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Charles Schwab vs Exness : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
Charles Schwab
Exness
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
STP broker
ECN / Market maker
Years of Existence / Established Year
1971
2008
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
No information
800,000
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
NFA, SFC, MAS, FCA, CFTC, CIRO
FSA CBCS FSC FSCA CySEC FCA CMA JSC
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Best Online Broker 2024, Best customer Service
Best Retail FX Broker, Most Trusted Broker 2024 , Best Multi-Asset Broker and Most Trusted Broker in Africa 2024 ,Five awards at the Cyprus Responsible Business Awards 2024
Security Measures
SIPC
ICF
SSL Encryption / 2FA
Yes
Yes
Segregated Funds
Yes
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No
Yes
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
Money market Funds, Index funds, Bonds and fixed products, Annuities, Bank and borrowing, International stocks, Margin loans, Insurance, Securities lending fully paid
200+ trading instruments
Currency Pairs
Yes
Yes
Commodities
No
Yes
Indices
No
Yes
Cryptocurrencies
Yes
Yes
CFDs
No
Yes
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
Yes
Yes
Options
Yes
No
Futures
Yes
Yes
Bonds
No
No
Mutual Funds
Yes
No
Fractional Shares
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)
Yes
No
Precious Metals
Yes
Yes
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
No
No
Equities
Yes
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
No
Yes
MT5
No
Yes
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
No
Yes
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
Schwab.com Web Trading Platform, StreetSmart Edge (advanced platform), StreetSmart Central (for options traders), Schwab Trading Powered by Ameritrade, thinkorswim Trading Platforms
Exness Terminal Exness Trade App
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Brokerage and Trading, Retirement Accounts (IRAs), Education and Custodial, Personal Choice Retirement, Small Business, Accounts by Financial Goal
Standard Accounts Standard cent Accounts Pro Accounts Raw Spread Accounts Demo Trading Accounts Social Trading Accounts
Demo Account (Yes/No)
Yes
Yes
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
No
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$1 for standard accounts $200 for professional accounts
Leverage Available
No
1:30 to1 : 2000
Trade Limit (maximum per trade)
Depends on order and trading session
200 lots - day time 60 lots for forex & 20 lots others - night time
Commission (per account type)
$0
$3.5 per lot for Raw Spread accountsCommission free for Standard, Standard Cent & Pro accounts
Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)
Long term and active traders
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
ACH, Wire Transfer, Check deposit
Bank transfer Card E Wallets
Withdrawal Methods
ACH, Wire Transfer, Check deposit
Bank transfer Card E Wallets
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
Neteller Skrill Perfect Money Sticpay
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
Yes
Yes
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Insights and Education, Trading, Market Commentary, Planning and retirement, Media
Analytical tools Trading calculator Currency converter Tick history VPS hosting
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
Commission -$0 online stock, ETF, and options trade, Commission is $75 - $50 fee + $25 assistance fees, broker-assisted trades- $25 service fee
Forex- 0.0 pips, Commission- $0
Spread (typical, fixed, variable)
Variable
Variable
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
$0.65
USD 0.05 to 3.5 per contract
Futures Contract Fees
$2.25 per contract.
NA
Markup Fees on Spread
NA
NA
Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees
NA
NA
Maximum Leverage
No
1:2000
Non-Trading Fees
Dormant Fees
$0
$0
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
$0
$0
Advisory Fees
Schwab Wealth Advisory- Starts at 0.80%- 1.0%
$0
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
Yes
Yes
Statement or Document Fee
NA
NA
Account Opening Fee
$0
$0
Account Maintenance Fee
$0
$0
Deposit Fee
$0
$0
Currency Conversion Fee
$0
$0
Withdrawal Fee
$0
$0
Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits
Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals
Yes
Yes
Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)
Yes
Yes
Trading Hours
Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)
Regular Trading Session: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET), Pre-Market Session: between 8:05 AM ET, After-Hours Session: 7:00 AM to 9:25 AM ET
Forex trading hours - Sunday 22:05 to Friday 21:59Crypto trading hours - Sunday from 21:35 to Friday 22:05Indices trading hours - Sunday 23:05 to Friday 21:00Commodities - Sunday 23:05 to Friday 21:58
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
24/7
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Phone: 800-435-4000, Chat, FAQs
Help Center Support hub, Live chat
Support Languages
2
15+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
Westlake, Texas
1 Siafi Street, Portobello Office 401, Limassol 3042, Cyprus
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
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