# Charles Schwab brokerage

10 Hacker News commenters recommended Charles Schwab brokerage and 11 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend Schwab for its smooth app, strong customer service and its place among top brokerages. Critics say it blocks some trades, such as foreign bonds, puts and shorts.

## Why people recommend it

- Named among top brokerages (3 comments): "A typical broker like Interactive Brokers, Charles Schwab etc. acts as a gateway to the market" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402188)) "the top brokers you would need Schwab, Fidelity, Trading212, Hood." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46013215)) "Instead just click buy in Robinhood or Schwab" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48028607))
- Smooth app and customer service (2 comments): "I think the Schwab app-for doing as many things as the Chase app, is a much smoother experience." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47143263)) "Schwab also has amazing customer service" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46543378))

## What people warn about

- Blocks some trades, like puts and shorts (3 comments): "it appears to be impossible to even trade in foreign bonds with traditional brokerage accounts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46709566)) "does not allow me to buy puts for this symbol" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47780748)) "schwab won't allow me to short it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48921221))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Robinhood](https://hackerapproved.com/p/robinhood.md): 16 recommend
- [Interactive Brokers](https://hackerapproved.com/p/interactive-brokers.md): 6 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.schwab.com/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Charles Schwab brokerage", https://hackerapproved.com/p/charles-schwab/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).