menuclose
Back to Main Menu
ForexBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money

Charles Schwab vs Plus500 2025

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs Plus500, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Charles Schwab
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 40000
Plus500
4.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: €50 info
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 5500 info

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

Founded in 1971, Charles Schwab is a well-established online broker that is also a publicly traded bank. In terms of regulation, Charles Schwab holds an impressive number of Tier-1 licenses, totaling five. This high level of licensing contributes to its perfect Trust Score rating of 99, as determined by ForexBrokers.com. With a solid foundation in the financial industry, Charles Schwab stands out as a highly trusted choice for investors.

Plus500, established in 2008, is another prominent online broker that is publicly traded but not a bank. It surpasses Charles Schwab in its regulatory footprint by holding six Tier-1 licenses and an additional three Tier-2 licenses. Like Charles Schwab, Plus500 also achieves a top Trust Score rating of 99, making it equally dependable for those interested in online trading. Both brokers offer a blend of trust and regulatory compliance, though with slightly different aspects and histories.

Feature Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Year Founded info 1971 2008
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info Yes No
Tier-1 Licenses info 5 6
Tier-2 Licenses info 0 3
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 2

Fees

Comparing commissions and fees, Charles Schwab and Plus500 both earn 4.0 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s Commissions and Fees ranking out of 63 brokers, Plus500 places #24 while Charles Schwab ranks #26. Both brokers build most trading costs into the spread rather than charging a separate commission for forex: Schwab’s average EUR/USD spread was 1.35 pips in October 2024, while Plus500’s averaged 1.5 pips in April 2024.

Charles Schwab has no minimum deposit for its main brokerage accounts. Forex trading runs through thinkorswim with a Schwab One account, and all trades settle in U.S. dollars. The smallest trade size is 10,000 units (about $500 minimum margin at 20:1 leverage). If you want to place trades in a foreign market’s local currency, the Schwab Global account supports 12 international markets, with currency conversion fees ranging from 0.2% to 1% based on your balance. Schwab doesn’t charge forex commissions; costs come from the spread, and there’s an in-platform calculator to see overnight financing (carry) charges.

Plus500’s pricing is slightly above the industry average, with no retail discounts. Cash rebates are available only if you qualify as a Professional client. Like Schwab, Plus500’s primary cost is the spread; its EUR/USD spread averaged 1.5 pips (April 2024), which is higher than Schwab’s recent average and above the best-priced brokers.

Feature Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Minimum Deposit info $0 €50 info
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 1.32 info 1.3 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 1.32 info 1.3 info
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


Range of investments

Comparing the range of investments, Charles Schwab offers far more tradeable symbols than Plus500 (40,000 vs 5,500). Both brokers support forex trading through CFDs or spot contracts, with Schwab listing 73 forex pairs and Plus500 offering 65. Each lets you buy real exchange-traded securities in the U.S. and on international markets (not as CFDs), so you can trade shares like Apple on Nasdaq or Vodafone in London. Both provide cryptocurrency exposure via CFDs but don’t offer direct, delivered crypto, and neither broker supports copy trading.

For range of investments, ForexBrokers.com rates Charles Schwab at 5 stars and ranks it #5 out of 63, while Plus500 earns 4.5 stars and ranks #22. If you want the widest product lineup and more currency pairs, Schwab edges ahead; Plus500 still covers popular markets and includes crypto CFDs.

Feature Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes info
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 40000 5500 info
Forex Pairs (Total) info 73 65
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info No No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info Yes Yes info
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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account.

Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.

Trading platforms and tools

Comparing Charles Schwab vs Plus500 for trading platforms and tools: both provide simulated paper trading via free demo accounts and each offers a proprietary platform. Charles Schwab adds a Windows desktop download platform alongside a full web-based platform, while Plus500 is web-based only. Neither broker offers copy trading, and neither supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Schwab lets you place orders directly from a chart; Plus500 does not. The number of built-in technical indicators and the number of watch list fields are not specified here for either broker.

In ratings focused on trading platforms and tools, Charles Schwab earns 5 stars and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers, while Plus500 earns 4.5 stars and ranks #14. If you want downloadable desktop software and chart trading, Schwab is the better fit; if you prefer a simple, browser-first experience with a free demo, Plus500 is a solid option.

Feature Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 374 115
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes No

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

Forex trading apps

Both Charles Schwab and Plus500 offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. On either app, you can set stock and forex price alerts and keep your watchlists synced with your online account. Each app supports drawing trendlines on charts; however, Charles Schwab automatically saves your chart drawings, while Plus500 does not.

For charting depth, Charles Schwab provides 374 technical studies compared with 115 on Plus500, which can matter if you rely on indicators. According to ForexBrokers.com, Charles Schwab’s mobile app earns 5 stars and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers, while Plus500 earns 4.5 stars and ranks #14. Both are solid mobile trading choices, with Schwab better suited to heavy chart analysis and Plus500 covering the essentials.

Feature Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 374 115
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info Yes No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

Charles Schwab and Plus500 both deliver daily market commentary and provide an economic calendar. Schwab stands out for forex news sourced from top-tier outlets like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones, while Plus500 does not include that news feed. On the other hand, Plus500 offers Trading Central tools and a sentiment gauge that shows the balance of long vs. short positions, features Schwab does not provide. Neither broker offers Autochartist, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading tools.

