Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs PU Prime, 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 PU Prime differ a lot when it comes to age, structure, and regulation. Charles Schwab was founded in 1971, is publicly traded, and operates as a bank, while PU Prime was founded in 2015, is not publicly traded, and is not a bank. Based on ForexBrokers.com’s Trust Score scale, Charles Schwab’s score of 99 places it in the highly trusted range.
Regulation also sets the two brokers apart. Charles Schwab holds 5 Tier-1 licenses and 0 Tier-2 licenses, while PU Prime holds 1 Tier-1 license and 2 Tier-2 licenses. With a Trust Score of 79, PU Prime falls into the average risk range, which may matter for traders who want to compare broker safety and oversight before opening an account.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2015 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
When comparing Charles Schwab and PU Prime on commissions and fees, both brokers earn the same strong score, but they take different paths to pricing. Charles Schwab is rated 4 stars and ranked #25 out of 36 for commissions and fees. Schwab does not charge a forex commission; instead, trading costs are built into the bid/ask spread, with the EUR/USD spread averaging 1.35 pips in October 2024. Schwab also has no minimum deposit on its main brokerage accounts, which can make it easier for new traders to get started, though forex trades are settled in U.S. dollars and the minimum trade size is 10,000 units.
PU Prime is also rated 4 stars but is ranked a bit higher at #22 out of 36. Its pricing depends on the account type you choose. The Standard and Cent accounts bundle costs into the spread, while the Prime and ECN accounts offer tighter spreads starting at 0.0 pips plus a commission per trade. Standard starts with a $50 deposit and no separate commission, Prime requires $1,000 and charges $3.50 per side per standard lot, and ECN requires $10,000 but offers the lowest commission at $1 per side per standard lot. Cent is the lowest-entry option at $20, with smaller trade sizes that may suit beginners.
In simple terms, Schwab may appeal to traders who want a commission-free forex setup and no minimum deposit, while PU Prime gives more account choices for traders who want to balance spread costs, commissions, and deposit size. Schwab can be a cleaner fit for occasional forex trading, but PU Prime may be better for traders who want lower commissions and are comfortable comparing account types to find the best overall value.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50.00 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.27 | 1.3 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.27 | 0.9 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| 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 gives traders far more choice than PU Prime. Schwab offers access to about 40,000 tradeable symbols and 73 forex pairs, while PU Prime lists around 1,000 symbols and 55 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading as either a CFD or spot contract, and both offer cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets clients buy actual, delivered crypto. Schwab also stands out for its access to exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international markets, so clients can buy real shares such as Apple or Vodafone. PU Prime does not offer direct trading in exchange-traded securities on U.S. or overseas exchanges.
PU Prime does have one feature Schwab does not: copy trading. Still, for investors who want a wider mix of markets and products, Charles Schwab is the stronger option overall. That is reflected in its 5-star rating for Range of Investments and its #5 ranking out of 36 brokers, compared with PU Prime’s 4.0-star rating and #29 ranking.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 1000 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 55 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| 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 PU Prime both give traders useful platform options, including free paper trading, Windows desktop software, web-based access, and the ability to trade right from a chart. Schwab also offers its own in-house trading platform, which can be a plus for users who want a broker-built experience. In contrast, PU Prime does not have a proprietary platform, but it does support popular third-party tools like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, which may appeal to traders who prefer those widely used systems.
When it comes to trading tools, the two brokers take different paths. Charles Schwab does not offer copy trading or MetaTrader, while PU Prime does offer copy trading along with MT4 and MT5 support. Based on ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools scores, Charles Schwab comes out ahead with 5 stars and a #7 ranking out of 36 brokers, while PU Prime is rated 4.0 stars and ranked #25, making Schwab the stronger pick overall for platform features and tools.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 87 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Charles Schwab and PU Prime both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each app includes price alerts plus the ability to draw trendlines and save those drawings automatically. Where Charles Schwab stands out is in watchlist syncing, which lets changes made in the mobile app and online account stay in sync, while PU Prime does not offer this feature. For traders who want a smoother link between devices, that can make a meaningful difference.
Charles Schwab also has a much wider set of charting tools in its mobile app, with 374 technical studies compared with PU Prime’s 14. That gap, along with its 5-star mobile app rating and #6 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com, gives Schwab the edge for mobile charting and overall app experience. PU Prime still covers the basics well and earns a solid 4.0-star rating, but it ranks #27 in the same category, suggesting a simpler mobile trading setup.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 14 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, Charles Schwab and PU Prime both give traders daily market commentary and an economic calendar, so each broker offers useful basic tools for keeping up with news and scheduled events. However, Charles Schwab stands out with access to forex news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, which can be a strong advantage for traders who want more in-depth and widely trusted coverage. Schwab also earns a top 5-star Research rating and is ranked #5 out of 36 brokers by ForexBrokers.com in this category.
PU Prime also supports research-focused trading with tools from Autochartist and Trading Central, which can help traders spot patterns and find trade ideas. That said, it does not offer top-tier forex news sources like Charles Schwab, and it lacks several other add-ons such as sentiment tools, TipRanks, and Acuity Trading. Overall, PU Prime receives a 3.5-star Research rating, making Charles Schwab the stronger choice for market research, while PU Prime may appeal more to traders who want charting and signal-based tools.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| 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 to learn the basics, Charles Schwab offers a stronger education section than PU Prime. Schwab provides forex and CFD learning content, along with online client webinars at least once a month, 10+ beginner videos, and 10+ advanced videos. It also earns a 5-star Education rating and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers for Education at ForexBrokers.com. PU Prime also gives beginners useful learning material, including forex and CFD education, monthly webinars, and 10+ beginner and advanced videos, but it is rated 3.5 stars for Education and ranks #29 out of 36.
In simple terms, both brokers offer helpful tools for new traders, but Charles Schwab stands out for having more high-quality educational support overall. If you want a broker with a larger and better-rated learning library, Schwab is the stronger choice. PU Prime still covers the basics and offers several beginner-friendly resources, but its education offering appears less extensive and is not rated as highly.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 PU Prime. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while PU Prime finished with an overall rank of #34.
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
|
PU Prime
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 79 |
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Charles Schwab and PU Prime both allow traders to access cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither broker offers the ability to buy actual delivered cryptocurrency.
Charles Schwab and PU Prime both support ACH/SEPA transfers and bank wire transfers for funding, neither offers PayPal, and while PU Prime also supports Skrill, card options such as Visa or Mastercard are not specified for either broker.
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 | PU Prime | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 79 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | PU Prime Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Regulation | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 79 | |
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2015 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | ||
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 1000 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| 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 | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.27 | 1.3 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.27 | 0.9 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | ||
| Order execution: Market Maker | No |
| Funding | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50.00 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 87 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 14 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | No | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | PU Prime Review |
| Overall | Charles Schwab | PU Prime | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 79 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | PU Prime Review |
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