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