mobile app offers 374 technical studies, auto-saves chart drawings, and earns a 5-star rating for Mobile Trading Apps, ranking #6 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Exness also performs well, but it offers 100 technical studies, does not auto-save drawings, and is rated 4 stars, ranking #18 out of 36. For traders who care most about mobile charting tools and a smoother app experience, Schwab has the edge.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 100 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, Charles Schwab and Exness both give traders access to daily market commentary, forex news from major outlets like Bloomberg and Reuters, and an economic calendar for tracking important global events. Neither broker offers Autochartist, sentiment-based trading tools, TipRanks research, or Acuity Trading tools, so their research coverage is similar in some key areas.
The main difference is that Exness includes Trading Central tools, such as technical analytics, while Charles Schwab does not. That edge helps explain why Charles Schwab still earns a higher research score overall, with 5 out of 5 stars and a #5 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com, compared with Exness at 3.5 stars and #34 out of 36.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | No | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking for trading education, Charles Schwab and Exness both provide a wide range of learning tools, including forex or CFDs-focused content, monthly online webinars, and at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced educational videos. That said, Charles Schwab stands out as the stronger choice overall for education. It earns a 5-star Education rating and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Exness holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks #20.
In simple terms, both brokers give new traders access to helpful lessons and live learning sessions, but Charles Schwab appears to offer a more polished and highly rated educational experience. Exness still covers the basics well, yet Schwab is the better pick if you want more trusted beginner-friendly guidance and a stronger overall education library.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | 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 Exness. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while Exness finished with an overall rank of #31.
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
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Exness
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 |
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Comparing online brokers Charles Schwab vs Exness: neither offers buying actual delivered cryptocurrency, but both provide cryptocurrency CFD trading.
When comparing online brokers Charles Schwab vs Exness for deposit and withdrawal methods, Schwab supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not Skrill or PayPal, whereas Exness supports Skrill and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal.
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 | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Exness Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
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| Regulation | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2008 | |
| 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 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 3 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | ||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | Yes |
| Investments | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 239 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 78 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.27 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.27 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 100 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | No | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Exness Review |
| Overall | Charles Schwab | Exness | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 80 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Exness Review |
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