Head to head
Charles Schwab vs Tiger Brokers — which broker is better?
Charles Schwab or Tiger Brokers? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
Charles Schwab
The full-service US giant that also owns thinkorswim, a professional-grade trading platform.
- Stocks (per order)
- Free
- Minimum deposit
- None
- 5,000 order
- €0
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Tiger Brokers
A Nasdaq-listed multi-market app broker licensed in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, with a long product list and a regulatory record in mainland China that belongs in the decision.
- Stocks (per order)
- 0.06 %
- Minimum deposit
- None
- 5,000 order
- €3
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
The verdict in numbers
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall Charles Schwab takes it, 4.6 against 4.1 out of 5. Charles Schwab is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €0.00 there against €3.00. Charles Schwab scores 97 against 78 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Both cover 10 of 14 asset classes. On platform and app Charles Schwab is ahead, 4.6 against 4.4 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
- Charles Schwab
- 4.6 — Better
- Tiger Brokers
- 4.1
- Charles Schwab
- €0.00 — Better
- Tiger Brokers
- €3.00
- Charles Schwab
- 97 of 100
- Tiger Brokers
- 78 of 100
- Charles Schwab
- 10/14
- Tiger Brokers
- 10/14
- Charles Schwab
- 4.6 — Better
- Tiger Brokers
- 4.4
Compare brokers side by side
Up to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 02 Nov 2026
| Criterion | Visit broker Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | Visit broker Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 4.6 — Better | 4.1 |
| Group index | 97 of 100 | 78 of 100 |
| Best for | US long-term investorsOptions and futures tradersRetirement accountsInvestors who want branchesOne-account consolidation | Singapore investors using CDP, CPF or SRSMulti-market stock and options traders in Asia-PacificHong Kong residents who want stocks and crypto in one appFutures traders on CME, HKEX and SGX |
| Regulation | SECFINRAFDICNFA | MASSFCASIC |
| Top-tier licences | 4 — Better | 3 |
| Investor protection | US$500,000 | US$500,000 |
| Listed group | Yes | Yes |
| Banking licence | Yes | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | No | No |
| Audited financials | Yes | Yes |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | 1 | 2 |
| Founded | 1971 | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Westlake, US | Singapore, SG |
| Fees | 4.6 — Better | 4.0 |
| Safety & regulation | 4.9 — Better | 3.9 |
| Trading platform | 4.8 — Better | 4.3 |
| Product range | 4.2 | 4.3 — Better |
| Mobile app | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Research | 4.7 — Better | 4.0 |
| Customer support | 4.8 — Better | 3.6 |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 4.2 — Better | 4.0 |
| Account opening | 4.3 | 4.3 |
| Education | 4.6 — Better | 3.6 |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €0.00 — Better | €3.00 |
| Minimum deposit | None | None |
| Stocks (per order) | Free | 0.06 % |
| US stocks | Free | US$0.01/share |
| ETFs | Free | 0.06 % |
| Options | US$0.65 | US$0.65 |
| Futures | US$2.25 — Better | US$2.99 |
| Crypto | 0.75 % | 0.05 % — Better |
| Bonds (order) | US$1 | 0.12 % — Better |
| Funds (order) | US$49.95 | Free |
| EUR/USD spread | n/a | n/a |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | n/a |
| FX conversion | 1 % | n/a |
| Inactivity fee | None | n/a |
| Custody fee | None | None |
| Withdrawal fee | US$15 | free — Better |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 10 | 10 |
| Exchanges | 12 | n/a |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| Futures | Yes | Yes |
| Forex | Yes | No |
| CFDs | No | No |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities | Yes | Yes |
| Indices | Yes | Yes |
| Warrants | No | Yes |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | No | No |
| Crypto access | Broker, real coins; coins to your own wallet: possible | Broker, real coins; coins to your own wallet: only for certain coins |
| Platforms | Schwab.com web platformthinkorswim Desktopthinkorswim WebSchwab Mobilethinkorswim MobileSchwab Trader API | Tiger Trade appTiger Trade desktopTiger Open Platform (API) |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum leverage | 1:2 | 1:4 |
| Account opening | Under 10 minutes online for US residents; 1–2 weeks for a Schwab One International account | Fully online in the Tiger Trade app or on the website; Singpass in Singapore (accounts opened within 1–3 business days); in Hong Kong the initial deposit must come from a Hong Kong licensed bank account for verification |
| Account types | Schwab One brokerageSchwab Global AccountTraditional / Roth / Rollover IRASchwab One InternationalSchwab Crypto | Cash account (Singapore)Margin account (Singapore)Cash Boost Account (Singapore)Demo accountVirtual asset account (Hong Kong) |
| Payment methods | Bank transferCheque | Bank transferWise |
| Account currencies | USD | SGDUSDHKDAUDEUR |
| Deposit time | Instant to 3 business days (ACH, wire, cheque) | Singapore: SGD by DDA from DBS/POSB in about 5 minutes; SGD by FAST from 15 minutes during business hours; other currencies 1–2 business days; from banks outside Singapore 1–3 business days |
| Withdrawal time | 1–3 business days by ACH; same day by wire | Singapore: review of 1–2 business days, then 1–3 business days by FAST, MEPS, FPS or telegraphic transfer |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | n/a |
| Languages | EnglishSpanishChinese | EnglishChinese |
| Channels | PhoneEmailLive chatBranch | PhoneEmailLive chatWhatsApp |
| Availability | 24/7 | Singapore: phone weekdays 08:30–18:30 SGT, online chat and WhatsApp weekdays 08:30 to 05:00 the next day. Hong Kong: phone weekdays 09:30–18:30 HKT, online chat weekdays 09:30 to 05:00 the next day |
Strengths and weaknesses side by side
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
Charles Schwab
The full-service US giant that also owns thinkorswim, a professional-grade trading platform.
