Charles Schwab vs Markets4you 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

When comparing Charles Schwab to Markets4you, several key differences become clear, especially regarding trust and regulatory compliance. Founded in 1971, Charles Schwab is not only publicly traded, but it is also a recognized banking institution. Its impressive regulatory credentials include holding five Tier-1 licenses, the highest standard for regulatory trust. These factors contribute to an outstanding ForexBrokers.com Trust Score rating of 99 out of 99, marking it as a highly trusted broker.

On the other hand, Markets4you, established in 2007, doesn't hold any Tier-1 or Tier-2 licenses, which are sought after by investors looking for secure platforms. As a non-bank institution and not listed on a stock exchange, its ForexBrokers.com Trust Score stands at 61, indicating a higher risk. For investors who prioritize safety and trust, Charles Schwab's long-standing reputation and rigorous regulatory oversight set it apart from Markets4you.

Feature	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Year Founded info	1971	2007
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	Yes	No
Tier-1 Licenses info	5	0
Tier-2 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-3 Licenses info	0	0
Tier-4 Licenses info	0	1

Fees

Charles Schwab charges no commissions on forex trades—you pay the bid/ask spread. In October 2024, the average EUR/USD spread was 1.35 pips, which is on the higher side versus many peers. There’s no minimum deposit for its main brokerage accounts, and forex trading is available through a Schwab One account on thinkorswim. All trades settle in U.S. dollars, the smallest trade size is 10,000 units (about $500 minimum margin at 20:1 leverage), and the platform shows overnight financing (carry) in a built-in calculator. If you trade international markets directly in local currencies using a Schwab Global account, currency conversion fees apply and range from 0.2% to 1% based on your balance.

Markets4you does not provide average spread data here, which makes direct cost comparisons difficult. Without that disclosure, it’s harder to estimate typical trading costs like spreads or any financing and conversion-related fees.

Ratings snapshot: Charles Schwab earns 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #25 out of 63 brokers (ForexBrokers.com). Markets4you earns 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #55 out of 63. Based on the available information, Schwab scores higher for pricing and transparency.

Feature	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$0
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info	1.35 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	1.35 info	N/A info
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info	No	No
ACH or SEPA Transfers info	Yes	No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info	No	Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Range of investments

Charles Schwab and Markets4you both support forex trading as CFDs or spot, and both offer cryptocurrency exposure through derivatives (not actual coins). Where they differ is breadth. Charles Schwab lists about 40,000 tradeable symbols and 73 forex pairs, while Markets4you offers around 150 symbols and 43 forex pairs. Schwab also lets clients buy real, exchange-traded stocks on U.S. and international markets (think Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London); Markets4you does not offer direct stock ownership. For social features, Markets4you includes copy trading; Schwab does not. In ForexBrokers.com’s Range of Investments ratings, Schwab scores 5 stars and ranks 5th of 63 brokers, versus Markets4you at 3.5 stars and 59th.

If you want a wide selection of markets and access to U.S. and global exchanges, Charles Schwab is the stronger fit. If you prefer copy trading and a simpler lineup focused on CFDs and forex, Markets4you may suit your style. Both cover forex and crypto derivatives, but neither offers actual (delivered) cryptocurrency.

Feature	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	40000	150
Forex Pairs (Total) info	73	43
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Social Trading / Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) 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 Markets4you both provide free paper (demo) accounts, proprietary platforms, and access via Windows desktop downloads and web browsers. If you want copy trading or MetaTrader, Markets4you is the fit: it supports copy trading plus MT4 and MT5. Charles Schwab does not offer copy trading or MetaTrader, focusing instead on its in-house platforms. Neither broker supports DupliTrade or ZuluTrade.

For charting, both let you trade directly from charts. Charles Schwab lists 24 drawing tools versus 15 at Markets4you; indicator counts weren’t provided. Watchlists are more extensive at Charles Schwab, with up to 580 fields compared with 7 at Markets4you. According to ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms & Tools ratings, Charles Schwab scores 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers, while Markets4you scores 4 stars and ranks #53.

Feature	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
DupliTrade info	No	No
ZuluTrade info	No	No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	374	30
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info	24	15
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info	580	7

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

Forex trading apps

Both Charles Schwab and Markets4you deliver mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts for stocks and forex, customizable watchlists with real-time quotes, and charting tools that let you draw trendlines, switch among intraday, daily, and weekly time frames, and automatically save your annotations. If you just need reliable on-the-go trading with alerts and basic chart work, either app will cover the essentials.

The differences show up in depth and integration. Schwab syncs watchlist symbols between its mobile app and online platform, so edits carry over automatically; Markets4you does not. For technical analysis, Schwab includes 374 built-in studies compared with Markets4you’s 30, which can matter if you rely on a wide range of indicators. Reflecting that edge, ForexBrokers.com rates Schwab’s mobile app 5 stars and ranks it #6 out of 63 brokers, while Markets4you earns 4 stars and ranks #51. Traders who want richer charting and seamless watchlist syncing may prefer Schwab; those who need core features with alerts and drawing tools may find Markets4you sufficient.

Feature	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info	Yes	Yes
Watchlist Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	374	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlist info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

For market research, Charles Schwab leads the way with a 5-star rating and a #4 ranking out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Markets4you earns 3.5 stars and ranks #48. Both brokers publish daily market commentary, stream forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, and provide an economic calendar to track upcoming events.

