Scottrade vs Vanguard

Scottrade is a solid choice for cost-conscious traders who are familiar with online investing. How does it compare to Vanguard? Read our comparison chart below.

Scottrade offers stock trades at $6.95 per trade and more than 275 branch office locations. There is a $2,500 minimum deposit, no maintenance fee and no inactivity fee.

While Vanguard offers low stock trade prices (starting at just $2) for investors with account balances over $500k. For those with smaller balances, it's best for less active traders, as trade prices go up after 25 trades/year. Vanguard offers 125+ no-transaction-fee mutual fees and 55+ commission-free ETFs. There is no minimum deposit and service fees can be waived by signing up for electronic statements.

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

	Scottrade	Vanguard
	SPECIAL OFFER Open an Account - Learn More Read Scottrade Review	Norton Internet Security 60-day free subscription - Learn More Read Vanguard Review
	Benefits and Features
Stock Trading	$6.95 per trade	Less than $50,000: $7 per trade for the first 25 trades per year, then $20. $50k - $500k: All trades $7. $500k - $1M: All trades $2. $1M - $5M: First 25 trades per year free, then $2. $5M+: First 100 trades per year free, then $2
Options Trading	$0 + $0.65 per contract	Less than $500,000: $7 + $1 per contract. $500,000+: $2 + $1 per contract
Minimum Deposit	$2,500 for brokerage accounts No account minimum for retirement accounts	$0
Mutual Fund Trading	No Fee to Buy/Sell/Exchange No-Load, No-Transaction Fee Funds $17 to Buy/Sell/Exchange No-Load Funds $0 to Buy Load Funds and $17 to Sell/Exchange Load Funds	$0 for no-transaction-fee funds. For transaction-fee funds: $20 for account balances less than $500,000; $8 for account balances $500,000+
Commission Free ETFs		Around 1,800 ETFs from about 100 other companies
Penny Stocks	$6.95 per trade + 0.5% principal for any stock trading under $1
Broker Assisted Trades	$25 + $0.65 fee per contract	$25.00
Customer Service	(800) 454-9272	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
Banking	Scottrade Bank has no monthly maintenance fees, ATM reimbursement program, online bill pay, and mobile banking.	No
Mobile App		Yes
Desktop App	ScottradeELITE (requires you execute 9 or more stock or option trades during the past 3 months, have $25,000 in your primary account, or have $15,000 in your primary account and combined linked assets of $25,000 or more)	Yes
Forex Trading		Yes
Futures Trading		No
Locations	More than 275 branch locations	No
Online Community		No
Seminars	In-person branch seminars, online events and live webinars	Yes
Virtual Trading	ScottradeELITE offers virtual trading	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews
Stock Trading
Options Trading
Customer Service
Banking
Mobile App
Commissions and Fees
Ease of Use
Research
Trading Platform
Mutual Fund Trading
Pros & Cons	Pros: Low per trade fees Physical locations Easy-to-navigate website Cons: No futures trading High broker-assisted fee	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	Solid choice for cost-conscious traders who are familiar with online investing... Read full review	Good choice for ETF and mutual fund investors interested in Vanguard-sponsored investments... Read full review
	Open an Account
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. Scottrade: TD Ameritrade has acquired Scottrade. Scottrade accounts will convert to TD Ameritrade on 2/26/2018. Pricing information from published website as of 04/05/2020 Vanguard: Pricing information from published websites as of 09/15/2019.

Which is Better: Scottrade or Vanguard?

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

In short: Scottrade's stock trading is noteworthy.

Articles on Scottrade

Scottrade Review
With low trade fees, excellent resources, and superior customer service, Scottrade is a highly trusted online broker. Read on for our in-depth review.
• Scottrade vs E*TRADE
• Scottrade vs Fidelity
• Scottrade vs TD Ameritrade

Articles on Vanguard

Vanguard Brokerage Review
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.
• Vanguard vs Charles Schwab
• Vanguard vs Betterment
• Vanguard vs Wealthfront

Which Do You Think is Best?

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