VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Head-to-head

Charles Schwab vs Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Charles Schwab adds Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Alerts, Calendar, Order Book / Level II, Blogs, Newsletters, and Screeners coverage that Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) skips.

Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) includes Education, and Courses & Certs categories that Charles Schwab omits.

Charles Schwab highlights: Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract., thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs., and paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data..

Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) is known for: Domain hub with structured courses combining videos, articles, and practice exercises across economics, finance, and capital markets., Finance & Capital Markets lessons covering stocks, bonds, cash flow, and interest concepts., and Full AP®/College-level courses in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics..

Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) keeps a free entry point that Charles Schwab lacks.

Charles Schwab logo

Charles Schwab

schwab.com

One of the largest US brokerages, combining commission-free stock and ETF trading with deep functionality through the thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, and mobile). Options are priced at $0.65 per contract, with 24/5 trading on over a thousand stocks and ETFs. Investors can trade futures and forex (approval required), use paperMoney® for risk-free practice, and even buy fractional shares of S&P 500 companies starting at $5 through Stock Slices®. Schwab also provides flexible alerts, advanced order types, tax integrations, and access to research and screeners—all backed by decades of brand trust.

Platforms

Web
Mobile
Desktop

Pricing

Other

Quick highlights

  • Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract.
  • thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs.
  • paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data.
  • Tradable universe spans stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and forex—though futures and forex require separate approval and are offered by Schwab Futures & Forex LLC.
  • Fractional share investing via Stock Slices®: S&P 500 companies, starting from $5.

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes
You haven't voted yet
Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) logo

Khan Academy (Economics & Finance)

khanacademy.org

Completely free courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, finance, capital markets, and personal finance. No certificates are awarded. Mobile apps support offline video, practice exercises, and progress sync across devices.

Platforms

Web
Mobile

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Domain hub with structured courses combining videos, articles, and practice exercises across economics, finance, and capital markets.
  • Finance & Capital Markets lessons covering stocks, bonds, cash flow, and interest concepts.
  • Full AP®/College-level courses in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.
  • Personal Finance curriculum covering saving, budgeting, debt management, investing, and retirement planning.
  • Derivatives lessons include options, futures, swaps, and mortgage-backed/structured products such as MBS and CDOs.

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes
You haven't voted yet
Overlap

Shared focus areas

1 overlap

Both tools cover this research theme.

Where they differ

Charles Schwab

Distinct strengths include:

  • Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract.
  • thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs.
  • paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data.
  • Tradable universe spans stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and forex—though futures and forex require separate approval and are offered by Schwab Futures & Forex LLC.

Khan Academy (Economics & Finance)

Distinct strengths include:

  • Domain hub with structured courses combining videos, articles, and practice exercises across economics, finance, and capital markets.
  • Finance & Capital Markets lessons covering stocks, bonds, cash flow, and interest concepts.
  • Full AP®/College-level courses in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.
  • Personal Finance curriculum covering saving, budgeting, debt management, investing, and retirement planning.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeCharles SchwabKhan Academy (Economics & Finance)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Videos

Unique: Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Alerts, Calendar, Order Book / Level II, Blogs, Newsletters, Screeners

Shared: Videos

Unique: Education, Courses & Certs

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Currencies

Stocks, Bonds, Options, ETFs, Mutual Funds

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web, Mobile, Desktop

Web, Mobile

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Other

Free

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract.
  • thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs.
  • paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data.
  • Tradable universe spans stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and forex—though futures and forex require separate approval and are offered by Schwab Futures & Forex LLC.
  • Fractional share investing via Stock Slices®: S&P 500 companies, starting from $5.
  • Advanced order types supported, including OCO brackets and conditional orders.

Unique

  • Domain hub with structured courses combining videos, articles, and practice exercises across economics, finance, and capital markets.
  • Finance & Capital Markets lessons covering stocks, bonds, cash flow, and interest concepts.
  • Full AP®/College-level courses in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.
  • Personal Finance curriculum covering saving, budgeting, debt management, investing, and retirement planning.
  • Derivatives lessons include options, futures, swaps, and mortgage-backed/structured products such as MBS and CDOs.
  • Mobile apps (iOS/Android) with quizzes, progress sync, and offline video downloads.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

Not yet

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

Standard listing

Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Charles Schwab and Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) both support?

Both platforms cover Videos workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Which tool offers a free plan?

Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) offers a free entry point, while Charles Schwab requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

How can you access Charles Schwab and Khan Academy (Economics & Finance)?

Both Charles Schwab and Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Charles Schwab differentiates itself with Zero-commission online trades for stocks and ETFs; options at $0.65 per contract., thinkorswim® platform suite (desktop, web, mobile) plus Schwab Mobile, with extended 24/5 trading access to 1,100+ stocks and ETFs., and paperMoney® virtual accounts that let you practice trading with live market data., whereas Khan Academy (Economics & Finance) stands out for Domain hub with structured courses combining videos, articles, and practice exercises across economics, finance, and capital markets., Finance & Capital Markets lessons covering stocks, bonds, cash flow, and interest concepts., and Full AP®/College-level courses in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics..

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.