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Comparing Fidelity vs. Robinhood is kind of like comparing a seasoned marathon runner against a flashy new sprinter.
Fidelity has been in the investment game since the 1960s. It manages trillions in assets, serves millions of customers, and offers every investing tool under the sun.
Robinhood was founded in 2013 and made a name for itself with zero commissions, sleek design, and a mission to "democratize finance for all." It's very popular for new investors, and moves fast like a fintech startup.
So which one's better for you? Let's break it down by account types, fees, investment options, and platforms to help you decide.
5.0/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Commissions
Commissions
$0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETFs*. No account fees****.
Fidelity has been building its account lineup for decades, and it shows. It offers a wide range of accounts to suit anyone from beginner investors all the way to family trusts and small businesses. It's especially strong in the retirement space, with tools and account types tailored for long-term planners and small business owners alike.
Robinhood takes a leaner approach, but still checks the right boxes for most everyday investors. It offers individual brokerage accounts plus Roth and traditional IRAs, and even throws in a 1% IRA match for eligible contributions (3% for Robinhood Gold members) -- something most brokers don't offer.
Neither platform offers full-fledged banking services just yet, but both offer checking-style accounts. Fidelity has its Cash Management Account that serves as a full-service checking alternative, while Robinhood offers a basic spending account and debit card.
Fidelity
Robinhood
Taxable brokerage
Yes
Yes
Joint tenant
Yes
Yes
Margin
Yes
Yes
Robo-advisor
Yes, Fidelity Go®
Yes, Robinhood Strategies
Traditional IRA
Yes
Yes
Roth IRA
Yes
Yes
Other IRA
Simple IRA; SEP IRA; 401(k) plans
No
Custodial
Yes
No
529 account
Yes
No
Trust account
Yes
No
Health savings account
Yes
No
Checking
No, but offers its Cash Management Account
No, but offers a spending account
Savings
No
Waitlist for Gold members
Credit card
Yes
Waitlist for Gold members
Data sources: Fidelity and Robinhood.
Investment options: Fidelity for depth, Robinhood for simplicity
If you're sticking to buying stocks, ETFs, and crypto, Robinhood has what you need. It offers fractional shares, real-time quotes, and a smooth trading experience built for speed.
Plus, its crypto selection is far broader than Fidelity's, supporting 25+ tokens, including Dogecoin and Solana. It's a great fit for investors with a higher risk tolerance who want to mix in speculative trades.
Fidelity caters more towards long-term investing and diversification. It supports a wider range of traditional assets -- like mutual funds, bonds, and CDs. You'll also find robust research tools and free index funds that make it easier to build a solid portfolio.
Fidelity
Robinhood
Stocks and ETFs
Yes
Yes
Fractional shares
Yes
Yes
Options
Yes
Yes
IPO access
Yes
Yes
Mutual funds
Over 10,000 funds
No
CDs
Yes
No
Bonds
Yes
No
Futures
No
Yes, Robinhood Derivatives
Crypto
Limited to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin
Yes
Currencies
No
No
Data sources: Fidelity and Robinhood.
Fees and commissions: Both are competitive
Both Fidelity and Robinhood make buying stocks easy with $0 commission fees for online stock and ETF trades. There's also no account maintenance fee with either brokerage firm, unless you sign up for Robinhood Gold, in which case you'll pay $5 monthly.
Robinhood keeps things ultra-simple on the surface -- no commissions, no account minimums, and no per-contract fees for options. But it makes money through payment for order flow (PFOF), which means your trades may not always get the best execution price.
Fidelity, meanwhile, also offers $0 trades for stocks and ETFs, but charges $0.65 per contract for options. It does not rely on payment for order flow and instead uses smart order routing aimed at getting you better pricing.
Fidelity
Robinhood
Stock & ETF commissions
$0
$0
Options commissions
$0 commission, $0.65 per contract
$0
Crypto commissions
$0 (crypto trading is limited to Bitcoin and Ethereum)
$0
Mutual fund commissions
$0 for Fidelity Funds, $0 purchase on no-transaction fee (NTF) non-Fidelity funds; $49.95 redemption fee on NTF funds held for less than 60 days, $49.95 purchase and $0 redemption fee on transaction-fee non-Fidelity funds
N/A (Robinhood doesn't allow trading of mutual funds)
Account transfer fee
$0
$100
Account maintenance fee
$0
$0, or $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold
Data sources: Fidelity and Robinhood.
Mobile apps and tools: Robinhood is sleek, Fidelity is extensive
This is where preferences really start to matter. Do you want sleek and simple? Or powerful and extremely detailed?
Here's a quick overview of what each firm offers:
Robinhood:
A gorgeous app design and intuitive UI
Real-time quotes, charts, and news
Crypto wallet, recurring investments, and alerts
Limited research and analysis tools
Web platform is simple, but light on features
Fidelity:
Feature-rich mobile app (custom watchlists, screeners, multi-leg options trades)
Full research suite: Morningstar, Zacks, S&P Capital IQ data
Planning calculators, webinars, and educational content
Active Trader Pro desktop platform
Robo-advisory services like Fidelity Go®
If you're brand new to investing, Robinhood's interface makes it incredibly easy to get started. But if you're more of a "set-and-forget" investor (or you need support with retirement planning or tax efficiency), Fidelity's suite of tools can't be beat.
