M1 Finance vs Vanguard

M1 Finance is a commission-free investing app that allows you to choose your own investments. How does it compare to Vanguard? Read our comparison chart below.

M1 Finance offers automated investing with no commissions or trading fees. M1 lets you select your own investments and their automation will manage it for you. This is great for investors who want a say. The downside is that there are no human advisors. The minimum to start is just $100.

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

Compare M1 Finance with Vanguard, side-by-side.

	M1 Finance	Vanguard
	SPECIAL OFFER Commission Free Stock Trading - Learn More Read M1 Finance Review	Norton Internet Security 60-day free subscription - Learn More
	Benefits and Features
Stock Trading	$0	$0
Options Trading	No	$0 + $1-per-contract fee. Discounts available if you have more than $1 million assets invested in Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds
Annual Fee	A $3 monthly platform fee will apply to clients with less than $10,000 in M1 assets or without an active M1 Personal Loan.	$25
Cryptocurrency Trading	Yes
Minimum Deposit	$100 ($500 for IRAs, $5,000 for Trust Account)	$0
Mutual Fund Trading	No	$0 for Vanguard mutual funds
Commission Free ETFs	All U.S. listed ETFs	Around 1,800 ETFs from about 100 other companies
Phone Support	Monday - Friday 9:30 am to 4 pm EST
Live Chat Support	No
Email Support	Yes
Human Advisors	No
Assets Under Management	$4.5 Billion
Tax Loss Harvesting	No, but offers tax minimization features
Goal Tracker	No
Automatic Deposits	Yes
Broker Assisted Trades	Included	$25.00
Good For	DIY investing with passive portfolio management
Inactivity Fee	$50 (for accounts with $50 or less and no trading or deposit activity for 90+ days)	$0
Maintenance Fee	$3 monthly platform fee for accounts with less than $10,000 in M1 assets, or without an active M1 Personal Loan	$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
iPhone App	Yes (4.6 stars, 33.3k ratings)
Android App	Yes (4.5 stars, 15.7k ratings)
Banking		No
Mobile App		Yes
Desktop App		Yes
Two-Factor Authentication	Yes
Forex Trading		Yes
Futures Trading		No
Customer Service		Monday-Friday 8am -10pm ET
Locations	No	No
Online Community	No	No
Seminars	No	Yes
Trading Platform	Web Trading, Mobile Apps
Virtual Trading	No	No
Fractional Shares	Yes
Taxable Accounts	Yes
401k Plans	No
IRA Accounts	Yes
Roth IRA Accounts	Yes
SEP IRA Accounts	Yes
Trust Accounts	Yes
529 Plans	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews
Annual Fee
Minimum Deposit
Mobile App
Customer Service
Ease of Use
Research
Pros & Cons	Pros: Choose your own investments Can invest in individual stocks Morning and afternoon trade windows Cons: No research No human advisors Platform fee
Bottom Line	Commission-free investing app that allows you to choose your own investments... Read full review
	Commission Free Stock Trading M1 Finance Fees Invest Automatically with M1 Finance
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. M1 Finance: Pricing information from published website as of 12/26/2023. Vanguard: Pricing information from published websites as of 10/17/2023.

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing M1 Finance or Robinhood.

Articles on M1 Finance

M1 Finance Reviews

Is M1 Finance legitimate and safe? Find out the pros, cons, fees, and more. An essential read for beginners interested in M1 Finance.

Best M1 Finance Pie

M1 Finance is a commission-free investment app offering ready-made portfolios that are made up of "pies." What's the best M1 Finance Pie? Find out.

M1 Finance Alternatives

M1 Finance is a popular app for commission-free investing. But is there a better option for you? Find out in this detailed guide to M1 Finance alternatives.