Brandwave

Charles Schwab vs Freetrade:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Charles Schwab had more branded searches than Freetrade among retail investing and trading apps worldwide. Charles Schwab had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Freetrade had 45,500. Charles Schwab made up 37.4% of all retail investing and trading app searches we track, and Freetrade accounted for 0.51%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about retail investing and trading apps, Charles Schwab appeared in all five answers and Freetrade in none.

Among retail investing and trading apps worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Charles Schwab, about 74 searches for every 1 for Freetrade

Charles Schwab 3.4M searchesFreetrade 45.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Charles Schwab, mentioned in every answer we collected

Charles Schwab in 5 of 5Freetrade in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Charles Schwab, the only one of the two named

Charles Schwab first in 5Freetrade never named

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Top retail investing and trading apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Charles Schwab appeared in all five answers. Freetrade did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Fidelity1st
  2. Charles Schwab2nd
  3. Robinhood3rd
  4. Interactive Brokers4th
  5. Webull5th
  6. Trade Republic–
  7. Wealthsimple–
  8. Trading 212–
  9. eToro–
  10. Freetrade–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Charles Schwab5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Robinhood5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Fidelity5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Interactive Brokers4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Webull3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Trade Republic0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Wealthsimple0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Trading 2120 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • eToro0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Freetrade0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about retail investing and trading apps

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Charles Schwab or Freetrade more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Charles Schwab and Freetrade by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 retail investing and trading apps we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Charles Schwab and Freetrade among retail investing and trading apps worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Charles Schwab, Freetrade. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCharles SchwabRobinhoodTrade RepublicInteractive BrokersFidelityWealthsimpleTrading 212eToroWebullFreetradePublic
Oct 202535.5%20.1%8.8%7.3%6%5.2%5.1%7.4%4.1%0.48%0.05%
Nov 202533.8%23.3%8.4%7%7%5%4.8%7%3.2%0.45%0.05%
Dec 202535.3%20.1%10.6%7.3%7.3%5.2%4.2%6.1%3.4%0.4%0.06%
Jan 202635.5%16.7%10.7%7.3%7.5%5.5%5.4%7.4%3.4%0.59%0.05%
Feb 202637.4%17.6%9.2%6.3%6.5%8.6%4.4%6.4%3%0.51%0.05%
Mar 202634.9%16.6%8.6%5.9%6%13.5%5.1%6%2.8%0.48%0.05%
Apr 202635.5%16.8%8.7%6%7.4%12.8%4.4%5%2.8%0.48%0.06%
May 202638.6%15.3%11.6%7.9%6.7%6.1%4.7%5.4%3.1%0.43%0.06%
Jun 202637%17.9%13.6%6.2%6.4%5.7%4.5%5.2%2.9%0.35%0.05%
Jul 202635.9%17.6%13.2%7.4%7.6%5.6%4.4%5.1%2.9%0.28%0.05%
Aug 202634.8%20.2%12.8%7.2%7.3%5.3%4.3%4.9%2.8%0.33%0.05%
Sep 202637.4%17.8%11.2%7.7%6.3%5.6%5.3%5.2%2.9%0.51%0.05%

How has the Charles Schwab and Freetrade comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for retail investing and trading apps worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Charles Schwab gained share of searches among retail investing and trading apps worldwide, from 34.8% to 37.4%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Freetrade worldwide fell 17.5% over 12 measured months, from 55.1K to 45.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Charles Schwab’s and Freetrade’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Charles Schwab

1 branded search term

  • schwab app

Freetrade

6 branded search terms

  • Freetrade
  • freetrade app
  • freetrade investing
  • freetrade isa
  • freetrade sipp
  • freetrade uk app

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among retail investing and trading apps

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