Head to head
Robinhood vs Fidelity
- Written by
- Juan Manuel Gonzalez
- Published
- Data verified
Verdict
This pairing separates on evidence rather than on preference. Robinhood is the cheaper venue on two measurable counts: $0.04 per equity options contract against Fidelity’s $0.65, and margin from 5.00% down to 3.95% against Fidelity’s 7.50% to 11.825%. Against that, FINRA ordered Robinhood entities to pay $29.75m in March 2025 over anti-money-laundering, supervisory and disclosure failures, and the firm settled separate SEC charges for $45m in January 2025. We identified no headline retail enforcement matter against Fidelity. That is why Fidelity scores 9 on safety and Robinhood 6.
The cheapest published options schedule in our set, attached to the heaviest recent enforcement record.
- Safety and regulation
- 6/10
- Fees and total cost
- 8/10
- Investment selection
- 6/10
- Account types and features
- 5/10
A full-service US brokerage with a zero-commission equity schedule and no account minimum.
- Safety and regulation
- 9/10
- Fees and total cost
- 9/10
- Investment selection
- 8/10
- Account types and features
- 10/10
What actually separates them
What the enforcement record actually says
Both settlements were entered without admitting or denying the findings, and neither concerned the loss of customer assets — both firms are SIPC members and custody protection is identical. The FINRA matter did cover inaccurate disclosure of order collaring, which is a failure to describe correctly how customer orders were handled. Read the published orders rather than our summary before weighing them.
Leaving is free at one and $100 at the other
Fidelity publishes $0 to transfer assets. Robinhood’s standard fee schedule charges $100 for outgoing ACATS and applies it to partial transfers as well as full ones, so moving even part of a position out carries the whole charge. It is the joint-largest exit charge among the firms we publish.
Account types rule Robinhood out for many households
Robinhood publishes taxable, traditional IRA, Roth IRA and margin. Fidelity publishes those plus joint, rollover and SEP/SIMPLE IRAs, custodial, trust, solo 401(k) and HSA. There is no joint account and no custodial account at Robinhood, which settles the question for anyone investing with a partner or for a child.
Product range is narrow on one side
Robinhood publishes no mutual funds, and we could not confirm bond, futures or crypto pricing from a primary source, so we record those as unverified rather than counting them. Fidelity publishes stocks, ETFs, options, bonds, mutual funds, international equities and fractional shares. If you want one account holding a fund portfolio alongside a trading position, only one of these does that today.
How to read the per-contract numbers
Robinhood publishes $0.04 per equity options contract and Fidelity $0.65, but these are not the same kind of charge. Robinhood charges no commission on equity options and passes through a regulatory and clearing fee; Fidelity’s $0.65 is a commission, and regulatory fees are added on top of it. Robinhood is genuinely cheaper per contract — the gap is simply narrower than the two figures suggest, because pass-through fees apply at both firms.
Consider Robinhood if
You trade options frequently or borrow on margin, you hold only a taxable account or an IRA in your own name, and you have read the 2025 settlements and are comfortable with them.
Consider Fidelity if
You want a joint, custodial, trust, solo 401(k) or HSA account, you want mutual funds and bonds alongside your equities, or you want nothing charged when you move your assets out.
These are conditionals describing which published facts favour which firm, not recommendations. Neither is a statement about what is suitable for you.
Full side-by-side
Both firms across every field we track, verified on August 28, 2026. You can add up to two more brokers to the comparison.
Sources
- [1]Robinhood — Trading feesRead August 28, 2026
- [2]FINRA — Robinhood ordered to pay $3.75m restitution; fines for AML, supervisory and disclosure violations (March 2025)Read August 28, 2026
- [3]FINRA BrokerCheck — Robinhood Financial, LLCRead August 28, 2026
- [4]Robinhood Financial — Standard Pricing Fee ScheduleRead August 30, 2026
- [5]Fidelity — Commissions and margin ratesRead August 28, 2026
- [6]FINRA BrokerCheck — Fidelity Brokerage Services LLCRead August 28, 2026
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Risk warning
Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Nothing on this site is personalized investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell any security, or a solicitation. Figures are read from public sources on the dates shown and can change without notice — verify anything you intend to act on with the provider directly. Read the full risk disclosure.