For Research, ForexBrokers.com rates Schwab at 5 stars (ranked #5 of 63) and Plus500 at 4.0 stars (ranked #19 of 63). Choose Schwab if you value high-quality news coverage alongside daily insights; pick Plus500 if you want integrated trading signals and a built-in sentiment view within the platform.

Feature Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes No
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central info No Yes
Client sentiment data info No Yes
TipRanks info No No
Acuity Trading info No No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

For beginner traders comparing education from Charles Schwab and Plus500, both brokers check key boxes: they host online client webinars at least once a month and offer at least 10 beginner videos, plus 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. The information provided does not confirm whether either broker delivers a dedicated forex or CFD education library of 10 or more pieces, so if forex or CFDs are your focus, you may want to verify the depth of those specific materials.

In expert evaluations, Charles Schwab stands out with a 5-star Education rating and a #6 rank out of 63 brokers, while Plus500 earns 4.0 stars and ranks #31. Both can help newcomers learn through videos and webinars, but Schwab’s higher score and rank suggest a stronger overall education experience for beginners, whereas Plus500 offers a simpler path for learning the basics.

Feature Charles Schwab logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Webinars info Yes Yes info
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes

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 Plus500. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14.

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 logoCharles Schwab
Plus500 logoPlus500
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 99
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Charles Schwab or Plus500?

Charles Schwab vs Plus500: neither online broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both offer trading in cryptocurrency CFDs.

What funding options does each broker offer?

In a head-to-head comparison of funding methods, Charles Schwab supports ACH/SEPA and bank wires but not PayPal or Skrill, whereas Plus500 offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA; Visa/Mastercard availability for both is not specified.

More Comparisons

Charles Schwab vs CMC Markets Charles Schwab vs LegacyFX Charles Schwab vs HYCM (Henyep Capital Markets) Charles Schwab vs XM Group Charles Schwab vs HFM Charles Schwab vs Moneta Markets Plus500 vs FXCM Plus500 vs BlackBull Markets Plus500 vs IUX Plus500 vs easyMarkets Plus500 vs Octa Plus500 vs TopFX

Show all



announcementPlease 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.

Select Brokers

↓×
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxActivTrades
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAvaTrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBDSwiss
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBlackBull Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCity Index
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeasyMarkets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxEightcap
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxExness
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFineco
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFOREX.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFP Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFXCM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFxPro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHFM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHYCM (Henyep Capital Markets)
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIFC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIG
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIUX
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxLegacyFX
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxMoneta Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOANDA
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOcta
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPepperstone
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPlus500
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxQuestrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSpreadex
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSwissquote
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTickmill
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTMGM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTopFX
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVantage
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXM Group
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXTB

Compare

0 of 5
× Charles Schwab
× Plus500
Sponsored

+ Add Broker

Close Menu ×

navigate_before navigate_next
Overall Rating Charles Schwab Plus500
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 99
Winner check_circle
Review Charles Schwab Review Plus500 Review
Broker Screenshots Charles Schwab Plus500
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
Schwab thinkorswim mobile forex charting. Schwab thinkorswim desktop forex trading. Schwab research weekly market analysis YouTube video detail. Schwab education courses technical analysis.
Plus500 mobile app charts. Plus500 trading platform EURUSD Plus500 web platform market news analysis articles. Plus500 webinars with Corellian Academy YouTube video playlist
Regulation Charles Schwab Plus500
Trust Score info 99 99
Year Founded info 1971 2008
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info Yes No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info No Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info 5 6
Tier-2 Licenses info 0 3
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 2
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Charles Schwab Plus500
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info No Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Japan (SFC Authorised) info Yes
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes Yes
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes Yes
USA (CFTC Authorized) info Yes No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info Yes
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info No Yes info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Charles Schwab Plus500
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info Yes
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info Yes
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info Yes info
India (SEBI Authorised) info No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Charles Schwab Plus500
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes info
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 40000 5500 info
Forex Pairs (Total) info 73 65
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info No No
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info Yes Yes info
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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account.
Cost Charles Schwab Plus500
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 1.32 info 1.3 info
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 1.32 info 1.3 info
Inactivity Fee info No Yes
Order execution: Agency info Yes No
Order execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Charles Schwab Plus500
Minimum Deposit info $0 €50 info
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes No
Trading Platforms Charles Schwab Plus500
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No No
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
cTrader info No No
Trading Tools Charles Schwab Plus500
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 374 115
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes No
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Charles Schwab Plus500
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 Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 374 115
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info Yes No
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Research Charles Schwab Plus500
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes No
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central info No Yes
TipRanks info No No
Client sentiment data info No Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Charles Schwab Plus500
Webinars info Yes Yes info
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Charles Schwab Plus500
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info Yes Yes info
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review Charles Schwab Review Plus500 Review
Overall Charles Schwab Plus500
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 4.0/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 99
Winner check_circle
Review Charles Schwab Review Plus500 Review
arrow_upward

close
navigate_before navigate_next