In this Fidelity review, we look at the Active Trader Pro platform, pricing, key features, top alternatives, and whether Fidelity is the right trading broker for you.
Fidelity is a good investment broker for beginners. They are a very popular and reputable broker and are best known for their mutual funds. However, their trading platform is starting to build a name for itself. Fidelity also has great research tools and fantastic customer service. Founded in 1946, Fidelity Investments is well-known throughout the industry and offers a wide range of financial services.
Fidelity Review Rating 4.8/5
$0 commission for online U.S. stock, ETF, and options trades
What Is Fidelity? (2026 Review)
Fidelity is part of the “big five” brokerage firms, operating as a discount brokerage firm. With over 51.5 million retail accounts and $15 trillion in assets under administration (AUA), clients should expect a lot from Fidelity, and they deliver.
It costs nothing to open a Fidelity account. However, if you want to trade on margin, a deposit of $5000 is required. Luckily, once this amount has been met, Fidelity doesn’t require you to maintain a minimum account balance or charge annual fees.
Named one of the best brokers for fund research and tools, it’s no surprise this is where Fidelity shines. For example, let’s take a look at this AAPL quote. You’re given many helpful nuggets of information. Fidelity offers a comprehensive research experience, from key financial metrics and recent news to ratings.
Pros & Cons
- Pros
- Over 357 commission-free ETFs and 3,700 no-transaction-fee mutual funds
- Free and extensive research, as well as data
- Access to streaming real-time quotes in Fidelity’s website watch list tool
- 166 indicators/studies available to include on a stock chart with 22 drawing tools
- Excellent customer service with 24/7 phone support, live chat, and email support
- Cons
- High fees if a broker-assisted trade is needed
- Mobile app charting is less suited for day trading
- Inability to custom-code studies
- Primarily serves U.S. residents, but has international subsidiaries
Fidelity Pricing (2026 Fees & Costs)
| Stocks & options | ETFs | Bonds & CDs | Mutual funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 per stock or options trade, plus $0.65 per contract on options | $0 per trade for ETFs | $1 per bond or CD in secondary trading and free for US Treasuries traded online. The potential to save an average of $15 per bond | Zero expense ratio index mutual funds. No minimums to invest – Fidelity mutual funds. $0 for Fidelity funds and hundreds of other funds with no transaction fees |
You can visit Fidelity’s website for updated pricing here. (Updated 3/26).
Fidelity Features and Trading Tools
Active Trader Pro Platform
The online trading platform is laid out like a standard website. As a result, if you’re new to the platform or even trading, you will find it quite intuitive.
Any basic investing function, such as quotes/price charts, news, analyst reports, etc., is easily accessible on Fidelity’s web platform.
They have limited customization on the platform (i.e., adding and removing windows). However, you can create multiple watch lists that can be sorted by price or volume, as well as set alerts.
In this Fidelity review, we found that Active Trader Pro for desktop is Fidelity’s premium trading platform. It’s clean, easy to use, and loaded with powerful research tools. While it’s not quite on the level of ThinkorSwim, it comes close with intuitive shortcuts, strong charting features, and a multi-trade ticket that lets you store orders and place up to 50 at a time. The platform also includes over 60 interactive, customizable charts, 22 drawing tools, and 166 technical studies.
As a result, it’s a trader’s dream. However, unlike competitor Charles Schwab, Fidelity does not make its active trader platforms automatically available to all customers.
Mobile Trading App
If you want to make trades on the go, Fidelity has a mobile app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android. It’s simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly. Researching, setting up notifications, browsing news feeds, and ordering trades from your smartphone is easy. However, a downside of the mobile app is that the complex charting and research that Fidelity is famous for is virtually nonexistent.
Thus, investors may be disappointed if they look for complexity within the mobile device. Furthermore, the inability to make rapid-fire trades is detrimental to momentum traders.
Fidelity developed the patented Trade Armor tool for the sole purpose of managing risk. It works by helping investors visually see their strategies in the Active Trader Pro platform. As a result, they can quickly and easily identify stock entry and exit points.
Day Trading With Fidelity
Who Is Fidelity Best For?
Active Trader Pro’s functionality list is robust to the point where it trails only behind the two undisputed leaders in this arena: TD Ameritrade’s Thinkorswim and E*TRADE. Their advanced platforms, deeper settings, and ability to custom-code studies cause them to outshine Fidelity slightly.
However, Fidelity’s platform is still strong. Low commissions and an easy-to-use platform offer a solid experience for beginners and advanced investors.
The vast amount of research provided is a huge benefit. While day traders may get different benefits from this type of research, it can benefit investors.
Fidelity Alternatives
- Charles Schwab
- eTrade
- Interactive Brokers
Fidelity Customer Reviews
Fidelity has approximately 993 customer reviews on Trustpilot with a 1.3 TrustScore (Bad as of March 2026).
Bottom Line: Is Fidelity Worth It?
While Fidelity is excellent for investors and has low fees, it’s only adequate for active traders. Currently, there are only seven indicators available on mobile.
The industry average is over 30. Traders may struggle with trading on Fidelity’s platform for a few reasons:
- Level 2 data for OTC stocks is nearly non-existent on ATP; this alone will make it virtually impossible to identify instant trading opportunities
- No hotkeys that will significantly impact how quickly you execute your trades
- Issues with streaming quotes: This is a severe problem for someone wanting to see where a stock stands
- Lack of float size data for the ticker in the Quote tool
- No alerts premarket and after-hours
- Their mobile app is slow and clunky to navigate
Our Fidelity review concludes that they’re not ideal for active traders but are a solid choice for investors and long-term traders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fidelity is a trustworthy online broker and one of the most popular investors. They are fully regulated in the United States by FINRA and the SEC.
The biggest downside to Fidelity is that their fees are high. They are also not a great broker for day trading. Fidelity is best for investing and casual trading.
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (FBS) and National Financial Services LLC (NFS) are both members of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Fidelity Investments companies include FPWA, Strategic Advisers, FPTC, FBS, and National Financial Services LLC.
Fidelity Investments is among the Best Online Broker rankings by Ally Invest, which is part of Ally Financial. Charles Schwab and Merrill Edge rounded out the top five.
