Stash vs Vanguard Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)
Stash 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 | Stash | Vanguard |
|---|---|---|
| Website | https://www.stash.com/ | https://investor.vanguard.com/ |
| Broker Type | Subscription-based digital brokerage | Full-Service |
| Trading: Stock & ETF? | Yes | Yes |
| ETF & Stock commission | $0 trade commission; $12/month subscription plan | $0 online |
| Fractional Shares? | Yes | Yes; eligible Vanguard ETFs/dollar-based trading |
| Percent Allocations? | No | Yes; Vanguard Digital Advisor/asset-allocation tools |
| Crypto Trading? | No (crypto ETFs only) | No |
| Crypto Fees | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Options Trading? | No | Yes |
| Options Fee | Not applicable | $1/contract |
| Bond Trading Available? | No | Yes; Treasuries, bonds, and CDs |
| Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? | Yes | No |
| Interface: Web trading? | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop trading? | No | No |
| API Trading? | No | No |
| Mutual Funds: Offered? | No | Yes |
| Total Mutual Funds | None | Over 3,000 |
| NTF Mutual Funds | None | Over 1,800 |
| Non-NTF Fund Fee | Not applicable | $20 online for transaction-fee funds; $0 for NTF funds |
| Early Redemption Fee? | Not applicable | No |
| Redemption Hold (Days) | Not applicable | 60 days |
| Early Redemption Fee | Not applicable | $50 |
| Accounts: Margin Accounts? | No | Yes |
| IRAs Offered? | Yes; Traditional and Roth | Yes; Traditional, Roth, SEP, Rollover, and Custodial |
| HSAs Offered? | No | No |
| Money Market Sweep? | Yes; Apex FDIC-insured sweep | Yes; settlement-fund/cash-deposit sweep |
| CDs Offered? | No | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor: Offered | Yes | Yes |
| Robo-Advisor Service | Smart Portfolio | Vanguard Digital Advisor |
| Robo-Advisor Fees | $12/month plan; 0.25% of managed balance quarterly (>= $1,000) | 0.20% all-index; 0.25% active/index mix |
| Basics: Headquarters | New York, NY | Valley Forge, PA |
| Year Founded | 2015 | 1975 |
| Clearing Firm | Apex Clearing | Vanguard Brokerage Services |
| Local Branches? | No | No; phone/online service |
| New Account Minimum |
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