VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) and Interactive Brokers will find that Both Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) and Interactive Brokers concentrate on Brokerage, Portfolio, and Watchlist workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) leans into News, and Financials, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. Interactive Brokers stands out with Paper Trading, APIs & SDKs, and Data APIs that the competition lacks. Use the feature-by-feature table to inspect unique capabilities and confirm which roadmap best maps to your process.
Head-to-head
Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) vs Interactive Brokers
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
- Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) adds News, and Financials coverage that Interactive Brokers skips.
- Interactive Brokers includes Paper Trading, APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, and Performance Attribution categories that Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) omits.
- Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) highlights: Commission-free online trades for U.S. stocks and ETFs; options contracts at $0.65 each (a small number of ETFs still carry a $100 service fee)., Execution quality reports highlight strong fill statistics, with most trades price-improved and executed in fractions of a second. Fidelity discloses savings per order and does not accept payment for order flow on stock and ETF trades., and Active Trader Pro® desktop platform provides streaming market data, Level II quotes with time & sales, and real-time analytics with trading signals..
- Interactive Brokers is known for: Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies., More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing., and Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS)..
Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC)
fidelity.com
A leading U.S. brokerage offering commission-free stock and ETF trades, plus robust platforms for both casual investors and active traders. Options contracts are priced at $0.65 each. Advanced conditional order types and streaming Level II data are available through Active Trader Pro, Fidelity’s professional desktop platform.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Commission-free online trades for U.S. stocks and ETFs; options contracts at $0.65 each (a small number of ETFs still carry a $100 service fee).
- Execution quality reports highlight strong fill statistics, with most trades price-improved and executed in fractions of a second. Fidelity discloses savings per order and does not accept payment for order flow on stock and ETF trades.
- Active Trader Pro® desktop platform provides streaming market data, Level II quotes with time & sales, and real-time analytics with trading signals.
- Supports advanced conditional orders including Contingent, Multi-Contingent, OCO, OTO, and OTOCO, both on Fidelity.com and within Active Trader Pro.
- Options chain displays real-time Greeks and supports multi-leg strategies inside Active Trader Pro.
Interactive Brokers
interactivebrokers.co.uk
A global, multi-asset direct-access broker with coverage across 160 markets in 36 countries and 28 currencies. Crypto trading and some services vary by region (IBKR Crypto is powered by Paxos or Zero Hash where supported). Client APIs include the Client Portal Web API and TWS API; retail users authenticate via the local Client Portal Gateway, while OAuth2 applies to approved web integrations.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies.
- More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing.
- Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS).
- Advanced options analytics with Greeks, implied volatility curves, and a 3D volatility surface viewer.
- Risk Navigator for real-time portfolio risk, Value-at-Risk, and what-if scenario analysis.
Shared focus areas
Both platforms align on these research themes, so you can stay within one workflow when your use case involves them.
Where they differ
Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC)
Distinct strengths include:
- Commission-free online trades for U.S. stocks and ETFs; options contracts at $0.65 each (a small number of ETFs still carry a $100 service fee).
- Execution quality reports highlight strong fill statistics, with most trades price-improved and executed in fractions of a second. Fidelity discloses savings per order and does not accept payment for order flow on stock and ETF trades.
- Active Trader Pro® desktop platform provides streaming market data, Level II quotes with time & sales, and real-time analytics with trading signals.
- Supports advanced conditional orders including Contingent, Multi-Contingent, OCO, OTO, and OTOCO, both on Fidelity.com and within Active Trader Pro.
Interactive Brokers
Distinct strengths include:
- Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies.
- More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing.
- Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS).
- Advanced options analytics with Greeks, implied volatility curves, and a 3D volatility surface viewer.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
| Attribute | Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, Options & Derivatives Unique: News, Financials | Shared: Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, Options & Derivatives Unique: Paper Trading, APIs & SDKs, Data APIs, Risk Metrics (VaR/ES/Drawdown), Scenario & Stress Tests, Performance Attribution |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Cryptos | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Currencies, 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, Desktop, API |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Other | Other |
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor | Unique
| Unique
|
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat | Not yet | Yes |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Standard listing | Highlighted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) and Interactive Brokers both support?
Both platforms cover Brokerage, Portfolio, Watchlist, Advanced Order Types, Smart/Direct Routing, Order Book / Level II, and Options & Derivatives workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Do Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) and Interactive Brokers require subscriptions?
Neither platform maintains a free tier. Budget for a subscription to unlock the research coverage highlighted in this comparison.
How can you access Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) and Interactive Brokers?
Both Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) and Interactive Brokers 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?
Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC) differentiates itself with Commission-free online trades for U.S. stocks and ETFs; options contracts at $0.65 each (a small number of ETFs still carry a $100 service fee)., Execution quality reports highlight strong fill statistics, with most trades price-improved and executed in fractions of a second. Fidelity discloses savings per order and does not accept payment for order flow on stock and ETF trades., and Active Trader Pro® desktop platform provides streaming market data, Level II quotes with time & sales, and real-time analytics with trading signals., whereas Interactive Brokers stands out for Single universal account providing access to around 160 markets across 36 countries and 28 currencies., More than 100 order types and algos, including Bracket, OCO, and OCA, with either SMART routing or direct exchange routing., and Market depth (Level II) and full order book views via Trader Workstation (TWS)..
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.