E*Trade vs Vanguard Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)
E*Trade and Vanguard are two leading discount brokerages offering commission-free stock and ETF trading. Use this head-to-head comparison table to evaluate fees, features, trading tools, and account options to help you decide which broker is right for you in 2026.
| Feature | E*Trade | Vanguard |
|---|---|---|
| Website | https://us.etrade.com/home | https://investor.vanguard.com/ |
| Broker Type | Online self-directed brokerage (Morgan Stanley; full-service advisors available) | Full-Service |
| Trading: Stock & ETF? | Yes | Yes |
| ETF & Stock commission | $0 online US-listed stocks/ETFs (OTC $6.95; other fees may apply) | $0 online |
| Fractional Shares? | Yes, select listed stocks/ETFs (up to 3 decimals, $5 min notional; expanding) | Yes; eligible Vanguard ETFs/dollar-based trading |
| Percent Allocations? | No (Prebuilt templates with suggested allocations; Core Portfolios managed) | Yes; Vanguard Digital Advisor/asset-allocation tools |
| Crypto Trading? | Yes; BTC, ETH, SOL via linked zerohash account for US individual brokerage clients. | No |
| Crypto Fees | 0.50% of notional value (no spread/markup); charged by zerohash (E*TRADE receives a portion). | Not applicable |
| Options Trading? | Yes | Yes |
| Options Fee | $0.65/contract ($0.50 with 30+ trades/quarter) plus regulatory/exchange fees. | $1/contract |
| Bond Trading Available? | Yes; 50,000+ bonds/CDs from many issuers. | Yes; Treasuries, bonds, and CDs |
| Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? | Yes (receives PFOF on NMS stocks, ETFs, and options). | No |
| Interface: Web trading? | Yes; E*TRADE web/app and Power E*TRADE web/app/desktop. | Yes |
| Desktop trading? | Yes, Power E*TRADE Pro (Windows/Mac download) | No |
| API Trading? | Yes (Developer Platform REST API; unattended algo orders prohibited) | No |
| Mutual Funds: Offered? | Yes | Yes |
| Total Mutual Funds | 5,000+ (6,000+ NTF listed on pricing) | Over 3,000 |
| NTF Mutual Funds | 6,000+ | Over 1,800 |
| Non-NTF Fund Fee | $0 online (no-load NTF); loads per prospectus | $20 online for transaction-fee funds; $0 for NTF funds |
| Early Redemption Fee? | Yes (no E*TRADE fee; fund fees may apply) | No |
| Redemption Hold (Days) | None (0 days); E*TRADE charges no short-term redemption fee (fund prospectus fees may apply) | 60 days |
| Early Redemption Fee | $0 from E*TRADE; fund prospectus redemption fees may apply | $50 |
| Accounts: Margin Accounts? | Yes | Yes |
| IRAs Offered? | Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, others) | Yes; Traditional, Roth, SEP, Rollover, and Custodial |
| HSAs Offered? | No | No |
| Money Market Sweep? | Yes (Bank Deposit Program / BDP) | Yes; settlement-fund/cash-deposit sweep |
| CDs Offered? | Yes | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor: Offered | Yes | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor Service | Core Portfolios | Vanguard Digital Advisor |
| Robo-Advisor Fees | 0.30% annual advisory fee ($500 min.) | 0.20% all-index; 0.25% active/index mix |
| Basics: Headquarters | Arlington, VA | Valley Forge, PA |
| Year Founded | 1982 | 1975 |
| Clearing Firm | Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC | Vanguard Brokerage Services |
| Local Branches? | No | No; phone/online service |
| New Account Minimum | $0 |
Once you’ve chosen a broker, find high-performing, investable model portfolios at RecipeInvesting.com
Picked a Broker? Now Build Your Perfect Portfolio
Find high-performing, investable model portfolios (Tactical, Strategic, and Managed) at RecipeInvesting.com.
Compare E*Trade to All Brokers
- Compare E*Trade to Ally Invest
- Compare E*Trade to Alpaca
- Compare E*Trade to Axos Invest
- Compare E*Trade to Charles Schwab
- Compare E*Trade to Fidelity
- Compare E*Trade to Firstrade
- Compare E*Trade to Interactive Brokers
- Compare E*Trade to M1 Finance
- Compare E*Trade to Merrill Edge
- Compare E*Trade to Public.com
- Compare E*Trade to Robinhood
- Compare E*Trade to SoFi Invest
- Compare E*Trade to SogoTrade
- Compare E*Trade to Stash
- Compare E*Trade to Tastytrade
- Compare E*Trade to Tradestation
- Compare E*Trade to Tradier
- Compare E*Trade to Vanguard
- Compare E*Trade to WeBull
- Compare E*Trade to ZacksTrade