Charles Schwab is VaultRubric's pick: it scores 79.0% vs Robinhood's 75.0% (a 4.0-point lead).
Data as of · Last updated · By VaultRubric Research · How we score · Not investment advice.
Schwab and Robinhood are both popular brokerages. Here are the sourced facts side by side, then VaultRubric's equal-weight score with the math shown. Every value links to its source with an as-of date; anything we couldn't verify says not found.
Rates change often — verify on the bank's or broker's site before opening an account. Every value shows its as-of date; ⚑ marks figures from third-party sites. Not financial advice.
Run your own comparison →Opens the tool with these platforms filled in, so you can change the weights.
| Fact | Schwab | Robinhood |
|---|---|---|
| Stock/ETF commission | $0 src · 2026-10-11 | $0 src · 2026-10-11 |
| Options (per contract) | $0.65 src · 2026-10-11 | $0.5 src · 2026-10-11 |
| Account minimum | $0 src · 2026-10-10 | $0 src · 2026-10-11 |
| Fractional shares | Yes src · 2026-10-10 | Yes ⚑ third-party source src · 2026-10-09 |
| IRA types | Traditional, Roth, Rollover, SEP, SIMPLE src · 2026-10-10 | Traditional, Roth src · 2026-10-10 |
| IRA match | None ⚑ third-party source src · 2026-10-10 | 1% standard; 3% with Gold ($5/mo, keep 1 yr); 1% on transfers/rollovers; 5-yr hold src · 2026-10-10 |
| Transfer-out fee | $50 src · 2026-10-11 | $100 src · 2026-10-11 |
| SIPC member | Yes src · 2026-10-10 | Yes src · 2026-10-10 |
| FINRA CRD | CRD 5393 src · 2026-10-10 | CRD 165998 src · 2026-10-10 |
| Regulatory actions (5 yrs) | 2026-09-02 FINRA: $175K fine + censure: failed to report/timely report ~2.8M fractional-share trades (2018–2025) src 2025-01-13 SEC: $10M civil penalty for off-channel communications recordkeeping failures src 2022-06-13 SEC: ~$187M for misleading robo-adviser (Intelligent Portfolios) clients about hidden cash fees src | 2025-03-07 FINRA: $26M fines + $3.75M ordered paid to customers (AWC, settled; AML, supervision, disclosure violations) src 2025-01-13 SEC: $45M combined penalties (recordkeeping, reporting, cybersecurity etc.) src 2021-06-30 FINRA: ~$70M ($57M fine + $12.6M restitution) incl. March 2020 outages — just outside 5-yr window src |
VaultRubric pick: Charles Schwab
⚠ Charles Schwab: Regulatory: FINRA: $175K fine + censure: failed to report/timely report ~2.8M fractional-share trades (2018–2025) (2026-09-02)
⚠ Charles Schwab: Regulatory: SEC: $10M civil penalty for off-channel communications recordkeeping failures (2025-01-13)
⚠ Charles Schwab: Regulatory: SEC: ~$187M for misleading robo-adviser (Intelligent Portfolios) clients about hidden cash fees (2022-06-13)
⚠ Robinhood: Regulatory: FINRA: $26M fines + $3.75M ordered paid to customers (AWC, settled; AML, supervision, disclosure violations) (2025-03-07)
⚠ Robinhood: Regulatory: SEC: $45M combined penalties (recordkeeping, reporting, cybersecurity etc.) (2025-01-13)
| Criterion (weight) | Charles Schwab | Robinhood |
|---|---|---|
| Trading costs (17%) | 7.4/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Account minimum (17%) | 10.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
| IRA options (17%) | 8.0/10 | 7.0/10 |
| Transfer-out fee (17%) | 8.0/10 | 6.0/10 |
| Protection (SIPC) (17%) | 8.0/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Regulatory record (17%) | 6.0/10 | 6.0/10 |
| Overall | 79.0% coverage 100% | 75.0% coverage 100% |
0.167×7.4 + 0.167×10.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×6.0 = 7.90 → 79.0%0.167×8.0 + 0.167×10.0 + 0.167×7.0 + 0.167×6.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×6.0 = 7.50 → 75.0%Opens the tool with these platforms filled in, so you can change the weights.
On VaultRubric's equal-weight rubric, Schwab scores higher (79.0% for Schwab, 75.0% for Robinhood). Change the weights in the tool to match your priorities.
Per-contract options fee in our data: Schwab 0.65, Robinhood 0.5. Stock/ETF commissions: 0 vs 0.
Our data lists: 2026-09-02 FINRA: $175K fine + censure: failed to report/timely report ~2.8M fractional-share trades (2018–2025); 2025-01-13 SEC: $10M civil penalty for off-channel communications recordkeeping failures; 2022-06-13 SEC: ~$187M for misleading robo-adviser (Intelligent Portfolios) clients about hidden cash fees.
Our data lists: 2025-03-07 FINRA: $26M fines + $3.75M ordered paid to customers (AWC, settled; AML, supervision, disclosure violations); 2025-01-13 SEC: $45M combined penalties (recordkeeping, reporting, cybersecurity etc.); 2021-06-30 FINRA: ~$70M ($57M fine + $12.6M restitution) incl. March 2020 outages — just outside 5-yr window.
Only from our curated dataset (official pages, regulators, and flagged third-party sites), with fixed formulas shown in “Show math”. No AI or live scraping, so the same comparison always gives the same result. Not financial advice.