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Vanguard

Best for: Buy-and-hold index fund investors

$1.00

Options / contract

$0

To open

$25

Yearly fee

As of · sources in Details

Four young friends, seen from behind, sit on a big driftwood log on a quiet beach, watching the sun set over the sea.

Pros

  • $0 online stock and ETF trades
  • Home of many low-cost index funds
  • $25 account fee is easy to avoid with e-delivery

Cons

  • Options cost more per contract than at most others here
  • Basic platform and research
  • No fractional shares of individual stocks, per reviewers

Who it fits

You plan to buy index funds and leave them alone

What reviewers say

Reviewers see Vanguard as a natural home for buy-and-hold index investing. The platform is basic, research is limited, and there are no fractional shares of individual stocks.

Paraphrased from NerdWallet, Vanguard review; NerdWallet, Best brokers for beginner investors.

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Details: full breakdown and sources

The numbers

Online US stock & ETF trades
$0As of · source
Options, per contract
$1.00For clients with under $1 million at Vanguard.As of · source
Minimum to open
$0As of · source
Annual account fee
$25Waived if you choose e-delivery of statements and documents.As of · source

The breakdown

The company behind many popular low-cost index funds, with a no-frills brokerage built for buy-and-hold investing.

Vanguard charges $0 for online stock and ETF trades. Options cost $1 per contract for clients with under $1 million at Vanguard, and there's no minimum to open an account.

Vanguard may charge a $25 annual account service fee, which it waives when you sign up for e-delivery of statements and documents. Fees and commissions follow a schedule tied to how much you have at Vanguard, effective July 10, 2026.

Review themes, point by point

  • Reviewers see Vanguard as a leader in low-cost index funds and ETFs, and a natural home for a buy-and-hold approach.
  • Order execution quality and the interest on uninvested cash get good marks.
  • The trading platform is described as basic, with limited research.
  • Reviewers note there are no fractional shares for individual stocks.

Reviews reflect each publisher's view on the day they wrote it.

All pros

  • $0 online stock and ETF trades
  • Home of many low-cost index funds
  • $25 account fee is easy to avoid with e-delivery

All cons

  • Options cost more per contract than at most others here
  • Basic platform and research
  • No fractional shares of individual stocks, per reviewers

Might fit if

  • You plan to buy index funds and leave them alone
  • You're happy with a simple, no-frills site

Maybe look elsewhere if:

  • You trade options or want rich research tools