Charles Schwab Streetsmart Edge vs thinkorswim in 2026

StreetSmart Edge vs. thinkorswim

Charles Schwab offers two desktop platforms, StreetSmart Edge and thinkorswim, and each one comes with its own advantages and drawbacks. Here’s a closer look at these two advanced trading programs:

Enabling the Platforms

StreetSmart Edge is the standard platform for all Schwab brokerage accounts, so there is nothing extra to activate. thinkorswim serves as Schwab’s secondary platform, which means it has to be enabled before it can be used for live trading (paper trading on thinkorswim is always available without enabling it). A Schwab brokerage account can be activated for only one of the two platforms.





To activate thinkorswim, go to the Trade tab at the top of Schwab’s website and click the link for desktop thinkorswim. On the next page, scroll downward until you find the blue button that lets you enable thinkorswim.

Overview and Education

Edge is simpler to navigate and easier to learn, so it is the more approachable platform of the two. Even so, thinkorswim can definitely be mastered. Both platforms provide educational materials. On Edge, these resources are located under the Help tab in the upper-left corner. On thinkorswim, they appear under the Education tab.

Customization and Feel

Both platforms come with two color themes: light and dark. thinkorswim, unlike Edge, includes multiple versions of each. Once a layout theme has been selected, both programs offer many additional ways to personalize the workspace. Candlestick colors can be changed to many different shades, and plenty of other settings can be adjusted as well.

Fees and Minimums

Even with all of their advanced trading tools, neither Edge nor thinkorswim requires any account minimum. There is no monthly trading minimum and no minimum account balance, either. Both platforms are free to use, and market data on both platforms shows up automatically at no extra charge.

Free thinkorswim Account

thinkorswim On Schwab

Tradable Assets

Edge users can trade stocks, options, ETFs, and closed-end funds. thinkorswim users have the same lineup of securities plus futures and forex. These two asset classes are not available on Edge. Neither platform can trade mutual funds or bonds. Those two asset categories must be traded on the website (although the standard mobile app can place mutual fund orders).

Paper Trading

Because both platforms are fairly sophisticated, it can make sense to practice before sending a live trade with real money. Both platforms have demo modes that include the same tools normally found in live trading. On the login screens of both programs, practice trading can be selected. In that setup, the login creates virtual funds that can be used to place simulated trades.

Charting

On both platforms, charts include a wide assortment of tools, and full-screen mode is available. The greater number of bells and whistles will be found on thinkorswim. Here’s the breakdown:


Charts on both platforms include right-click menus packed with links, including trade links. We find Edge a little easier to work with because it has a vertical graphing menu in the column on the right.

Order Entry

Pressing a trade button or trade link anywhere on either platform fills in that platform’s order ticket. Edge has a separate button for sell short, while thinkorswim does not. But thinkorswim offers a larger selection of order types. We counted 16 order types there compared with Edge’s 5. Both order tickets include bracket orders.





The thinkorswim ticket also includes many more extra features. For instance, an order can be copied and pasted, printed, or captured as a screenshot in several file formats.

Watchlists

You can build, save, and edit an unlimited number of watchlists on either platform. A watchlist created on one platform cannot be transferred to the other, as the two systems remain separate. In addition, watchlists from Schwab’s website do not sync with either program, which is a bit annoying.

Free thinkorswim Account

thinkorswim On Schwab

Add-Ons

Both platforms offer a large number of widgets that can be added. On Edge, the correct place to find them is the Launch Tools tab. There, we found links to live-streaming financial news (from CNBC and Schwab Network) along with free technical analysis from Recognia.

On thinkorswim, add-ons are located under the plus sign in the lower-left corner. There, we found the same live-streaming financial news, along with a scratch pad and a few video games.