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Vanguard app Review 2024

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Vanguard app

As more and more traders and investors use their smartphones for trading, it is increasingly important that brokers offer easy-to-use apps that can deliver the same services as desktop platforms.

In this article we'll check whether Vanguard's mobile app ticks all the boxes.

Overall, we rate the user-friendliness of the app as better than average.

Vanguard mobile app vs. similar brokers
Mobile app rating (5 is the best)
4.4 stars 3.9 stars 4.0 stars
User-friendliness
Great Great Great
2-step authentication
Yes No No
Biometric authentication
Yes Yes Yes

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We're going to take a closer look at search functions, price alerts and order types, so all the little details that determine whether a trading app is user-friendly or downright cumbersome. If you want to read our full review, including fees, deposit options and other platforms (like web and desktop) then skip to the Vanguard review.

Vanguard app

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Overall score
4.3/5
Minimum deposit
$0
Stock fee
Low
Options fee
Low
Inactivity fee
no
Account opening
1-3 days

Our main checklist for the Vanguard app

Let's start with the search functions. Although most brokers do OK in this area, there are some bad apples out there. For example, if you start typing 'Emerging markets', will the software find all the Emerging markets ETFs for you, even if their name doesn't start with 'emerging'? If you only ever traded US stocks and start typing 'Apple', will the AI show you the Apple stock or the obscure Irish stock Applegreen?

Vanguard got the green light, meaning its search functions are reasonably good.

Vanguard checklist
Search functions
Great Great Great
2-step authentication
Yes No No
Biometric authentication
Yes Yes Yes
Price alerts in the app
No No No
Confirmation after successful trade
Yes Yes Yes

You cannot set price alerts in the Vanguard app. Yes, you can use a third-party app for this, but wouldn't it be much easier to have it in the broker's own app?

Vanguard app search functions

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Checklist for nice-to-have features

For some people it might be a deal-breaker if you can't set up a trailing stop limit - we totally get that. Others couldn't care less and also don't get excited if the app is available in 25 languages. Anyway, here is our checklist of minor, nice-to-have features:

Vanguard has these order types available in its app: Market, Limit, Stop Limit, Stop.

At Vanguard you can use the following order terms & expiry in the app: Day, Good 'till canceled (60 days).

The Vanguard mobile app currently supports the following languages: English.

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The BC Award-winning brokers

Still unsure about your broker selection? Click here to see which free stock trading apps are the best.

Or you could take a peek at the best trading platform awards we gave to brokers serving European clients.

If you're not in the US or the EU you'll find this award the most interesting.

Let us know what you think in the comments section.

If you would like a tailored recommendation you can use our broker finder tool, or you can learn more about investing your money.

Check out this short video for a behind-the-scenes peek into how our experts personally test and evaluate brokers.

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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.

author
Edith Balázs
Author of this article
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.
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