TD Ameritrade vs Vanguard

TD Ameritrade is a good online broker for long-term investors. How does it compare to Vanguard? Read our comparison chart below.

TD Ameritrade offers $0 commission online stock, ETF, and option trades. This online broker also has more than 100 branch locations. There is no minimum deposit, no maintenance fee, and no inactivity fee.

While Vanguard offers $0 commission on stock and ETF online trades, $0 commission on Vanguard mutual funds, and no minimum deposit.

Compare TD Ameritrade with Vanguard, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

	TD Ameritrade	Vanguard
	OFFER Commission-Free Trading - Online Stock, ETF and Option Trades - Learn More Read TD Ameritrade Review	Norton Internet Security 60-day free subscription - Learn More Read Vanguard Review
	Benefits and Features
Stock Trading	$0 commission for online stock, ETF, and option trades	$0
Options Trading	$0.65 per contract	$0 + $1-per-contract fee. Discounts available if you have more than $1 million assets invested in Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds
Cryptocurrency Trading	Yes
Minimum Deposit	$0	$0
Mutual Fund Trading	Up to $49.95 or $74.95 for buys. $0 for sells	$0 for Vanguard mutual funds
Commission Free ETFs	550+ Commission-Free ETFs	Around 1,800 ETFs from about 100 other companies
Live Chat Support	Yes
Penny Stocks
Broker Assisted Trades	$25	$25.00
Customer Service	(800) 669-3900 (Open 24/7)	Monday-Friday 8am -10pm ET
Inactivity Fee	$0	$0
Maintenance Fee	$0	$20/year. Waived if account owner signs up for e-delivery service OR have at least $10,000 in Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds
Online Platform	Yes
Banking	Cash Management account offers free ATM withdrawals, no monthly maintenance fees, free online bill pay, and free check writing.	No
Mobile App	Yes	Yes
Desktop App	Thinkorswim	Yes
Forex Trading	Yes	Yes
Futures Trading	$2.25 per contract (plus exchange & regulatory fees)	No
Bond Trading	Yes
CFD Trading	No
Currency Trading	Yes
Locations	More than 100 locations in 34 states	No
Online Community		No
Seminars	Online webcast	Yes
Trading Platform	thinkorswim
Virtual Trading	Yes	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews
Stock Trading
Options Trading
Banking
Mobile App
Commissions and Fees
Ease of Use
Online Community
Research
Trading Platform
Mutual Fund Trading
Pros & Cons	Pros: Easy to Use Thinkorswim Platform Customer Service Cons: Trade Fees	Pros: Large selection of mutual funds and commission-free ETFs Broker assistance is available at no additional cost Easy to use Cons: Commission structure penalizes frequent traders Customer service wait times Commission costs on non-Vanguard investment options
Bottom Line	Good online broker for long-term investors... Read full review	Good choice for ETF and mutual fund investors interested in Vanguard-sponsored investments... Read full review
	Commission-Free Trading - Online Stock, ETF and Option Trades Open an IRA in 15 minutes or less
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. TD Ameritrade: Pricing information from published website as of 09/05/2023. Vanguard: Pricing information from published websites as of 09/15/2019.

Which is Better: TD Ameritrade or Vanguard?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing TD Ameritrade or Robinhood.

In short: TD Ameritrade's mobile app and research are impressive.

Articles on TD Ameritrade

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Articles on Vanguard

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Vanguard Brokerage may be a full-service broker, but typically long-term investors preferring ETFs and mutual funds see the greatest return on their investment with them.