Does Charles Schwab have copy trading? What Schwab offers, and how to follow a Portfolio in a Schwab account

I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. People ask whether Schwab has copy trading. I looked through Schwab's own site on September 24, 2026, and I couldn't find a copy trading, social trading, or follow-another-investor feature on schwab.com, the Schwab app, or thinkorswim.

You can still follow a Portfolio in a Schwab account. It's something you add to Schwab rather than something Schwab does itself. Let me explain.

One thing first, because we're an SEC-registered investment adviser and I have to say it. Autopilot is the app. The actual investment advice comes from Autopilot Advisers, LLC. If you want the full legal version of anything in here, it's on our legal page.

1) What Schwab does offer

Schwab has plenty that's automated or managed, just not the follow-a-person kind.

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is its robo-advisor. Schwab's page says it "builds, monitors, and automatically rebalances a diversified portfolio based on your goals," starting at $5,000, with no advisory fee and no commissions. Schwab's disclosure adds that it doesn't charge the advisory fee partly because of the revenue Schwab Bank earns on the cash in those portfolios.

Schwab also offers professionally managed portfolios of funds, a direct indexing service, and wealth advisory, each with its own minimum. And it now offers fractional shares of most U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs from $1.

2) How outside apps connect to Schwab

Schwab lets approved third-party applications connect to accounts through its developer tools. The account holder logs in at Schwab and chooses which accounts to share. That consent step happens on Schwab's side, not the app's.

You manage that access in your Schwab profile, under security settings. And Schwab says plainly that what a third party does with your account is authorized by you, so Schwab's own promise to cover unauthorized activity doesn't apply to it. That's worth knowing about any app you connect, including ours.

3) Following a Portfolio in a Schwab account

With Autopilot, your Schwab account stays your Schwab account. You connect it, pick a Portfolio, and set how much follows it. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to send orders to the account you already have. When the Portfolio changes, we send them and your broker fills them. The money stays put.

A few Schwab specifics from our help center. Some Schwab accounts need an extra form, a limited power of attorney. Schwab allows us to place trades from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, and not before or after hours. Schwab accounts on Autopilot don't trade fractional shares, so small allocations hold whole shares only. And trades settle the next business day, so buying and selling with unsettled cash can get an account restricted.

The full setup is in How Autopilot works with your Charles Schwab account.

4) Copy trading or following

I'll use the words people search for. What people call copy trading is what we call following a Portfolio. You're never trading at the same time as the Pilot, and your holdings won't match theirs exactly.

So for a Schwab customer, the real question is whether you want a Portfolio followed inside the account you already have. More in Can I automate my Schwab account?.

5) How following works

Pick a Portfolio, connect the brokerage you already use, and allocate money. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to send orders to the account you already have. When the Portfolio changes, we send them and your broker fills them. The money stays put.

A flat cash subscription, not a percentage of your balance. Per our Form CRS dated February 2026, Basic Tier has no Base Advisory and Licensing Fee, and Premium Tier is $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter or $99.99 to $699.99 a year. Pilot subscriptions are separate and add on for each Pilot you subscribe to. Because it's a flat dollar amount, it's a bigger share of a small account than a big one, so do the math at your balance.

TLDR: Schwab doesn't have a copy trading or social trading feature that I could find on its site. It has a robo-advisor, managed portfolios, direct indexing, and fractional shares. To follow a Portfolio in a Schwab account, connect it to Autopilot. Schwab keeps holding the money, and you can revoke access in your Schwab security settings.

Frequently asked questions

Does Charles Schwab have copy trading?

I couldn't find a copy trading or social trading feature on schwab.com, the Schwab app, or thinkorswim as of September 24, 2026. Schwab offers a robo-advisor, managed portfolios, direct indexing, and fractional shares. To follow a Portfolio in a Schwab account, you can connect it to Autopilot, and Schwab keeps holding your money.

Charles Schwab copy trading

Schwab doesn't offer a feature for copying other investors, as far as its own site shows. What people call copy trading is something you add to a Schwab account: connect it to Autopilot, pick a Portfolio, and allocate money. Autopilot Advisers sends orders when the Portfolio changes, and Schwab fills them.

How can I follow a portfolio inside my Schwab account?

Connect your Schwab account to Autopilot, pick a Portfolio, and set how much follows it. Some Schwab accounts need a limited power of attorney form. Schwab lets Autopilot trade from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, Schwab accounts on Autopilot hold whole shares only, and you can revoke access in your Schwab security settings.

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Since Autopilot Advisers is an SEC-registered investment adviser, we have to put disclaimers on stuff like this. They're below, and the full version is on our legal page.

Disclosures

© Autopilot Holdings Corporation 2026 — All rights reserved. “Autopilot” refers to Autopilot Holdings Corporation and its wholly-owned, and separately managed subsidiaries, including Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. All investing is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested, and past performance is not indicative of future results. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important information at joinautopilot.com/legal.

This information is provided by Autopilot for educational and illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation, an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy any security. Autopilot relies on information from various sources believed to be reliable, including information from Clients, Pilots and other third parties, but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information. Autopilot does not provide tax or legal advice and you are encouraged to consult with professionals before making investment decisions.

Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by the companies listed, described, or featured on its site. Company logos or trademarks used do not imply endorsement and are the property of their respective owners.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon before investing through Autopilot.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Autopilot is available in our Form ADV Part 2A, available at adviserinfo.sec.gov or joinautopilot.com/adv.

Autopilot provides limited investment advisory services focused on Portfolio selection and suitability assessment. Our services are not intended to replace comprehensive financial planning. We recommend consulting with a qualified financial advisor regarding your complete financial situation.

This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. You should consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult with qualified tax and legal professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not hold client assets. All investments are held at the brokerage firm you select and connect to Autopilot. Your brokerage firm is responsible for trade execution, custody, and reporting. Autopilot is not responsible for your broker-dealer’s services, fees, or execution quality.

Autopilot’s services depend on technology systems, third-party APIs, and internet connectivity. System outages, API disruptions, or connectivity issues may temporarily affect service availability or trade execution timing.

Client account holdings are designed to track the Portfolio you’ve selected, but your actual holdings and performance may differ from the Portfolio due to execution timing, market conditions, brokerage capacity constraints, fractional share availability, and other factors outside Autopilot’s control.

For Portfolios inspired by publicly disclosed trading activity, there may be a delay between when a Pilot executes a trade and when that trade becomes publicly available and is incorporated into the Portfolio. This timing delay may affect the suitability or performance of trades when executed in client accounts.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. is not affiliated with Autopilot and has not endorsed it. Descriptions of Schwab's products are based on schwab.com as read on September 24, 2026, and may change. Schwab-specific trading details are from Autopilot's help center. Fee amounts are quoted from Form CRS dated February 2026 and may change.