Originally Posted By: Vuflanovsky
Overall, I think Fidelity might be the best just due to their platform and the combination of commission/fees, ease of use, tools, and choices. I wouldn't put Vanguard in the top five - if you trade, they'll charge you $20 dollars a trade after 25 trades in a calendar year if you have less than 50K in Vanguard funds - something to be aware of if you don't have your portfolio or that amount with Vanguard.
In my opinion, Fidelity and Schwab are the two top houses in terms of online brokers that are more consumer-friendly and have depth of content and options. You may or may not need that, but if you need something on top of advisement, I think those two are the top choices for online brokers.
That is not true about Vanguard IRAs, it's $20 a year if you have under 10 grand, and those fees are waived if you sign up for online access and e-statements.
It's free to trade their ETFs. Stocks and non-vanguard funds are $7 a trade, and $20 after $ 25.