Robinhood vs Fidelity | Which Is Best In 2026?

[00:00] If you're looking to invest using Robin

[00:02] Hood or Fidelity and are wondering which

[00:04] is best, this is the video for you.

[00:07] We're going to be breaking down the key

[00:08] features as well as differences between

[00:10] the fees, asset selection, research

[00:13] tools, and more. I've been using both

[00:15] the Robin Hood and Fidelity apps for

[00:18] years now and covering them over on my

[00:20] blog investingssimple.com.

[00:23] So, I'll be sharing all of that

[00:24] experience here with you. Now guys, a

[00:26] lot of time and research went into

[00:28] making this the best comparison

[00:30] possible. So if you appreciate that,

[00:32] make sure you drop a like and subscribe.

[00:34] Real quick, I just have to mention that

[00:36] I'm not a financial adviser and this

[00:38] isn't personalized financial advice.

[00:40] Let's start out by explaining what these

[00:42] two platforms are and then we'll dive

[00:44] into a sidebyside comparison here of

[00:47] their offerings and you can skip ahead

[00:49] at any point in time using the table of

[00:51] contents down below. Robin Hood is a

[00:53] brokerage platform that arguably changed

[00:56] investing forever by popularizing

[00:58] commissionfree stock trading. Since

[01:00] then, they've continued to innovate with

[01:02] new product offerings like Robin Hood

[01:04] Legend, their advanced trading platform,

[01:07] and most recently prediction markets

[01:10] where users can bet on realworld

[01:12] outcomes. The Robin Hood app is

[01:14] primarily designed for beginners who are

[01:16] looking for an easy and modern way to

[01:18] invest without dealing with complex

[01:21] interfaces or tools. With Robin Hood,

[01:23] you can invest in stocks and ETFs,

[01:26] options, futures, and crypto all from

[01:29] one single app. If you want a full

[01:31] comprehensive walkthrough, I have a full

[01:33] Robin Hood tutorial that I'll link down

[01:35] in the description below, and I'll also

[01:36] put a card in the corner. Fidelity is a

[01:39] full-ervice brokerage platform that has

[01:41] been around for decades and they manage

[01:43] trillions of dollars of assets. They

[01:46] serve everyone from casual investors to

[01:49] institutions, retirement investors, and

[01:51] more. Fidelity offers stocks and ETFs,

[01:54] mutual funds, options, bonds, CDs, and

[01:58] more. But truth be told, most would say

[02:00] that their app and desktop interface

[02:02] aren't as modern and easy to use

[02:05] compared to Robin Hood. And if you're

[02:07] looking for a beginner's guide to

[02:08] Fidelity, I will leave my full tutorial

[02:11] link down in the description below, as

[02:13] well as a card in the corner. Now, let's

[02:15] talk about the best part for most

[02:16] people, and that's any free signup

[02:18] bonuses that you might be able to jump

[02:20] on. Robin Hood has a generous incentive

[02:22] where you can get a free fractional

[02:24] share worth up to $200 when you open up

[02:27] a new account and fund it with any

[02:30] amount of money. The cool thing is you

[02:32] actually get to choose your free

[02:33] fractional share from a list of 20

[02:36] leading American companies. So, it's

[02:38] kind of like a gift card to go out and

[02:40] buy the stock that you actually want.

[02:42] So, be sure to visit

[02:42] ryanoscriber.com/roinhood

[02:46] or use the affiliate link in the

[02:47] description below to grab that free

[02:50] stock bonus. And unfortunately, Fidelity

[02:52] doesn't offer any kind of signup bonus

[02:54] or promotion. But that's because they've

[02:57] already become a household name and they

[02:59] don't need to incentivize people to get

[03:01] them to sign up. And keep in mind, you

[03:03] could always sign up for both if you

[03:04] wanted to to make the best of both

[03:06] worlds. Moving on now, let's talk about

[03:08] the difference in the asset selection

[03:10] between Robin Hood and Fidelity.

[03:13] Starting with stocks and ETFs, Robin

[03:15] Hood supports the trading of over 11,000

[03:18] different securities listed on the major

[03:20] exchanges like the New York Stock

[03:22] Exchange and the NASDAQ. In addition,

[03:24] they recently started rolling out stock

[03:26] tokens for about 2,000 different

[03:29] securities, allowing for 247 trading in

[03:32] the EU. Fidelity, on the other hand,

[03:34] supports all of the same stocks and ETFs

[03:37] as Robin Hood for the most part. But in

[03:39] addition, they also support OTC or

[03:42] over-the-counter markets. These penny

[03:44] stocks carry significant risk and

[03:47] require additional agreements within

[03:49] your Fidelity account, but nonetheless,

[03:51] they are still available for trading.

[03:53] But what about crypto investing? Both

[03:55] Robin Hood and Fidelity support cryptos,

[03:57] but the asset selection varies a lot.