Pros
- USD 0 commission on every online listed US stock and ETF order, with no share cap and no proprietary-fund restrictions
- thinkorswim desktop, web and mobile are included free — full options chains, thinkScript, backtesting and paperMoney simulation
- Options at USD 0.65 per contract, with the fee waived on buy-to-close orders at USD 0.05 or less
- More than 4,000 no-load, no-transaction-fee mutual funds, including Mutual Fund OneSource, plus USD 0 online Treasuries at auction and on the secondary market
- 24/7 phone and chat support backed by close to 400 physical branches — an unusual combination for a discount broker
- SEC/FINRA-regulated with SIPC cover and an affiliated FDIC-insured bank; parent company SCHW is NYSE-listed and reports publicly
- Schwab Global Account gives online access to 12 foreign markets in local currency from the same login
Cons
- Spot crypto is limited to Bitcoin and Ethereum in a separate Schwab Crypto account at 0.75% per trade, open only to US residents outside New York and Louisiana — fewer coins than Fidelity and far fewer than Robinhood
- The default uninvested cash sweep pays close to nothing (0.01% at the time of writing); you have to manually move idle cash into a money market fund
- Transaction-fee mutual funds cost up to USD 49.95 per purchase, with a USD 74.95 ceiling for some fund families
- Margin rates sit near the top of the US market — roughly 12.1% below USD 25,000, versus mid-single digits at Robinhood
- Fractional shares cannot be transferred to another broker — when the account moves, the fractions are sold at market price
- Trading foreign stocks through a broker costs the greater of USD 100 or 0.75% of principal, which makes ad-hoc international orders expensive
- Currency conversion adds a percentage charge on top of the commission: 1% of principal per conversion below USD 100,000 in the Schwab Global Account, tapering to 0.2% from USD 1,000,000 — USD 100 on a USD 10,000 conversion. Except on small orders, the conversion charge is larger than the online commission. Outside the Global Account, Schwab's pricing guide allows a markup of up to 300 basis points (3%) on USD/foreign-currency conversions
Best for
Tiger Brokers
A Nasdaq-listed multi-market app broker licensed in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, with a long product list and a regulatory record in mainland China that belongs in the decision.
Pros
- At Tiger Brokers Singapore, one Tiger Trade account reaches US, Hong Kong, Singapore, China A-share (Stock Connect) and Australian stocks, plus US and HK options, futures, US Treasuries and over 1,500 funds
- Low SGX pricing at Tiger Brokers Singapore: 0.03% commission plus a 0.03% platform fee (minimums SGD 0.99 and SGD 1), and the SGD 2 quarterly SGX custody fee is waived until further notice
- Licensed group companies in Singapore (MAS), Hong Kong (SFC, CE BMU940) and Australia (ASIC, AFSL 300767) under a Nasdaq-listed parent (TIGR)
- Singapore-specific features: the Cash Boost Account with CDP, CPF and SRS linkage, Singpass onboarding and no minimum deposit
- Free US Level 2 data (NYSE ArcaBook) and a free demo account with USD 1 million in virtual funds
- Auto-invest from USD 2 in US stocks and ETFs, HKD 500 in HK stocks and SGD 100 in SGX stocks, daily to monthly (SGX plans on the 1st and 15th of each month)
- Hong Kong clients can trade BTC, ETH, SOL, AVAX and LINK as retail investors under the SFC licence, with on-chain deposits and withdrawals for BTC and ETH (USDT for professional investors only)
Cons
- China's CSRC Beijing Bureau imposed penalties and confiscations of about RMB 411 million (about USD 59.7 million) on group subsidiaries on 22 May 2026, after an earlier CSRC finding of unlicensed cross-border business reported in January 2023
- US shares are not commission-free in Singapore: USD 0.005 per share commission plus USD 0.005 per share platform fee (minimums USD 0.99 and USD 1 per order) plus a USD 0.003 per share settlement fee
- The New Zealand company is registered as a client money and property service provider but states that it is not licensed by a New Zealand regulator
- Prices, products and protection differ by entity, and some advertised prices (the HK commissions for targeted participants, the US option coupon plan) are time-limited promotions or need activation
- Moving holdings out of Tiger Brokers (HK) costs USD 150 per US stock and HKD 500 per Hong Kong stock, and neither the Singapore nor the Hong Kong pages we read state what currency conversion costs
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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