Fidelity VS Interactive Brokers

Fidelity vs Interactive Brokers: Which Trading Platform is Right for You?

Whether you are an investor or a trader searching for a good trading platform, you must have come across Fidelity and Interactive Brokers. The two are some of the most reliable brands in the US trading market.

Fidelity is a famous platform that specializes in investing without experience, retirement plans, and no commission trading, with high customer service. On the other hand, Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is favored by professional and active traders, which has complex tools, access to the global markets, and a low trading cost.

We shall compare the two trading platforms on various grounds so that you can determine which one suits your investing requirements.

Fidelity vs Interactive Brokers: Comparison Table

Detailed Feature Comparison of Fidelity and Interactive Brokers

Platform Usability

• Fidelity provides an easy-to-use web, mobile, and desktop application (Active Trader Pro, Trader+), aimed at novices and the amateur investor.
• Interactive Brokers also includes Trader Workstation (TWS), WebTrader, as well as mobile applications that include professional-level functionality but require a higher learning curve.

Market Access

• Fidelity mainly caters to U.S markets and helps in retirement accounts, mutual funds, and long-term investment requirements.
• Interactive Brokers offers access to 150 or so markets in the world in stock, options, futures, currency, and bond trading.

Research & Tools

• Fidelity has educational materials, analyst reports, and stock screeners, which make it a good choice when you want to get advice about investing.
• Interactive Brokers has built-in advanced scanners, APIs, and PortfolioAnalyst, which enable detailed reporting and analysis on the professional level.

Customer Support

• Fidelity is also a guarantee of 24/7 customer service, including U.S.-based representatives and advisory services in retirement planning.
• Interactive Brokers provides 24/6 worldwide support and resources to active traders and institutional clients.

Account Types & Flexibility

• Fidelity offers individual, joint, retirement (IRA, Roth IRA), and custodial accounts, which would be good for building wealth in the long term.
• Interactive Brokers has a lot of different accounts, such as individual, joint, corporate, IRA, and advisor accounts, with the choice of multi-currency.

Investment Products

• Fidelity provides retirement and wealth management services of mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, options, and CDs.
• Interactive Brokers provides the facility for trading stocks, options, futures, forex, CFDs, bonds, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies in the international market.

Mobile Experience

• Fidelity provides a basic mobile application, allowing easy trading, research, and management of a portfolio to small-time investors.
• Interactive Brokers has IBKR Mobile with charting, risk management, and advanced trading algorithms for advanced traders.

Education & Learning Resources

• Fidelity focuses on educating investors using webinars, articles, videos, and introductory learning paths.
• Interactive Brokers offers webinars, courses in the Trader Academy, and API documentation to professional traders who require more advanced knowledge.

Order Execution & Speed

• Fidelity offers dependable execution, good trade confirmations, and very low latency of U.S. securities.
• Interactive Brokers has a reputation for high-speed, algorithmic trading and advanced types of orders that best fit active traders.

Portfolio Management & Reporting

• Fidelity has read-only account summaries, retirement planning, and a goal-based investing dashboard.
• Interactive Brokers has advanced reporting tools, such as PortfolioAnalyst, tax reporting, and performance analytics.

When to Choose Fidelity or Interactive Brokers?

Final Verdict: Fidelity or Interactive Brokers

It is recommended for beginners and long-term investors who want to invest in a platform that is easy to use, well-educated, and focused on investments in the United States. Interactive Brokers is also designed to meet the requirements of active and professional traders who require advanced functionality, access to the worldwide market, and low-cost trading.

Both are safe and controlled. Thus, it is a matter of level of experience, trading style, and investment objectives. Fidelity is the best in terms of retirement planning and simplicity, whereas IBKR is the best in terms of speed, analytics, and multi-asset trading among sophisticated investors.

We have software experts or the Techjockey Team, who can be contacted to give you a free consultation and demo.