[04:00] Robin Hood supports the trading of over

[04:02] 20 different popular cryptocurrencies,

[04:04] and you can even send and receive them,

[04:07] giving you full custody of your digital

[04:09] assets. Fidelity also supports crypto

[04:12] trading and the ability to send and

[04:14] receive them, but as of scripting this

[04:17] video, they only support four

[04:18] cryptocurrencies. This list includes

[04:21] Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Solana.

[04:24] So, yes, they've got the majors covered,

[04:26] but to be honest, the selection is a

[04:29] little underwhelming. Now, Fidelity does

[04:31] also offer crypto ETFs. Three different

[04:34] funds offering exposure to Bitcoin,

[04:36] Ethereum, and Solana, but you can invest

[04:39] in these crypto ETFs through any

[04:41] brokerage platform. So, they're not

[04:43] exclusive to Fidelity. One category that

[04:45] is exclusive to Fidelity, though, is

[04:48] their mutual fund investments. Fidelity

[04:50] offers over 10,000 different mutual

[04:53] funds, including 450 that you will only

[04:56] find on Fidelity. This includes their

[04:58] popular zero funds, which come with an

[05:01] unheard of zero expense ratio. Robin

[05:03] Hood, on the other hand, doesn't offer

[05:05] mutual funds at all. For investors who

[05:08] prefer professionally managed funds,

[05:10] this can matter a lot. But if you're

[05:12] just looking to own individual stocks or

[05:14] ETFs, this might not move the needle for

[05:16] you. Now, both platforms also support

[05:19] options trading, but they're designed

[05:21] for different types of users. Robin Hood

[05:23] focuses on simplicity and ease of use.

[05:26] Meanwhile, Fidelity offers more advanced

[05:28] tools, analytics, and strategy

[05:30] flexibility for traders who want deeper

[05:33] control. But Robin Hood does offer

[05:35] futures trading, which is not something

[05:37] that you will currently find through

[05:38] Fidelity. When it comes to bonds and

[05:41] fixed income investments, Fidelity

[05:43] offers direct investments into

[05:45] treasuries, corporate bonds, municipal

[05:47] bonds, and CDs. On Robin Hood, exposure

[05:51] mainly comes through bond ETFs rather

[05:53] than buying bonds directly or other

[05:55] fixed income investments. Overall,

[05:58] you'll find a broader range of

[05:59] traditional investments through

[06:01] Fidelity. Meanwhile, Robin Hood offers

[06:03] more new age investments in terms of

[06:06] things like cryptocurrency and

[06:08] prediction markets. To quickly touch on

[06:10] that, Robin Hood allows users to bet on

[06:12] realworld outcomes through this new

[06:14] feature. Although some critics have

[06:16] labeled this as speculation, not

[06:19] investing. Moving on now, let's quickly

[06:21] touch on the fees and pricing for both

[06:23] platforms. And if you've made it this

[06:25] far in the video, make sure you hit that

[06:27] subscribe button for me. Both Robin Hood

[06:29] and Fidelity offer commission-free

[06:31] trading for stocks and ETFs, but there

[06:34] is a difference between the business

[06:37] models here. Robin Hood engages in a

[06:39] practice called payment for order flow

[06:41] or PFO. Meanwhile, Fidelity does not,

[06:45] and this is when a broker gets paid for

[06:47] routing a trade through a specific

[06:49] trading firm rather than directly to the

[06:51] stock exchange. Moving on now, let's

[06:54] talk about options fees. Robin Hood

[06:56] offers options trading with no base

[06:59] exercise or assignment fees in addition

[07:01] to no per contract fees on stock and ETF

[07:05] options. Fidelity on the other hand

[07:08] charges a 65cent fee per options

[07:11] contract which isn't much but it does

[07:13] give Robin Hood a lead here from a cost

[07:16] perspective. Lastly, looking at crypto

[07:18] fees, Fidelity charges a 1% fee on buy

[07:21] and sell transactions. Robin Hood has a

[07:24] more complex fee structure which is

[07:26] based on your previous 30-day trading

[07:29] volume. I'll put the fee schedule on

[07:31] screen now, but basically the greater

[07:33] volume that you trade, the lower your

[07:35] overall fees are. So, Robin Hood does

[07:37] have a slight lead here when it comes to

[07:39] crypto fees, and they have a strong lead

[07:42] when you're looking at crypto selection.

[07:44] Moving on now, let's talk about the

[07:45] different account types offered by both

[07:48] Robin Hood and Fidelity. Starting off

[07:50] with Robin Hood, you can open up a

[07:52] traditional taxable brokerage account as

[07:54] well as both Roth and traditional IAS.

