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TradeStation vs Vanguard 2024

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

August 06, 2024

Is TradeStation better than Vanguard? After testing 18 of the best online brokers, our analysis finds that TradeStation (81.7%) is better than Vanguard (80.3%). TradeStation supports casual traders through its web-based platform and active traders through its desktop platform. We like the web-based platform and mobile app, but the flagship desktop platform could use a refresh.

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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxMerrill Edge
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  • 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
Overall Rating TradeStation Vanguard
Overall 4/5 Stars 4/5 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 4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 3/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 3.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 3.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review TradeStation Review Vanguard Review
Broker Screenshots TradeStation Vanguard
Trading Platform & Tools Gallery (click to expand)
Research Gallery (click to expand)
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees TradeStation Vanguard
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $0.01 info $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $14.95 Varies info
Options (Per Contract) $0.60 $1.00
Futures (Per Contract) $1.50 (Not offered)
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $25 $25 info
Margin Rates TradeStation Vanguard
Margin Rate Under $25,000 13.5% 13.75% info
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 13.5% 13.25%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 12.5% 12.75%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 12.5% 12.25%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 12.5% 11.75%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 8% info 10.5%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 8% info Varies info
Account Fees TradeStation Vanguard
IRA Annual Fee $35.00 $25.00 info
IRA Closure Fee $50.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $125.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $125.00 $100.00 info
Options Exercise Fee $14.95 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee $5.95 $0.00
Investment Options TradeStation Vanguard
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares info No No info
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 4 4
Futures Trading info Yes No
Forex Trading info No No
Crypto Trading info No No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 0
Mutual Funds (No Load) info 800 N/A
Mutual Funds (Total) info 4000 N/A
Bonds (US Treasury) info Yes Yes
Bonds (Corporate) info Yes Yes
Bonds (Municipal) info Yes Yes
Traditional IRAs info Yes Yes
Roth IRAs info Yes Yes
Advisor Services info No Yes
International Countries (Stocks) info 0 0
Order Types TradeStation Vanguard
Order Type - Market info Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit info Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours info Yes Yes
Order Type - Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop info Yes No
Order Type - OCO info Yes No
Order Type - OTO info Yes No
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes Yes
Beginners TradeStation Vanguard
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info No No
Education (Options) info Yes No
Education (Mutual Funds) info No No
Education (Bonds) info No No
Education (Retirement) info No Yes
Retirement Calculator info No Yes
Investor Dictionary info No No
Paper Trading info Yes No
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes No
Webinars (Archived) info Yes No
Progress Tracking info No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info No No
Stock Trading Apps TradeStation Vanguard
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info No No
Trading - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours info Yes No
Trading - Simple Options info Yes No
Trading - Complex Options info Yes No
Order Ticket RT Quotes info Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes info Yes No
Stock App Features TradeStation Vanguard
Market Movers (Top Gainers) info Yes No
Stream Live TV info No No
Videos on Demand info No No
Stock Alerts info Yes No
Option Chains Viewable info Yes No
Watch List (Real-time) info Yes No
Watch List (Streaming) info Yes No
Watch Lists - Create & Manage info Yes No
Watch Lists - Column Customization info Yes No
Stock App Charting TradeStation Vanguard
Charting - After-Hours info Yes No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info No No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 45 0
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons info No No
Trading Platforms TradeStation Vanguard
Active Trading Platform info TradeStation 10 N/A
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info No No
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Trade Journal info No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 341 9
Stock Chart Features TradeStation Vanguard
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 294 9
Charting - Drawing Tools info 23 0
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades info Yes No
Charting - Corporate Events info Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Date Range info Yes No
Charting - Custom Time Bars info Yes No
Charting - Automated Analysis info Yes No
Charting - Save Profiles info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info Yes No
Charting - Study Customizations info 12 1
Charting - Custom Studies info Yes No
Day Trading TradeStation Vanguard
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes No
Streaming TV info No No
Direct Market Routing - Stocks info Yes No
Ladder Trading info Yes No
Trade Hot Keys info Yes No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info Yes No
Short Locator info Yes No
Order Liquidity Rebates info Yes No
Research Overview TradeStation Vanguard
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info No Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info No Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info No Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds info No Yes
Screener - Bonds info No Yes
Misc - Portfolio Allocation info Yes Yes
Stock Research TradeStation Vanguard
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 0 2
Stock Research - Earnings info No Yes
Stock Research - Insiders info No No
Stock Research - Social info No No
Stock Research - News info Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG info No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings info No No
ETF Research TradeStation Vanguard
ETFs - Strategy Overview info No No
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info No No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info No No
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets info No No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info No No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings info No No
ETFs - Sector Exposure info No No
ETFs - Risk Analysis info No No
ETFs - Ratings info No No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap info No No
ETFs - PDF Reports info No No
Mutual Fund Research TradeStation Vanguard
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview info No Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart info No Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis info No Yes
Mutual Funds - Prospectus info No Yes
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown info No Yes
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings info No Yes
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation info No No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation info No Yes
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation info No No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info No Yes
Options Trading TradeStation Vanguard
Option Chains - Basic View info Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View info Yes No
Option Chains - Streaming info Yes No
Option Chains - Total Columns info 29 9
Option Chains - Greeks info 5 0
Option Chains - Quick Analysis info Yes No
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes No
Option Probability Analysis info Yes No
Option Probability Analysis Adv info Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks info Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming info Yes No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis info Yes No
Option Positions - Rolling info Yes No
Option Positions - Grouping info Yes No
Banking TradeStation Vanguard
Bank (Member FDIC) info No No
Checking Accounts info No No
Savings Accounts info No No
Credit Cards info No No
Debit Cards info No No
Mortgage Loans info No No
Customer Service TradeStation Vanguard
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) info Yes Yes
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) info Yes No
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes No
24/7 Support info No No
Overall TradeStation Vanguard
Overall 4/5 Stars 4/5 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 4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 3/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 3.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review TradeStation Review Vanguard Review
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TradeStation vs Vanguard Comparison

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. We spend hundreds of hours each year testing the platforms, mobile apps, trading tools and general ease of use among online brokerages, as well as comparing commissions and fees, to find the best online broker.

