Charles Schwab vs FXPrimus 2025

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.

Regulation

Charles Schwab, established in 1971, is a well-known name in the financial industry and stands out for its strong regulatory credentials. As a publicly traded company and a registered bank, Charles Schwab boasts a perfect Trust Score of 99 according to ForexBrokers.com. The firm holds five Tier-1 licenses, which marks it as a highly trusted broker, offering its clients a high level of security and confidence in their financial activities.

In contrast, FXPrimus, founded in 2009, operates without the backing of a stock exchange listing or banking status. With a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 71, FXPrimus is considered an average risk broker. The company holds just one Tier-1 license, highlighting a lower regulatory standing compared to Charles Schwab. Clients of FXPrimus should weigh these factors when deciding on their preferred online brokerage service.

Feature	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Year Founded info	1971	2009
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	Yes	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	5	1
Tier-2 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Fees

Charles Schwab and FXPrimus both earn 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, but they place differently in ForexBrokers.com’s rankings: Schwab is #26 of 63, while FXPrimus is #43 of 63. Schwab does not charge a commission for forex; your cost is the spread, which averaged 1.35 pips on EUR/USD in October 2024 (on the higher side of industry averages). FXPrimus does not publish average spread data, so it’s harder to gauge typical costs without checking live quotes.

At Schwab, forex trading is available through the thinkorswim platform via the Schwab One account, and there’s no minimum deposit for Schwab’s main brokerage accounts. Trades settle in U.S. dollars, the smallest trade size is 10,000 units, and at 20:1 leverage that implies about $500 in margin. To place trades in foreign currency directly from a Schwab One account, you must call by phone. The Schwab Global account offers access to 12 international markets in local currencies, with currency conversion fees of roughly 0.2% to 1% depending on your balance. Schwab also displays overnight financing (carry) charges in a built-in calculator so you can estimate holding costs.

FXPrimus provides fewer public details on spreads and typical costs; average spread figures are not available. That lack of published averages can make side-by-side cost comparisons tough, whereas Schwab provides a clear baseline on EUR/USD spreads and tools to estimate overnight fees. Ratings recap: Charles Schwab — 4/5 stars, ranked #26/63; FXPrimus — 4/5 stars, ranked #43/63.

Feature	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$100
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	1.32 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	1.32 info	N/A info
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Charles Schwab offers a far wider range of investments than FXPrimus. Schwab lists about 40,000 tradeable symbols versus 140 at FXPrimus. Schwab also lets you buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international markets—so you can purchase shares like Apple or Vodafone directly—while FXPrimus does not offer direct share dealing. Both brokers support forex trading, whether you prefer CFDs or spot contracts.

For currency traders, Schwab provides 73 tradeable forex pairs compared with 42 at FXPrimus. Neither broker supports buying actual cryptocurrency, but both offer cryptocurrency CFDs. FXPrimus includes copy trading, whereas Schwab does not. Reflecting the breadth of its lineup, Schwab earns 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers for Range of Investments on ForexBrokers.com; FXPrimus is rated 3.5 stars and ranks #60.

Feature	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	40000	140
Forex Pairs (Total) info	73	42
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	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.

Trading platforms and tools

Charles Schwab and FXPrimus both check key boxes for platform access and practice trading: each offers a free demo (paper trading) account, a proprietary in-house platform, and both web and Windows desktop platforms. They also let you place trades directly from charts. Where they differ is in third-party and social tools: FXPrimus supports copy trading and integrates MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while Charles Schwab does not offer copy trading or MT4/MT5.

In independent evaluations of trading platforms and tools, Charles Schwab earns 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers, while FXPrimus earns 4 stars and ranks #50. If you want MetaTrader or copy trading, FXPrimus is the match. If you prioritize a higher-rated toolset and platform experience, Charles Schwab stands out. Both make it easy to try strategies first with a demo account and to trade right from your charts.

