Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Invest vs Vanguard UK Investor, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, CMC Invest offers better pricing than Vanguard UK Investor for share dealing.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
CMC Invest supports share dealing alongside ETFs, funds, and investment trusts. Vanguard UK Investor focuses on ETFs and funds only; it doesn’t offer share dealing or investment trusts. Neither platform offers crypto, CFD trading, corporate bonds or gilts, and neither provides adviser services.
For investment choice, UK.StockBrokers.com rates CMC Invest 4 stars and ranks it 14th of 21, while Vanguard UK Investor earns 3.5 stars and ranks 18th. If you want to pick individual shares or investment trusts as well as ETFs and funds, CMC Invest offers broader choice; if you mainly want low-cost funds and ETFs, Vanguard UK Investor covers the basics.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | No | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing CMC Invest and Vanguard UK Investor in terms of trading tools, both platforms fall short in offering advanced charting features. Neither broker provides the ability to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, or dividends on charts. Additionally, both CMC Invest and Vanguard UK Investor lack drawing tools, technical indicators, as well as the option to add notes or overlays to their charts. However, Vanguard UK Investor does have an advantage with its browser-based trading platform, which is not available with CMC Invest.
CMC Invest makes up for its lack of charting functionality by providing features like real-time market data and the ability to create alerts for stock price updates, adding a layer of responsiveness for active traders. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor doesn't support real-time market data or stock price alerts, which may be a consideration for those who prioritise timely information. Each platform has its unique features, so the choice largely depends on your specific needs and preferences in online trading.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | No | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | No | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
Catering to UK investors planning for retirement, both CMC Invest and Vanguard UK Investor offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs). These accounts are popular choices for tax-efficient savings and investment options. CMC Invest provides a flexible platform that allows investors to manage their ISAs and SIPPs efficiently, while Vanguard UK Investor is known for offering a range of low-cost funds that suit long-term retirement planning within these account types. Evaluating the platforms can help investors decide which broker aligns best with their financial goals and strategies.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Comparing CMC Invest vs Vanguard UK Investor for UK users: both offer iPhone and Android mobile apps. UK.StockBrokers.com rates each app 3.5 out of 5 stars, but CMC Invest ranks higher for Mobile Apps at 11th out of 21 brokers, while Vanguard UK Investor sits at 19th. If you need an iOS or Android app either provider delivers, yet CMC Invest edges ahead in the league table despite identical star ratings.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
CMC Invest vs Vanguard UK Investor for beginner education in the UK: neither runs live client webinars, but Vanguard offers on-demand recordings while CMC does not. CMC covers share trading and retirement basics but lacks funds education; Vanguard focuses on funds and retirement, but not share trading. UK.StockBrokers.com rates CMC at 2.5/5 (ranked 15th of 21) and Vanguard at 3.5/5 (ranked 17th of 21), so Vanguard scores higher on quality while CMC ranks slightly better overall. Choose Vanguard for funds guidance and recordings, or CMC for share-trading lessons.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
Comparing the market research features of online brokers CMC Invest and Vanguard UK Investor, UK investors will find clear trade-offs: CMC Invest offers shares, ETF and fund research but lacks research reports for funds, bond research, and a view of portfolio allocation by asset class; Vanguard UK Investor provides ETF and fund research, formal research reports for funds, and an easy way to see your portfolio split by asset class, but does not offer shares research and also lacks bond research. Choose CMC Invest if you want stock insights, or Vanguard if you value fund reports and simple asset allocation tracking.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, CMC Invest or Vanguard UK Investor? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found CMC Invest to be a better trading platform overall.
CMC Invest offers commission-free trading of U.K.-listed shares and U.S. equities via a mobile app only. Though a newer entrant to the U.K. share dealing market and currently somewhat limited, it’s powered by global contender CMC Markets, making it likely that its offerings will expand.
| Feature |
CMC Invest
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Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
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Both CMC Invest and Vanguard UK Investor do not offer crypto trading, highlighting a gap in their services for investors interested in cryptocurrency options.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | CMC Invest Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1 | £500 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | |||
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £0 - £250,000 | £83.88 / £131.88 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £250K-£500K | £83.88 / £131.88 | £375 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £500,000 - £1m | £83.88 / £131.88 | £375 | |
| Annual Platform Fee (Funds): £1m and over | £83.88 / £131.88 | £375 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | 0.02% to 0.14% | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £0 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £0 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | No | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No | No |
| Research | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | No | Yes |
| Education | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | CMC Invest | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Mobile App |
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| Education |
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| Review | CMC Invest Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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