Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Charles Schwab vs Tickmill, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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.
Charles Schwab vs. Tickmill: regulation and trust at a glance. Charles Schwab, founded in 1971, is publicly traded and operates as a bank. Tickmill, founded in 2014, is not publicly traded and is not a bank. ForexBrokers.com Trust Scores: Charles Schwab 99/99 (highly trusted) and Tickmill 85/99 (trusted). On this scale, 90–99 = highly trusted, 80–89 = trusted, 70–79 = average risk, 60–69 = high risk, and 59 or below = not trusted.
Licensing adds context: Charles Schwab holds five Tier-1 licenses and zero Tier-2 licenses, while Tickmill holds two Tier-1 and two Tier-2 licenses. Tier-1 regulators are viewed as highly trusted, and Tier-2 as trusted by ForexBrokers.com. In short, Schwab offers wider top-tier oversight and the highest possible Trust Score, whereas Tickmill combines two top-tier and two mid-tier licenses with a trusted rating.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2014 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 5 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Charles Schwab earns a 4-star rating and ranks #23 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. Schwab does not charge a forex commission, so your main trading cost is the spread. For its thinkorswim-linked Schwab One account, the average EUR/USD spread was 1.35 pips in October 2024, which is a bit on the high side compared with many forex brokers. Schwab Global is better suited to people trading international markets in local currencies, though conversion fees can apply. One advantage is that Schwab has no minimum deposit for its main brokerage accounts, making it easier for new traders to get started.
Tickmill scores higher with a 4.5-star rating and ranks #10 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. It offers two main account types: Classic, which is commission-free but has wider spreads, and Raw, which uses low spreads plus a commission of $3 per side, or $6 per standard lot. Even after the recent commission increase, Tickmill’s Raw account still delivers a competitive all-in trading cost, with a typical EUR/USD spread around 0.11 pips before commissions and about 0.71 pips once commissions are included. The Raw account also has a low $100 minimum deposit, which keeps it accessible for active traders looking to control costs.
Overall, Schwab is a solid choice if you want a large, well-known broker and prefer commission-free forex trading, while Tickmill is the better pick for traders focused on lower overall forex costs, especially on its Raw account.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.27 | 1.70 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.27 | 0.70 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing Charles Schwab vs Tickmill for range of investments, Charles Schwab offers a much wider selection overall. Schwab lists about 40,000 tradeable symbols and 73 forex pairs, while Tickmill offers 637 symbols and 62 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading as CFDs or spot contracts, and both offer cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency. Schwab also stands out for access to exchange traded securities on both U.S. and international markets, so investors can buy real shares such as Apple or Vodafone directly.
Tickmill does have one feature Schwab does not: copy trading. Still, for most investors focused on variety, Charles Schwab is the stronger choice. That is reflected in its 5-star Range of Investments rating and its #5 ranking out of 36 brokers, compared with Tickmill’s 3.5-star rating and #30 ranking. For traders who want more markets and more ways to invest, Schwab clearly offers the broader selection.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 637 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 62 |
| 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 Tickmill both give traders useful platform choices, including a free demo account, a Windows desktop app, a web-based platform, and the ability to place trades straight from a chart. Schwab also stands out with its own in-house platform, while Tickmill relies on third-party options. In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, Schwab is rated 5 stars and ranked #7 out of 36 brokers, compared with Tickmill’s 4 stars and #24 ranking.
For traders who want extras, Tickmill has the edge because it supports copy trading, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5, while Charles Schwab does not offer those tools. Schwab may still appeal to investors who prefer a broker-built platform and a more traditional trading setup, but Tickmill is the stronger pick for users who want access to popular forex platforms and social trading features.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 97 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Charles Schwab and Tickmill both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, so either broker lets you trade on the go from a phone or tablet. Both apps also support watchlist syncing, which means changes you make on your mobile app can carry over to your online account. For charting, both platforms let you draw trendlines, but Charles Schwab gives traders far more tools to work with, offering 374 technical studies compared with Tickmill’s 97.
Where Charles Schwab pulls ahead is in everyday app features and overall app quality. Schwab offers stock and forex price alerts, while Tickmill does not, and Schwab’s app also auto-saves chart drawings, which Tickmill does not. These differences help explain why Charles Schwab earns a 5-star rating and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers for mobile trading apps, while Tickmill holds a 4-star rating and ranks #25.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 97 |
| 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 Tickmill both give traders useful daily market commentary and an economic calendar to track major global events. Charles Schwab stands out for its access to forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, which can be a big plus for traders who want timely, high-quality updates. Tickmill does not offer that same level of premium news coverage, but it does provide Acuity Trading tools such as Signal Centre, which Charles Schwab does not.
Neither broker offers Autochartist, Trading Central, sentiment tools, or TipRanks research, so their research suites are limited in those areas. Overall, Charles Schwab has the edge for research, earning 5 out of 5 stars and ranking #5 out of 36 brokers in ForexBrokers.com’s Research category, while Tickmill scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #19. For traders who want stronger market news and research coverage, Charles Schwab is the better choice.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | No | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to learning support for beginners, both Charles Schwab and Tickmill offer a wide range of education tools that can help new traders build confidence. Each broker provides forex or CFDs education with at least 10 learning pieces, along with online educational webinars held at least once a month. They also each offer 10 or more beginner videos and 10 or more advanced videos, so traders can keep learning as their skills grow.
That said, Charles Schwab has the edge overall for education. It earns a 5-star Education rating and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com Education category, while Tickmill is rated 4 stars and ranks #14. For beginners who want a broker with stronger educational support and a higher industry ranking, Charles Schwab looks like the better choice, though Tickmill still offers plenty of useful learning materials.
| Feature |
Charles Schwab
|
Tickmill
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tickmill. Charles Schwab finished with an overall rank of #6, while Tickmill finished with an overall rank of #23.
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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Tickmill
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|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 |
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Comparing online brokers Charles Schwab and Tickmill, neither offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both provide access to trading cryptocurrency CFDs.
Comparing online brokers Charles Schwab vs. Tickmill for deposit and withdrawal methods: Charles Schwab offers ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while Tickmill offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers but not ACH/SEPA; Visa/Mastercard availability for both is not specified.
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 | Tickmill | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Tickmill Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
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| Regulation | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 1971 | 2014 | |
| 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 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | ||
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | ||
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 40000 | 637 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 62 | |
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.27 | 1.70 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.27 | 0.70 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 374 | 97 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 374 | 97 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | No | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Tickmill Review |
| Overall | Charles Schwab | Tickmill | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Charles Schwab Review | Tickmill Review |
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