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Vanguard Alternatives

Written by
Fact checked by
Adam N.
Updated
Jan 2024
Our top alternative brokers to Vanguard

The best alternatives to Vanguard are

  1. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing - US-based discount broker
  2. Ally Invest - US stockbroker
  3. Merrill Edge - US discount broker
  4. Fidelity - US stockbroker

Let's see in a bit more detail how the Vanguard alternatives compare to Vanguard and each other:

Vanguard alternatives comparison
Overall score
4.3 stars 4.5 stars 4.5 stars 4.6 stars 4.7 stars
Fees score
4.1 stars 4.5 stars 4.3 stars 4.2 stars 3.5 stars
Account opening score
4.4 stars 5.0 stars 4.4 stars 5.0 stars 4.4 stars
Deposit and withdrawal score
1.8 stars 1.6 stars 1.5 stars 1.6 stars 3.8 stars
Web platform score
3.4 stars 2.9 stars 4.0 stars 4.3 stars 4.5 stars
Markets and products score
2.6 stars 2.1 stars 2.4 stars 2.4 stars 3.6 stars
Visit broker Visit broker Visit broker Visit broker Visit broker

Why are these brokers considered good alternatives to Vanguard? There are many areas based on which Vanguard can be compared with others. When we say a given online broker is a good alternative to Vanguard we mean these brokers are comparable in the following areas:

  • The products they offer, meaning you can buy mostly the same things, i.e. stocks, CFDs, options, etc.
  • The type of clients they target, i.e. beginners, experienced investors, or day traders.

Vanguard alternatives recommendations

Brokers are different in a number of ways, which means each of them may be suitable for different people. Here's how they compare overall:

  • Vanguard is recommended for long-term investors looking for great etf and mutual fund selection
  • J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is recommended for beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the us stock market
  • Ally Invest is recommended for investors and traders looking for low fees and focusing on the us market
  • Merrill Edge is recommended for investors and traders looking for low fees, quick account opening and simple platforms
  • Fidelity is recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research and great trading platforms

Important factors of finding Vanguard alternatives

So far BrokerChooser has reviewed 101 online brokers in detail, which gives this comparison a solid starting point.

Not only that, but all of these brokers are reviewed using the exact same broker review methodology, which makes everything easily comparable. For each broker, we

  • open a live account
  • check over 100 criteria, with weighting based on readers' preferences
  • refresh data regularly

Whether Vanguard or one of its alternatives is the best choice for you is on the following five broker characteristics that most interest people:

Fees. There are different types of fees that your online brokerage may charge, and both the number and the size of these fees may vary significantly from broker to broker. Both of these aspects can impact your returns and your overall experience. Vanguard is one of the cheaper brokers, so if this is an important consideration for you, make sure you pick a similarly low-cost Vanguard alternative.

Deposit/withdrawal. The number of ways that you can deposit or withdraw money to or from your account matters a lot. For example, while you cannot make a deposit with your credit card at Vanguard, some alternatives might allow you to do that.

Web trading platform. While online brokers are usually available on various platforms like mobile apps, tablet apps or desktop software, most people use them through their web platform in a browser. User-friendly trading platforms that offer many different resources can significantly increase your trading comfort.

Markets and products. A lot of people have specific products they would like to invest in. Knowing whether stocks, forex, mutual funds, and other products are available at the given Vanguard alternative is a must.


Now let's dive into the details of how Vanguard and its alternatives perform in the most important areas!

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing

Recommended for beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the US stock market

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J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs. Vanguard: Trading fees
US stock
$0.0
$0.0
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs. Vanguard: Minimum deposit, time to open an account
Minimum deposit
$0
$0
Time to open account
1 day 1-3 days

If you are interested more in J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing minimum deposit, this overview will help you.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs. Vanguard: Withdrawal options
Bank transfer
Yes Yes
Credit/debit card
No No
Electronic wallets
No No
Withdrawal fee
$0
$0
Web trading platform of J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing, a Vanguard alternative
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs. Vanguard: Trading platform scores
Web platform score
2.9 stars 3.4 stars
Mobile platform score
3.9 stars 4.4 stars
Desktop platform score
- -

Learn more about J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing's web trading platform in the detailed J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing review.

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J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs. Vanguard: Markets and products
Stocks
Yes Yes
ETFs
Yes Yes
Forex
No No
Funds
Yes
Yes
Bonds
Yes Yes
Options
Yes Yes
Futures
No No
CFDs
No No
Crypto
No No

Ally Invest

Recommended for investors and traders looking for low fees and focusing on the US market

Visit broker

Ally Invest vs. Vanguard: Trading fees
US stock
$0.0
$0.0
Ally Invest vs. Vanguard: Minimum deposit, time to open an account
Minimum deposit
$0
$0
Time to open account
1-3 days 1-3 days

If you are interested more in Ally Invest minimum deposit, this overview will help you.

Ally Invest vs. Vanguard: Withdrawal options
Bank transfer
Yes Yes
Credit/debit card
No No
Electronic wallets
No No
Withdrawal fee
$0
$0
Web trading platform of Ally Invest, a Vanguard alternative
Ally Invest vs. Vanguard: Trading platform scores
Web platform score
4.0 stars 3.4 stars
Mobile platform score
4.0 stars 4.4 stars
Desktop platform score
- -

Learn more about Ally Invest's web trading platform in the detailed Ally Invest review.

