Fidelity By Andi Kurniawan on Sep 09, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Fidelity gets the highest scores for its excellent research tools, even though its commissions are higher than some other online brokers. Its website is easy to use, with a wide range of investment tools and calculators. Its customer service scores are also among the best in the business. Fidelity's base commission rates are $19.95 per market order, but there are no handling or maintenance fees. Although that's higher than a lot of online brokers, rates drop for those with high account balances or for very active traders. Fidelity has a minimum opening balance of $2,500.It also offers numerous branch offices throughout the country where clients can speak with a trained professional.