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Vanguard vs Sofi Invest 2023

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Written by StockBrokers.com

April 11, 2023

Is Vanguard better than Sofi Invest? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, Vanguard (71.94%) is better than Sofi Invest (67.99%). 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.

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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxE*TRADE
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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFidelity
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Overall RatingVanguardSofi Invest
Overall 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 2.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 2/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 2.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Customer Service 3/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Vanguard Review Sofi Invest Review
Trading FeesVanguardSofi Invest
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $5.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) $0.00 N/A
Mutual Fund Trade Fee Varies $0
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $1.00 $0.00
Futures (Per Contract) N/A $0.00
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $25 $0
Margin RatesVanguardSofi Invest
Margin Rate Under $25,000 13.25% info 8.50%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 12.75% 8.50%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 12.25% 8.50%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 11.75% 8.50%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 11.25% 8.50%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 10.00% 8.50%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 Varies info 8.50%
Account FeesVanguardSofi Invest
IRA Annual Fee $20.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee $0.00 $20.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $0.00 $75.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) $0.00 $75.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $5.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $5.00
Investment OptionsVanguardSofi Invest
Stock Trading Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares No Yes
OTC Stocks Yes Yes
Options Trading Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs 4 0
Futures Trading No No
Forex Trading No No
Crypto Trading No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 0 30
Mutual Funds (No Load) N/A 0
Mutual Funds (Total) N/A 0
Bonds (US Treasury) Yes No
Bonds (Corporate) Yes No
Bonds (Municipal) Yes No
Advisor Services Yes No
International Countries (Stocks) 0 0
Order TypesVanguardSofi Invest
Order Type - Market Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop Yes No
Order Type - Trailing Stop No No
Order Type - OCO No No
Order Type - OTO No No
Order Type - Broker Assisted Yes No
BeginnersVanguardSofi Invest
Education (Stocks) Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) No Yes
Education (Options) No Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) No Yes
Education (Bonds) No Yes
Education (Retirement) Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator Yes No
Investor Dictionary No Yes
Paper Trading No No
Videos Yes No
Webinars No Yes
Webinars (Archived) No Yes
Progress Tracking No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes No No
Stock Trading AppsVanguardSofi Invest
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Apple Watch App No No
Trading - Stocks Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours No Yes
Trading - Simple Options No No
Trading - Complex Options No No
Order Ticket RT Quotes Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes No No
SB Gallery - Mobile Apps
Stock App FeaturesVanguardSofi Invest
Market Movers (Top Gainers) No Yes
Stream Live TV No No
Videos on Demand No No
Stock Alerts No No
Option Chains Viewable No No
Watch List (Real-time) No Yes
Watch List (Streaming) No No
Watch Lists - Create & Manage No No
Watch Lists - Column Customization No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 9 3
Stock App ChartingVanguardSofi Invest
Charting - After-Hours No No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally No No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 0 0
Charting - Study Customizations No No
Charting - Stock Comparisons No No
Trading PlatformsVanguardSofi Invest
Active Trading Platform N/A 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 9 3
Stock Chart FeaturesVanguardSofi Invest
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 9 0
Charting - Drawing Tools 0 0
Charting - Notes No No
Charting - Index Overlays Yes No
Charting - Historical Trades No No
Charting - Corporate Events Yes No
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 0
Charting - Custom Studies No No
Day TradingVanguardSofi Invest
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 OverviewVanguardSofi Invest
Research - Stocks Yes No
Research - ETFs Yes No
Research - Mutual Funds Yes No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB Yes No
Research - Bonds Yes No
Screener - Stocks Yes No
Screener - ETFs Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds Yes No
Screener - Bonds Yes No
Misc - Portfolio Allocation Yes Yes
Stock ResearchVanguardSofi Invest
Stock Research - PDF Reports 2 0
Stock Research - Earnings Yes No
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 ResearchVanguardSofi Invest
ETFs - Strategy Overview No Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date No No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio No Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets No No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings No No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings No Yes
ETFs - Sector Exposure No No
ETFs - Risk Analysis No No
ETFs - Ratings No No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap No No
ETFs - PDF Reports No No
Mutual Fund ResearchVanguardSofi Invest
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis Yes No
Mutual Funds - Prospectus Yes No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings No No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown Yes No
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings Yes No
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation No No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation Yes No
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation No No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap Yes No
Options TradingVanguardSofi Invest
Option Chains - Basic View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View No No
Option Chains - Streaming No No
Option Chains - Total Columns 9 0
Option Chains - Greeks 0 0
Option Chains - Quick Analysis No No
Option Analysis - P&L Charts No No
Option Probability Analysis No No
Option Probability Analysis Adv No No
Option Positions - Greeks No No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming No No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis No No
Option Positions - Rolling No No
Option Positions - Grouping No No
BankingVanguardSofi Invest
Bank (Member FDIC) No Yes
Checking Accounts No Yes
Savings Accounts No Yes
Credit Cards No Yes
Debit Cards No Yes
Mortgage Loans No Yes
Customer ServiceVanguardSofi Invest
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) Yes Yes
Email Support Yes No
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) No Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) No Yes
24/7 Support No No
OverallVanguardSofi Invest
Overall 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 2.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 2/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 2.5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Vanguard Review Sofi Invest Review
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Vanguard vs Sofi Invest 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 Vanguard vs Sofi Invest.

Is Vanguard or Sofi Invest better for beginners?

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

What about Vanguard vs Sofi Invest pricing?

Vanguard and Sofi Invest 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 Sofi Invest. For a complete commissions summary, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does Vanguard or Sofi Invest offer a wider range of investment options?

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

Which trading platform is better: Vanguard or Sofi Invest?

To compare the trading platforms of Vanguard and Sofi Invest, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Sofi Invest offers a better experience. With research, Vanguard offers superior market research. Finally, we found Sofi Invest 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. neither of these are offered by Vanguard while Sofi Invest offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans.

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.

Is Sofi Invest good?

SoFi Invest offers a wide range of services, including access to cryptocurrencies, IPOs and automated investing. It is relatively easy to use, and gets high marks for its mobile app. However, its lack of research, as well as its lagging education and trading tools, leave it a step behind industry leaders.

Vanguard vs Sofi Invest Winner

Overall winner: Vanguard

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