Visit broker

Ally Invest vs. Vanguard: Markets and products
Stocks
Yes Yes
ETFs
Yes Yes
Forex
No No
Funds
Yes Yes
Bonds
Yes Yes
Options
Yes Yes
Futures
No No
CFDs
No No
Crypto
No No

Merrill Edge

Recommended for investors and traders looking for low fees, quick account opening and simple platforms

Visit broker

Merrill Edge vs. Vanguard: Trading fees
US stock
$0.0
$0.0
Merrill Edge vs. Vanguard: Minimum deposit, time to open an account
Minimum deposit
$0
$0
Time to open account
1 day 1-3 days

If you are interested more in Merrill Edge minimum deposit, this overview will help you.

Merrill Edge vs. Vanguard: Withdrawal options
Bank transfer
Yes Yes
Credit/debit card
No No
Electronic wallets
No No
Withdrawal fee
$0
$0
Web trading platform of Merrill Edge, a Vanguard alternative
Merrill Edge vs. Vanguard: Trading platform scores
Web platform score
4.3 stars 3.4 stars
Mobile platform score
4.8 stars 4.4 stars
Desktop platform score
4.3 stars -

Learn more about Merrill Edge's web trading platform in the detailed Merrill Edge review.

Visit broker

Merrill Edge vs. Vanguard: Markets and products
Stocks
Yes Yes
ETFs
Yes Yes
Forex
No No
Funds
Yes Yes
Bonds
Yes Yes
Options
Yes Yes
Futures
No No
CFDs
No No
Crypto
No No

Fidelity

Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research and great trading platforms

Visit broker

Fidelity vs. Vanguard: Trading fees
US stock
$0.0
$0.0
UK stock
$11.3
-
German stock
$20.5
-
Fidelity vs. Vanguard: Minimum deposit, time to open an account
Minimum deposit
$0
$0
Time to open account
1-3 days 1-3 days

If you are interested more in Fidelity minimum deposit, this overview will help you.

Fidelity vs. Vanguard: Withdrawal options
Bank transfer
Yes Yes
Credit/debit card
No No
Electronic wallets
Yes No
Withdrawal fee
$0
$0
Web trading platform of Fidelity, a Vanguard alternative
Fidelity vs. Vanguard: Trading platform scores
Web platform score
4.5 stars 3.4 stars
Mobile platform score
5.0 stars 4.4 stars
Desktop platform score
4.3 stars -

Learn more about Fidelity's web trading platform in the detailed Fidelity review.

Visit broker

Fidelity vs. Vanguard: Markets and products
Stocks
Yes Yes
ETFs
Yes Yes
Forex
No No
Funds
Yes Yes
Bonds
Yes Yes
Options
Yes Yes
Futures
No No
CFDs
No No
Crypto
Yes
No

Vanguard

Recommended for long-term investors looking for great ETF and mutual fund selection

Vanguard alternatives trading fees
US stock
$0.0
$0.0
$0.0
$0.0
$0.0
Vanguard alternatives minimum deposit and account open times
Minimum deposit
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Time to open account
1-3 days 1 day 1-3 days 1 day 1-3 days

Learn more about Vanguard minimum deposit here.

Vanguard and alternatives withdrawal options and fees
Bank transfer
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Credit/debit card
No No No No No
Electronic wallets
No No No No Yes
Withdrawal fee
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Vanguard - Web trading platform
Vanguard and alternatives trading platform scores
Web platform score
3.4 stars 2.9 stars 4.0 stars 4.3 stars 4.5 stars
Mobile platform score
4.4 stars 3.9 stars 4.0 stars 4.8 stars 5.0 stars
Desktop platform score
- - - 4.3 stars 4.3 stars

Learn more about Vanguard's web trading platform in the detailed Vanguard review.

Vanguard and alternatives markets and products
Stocks
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
ETFs
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Forex
No No No No No
Funds
Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Bonds
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Options
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Futures
No No No No No
CFDs
No No No No No
Crypto
No No No No Yes

Bottom line

Based on our analysis, there are several good alternatives to Vanguard. They all offer similar products and target similar customers. Here's a recap of the results in a table.

Vanguard alternatives
Broker intro
Recommended for
US stockbroker Long-term investors looking for great ETF and mutual fund selection
US-based discount broker Beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the US stock market
US stockbroker Investors and traders looking for low fees and focusing on the US market
US discount broker Investors and traders looking for low fees, quick account opening and simple platforms
US stockbroker Investors and traders looking for solid research and great trading platforms

Still unsure? Use our broker finder and find the best broker for you or learn more about investing your money.

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Author of this article

Edith Balázs

Fiscal Fables Storyteller | Forex • Safety • Financial Journalism

I bring 20+ years of experience as a correspondent having worked for Bloomberg, Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal covering macroeconomics, stock, currency and fixed-income markets. I hold a Master's degree in American Studies and Journalism.

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.

Our top alternative brokers to Vanguard

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Ally Invest

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