Customer support and trust: Fidelity sets the gold standard
Robinhood has come a long way in building trust with users. It now offers 24/7 live chat and phone support, has made strides in reliability, and was even named Motley Fool Money's Best Online Trading Platform for 2025, earning a 4.5-star rating from our expert review team. That's a big win for a platform that just a few years ago was battling outages and regulatory heat.
Fidelity still sets the gold standard. With decades of proven reliability, brick-and-mortar branches, 24/7 phone support, and a deep bench of financial tools, it continues to lead the industry.
Fidelity took home Motley Fool Money's Best Stock Broker Overall Award for 2025 and earned a perfect 5 out of 5 stars from our experts. It has exceptional performance across customer service, product breadth, and long-term investing tools.
Final thoughts
Choosing between Fidelity and Robinhood comes down to what kind of investor you are.
If you're drawn to no-fee options trading, broad crypto access, or perks like an IRA match, Robinhood may be the better fit.
In the end, it's all about aligning the platform with your personal goals and investing style.
Alternatives to Consider
We recommend comparing brokerage options to ensure the account you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of our best trading platforms of 2025.
Broker
Best For
Commissions
Learn More
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Low-cost investing with a full-featured platform
$0 stock, ETF, and Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource® trades. No fees to buy fractional shares.
5.0/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Full-service investing at every experience level
$0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETFs*. No account fees****.
It depends on your preferences as an investor. Fidelity offers a greater variety of investment types, including robo-advisory services, mutual funds, bonds, and CDs. It's often seen as a better fit for long-term, diversified investors.
Robinhood is more popular with active traders, especially those who want access to popular cryptocurrencies. Robinhood Gold members who contribute to a Robinhood IRA can earn a 3% match on contributions (1% for non-Gold members).
No -- the standard Robinhood account has no monthly charge. But Robinhood offers a premium upgrade called Robinhood Gold for $5/month. With Gold, you get extra features, including:
A higher APY on uninvested brokerage cash (when using the cash sweep program)
Access to premium research (Morningstar) and Level II market data from Nasdaq
A 3% match on eligible annual IRA contributions (whereas non-Gold receive 1%), with some conditions (e.g. keeping funds in the IRA for a certain period)
Eligibility to apply for Robinhood's credit card (among other perks)
Fidelity Go® offers free robo-advisor services for accounts with a balance of less than $25,000. Once your account value hits $25,000, you'll pay a 0.35% fee.
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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
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Joel O'Leary has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Intuit, Solana, and Target. The Motley Fool recommends Flow. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Fidelity Disclosure:
Fidelity disclosure Investing involves risk, including risk of loss
* - $0.00 commission applies to online U.S. equity trades and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in a Fidelity retail account only for Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC retail clients. Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee (historically from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal). Other exclusions and conditions may apply. A limited number of ETFs are subject to a transaction-based service fee of $100. See full list at Fidelity.com/commissions. Employee equity compensation transactions and accounts managed by advisors or intermediaries through Fidelity Institutional® are subject to different commission schedules.
**Fidelity Crypto® is offered by Fidelity Digital Assets®. Investing involves risk, including risk of total loss. Crypto as an asset class is highly volatile, can become illiquid at any time, and is for investors with a high risk tolerance. Crypto may also be more susceptible to market manipulation than securities. Crypto is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Investors in crypto do not benefit from the same regulatory protections applicable to registered securities. Fidelity Crypto® accounts and custody and trading of crypto in such accounts are provided by Fidelity Digital Asset Services, LLC, which is chartered as a limited purpose trust company by the New York State Department of Financial Services to engage in virtual currency business (NMLS ID 1773897). Brokerage services in support of securities trading are provided by Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”), and related custody services are provided by National Financial Services LLC (“NFS”), each a registered broker-dealer and member NYSE and SIPC. Neither FBS nor NFS offer crypto as a direct investment nor provide trading or custody services for such assets. Fidelity Crypto and Fidelity Digital Assets are registered service marks of FMR LLC.
***Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request. ****Zero account minimums and zero account fees apply to retail brokerage accounts only. Expenses charged by investments (e.g., funds, managed accounts, and certain HSAs) and commissions, interest charges, or other expenses for transactions may still apply. See Fidelity.com/commissions for further details.
Robinhood Disclosure:
Robinhood disclosure
All investments involve risk and loss of principal is possible.
Securities are offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Cryptocurrency services are offered through an account with Robinhood Crypto, LLC (NMLS ID 1702840). Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Cryptocurrency held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected. For more information see the Robinhood Crypto Risk Disclosure.
Trades of stocks, ETFs and options are commission-free at Robinhood Financial LLC. Other fees may apply. Please see Robinhood Financial’s Fee Schedule to learn more.
Fractional shares are illiquid outside of Robinhood and are not transferable. Not all securities available through Robinhood are eligible for fractional share orders. For a complete explanation of conditions, restrictions and limitations associated with fractional shares, see the Fractional Shares section of our Customer Agreement.
Robinhood Gold is an account offering premium services available for a $5 monthly fee. Not all investors will be eligible to trade on Margin. Margin investing involves the risk of greater investment losses. Additional interest charges may apply depending on the amount of margin used. Bigger Instant Deposits are only available if your Instant Deposits status is in good standing.
Investing is risky. Bonus offers subject to terms and conditions, visit robinhood.com/hoodweek for more information. Margin is not suitable for all investors. Robinhood Gold is offered through Robinhood Gold LLC and is a subscription offering services for a fee. Brokerage services offered through Robinhood Financial LLC (member SIPC), a registered broker dealer.
