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E*TRADE vs Vanguard 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

April 11, 2023

Is E*TRADE better than Vanguard? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, E*TRADE (96.39%) is better than Vanguard (71.94%). E*TRADE is a top-performing broker whose highlights include $0 trades, two excellent mobile apps and the Power E*TRADE platform. Crypto, however, is not available.

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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAlly Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxE*TRADE
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFidelity
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFirstrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxMerrill Edge
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxRobinhood
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSofi Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxtastytrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTD Ameritrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTradeStation
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTradier
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVanguard
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxWebull

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Overall RatingE*TRADEVanguard
Overall 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.0/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review E*TRADE Review Vanguard Review
Trading FeesE*TRADEVanguard
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) $6.95 info $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $0.00 Varies
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.65 $1.00
Futures (Per Contract) $1.50 N/A
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $25 $25
Margin RatesE*TRADEVanguard
Margin Rate Under $25,000 13.70% info 13.25% info
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 13.20% 12.75%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 12.70% 12.25%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 12.20% 11.75%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 11.70% 11.25%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 Varies info 10.00%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 Varies info Varies info
Account FeesE*TRADEVanguard
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $20.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $25.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) $75.00 $0.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $0.00
Investment OptionsE*TRADEVanguard
Stock Trading Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares No No
OTC Stocks Yes Yes
Options Trading Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs 4 4
Futures Trading Yes No
Forex Trading No No
Crypto Trading No No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 0 0
Mutual Funds (No Load) 6486 N/A
Mutual Funds (Total) 7242 N/A
Bonds (US Treasury) Yes Yes
Bonds (Corporate) Yes Yes
Bonds (Municipal) Yes Yes
Advisor Services Yes Yes
International Countries (Stocks) 0 0
Order TypesE*TRADEVanguard
Order Type - Market Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop Yes No
Order Type - OCO Yes No
Order Type - OTO Yes No
Order Type - Broker Assisted Yes Yes
BeginnersE*TRADEVanguard
Education (Stocks) Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) Yes No
Education (Options) Yes No
Education (Mutual Funds) Yes No
Education (Bonds) Yes No
Education (Retirement) Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary Yes No
Paper Trading Yes No
Videos Yes Yes
Webinars Yes No
Webinars (Archived) Yes No
Progress Tracking No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes Yes No
Stock Trading AppsE*TRADEVanguard
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Apple Watch App Yes No
Trading - Stocks Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours Yes No
Trading - Simple Options Yes No
Trading - Complex Options Yes No
Order Ticket RT Quotes Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes Yes No
SB Gallery - Mobile Apps
Stock App FeaturesE*TRADEVanguard
Market Movers (Top Gainers) Yes No
Stream Live TV Yes No
Videos on Demand No No
Stock Alerts Yes No
Option Chains Viewable Yes No
Watch List (Real-time) Yes No
Watch List (Streaming) Yes No
Watch Lists - Create & Manage Yes No
Watch Lists - Column Customization Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 95 9
Stock App ChartingE*TRADEVanguard
Charting - After-Hours Yes No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally Yes No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 10 0
Charting - Study Customizations Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons Yes No
Trading PlatformsE*TRADEVanguard
Active Trading Platform Power E*TRADE N/A
Desktop Trading Platform No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) No No
Web Trading Platform Yes Yes
Paper Trading Yes No
Trade Journal No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 95 9
Stock Chart FeaturesE*TRADEVanguard
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 119 9
Charting - Drawing Tools 31 0
Charting - Notes Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades Yes No
Charting - Corporate Events Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Date Range Yes No
Charting - Custom Time Bars No No
Charting - Automated Analysis Yes No
Charting - Save Profiles Yes No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis Yes No
Charting - Study Customizations 6 1
Charting - Custom Studies No No
Day TradingE*TRADEVanguard
Streaming Time & Sales Yes No
Streaming TV Yes No
Direct Market Routing - Stocks Yes No
Ladder Trading No No
Trade Hot Keys Yes No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks Yes info No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv No No
Short Locator No No
Order Liquidity Rebates No No
Research OverviewE*TRADEVanguard
Research - Stocks Yes Yes
Research - ETFs Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds Yes Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB Yes Yes
Research - Bonds Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds Yes Yes
Screener - Bonds Yes Yes
Misc - Portfolio Allocation Yes Yes
Stock ResearchE*TRADEVanguard
Stock Research - PDF Reports 6 2
Stock Research - Earnings Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders Yes No
Stock Research - Social Yes No
Stock Research - News Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings Yes No
ETF ResearchE*TRADEVanguard
ETFs - Strategy Overview Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings Yes No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings Yes No
ETFs - Sector Exposure Yes No
ETFs - Risk Analysis Yes No
ETFs - Ratings Yes No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap Yes No
ETFs - PDF Reports Yes No
Mutual Fund ResearchE*TRADEVanguard
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart No Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Prospectus Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings Yes No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation Yes No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation Yes No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap Yes Yes
Options TradingE*TRADEVanguard
Option Chains - Basic View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View Yes No
Option Chains - Streaming Yes No
Option Chains - Total Columns 31 9
Option Chains - Greeks 5 0
Option Chains - Quick Analysis Yes No
Option Analysis - P&L Charts Yes No
Option Probability Analysis Yes No
Option Probability Analysis Adv Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming Yes No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis Yes No
Option Positions - Rolling Yes No
Option Positions - Grouping Yes No
BankingE*TRADEVanguard
Bank (Member FDIC) Yes No
Checking Accounts Yes No
Savings Accounts Yes No
Credit Cards Yes No
Debit Cards Yes No
Mortgage Loans Yes No
Customer ServiceE*TRADEVanguard
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) Yes Yes
Email Support Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) No No
Live Chat (Current Customers) Yes No
24/7 Support Yes No
OverallE*TRADEVanguard
Overall 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review E*TRADE Review Vanguard Review
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E*TRADE vs Vanguard Comparison

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 17 brokerages to find the best online broker. Let's compare E*TRADE vs Vanguard.

Is E*TRADE or Vanguard better for beginners?

E*TRADE offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginner investors than Vanguard. E*TRADE offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement), while Vanguard offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks) and Education (Retirement). See our guide to Best Paper Trading Platforms for more.

What about E*TRADE vs Vanguard pricing?

E*TRADE and Vanguard charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Option contracts are pricier at Vanguard, costing $1.00 per contract versus $0.65 per contract at E*TRADE. For a complete commissions summary, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does E*TRADE or Vanguard offer a wider range of investment options?

E*TRADE offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading and Advisor Services, while Vanguard offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Advisor Services. Neither have Fractional Shares and Forex Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, Vanguard trails E*TRADE in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with E*TRADE offering 4377 and Vanguard offering .

Which trading platform is better: E*TRADE or Vanguard?

To compare the trading platforms of E*TRADE and Vanguard, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, E*TRADE offers a better experience. With research, E*TRADE offers superior market research. Finally, we found E*TRADE to provide better mobile trading apps.

Does either broker offer banking?

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans are offered by E*TRADE while Vanguard offers neither of these.

Is E*TRADE good?

E*TRADE is a top-performing broker whose highlights include $0 trades, two excellent mobile apps and the Power E*TRADE platform. Crypto, however, is not available.

Is Vanguard good?

Vanguard is aimed squarely at buy-and-hold investors, and its platform reflects that focus. Vanguard is known for its low-cost funds, and the investment platform is really built for those looking to invest solely in mutual funds and ETFs.

E*TRADE vs Vanguard Winner

Overall winner: E*TRADE

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