VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Tool Comparison

Charles Schwab vs StockCharts comparison

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

Quick takeaways

Charles Schwab adds Brokerage, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Order Book / Level II, Videos, Blogs, and Newsletters coverage that StockCharts skips.

StockCharts includes Data Visualizations, Options, Scores, and Broker Connectors categories that Charles Schwab omits.

StockCharts keeps a free entry point that Charles Schwab lacks.

In depth comparison

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

WebMobileDesktop

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.

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StockCharts

stockcharts.com

Charting, scanning, and alerting platform with tiered plans. Free BATS real-time quotes are included for US markets; official add-ons unlock real-time data for US, Canada, and the UK, otherwise data is delayed 15 minutes. Plan limits apply to ChartLists, scans, and alerts. PRO adds 5-second auto-refresh and CSV downloads of historical data. OptionsPlay integration provides options strategy tools, and trading from charts is supported through Tradier. Scans run on daily, weekly, or monthly bars (not intraday).

Platforms

WebMobile

Pricing

FreeSubscription

Quick highlights

Tiered pricing: Basic $19.95, Extra $29.95, PRO $49.95. Limits scale by tier (ChartLists: 1/250/500; Custom Scans: 1/200/500; Scheduled Scans: 0/10/25; Price Alerts: 2/200/500; Advanced Alerts: 1/100/250). Auto-refresh every 15s (Basic/Extra) or 5s (PRO).
Real-time data: free US BATS quotes; official real-time add-ons available for NYSE, NASDAQ, TSX/TSX-V, and LSE. Other markets are 15-minute delayed.
Advanced Scan Workbench with custom syntax for daily, weekly, and monthly scans (no intraday scans).
Price and advanced alerts deliver via email, SMS, and in-platform notifications. The alert engine checks conditions every 3–5 minutes during market hours.
Coverage includes US (NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX), Canada (TSX/TSX-V), UK (LSE), India (NSE), and a crypto summary with 24/7 real-time data. EOD charting is available for major US commodities.

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Where they differ

Charles Schwab

Distinct strengths include:

Brokerage Options & Derivatives Paper Trading Advanced Order Types Smart/Direct Routing News Order Book / Level II Videos

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.

StockCharts

Distinct strengths include:

Data Visualizations Options Scores Broker Connectors

Tiered pricing: Basic $19.95, Extra $29.95, PRO $49.95. Limits scale by tier (ChartLists: 1/250/500; Custom Scans: 1/200/500; Scheduled Scans: 0/10/25; Price Alerts: 2/200/500; Advanced Alerts: 1/100/250). Auto-refresh every 15s (Basic/Extra) or 5s (PRO).
Real-time data: free US BATS quotes; official real-time add-ons available for NYSE, NASDAQ, TSX/TSX-V, and LSE. Other markets are 15-minute delayed.
Advanced Scan Workbench with custom syntax for daily, weekly, and monthly scans (no intraday scans).
Price and advanced alerts deliver via email, SMS, and in-platform notifications. The alert engine checks conditions every 3–5 minutes during market hours.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	Charles Schwab	StockCharts
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Portfolio, Watchlist, Alerts, Calendar, Screeners Unique: Brokerage, Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, News, Order Book / Level II, Videos, Blogs, Newsletters	Shared: Portfolio, Watchlist, Alerts, Calendar, Screeners Unique: Data Visualizations, Options, Scores, Broker Connectors
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Currencies	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Options, Commodities, Cryptos
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, Subscription
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 Tiered pricing: Basic $19.95, Extra $29.95, PRO $49.95. Limits scale by tier (ChartLists: 1/250/500; Custom Scans: 1/200/500; Scheduled Scans: 0/10/25; Price Alerts: 2/200/500; Advanced Alerts: 1/100/250). Auto-refresh every 15s (Basic/Extra) or 5s (PRO). Real-time data: free US BATS quotes; official real-time add-ons available for NYSE, NASDAQ, TSX/TSX-V, and LSE. Other markets are 15-minute delayed. Advanced Scan Workbench with custom syntax for daily, weekly, and monthly scans (no intraday scans). Price and advanced alerts deliver via email, SMS, and in-platform notifications. The alert engine checks conditions every 3–5 minutes during market hours. Coverage includes US (NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX), Canada (TSX/TSX-V), UK (LSE), India (NSE), and a crypto summary with 24/7 real-time data. EOD charting is available for major US commodities. ChartLists act as watchlists and portfolios, supporting up to 1000 charts per list; symbols can be imported from CSV.
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 StockCharts both support?

Both platforms cover Portfolio, Watchlist, Alerts, Calendar, and Screeners workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Which tool offers a free plan?

StockCharts 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 StockCharts?

Both Charles Schwab and StockCharts 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 StockCharts stands out for Tiered pricing: Basic $19.95, Extra $29.95, PRO $49.95. Limits scale by tier (ChartLists: 1/250/500; Custom Scans: 1/200/500; Scheduled Scans: 0/10/25; Price Alerts: 2/200/500; Advanced Alerts: 1/100/250). Auto-refresh every 15s (Basic/Extra) or 5s (PRO)., Real-time data: free US BATS quotes; official real-time add-ons available for NYSE, NASDAQ, TSX/TSX-V, and LSE. Other markets are 15-minute delayed., and Advanced Scan Workbench with custom syntax for daily, weekly, and monthly scans (no intraday scans)..

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