Robinhood vs Vanguard Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)
Robinhood 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 | Robinhood | Vanguard |
|---|---|---|
| Website | https://robinhood.com/ | https://investor.vanguard.com/ |
| Broker Type | Online discount brokerage (mobile app, web, Legend) | Full-Service |
| Trading: Stock & ETF? | Yes | Yes |
| ETF & Stock commission | $0 commissions (SEC/FINRA sell fees may apply) | $0 online |
| Fractional Shares? | Yes ($1 min; most NMS stocks/ETFs) | Yes; eligible Vanguard ETFs/dollar-based trading |
| Percent Allocations? | No | Yes; Vanguard Digital Advisor/asset-allocation tools |
| Crypto Trading? | Yes (US-wide via Robinhood Crypto, LLC; all states, DC, PR, USVI) | No |
| Crypto Fees | MM routing: $0 commissions (RH rebate in spread); exchange routing: 0.00-0.95% volume-tiered maker/taker; transfers $0 + network fees | Not applicable |
| Options Trading? | Yes | Yes |
| Options Fee | $0 commissions for stock/ETF options; $0.35 Gold/$0.50 non-Gold per index contract plus regulatory/exchange fees | $1/contract |
| Bond Trading Available? | No (individual bonds/fixed-income not supported; bond ETFs/CEFs available) | Yes; Treasuries, bonds, and CDs |
| Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? | Yes (receives PFOF/rebates from market makers for equities, options, and crypto) | No |
| Interface: Web trading? | Yes (web including Legend browser platform; iOS/Android mobile apps) | Yes |
| Desktop trading? | No; Robinhood Legend is a free browser-based (web) platform, not downloadable. | No |
| API Trading? | Yes for crypto (official US Crypto Trading API); no official stocks/equities trading API. | No |
| Mutual Funds: Offered? | No | Yes |
| Total Mutual Funds | 0 | Over 3,000 |
| NTF Mutual Funds | 0 | Over 1,800 |
| Non-NTF Fund Fee | N/A | $20 online for transaction-fee funds; $0 for NTF funds |
| Early Redemption Fee? | N/A | No |
| Redemption Hold (Days) | N/A | 60 days |
| Early Redemption Fee | N/A | $50 |
| Accounts: Margin Accounts? | Yes | Yes |
| IRAs Offered? | Yes (Traditional and Roth; no SEP) | Yes; Traditional, Roth, SEP, Rollover, and Custodial |
| HSAs Offered? | No | No |
| Money Market Sweep? | Yes | Yes; settlement-fund/cash-deposit sweep |
| CDs Offered? | No | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor: Offered | Yes (Robinhood Strategies hybrid managed portfolios) | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor Service | Robinhood Strategies | Vanguard Digital Advisor |
| Robo-Advisor Fees | 0.25% AUM/yr; Gold ($5/mo): 0% over $100k ($250/yr cap). $50 min. ETF expenses extra. | 0.20% all-index; 0.25% active/index mix |
| Basics: Headquarters | Menlo Park, CA | Valley Forge, PA |
| Year Founded | 2013 | 1975 |
| Clearing Firm | Robinhood Securities, LLC | Vanguard Brokerage Services |
| Local Branches? | No | No; phone/online service |
| New Account Minimum | $0 |
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