[07:57] For many, that's more than enough to get

[07:59] started with investing for the long

[08:01] term. And speaking of retirement

[08:03] accounts, Robin Hood offers a 1 to 3%

[08:06] match on contributions, which is a key

[08:09] differentiator. Fidelity also offers a

[08:11] taxable brokerage account in addition to

[08:13] both traditional and Roth IAS, but

[08:16] you'll also find 529 plans, HSAs, and

[08:20] even cash management accounts available,

[08:22] too. They don't offer an IRA match, but

[08:25] one thing you might be interested in is

[08:27] the Fidelity Go Robo Advisor. This is a

[08:30] digital financial service that offers

[08:32] professional management of your money,

[08:34] and it comes with no advisory fees for

[08:36] balances under 25,000. For balances over

[08:40] 25K, the advisory fee is 0.35% of assets

[08:44] under management. Robin Hood offers

[08:46] something similar called Robin Hood

[08:48] Strategies, and this also gets you a

[08:51] customized and fully managed portfolio.

[08:53] Robin Hood Strategies has a low 0.25%

[08:56] 25% asset management fee. So, it's

[08:58] slightly lower than Fidelity Go for

[09:01] accounts over 25,000. But overall,

[09:04] Fidelity really stands out for their

[09:05] robust retirement planning tools and

[09:08] features. You get access to detailed

[09:10] calculators, goal tracking, and

[09:12] portfolio analysis that can help you

[09:14] think through long-term decisions in a

[09:17] more structured way. But what about the

[09:19] overall user experience or user

[09:21] interface with both of these platforms?

[09:23] Both Robin Hood and Fidelity have an

[09:26] appbased version as well as a desktop

[09:28] trading platform, but Robin Hood is

[09:30] really built as a mobile first platform,

[09:32] and you can really tell that as soon as

[09:34] you open up the app, the interface is

[09:36] extremely intuitive, clean, and easy to

[09:39] navigate, even if you have never

[09:41] invested before. Onboarding is fast,

[09:43] funding an account is simple and instant

[09:46] in many cases, and placing a trade only

[09:48] takes a few taps. For more active stock

[09:51] traders, Robin Hood Legend adds more

[09:54] advanced charting and trading tools

[09:56] while still keeping everything

[09:57] relatively streamlined. You can check

[10:00] out my full tutorial for Robin Hood

[10:02] Legend in the description below, and

[10:03] I'll also put a card in the corner. Now,

[10:05] Fidelity, on the other hand, is more of

[10:07] a desktop first experience. While it

[10:10] does have a mobile app, the platform

[10:12] really shines on a computer. You can get

[10:15] access to powerful research tools,

[10:17] advanced screeners, in-depth analytics,

[10:20] detailed account insights, and more. The

[10:22] Fidelity app itself is still pretty good

[10:25] and easy to navigate, but it's just not

[10:27] as simple and sleek as Robin Hood. So,

[10:30] with all of that said, let's talk about

[10:31] which platform is best. And as I'm sure

[10:34] you've guessed, there is no

[10:36] oneizefits-all answer here. If you're a

[10:38] complete beginner looking for the

[10:40] easiest to use platform, Robin Hood is

[10:42] likely going to be a good option because

[10:45] that's basically how they got started,

[10:47] offering commissionfree trading on a

[10:49] very beginnerfriendly app. In addition,

[10:52] if your priority is having access to new

[10:54] age assets like a wide variety of

[10:57] cryptos and prediction markets, for

[10:59] example, Robin Hood is in the lead. But

[11:02] if you are instead looking for more old

[11:04] school traditional assets like direct

[11:06] bond investments, CDs, and mutual funds,

[11:09] Fidelity is likely best for that. Now,

[11:12] if you're looking to invest for

[11:13] retirement, Robin Hood does offer that

[11:15] contribution match, which is a

[11:17] compelling offer. But overall, Fidelity

[11:20] has a much greater selection of

[11:21] retirement planning tools and features.

[11:24] Now, options traders will likely favor

[11:26] Robin Hood from a cost perspective, but

[11:28] Fidelity offers a more robust set of

[11:31] tools and features for advanced traders.

[11:34] And lastly, for those looking to score a

[11:36] free bonus, Robin Hood is in the lead.

[11:39] You can get a free stock worth up to

[11:41] $200 when you open a new account and

[11:43] fund it with any amount of money. So, be

[11:46] sure to visit ryanoscribner.com/roinhood

[11:50] to get started. Fidelity might not have

[11:52] any freebies, but they have built a

[11:54] strong reputation over multiple decades,

[11:57] and it's hard to compete with that.

[11:59] That's going to wrap things up for me,

[12:00] guys. Thank you so much for tuning in.

[12:02] Be sure to check out my full Robin Hood

[12:04] and Fidelity tutorials linked in the

[12:06] description below to learn the ins and

[12:08] outs of both of these platforms. If you

[12:11] made it to the end of the video, guys,

[12:12] make sure you subscribe and hit that

[12:14] like button for me. You can click below

[12:17] to watch this next video that you might

[12:19] enjoy. And I will see you next time.