Feature	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	374	30
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

Both Charles Schwab and FXPrimus offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts, drawing trendlines on charts, and automatically saving your drawings. A key difference is watchlists: Schwab syncs your watchlist between the app and your online account so changes carry over, while FXPrimus does not offer cross-device watchlist syncing.

For charting tools, Schwab stands out with 374 built-in technical studies, compared with 30 on FXPrimus. In testing by ForexBrokers.com, Schwab earned 5 stars and ranked #6 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while FXPrimus received 4 stars and ranked #49. If you want deeper analysis and seamless watchlist sync, Schwab is the stronger pick; if you only need basic charting and alerts on both iPhone and Android, FXPrimus covers the essentials.

Feature	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	374	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Comparing Charles Schwab vs FXPrimus for market research, both brokers provide daily market commentary and an economic calendar. Charles Schwab goes further with forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, which FXPrimus does not offer. Neither broker includes Autochartist, Trading Central, or a sentiment tool. Schwab does not feature TipRanks or Acuity Trading (Signal Centre), and FXPrimus’s support for those providers isn’t specified.

Independent scores back up the difference: Charles Schwab earns 5 stars for Research and ranks 5th out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while FXPrimus holds 3 stars and ranks 59th. If headline-driven forex news and broader market insight matter to you, Schwab stands out; if you mainly want commentary and a calendar, FXPrimus covers the basics.

Feature	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	No
Autochartist info	No	No
Trading Central info	No	No
Client sentiment data info	No	No
TipRanks info	No
Acuity Trading info	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

For beginners comparing education at Charles Schwab vs FXPrimus: Charles Schwab offers a broader learning path. It provides at least 10 beginner-focused trading videos and another 10+ for advanced topics, plus monthly client webinars. ForexBrokers.com rates Schwab’s education 5 stars and ranks it #6 out of 63 brokers. FXPrimus also runs monthly educational webinars, but it does not meet the 10-video threshold for beginner or advanced collections; it holds a 3-star rating and ranks #51 for education.

Regarding forex and CFD-specific education libraries, the available data does not confirm whether either broker publishes 10 or more dedicated lessons on those topics. If you prefer a video-heavy, beginner-friendly experience, Charles Schwab is likely to feel more complete, while FXPrimus can suit learners who want periodic webinars. Overall, beginners seeking broader education may find Charles Schwab the stronger choice.

Feature	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Webinars info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Charles Schwab is better than FXPrimus. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while FXPrimus finished with an overall rank of #53.

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	FXPrimus
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	71
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

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Overall Rating	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	71
Winner	check_circle
Review	Charles Schwab Review

Broker Screenshots	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info

Regulation	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Trust Score info	99	71
Year Founded info	1971	2009
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	Yes	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	No	Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info	5	1
Tier-2 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted)	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info	No	No
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info	Yes	No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info	Yes	No
Japan (SFC Authorised) info		No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info	Yes	No
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info	Yes	No
USA (CFTC Authorized) info	Yes	No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info		No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	No	Yes info

Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted)	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info		No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info		No
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info		No
India (SEBI Authorised) info		No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info

Investments	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	40000	140
Forex Pairs (Total) info	73	42
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info	Yes	No
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info	Yes	No
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info	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	FXPrimus
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info	1.32 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	1.32 info	N/A info
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Order execution: Agency info	Yes	No
Order execution: Market Maker info	No	Yes

Funding	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$100
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info	Yes	No

Trading Platforms	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
cTrader info	No	Yes

Trading Tools	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	374	30
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	Yes

Mobile Trading	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	374	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Research	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	No
Autochartist info	No	No
Trading Central info	No	No
TipRanks info	No
Client sentiment data info	No	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Education	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Webinars info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No

Major Forex Pairs	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info	Yes	Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review	Charles Schwab Review

Overall	Charles Schwab	FXPrimus
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	71
Winner	check_circle
Review	Charles Schwab Review