---
title: 'Robinhood vs Fidelity (2025): My Unbiased Review!'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=pzuZGSHqM5M'
video_id: 'pzuZGSHqM5M'
date: 2026-06-28
duration_sec: 476
---

# Robinhood vs Fidelity (2025): My Unbiased Review!

> Source: [Robinhood vs Fidelity (2025): My Unbiased Review!](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pzuZGSHqM5M)

## Summary

This video compares Fidelity and Robinhood, two popular US brokers. Fidelity, established in 1946 with $5.9 trillion in assets, offers a comprehensive platform for long-term investing with robust research, retirement tools, and human advisor access. Robinhood, founded in 2013, focuses on simplicity and modern features, including zero-commission trading, broad crypto access, and a competitive robo-advisor.

### Key Points

- **Broker Overview** [0:00] — Fidelity (since 1946, $5.9T AUM) vs Robinhood (since 2013, fast-growing). Fidelity offers broad investment options and retirement tools; Robinhood focuses on simplicity and newer asset classes.
- **Fees Comparison** [1:46] — Both offer zero commissions on stocks/ETFs. Robinhood charges no per-contract options fee; Fidelity charges $0.65/contract. Robinhood's highest margin rate is 5.75% vs Fidelity's 12.575%. Robinhood Gold ($5/month) offers perks like 4% APY on cash.
- **Available Assets** [2:36] — Fidelity: stocks, ETFs, options, bonds, mutual funds, CDs, precious metals, crypto (Bitcoin/Ethereum only). Robinhood: stocks, ETFs, options, over 20 cryptocurrencies, event contracts, futures. Robinhood allows crypto transfers; Fidelity does not.
- **Research & Tools** [3:54] — Fidelity offers screeners, advanced charting, third-party research (Morningstar, Zacks), and Active Trader Pro. Robinhood has advanced charting, Morningstar for Gold members, and Robinhood Legend (free desktop platform with up to 8 charts).
- **Customer Support & Retirement** [4:49] — Fidelity: phone, chat, in-person branches. Robinhood: 24/7 chat, no in-person. Fidelity offers full retirement planning tools and multiple IRA types. Robinhood offers traditional/Roth/Rollover IRAs with a 1% match (3% with Gold).
- **Robo-Advisors** [5:56] — Fidelity Go: no advisory fee under $25k, 0.35% above, plus human coaching calls. Robinhood Strategies: 0.25% annual fee (capped at $250 for Gold), no human advisors, starts at $50.
- **Final Verdict** [7:11] — Fidelity is best for serious long-term investing with professional tools and human advisors. Robinhood is ideal for a modern, low-cost experience with active trading features and broad crypto access.

