Merrill Edge vs Plum - BrokerCue
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Broker Comparison

Merrill Edge vs Plum

Compare Merrill Edge and Plum side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

Merrill Edge

Merrill Edge

Bank of America customers and long-term investors

Merrill Edge is a Bank of America brokerage offering commission-free stocks, ETFs and options, integrated ban…

VS
Plum

Plum

Automated savings and beginner investors

Plum is a UK savings and investment app that automates saving, offers ISA, SIPP, mutual funds, and 3,000+ ind…

Head-to-head comparison

Merrill Edge vs Plum
Feature Merrill Edge Plum
Minimum deposit - -
Stock trading fee $0 per online trade; broker-assisted: $29.95 2 free lifetime trades then: £0.50/trade (Basic), £0.15/trade (Plus), £0.05/trade (Boost), £0.00/trade (Max); FX fee 0.60% (Basic), 0.45% (Plus), 0.30% (Boost), 0.15% (Max) per trade
Regulators FINRA, SEC FCA
Best for Bank of America customers and long-term investors Automated savings and beginner investors
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
-
Bonds
-
Options
-
Funds
Margin
-
Money Market Funds
Ready Made Portfolios
Fractional Shares
-
Investment Plans
-
Isa
-
Sipp
-
Savings Vaults
-

Pros & cons

Merrill Edge

Merrill Edge

Pros

  • No commissions on online stock and ETF trades
  • No account minimum and no inactivity fee
  • Integrated with Bank of America banking via single login
  • BofA Rewards program offers banking perks for combined account holders
  • SIPC protection up to $500,000 plus additional Lloyd's of London coverage
  • MarketPro platform for active traders with Level II quotes
  • Extensive research tools and educational resources
  • Merrill Guided Investing robo-advisor available from $1,000

Cons

  • No fractional shares
  • No cryptocurrency trading
  • No futures or forex trading
  • No paper trading or demo account
  • Margin rates are high compared to some competitors
  • Mobile app options trading experience is limited
  • No-transaction-fee mutual fund list is smaller than some competitors
Plum

Plum

Pros

  • Free Basic plan with automated savings and stock access
  • Stocks and Shares ISA and SIPP available on paid tiers
  • Fractional stock investing from £1
  • 3,000+ individual US company stocks available
  • 26 curated mutual funds from Vanguard and BlackRock
  • FCA-regulated with FSCS protection up to £85,000 on investments
  • Automated savings powered by spending analysis
  • Multiple savings account types including Cash ISA and Lifetime ISA

Cons

  • Individual stocks cannot be held inside the Stocks and Shares ISA - only mutual funds are ISA-eligible, leaving stock gains potentially subject to capital gains tax
  • Only 26 mutual funds available, a narrower range than dedicated investment platforms
  • Stacked fees on paid tiers: subscription fee plus platform fee plus fund manager fee
  • Two free lifetime trades then a per-trade charge on Basic and Plus plans
  • Crypto available only for EU/Cyprus users via Bitpanda; not available to UK customers
  • No demo or practice account
  • Fund access requires a paid subscription; Basic plan is limited
Merrill Edge

Merrill Edge

Merrill Edge is a Bank of America brokerage offering commission-free stocks, ETFs and options, integrated banking rewards, and a robo-advisor service.

Visit Merrill Edge Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Plum

Plum

Plum is a UK savings and investment app that automates saving, offers ISA, SIPP, mutual funds, and 3,000+ individual stocks via a tiered subscription model.

Visit Plum Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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