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Firstrade vs Vanguard 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

February 23, 2023

Is Firstrade better than Vanguard? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, Firstrade (87.80%) is better than Vanguard (71.94%). Firstrade scored well in our 2023 Annual Review for ease of use, and is a great choice for Chinese-speaking investors. However, it lags behind the competition in certain areas, especially platforms, tools and education.

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Overall RatingFirstradeVanguard
Overall 4.5/5 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 3.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 3.0/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Firstrade Review Vanguard Review
Trading FeesFirstradeVanguard
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) $0.00 $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $0 Varies
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.00 $1.00
Futures (Per Contract) N/A N/A
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $19.95 $25
Margin RatesFirstradeVanguard
Margin Rate Under $25,000 11.50% 12.75%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 11.30% 12.25%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 10.80% 11.75%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 10.30% 11.25%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 10.00% 10.75%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 8.10% 9.50%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 7.50% Varies
Account FeesFirstradeVanguard
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $20.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $55.00 $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 OptionsFirstradeVanguard
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 No No
Forex Trading No No
Crypto Trading Yes No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 38 0
Mutual Funds (No Load) 13777 N/A
Mutual Funds (Total) 19027 N/A
Bonds (US Treasury) Yes Yes
Bonds (Corporate) Yes Yes
Bonds (Municipal) Yes Yes
Advisor Services No Yes
International Countries (Stocks) 0 0
Order TypesFirstradeVanguard
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
BeginnersFirstradeVanguard
Education (Stocks) Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) No No
Education (Options) Yes No
Education (Mutual Funds) No No
Education (Bonds) No No
Education (Retirement) Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary Yes No
Paper Trading No No
Videos Yes Yes
Webinars Yes No
Webinars (Archived) Yes No
Progress Tracking No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes No No
Stock Trading AppsFirstradeVanguard
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Apple Watch App No 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
Stock App FeaturesFirstradeVanguard
Market Movers (Top Gainers) Yes No
Stream Live TV No 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 50 9
Stock App ChartingFirstradeVanguard
Charting - After-Hours No No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally Yes No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 81 0
Charting - Study Customizations Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons No No
Trading PlatformsFirstradeVanguard
Active Trading Platform Firstrade Navigator N/A
Desktop Trading Platform No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) No No
Web Trading Platform Yes Yes
Paper Trading No No
Trade Journal No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 50 9
Stock Chart FeaturesFirstradeVanguard
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 102 9
Charting - Drawing Tools 8 0
Charting - Notes No No
Charting - Index Overlays Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades No No
Charting - Corporate Events Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Date Range No No
Charting - Custom Time Bars No No
Charting - Automated Analysis No No
Charting - Save Profiles No No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis No No
Charting - Study Customizations 6 1
Charting - Custom Studies No No
Day TradingFirstradeVanguard
Streaming Time & Sales No No
Streaming TV No No
Direct Market Routing - Stocks No No
Ladder Trading No No
Trade Hot Keys No No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv No No
Short Locator No No
Order Liquidity Rebates No No
Research OverviewFirstradeVanguard
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 ResearchFirstradeVanguard
Stock Research - PDF Reports 1 2
Stock Research - Earnings Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders Yes No
Stock Research - Social No No
Stock Research - News Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings Yes No
ETF ResearchFirstradeVanguard
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 ResearchFirstradeVanguard
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart Yes 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 TradingFirstradeVanguard
Option Chains - Basic View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View Yes No
Option Chains - Streaming No No
Option Chains - Total Columns 8 9
Option Chains - Greeks 5 0
Option Chains - Quick Analysis No No
Option Analysis - P&L Charts Yes No
Option Probability Analysis No No
Option Probability Analysis Adv Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks No No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming No No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis No No
Option Positions - Rolling Yes No
Option Positions - Grouping No No
BankingFirstradeVanguard
Bank (Member FDIC) No No
Checking Accounts Yes No
Savings Accounts No No
Credit Cards No No
Debit Cards Yes No
Mortgage Loans No No
Customer ServiceFirstradeVanguard
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) Yes Yes
Email Support Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) Yes No
Live Chat (Current Customers) Yes No
24/7 Support No No
OverallFirstradeVanguard
Overall 4.5/5 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 3.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Firstrade Review Vanguard Review
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Firstrade 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 Firstrade vs Vanguard.

Is Firstrade or Vanguard better for beginners?

Firstrade offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginner investors than Vanguard. Firstrade offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (Options) and Education (Retirement), while Vanguard offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks) and Education (Retirement). Neither have Paper Trading, Education (ETFs), Education (Mutual Funds) and Education (Bonds).

What about Firstrade vs Vanguard pricing?

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

Does Firstrade or Vanguard offer a wider range of investment options?

Firstrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks and Mutual Funds, while Vanguard offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Advisor Services. Neither have Fractional Shares, Futures Trading and Forex Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, Vanguard trails Firstrade in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with Firstrade offering 3767 and Vanguard offering .

Which trading platform is better: Firstrade or Vanguard?

To compare the trading platforms of Firstrade and Vanguard, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Firstrade offers a better experience. With research, Firstrade offers superior market research. Finally, we found Firstrade 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 and Debit Cards are offered by Firstrade while Vanguard offers none. Neither have Savings Accounts, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.

Is Firstrade good?

Firstrade scored well in our 2023 Annual Review for ease of use, and is a great choice for Chinese-speaking investors. However, it lags behind the competition in certain areas, especially platforms, tools and education.

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.

Firstrade vs Vanguard Winner

Overall winner: Firstrade

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