## Transcript

Hey everybody, I'm Matt, investments
editor at Finder. Today we are diving
into a head-to-head comparison between
two very popular US brokers, Fidelity
and Robin Hood. Now, Fidelity has been
around since 1946. That's before credit
cards, commercial microwaves, and the
moon landing, if you believe that sort
of thing. It's old, but that's not a bad
thing. At 5.9 trillion in assets under
management, Fidelity is one of the
largest US brokers and it's got lots of
investment options, retirement tools,
and some of the lowest account fees that
you will find among brokers. Robin Hood
around since 2013, the same year the
first Frozen movie came out. Not that
I'm a fan.
>> I'm just I just happen to know that. But
Robin Hood is one of the fastest growing
US brokers. Once catering to beginners,
Robin Hood has expanded its trading
platform to align with its maturing
customer base, offering things like more
tradable assets, a dedicated active
trader platform, deeper analysis tools,
things like that. And it's been racking
up new accounts as if it offers free
stocks for new customers or something.
It does, and we'll put a link in the
description so you can get them. Whether
you are a beginner or an experienced
trader, let's break them down and help
you decide which broker is right for
you. Fidelity offers a robust,
user-friendly trading experience that's
well suited for both beginners and
active traders. It's got multiple
platforms, including Active Trader Pro
for desktop, trading dashboard for web,
and a pretty solid mobile app. And then
there's Robin Hood, which focuses more
on simplicity. Its userfriendly,
intuitive interface makes trading
incredibly accessible, especially for
beginners. Its clean design helps you
place trades quickly without feeling
overwhelmed. Both platforms offer zero
commissions on stocks and ETFs, which is
great, but there are some differences in
other fees. For instance, Robin Hood
doesn't charge per contract fees for
options, whereas Fidelity charges 65
cents per contract. Meanwhile, Robin
Hood's highest margin rate is also lower
at 5.75 compared to Fidelity's 12.575 at
$5 per month or $50 per year if you pay
annually. You can also upgrade to Robin
Hood Gold, which unlocks the first
$1,000 of margin interest free, 4% APY
on your cash, Morning Star Research, and
more. Fidelity doesn't charge for access
to tools or research, and it doesn't
charge an outgoing account transfer fee
if you want to move your account to a
different broker. Its cashewite yield is
lower at 2.21% APY, but it doesn't
require membership fee for you to get
the APY. Now looking at available
assets, Fidelity offers a wide range of
investment options. Stocks, ETFs, equity
options, index options, CDs, bonds,
mutual funds, even precious metals, and
cryptocurrency. In fact, Fidelity is the
only of the three big brokers, the other
two being Erade and Charles Schwab that
offers access to crypto. You can only
buy Bitcoin and Ethereum, but still,
it's a start. All this makes it ideal
for building a diversified portfolio.
Now, Robin Hood has grown well beyond
its beginner roots. You can trade stocks
and ETFs, equity options, index options,
over two dozen cryptocurrencies, plus
event contracts, and futures. And with
Robin Hood's recent acquisition of
global cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp,
we'd see an even expanded offering of
cryptocurrencies and even things like
cryptostaking, which let you earn
rewards on the cryptocurrency that you
hold. Robin Hood is a surprisingly
versatile trading platform for beginners
and active traders who want access to
newer asset classes. Fidelity wins on
traditional diversification, but Robin
Hood's lineup is more competitive than
ever, especially if you want crypto and
futures exposure. Plus, for crypto
traders, you cannot transfer your crypto
off of Fidelity, whereas you can with
Robin Hood. Fidelity has long been known
for its powerful research and trading
tools. It offers screeners, advanced
charting, thirdparty research from firms
like Morning Smart, and Zach, and a
dedicated desktop trading platform,
Active Trader Pro for advanced traders.
Robin Hood 2 offers advanced charting
and screeners enhanced further for gold
members with Morning Star research and
level two market access. But the game
changer for Robin Hood is Robin Hood
Legend. It's free web-based desktop
style trading platform built
specifically for active traders with up
to eight simultaneous charts, dozens of
technical indicators, inch chart
trading, and real-time data. Between the
two though, Fidelity remains the leader
for deep multi-stage research and
analysis. But Robin Hood Legend is a
huge leap forward for the broker. It
offers a desktop style trading
experience for active traders at no
additional cost. And it's proof that
Robin Hood is committed to leveling up
for more sophisticated traders. Now,
looking at customer support, Fidelity
has a long-standing reputation for
delivering quality customer service. You
can reach Fidelity support by phone chat
or even in person at one of his
branches. Robin Hood, on the other hand,
has got 247 live chat and inapp
assistance, but it does not offer
in-person support. If you're investing
for retirement, Fidelity is a top
choice. It offers traditional Roth,
rollover, SE IAS, and IAS for kids, plus
a full range of retirement planning
tools where you can track your finances,
so your spending, saving, and retirement
goals. Now, Robin Hood only offers
traditional Roth and Rollover IAS, but
it does pay a match on IRA
contributions. With Robin Hood, get a 1%
match on your IRA contributions or 3%
with gold, which is a pretty valuable
perk. in terms of available assets in
IRA. In a Robin Hood IRA, you can trade
stocks, ETFs, and options. In a Fidelity
IRA, you can trade stocks, ETFs, bonds,
mutual funds, CDs, and cryptocurrency.
If you're looking for help building a
portfolio, or you just prefer a
hands-off investing experience, robo
advisors and financial advisors matter,
and both Robin Hood and Fidelity have
something to offer. Fidelity provides
robo advisory through Fidelity Go with
no advisory fee on balances under 25,000
and a 0.35% annual fee on balances above
that. Once your account reaches 25,000,
you're also eligible for unlimited
30inut coaching calls with a human
financial adviser. That makes it ideal
for investors who want automated
investing plus personal support. Now,
Robin Hood recently launched Robin Hood
Strategies, an actively managed robo
advisor that combines ETFs and
individual stocks. It comes with a 0.25%
annual fee that's capped at $250 a year
for gold members. Portfolios start with
as little as $50, adjust automatically,
and include inapp market insights,
future projections, and taxaware
investing. But unlike Fidelity, there is
no access to human financial advisors.
In summary, Fidelity Go gives you robo
advice plus access to human coaches.
Ideal if you value both automation and
personal support. And Robin Hood
Strategies brings lowcost active robo
management to everyone, not just gold
users, but it doesn't include human
advice. So great for anybody that wants
to keep it digital. So which broker is
right for you? If you're after a
fullfeatured all-in-one platform for
serious long-term investing with
professional tools, and access to human
advisors, Fidelity is hard to beat. But
if you want a sleek, modern experience
with active trading features, newer
asset classes, broader crypto access,
and a surprisingly capable robo advisor,
all without the bulk, Robin Hood is a
strong lowcost choice. So, what's your
pick? Fidelity or Robin Hood? Drop a
comment and let me know why. And hey, if
this helped you out in any way, please
hit that like button, subscribe for more
investing content, and check out my
other videos on market news, trading
tips, and broker comparisons. And as
always, if you want some free stocks,
links are in the description.