menuclose
StockBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn how we make money.

Robinhood vs Vanguard 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

February 23, 2023

Is Robinhood better than Vanguard? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, Robinhood (83.65%) is better than Vanguard (71.94%). Robinhood is very easy to use and its educational content is a joy to read. But, in today’s competitive market for your investing dollars, there are several more compelling options among brokerages.

Select Brokers

❯×
× Robinhood

Get a free stock when you sign up.

Visit Site

× Vanguard
Sponsored

+ Add Broker

Close Menu ×
navigate_before navigate_next
Overall RatingRobinhoodVanguard
Overall 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 3.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Research 2.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Customer Service N/A 3/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Robinhood Review Vanguard Review
Trading FeesRobinhoodVanguard
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) N/A $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee N/A 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 N/A $25
Margin RatesRobinhoodVanguard
Margin Rate Under $25,000 11.25% info 12.75%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 11.25% info 12.25%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 11.25% info 11.75%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 11.25% info 11.25%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 11.25% info 10.75%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 11.25% info 9.50%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 11.25% info Varies
Account FeesRobinhoodVanguard
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $20.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $100.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) $100.00 $0.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $0.00
Investment OptionsRobinhoodVanguard
Stock Trading Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares Yes 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 17 0
Mutual Funds (No Load) 0 N/A
Mutual Funds (Total) 0 N/A
Bonds (US Treasury) No Yes
Bonds (Corporate) No Yes
Bonds (Municipal) No Yes
Advisor Services No Yes
International Countries (Stocks) 0 0
Order TypesRobinhoodVanguard
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 No No
Order Type - OTO No No
Order Type - Broker Assisted No Yes
BeginnersRobinhoodVanguard
Education (Stocks) Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) No No
Education (Options) Yes No
Education (Mutual Funds) No No
Education (Bonds) No No
Education (Retirement) No Yes
Retirement Calculator No Yes
Investor Dictionary Yes No
Paper Trading No No
Videos No Yes
Webinars No No
Webinars (Archived) No No
Progress Tracking No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes No No
Stock Trading AppsRobinhoodVanguard
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
Stock App FeaturesRobinhoodVanguard
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) No No
Watch Lists - Create & Manage Yes No
Watch Lists - Column Customization Yes No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 3 9
Stock App ChartingRobinhoodVanguard
Charting - After-Hours Yes No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally No No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 6 0
Charting - Study Customizations Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons No No
Trading PlatformsRobinhoodVanguard
Active Trading Platform 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 3 9
Stock Chart FeaturesRobinhoodVanguard
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 6 9
Charting - Drawing Tools 0 0
Charting - Notes No No
Charting - Index Overlays No Yes
Charting - Historical Trades No No
Charting - Corporate Events No 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 1 1
Charting - Custom Studies No No
Day TradingRobinhoodVanguard
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 OverviewRobinhoodVanguard
Research - Stocks Yes Yes
Research - ETFs Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds No Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB Yes Yes
Research - Bonds No Yes
Screener - Stocks No Yes
Screener - ETFs No Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds No Yes
Screener - Bonds No Yes
Misc - Portfolio Allocation Yes Yes
Stock ResearchRobinhoodVanguard
Stock Research - PDF Reports 0 2
Stock Research - Earnings Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders No No
Stock Research - Social No No
Stock Research - News Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings No No
ETF ResearchRobinhoodVanguard
ETFs - Strategy Overview Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets No No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings Yes No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings Yes No
ETFs - Sector Exposure Yes No
ETFs - Risk Analysis No No
ETFs - Ratings No No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap No No
ETFs - PDF Reports No No
Mutual Fund ResearchRobinhoodVanguard
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview No Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart No Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis No Yes
Mutual Funds - Prospectus No Yes
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings No No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown No Yes
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings No Yes
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation No No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation No Yes
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation No No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap No Yes
Options TradingRobinhoodVanguard
Option Chains - Basic View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View No No
Option Chains - Streaming Yes No
Option Chains - Total Columns 17 9
Option Chains - Greeks 5 0
Option Chains - Quick Analysis Yes No
Option Analysis - P&L Charts Yes No
Option Probability Analysis No No
Option Probability Analysis Adv No No
Option Positions - Greeks Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming Yes No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis No No
Option Positions - Rolling Yes No
Option Positions - Grouping Yes No
BankingRobinhoodVanguard
Bank (Member FDIC) No No
Checking Accounts No No
Savings Accounts No No
Credit Cards No No
Debit Cards Yes No
Mortgage Loans No No
Customer ServiceRobinhoodVanguard
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) No 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
OverallRobinhoodVanguard
Overall 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 3.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Research 2.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Robinhood Review Vanguard Review
  • 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

Compare

0 of 5
arrow_upward

Robinhood 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 Robinhood vs Vanguard.

Is Robinhood or Vanguard better for beginners?

Vanguard offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginner investors than Robinhood. Robinhood offers investors access to Education (Stocks) and Education (Options), 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 Robinhood vs Vanguard pricing?

Robinhood 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 Robinhood. For a complete commissions summary, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

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

Robinhood offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading and OTC Stocks, while Vanguard offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Advisor Services. Neither have Futures Trading and Forex Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, Robinhood and Vanguard both provide customers access to 0 no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds.

Which trading platform is better: Robinhood or Vanguard?

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

Is Robinhood good?

Robinhood is very easy to use and its educational content is a joy to read. But, in today’s competitive market for your investing dollars, there are several more compelling options among brokerages.

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.

Robinhood vs Vanguard Winner

Overall winner: Robinhood

Read Next

Explore our other online trading guides:

More Comparisons

Robinhood vs J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Robinhood vs tastytrade Robinhood vs eToro Robinhood vs Interactive Brokers Robinhood vs Merrill Edge Robinhood vs Webull Vanguard vs E*TRADE Vanguard vs TradeStation Vanguard vs TD Ameritrade Vanguard vs Ally Invest Vanguard vs Robinhood Vanguard vs Tradier

Show all

Was this helpful?
Yes or No

close
navigate_before navigate_next