Tool-wise, Markets4you offers third-party technical analysis from Autochartist and Trading Central, which Charles Schwab does not include. Neither broker features a sentiment tool that shows long/short positioning. Schwab does not offer TipRanks or Acuity Trading research; availability of these at Markets4you isn’t specified.

Feature	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Daily Market Commentary info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	Yes
Autochartist info	No	Yes
Trading Central (Recognia) info	No	Yes
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info	No	No
TipRanks info	No
Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) info	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

When comparing the educational resources available for beginners between Charles Schwab and Markets4you, Charles Schwab stands out with its comprehensive offerings. Charles Schwab provides an extensive array of forex and CFDs educational materials, including more than 10 articles, videos, and archived webinars. Another key advantage is their commitment to ongoing learning, as evidenced by their monthly online client webinars and a searchable archive of previous sessions. For beginners, Charles Schwab offers over 10 introductory videos specifically geared toward new traders, making it an excellent choice for those just starting out. Additionally, Charles Schwab supports advanced traders with a similar collection of videos on more complex topics, coupled with an investor dictionary elucidating over 50 investing terms, all reflecting their 5-star rating in education.

Markets4you, while offering forex and CFDs educational materials similar to Charles Schwab, does not provide the same breadth of resources tailored for beginners. Although they have a searchable archive of past webinars, Markets4you lacks a regular schedule of monthly educational webinars and does not have a significant library of beginner or advanced educational videos. Furthermore, Markets4you does not offer an investor dictionary with an extensive list of definitions, resulting in a lower educational rating of 3.5 stars. Ranked #26 in education by ForexBrokers.com, Markets4you is positioned as a serviceable option but falls short of the extensive learning support that Charles Schwab delivers.

Feature	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Education (Forex or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Client Webinars info	Yes	No
Client Webinars (Archived) info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) 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 Markets4you. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while Markets4you finished with an overall rank of #56.

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	Markets4you
Overall Rating info
Trust Score info	99	61
Range of Investments
Commissions & Fees
Platforms & Tools
Research
Mobile Trading
Education

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Charles Schwab or Markets4you?

What funding options does each broker offer?

×

×

Sponsored

+ Add Broker

Close Menu ×

navigate_before navigate_next

Overall Rating	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	61
Winner	check_circle
Review	Charles Schwab Review

Broker Screenshots	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info

Regulation	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Trust Score info	99	61
Year Founded info	1971	2007
Publicly Traded (Listed) info	Yes	No
Bank info	Yes	No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info	No	No info
Tier-1 Licenses info	5	0
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	Markets4you
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	No info

Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted)	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info		No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info		No
UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) info		No
India (SEBI Authorised) info		No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info

Investments	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info	40000	150
Forex Pairs (Total) info	73	43
U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) info	Yes	No
Social Trading / Copy Trading info	No	Yes
Cryptocurrency (Physical) info	No	No
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) 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	Markets4you
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard info	1.35 info	N/A info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info	1.35 info	N/A info
Active Trader or VIP Discounts info	No	No
Inactivity Fee info	No	No
Execution: Agency Broker info	Yes	No
Execution: Market Maker info	No	Yes

Funding	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Minimum Deposit info	$0	$0
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	No
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info	No	Yes
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) info	No	Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info	Yes	Yes
ACH or SEPA Transfers info	Yes	No

Trading Platforms	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Proprietary Platform info	Yes	Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info	Yes	Yes
Web Platform info	Yes	Yes
Social Trading / Copy Trading info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info	No	Yes
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info	No	Yes
cTrader info	No	No
DupliTrade info	No	No
ZuluTrade info	No	No

Trading Tools	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Virtual Trading (Demo) info	Yes	Yes
Alerts - Basic Fields info	Yes	Yes
Watchlists - Total Fields info	580	7
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info	374	30
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) info	24	15
Charting - Trade From Chart info	Yes	Yes
Charts can be saved info	Yes	Yes

Mobile Trading	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Android App info	Yes	Yes
Apple iOS App info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Watchlist info	Yes	Yes
Watchlist Syncing info	Yes	No
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info	374	30
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave info	Yes	Yes
Mobile Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Research	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Daily Market Commentary info	Yes	Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info	Yes	Yes
Autochartist info	No	Yes
Trading Central (Recognia) info	No	Yes
TipRanks info	No
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs info	No	No
Economic Calendar info	Yes	Yes

Education	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Education (Forex or CFDs) info	Yes	Yes
Client Webinars info	Yes	No
Client Webinars (Archived) info	Yes	Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info	Yes	No
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) info	Yes	No

Major Forex Pairs	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
GBP/USD info	Yes	No
USD/JPY info	Yes	No
EUR/USD info	Yes	No
USD/CHF info	Yes	No
USD/CAD info	Yes	No
NZD/USD info	Yes	No
AUD/USD info	Yes	No
Review	Charles Schwab Review

Overall	Charles Schwab	Markets4you
Overall Rating info
Commissions & Fees
Range of Investments
Platforms & Tools
Mobile Trading
Research
Education
Trust Score info	99	61
Winner	check_circle
Review	Charles Schwab Review