Though many U.S. brokers offer basic trading features, such as an app, charting tools, stock research and educational content, the depth of those features can vary widely. Let's compare TradeStation vs Vanguard.

Is TradeStation or Vanguard better for beginners?

In stock trading, the more you know, the better you’ll do. Taking advantage of resources like articles, webinars, videos and interactive elements is a great way to shorten the learning curve. In our analysis, we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials.

For 2024, our review finds that TradeStation offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than Vanguard. TradeStation offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks) and Education (Options), while Vanguard offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks) and Education (Retirement). Neither have Education (ETFs), Education (Mutual Funds) and Education (Bonds).

What about TradeStation vs Vanguard pricing?

TradeStation and Vanguard charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Option contracts are pricier at Vanguard, costing $1.00 per contract versus $0.60 per contract at TradeStation. For futures, TradeStation charges $1.50 per contract and Vanguard charges (Not offered) per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading or options trading guides.

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

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that TradeStation offers a more comprehensive offering than Vanguard. TradeStation ranks #5 out of 18 brokers for our Investment Options category, while Vanguard ranks #9.

TradeStation offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Futures Trading, 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, TradeStation and Vanguard both provide customers access to 0 no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds.

Do TradeStation and Vanguard offer cryptocurrency?

In our analysis of top U.S. brokerages, we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum. Though crypto has risen steadily in popularity, availability still varies from broker to broker. Our review finds that neither TradeStation or Vanguard offer crypto trading.

Which trading platform is better: TradeStation or Vanguard?

To compare the day trading platforms of TradeStation and Vanguard, we focused on trading tools and functionality across both web and desktop-based platforms. Popular day trading platform tools include streaming real-time quotes, stock alerts, trading hotkeys, direct market routing, streaming time and sales, customizable watch lists, backtesting, and fully functional charting packages, among many others. For day trading, TradeStation offers a better experience.

Does TradeStation or Vanguard offer a better stock trading app?

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of TradeStation and Vanguard, we found TradeStation to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. TradeStation ranks #8 out of 18 brokers, while Vanguard ranks #18.

TradeStation Trading App Gallery

Vanguard Trading App Gallery

Which broker is better for researching stocks?

For research, Vanguard offers superior market research than TradeStation. TradeStation ranks #10 and Vanguard ranks #9.

Over the years, we've found that the best brokers provide rich market commentary, a variety of third-party research reports, and thorough quote screens that are not just easy to navigate, but that also include a comprehensive selection of fundamental data. Robust stock, ETFs, and mutual fund screeners are also must-haves for trade idea generation.

How do TradeStation and Vanguard compare in terms of minimum deposit required?

TradeStation requires a minimum deposit of $0.00, while Vanguard requires a minimum deposit of $0.00. From our testing, we found that SoFi is the only broker that requires a minimum deposit.

Which broker offers better margin rates for accounts under $25,000?

TradeStation charges 13.5% for accounts under $25,000 while Vanguard charges a margin rate of 13.75%. The industry average of the 18 brokers we track is 9%.

Does TradeStation offer fractional shares? Does Vanguard?

Fractional shares are not offered by either broker. Our research has found that 54% of brokers offer fractional shares investing. Fractional shares allow traders to buy a part of a whole share of stock. For example, if Amazon is trading at $1,000, you could buy half a share for $500.

Can you trade penny stocks with TradeStation or Vanguard?

Both TradeStation and Vanguard allow you to trade penny stocks. TradeStation charges $0.01 per trade while Vanguard charges $0.00. Penny stocks are companies whose shares trade for under $5 and are listed over the counter (OTC). For brokers that do offer penny stock trades, the average commission is $3.

Does either broker offer banking?

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Neither TradeStation nor Vanguard offers Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans. Neither have Mortgage Loans.

Which broker offers stronger customer service?

StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research group Confero to conduct phone tests from locations across the United States to thoroughly evaluate the quality and speed of brokerage customer service. (Read more about How We Test.) Here are the results of our current testing.

TradeStation was rated 7th out of 13 brokers, with an overall score of 7.98 out of 10.

Vanguard was rated 6th out of 13 brokers, with an overall score of 8.33 out of 10.

Is TradeStation good?

TradeStation supports casual traders through its web-based platform and active traders through its desktop platform. We like the web-based platform and mobile app, but the flagship desktop platform could use a refresh.

In the 2024 StockBrokers.com Annual Awards, TradeStation placed among Best in Class for Day Trading, Futures Trading, Investment Options, and Penny Stock Trading.

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.

TradeStation vs Vanguard Winner

Overall winner: TradeStation

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