Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of eToro vs Vanguard UK Investor, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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, eToro offers better pricing than Vanguard UK Investor for share dealing.
Assuming a £30,000 portfolio size, here are the total annual costs for share dealing with both brokers, given different monthly activity scenarios.
5 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - eToro would cost $50 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost £500 per year.
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.
For UK investors seeking a broad spectrum of trading options, eToro and Vanguard UK Investor present distinct choices. eToro shines with its comprehensive platform offering share trading, cryptocurrency trading, and CFD trading, along with a selection of ETFs. Although it lacks in providing fund trading and bonds, its versatile trading opportunities earn it a 4.5-star rating for investment choices from UK.StockBrokers.com, positioning it 15th in a lineup of 18 brokers.
Vanguard UK Investor, on the other hand, specializes in funds and ETFs, without options for share, crypto, or CFD trading, leading it to receive a 3.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com. While both platforms do not support spread betting, corporate bonds, government bonds, or investment trusts, Vanguard UK Investor ranks 18th among 18 brokers for investment choices. Investors should carefully consider these distinctions to align their trading goals with the right platform.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No |
| Investment Trusts | No | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
|
|
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
For UK investors seeking advanced trading tools, eToro clearly surpasses Vanguard UK Investor in several aspects. While neither platform displays corporate events like earnings, splits, or dividends on charts, eToro provides a rich set of 56 drawing tools and 106 technical indicators for in-depth chart analysis, a stark contrast to Vanguard's lack of any chart drawing tools or technical indicators. Additionally, eToro allows users to enhance their charting experience with options to add notes, and overlay indices and stocks, which are features Vanguard UK Investor does not support.
When it comes to trading platforms, both eToro and Vanguard UK Investor deliver a browser-based experience, but eToro offers more dynamic functionalities. eToro provides the ability to create timely alerts for stock price updates, ensuring investors can act promptly, a feature absent in Vanguard UK Investor. Furthermore, eToro supplies real-time market data, offering up-to-the-minute financial information, while Vanguard leaves investors without this crucial live data feed.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 56 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When considering online brokers for retirement accounts in the UK, both eToro and Vanguard UK Investor offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), allowing you to invest up to a certain limit each year with tax advantages. However, if you're looking for a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), Vanguard UK Investor has an edge as it offers SIPP accounts, which are designed to give you more control over your pension investments and can help build a retirement fund with tax benefits. In contrast, eToro does not provide SIPP accounts, potentially limiting those looking to diversify their retirement investment options. This distinction could be crucial for UK investors aiming to balance immediate tax relief with long-term retirement growth.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors seeking a convenient trading experience on the go, both eToro and Vanguard UK Investor provide mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices. However, their user experience and ratings differ significantly. eToro's mobile app is highly rated with a top score of 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 5th out of 18 brokers for mobile app performance. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor's mobile app receives a modest 3.5-star rating, placing them at 19th in the same ranking. eToro appears to offer a more user-friendly and efficient mobile trading experience compared to Vanguard UK Investor.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK seeking educational resources, eToro and Vanguard UK Investor offer distinct advantages. eToro excels in share trading education, boasting a high 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com and ranking 11th out of 18 brokers, though it lacks webinars. Meanwhile, Vanguard UK Investor shines in providing resources on funds and retirement, and offers archived webinars for learning at your convenience, though it holds a slightly lower 3.5-star rating and ranks 17th. Choose eToro for a strong start in share trading, or Vanguard for comprehensive insights into funds and retirement planning.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing eToro to Vanguard UK Investor for market research features, there are distinct differences that cater to varied investor needs. eToro shines with its research capabilities in shares, ETFs, and CFDs, making it a strong choice for those interested in these areas. However, it lacks research support for funds and bonds. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor offers comprehensive fund research, which might appeal to fund-focused investors, but does not provide insights into shares or CFDs. Both platforms allow users to view portfolio allocation by asset class, and while they each support ETFs research, neither offers bond research. These differences highlight the unique strengths of each platform in delivering tailored market insights.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | No |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, eToro or Vanguard UK Investor? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found eToro to be a better trading platform overall.
eToro offers a wide range of assets and instruments and is well-known for its ‘social trading’ approach. It has among the lowest fees and best mobile app experiences of brokers we tested in the U.K., and offers a great starting point for those new to stock trading. Our analysis finds it better suited to short-term traders than long-term investors.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
|
| Investment Choices |
|
|
| Mobile App |
|
|
| Website |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
When comparing online brokers, eToro provides the advantage of offering cryptocurrency trading, unlike Vanguard UK Investor, which does not support crypto trading options.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | eToro Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | No | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | No | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No | |
| Investment Trusts | No | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | £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) | £0 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | N/A | £108 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £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 | N/A | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
|
| |
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Platforms & Tools | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 56 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | eToro | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Charges & Fees |
|
| |
| Investment Choices |
|
| |
| Mobile App |
|
| |
| Website |
|
| |
| Ease of Use |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Review | eToro Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading 212 Review
Interactive Brokers Review
Hargreaves Lansdown Review
XTB Review
IG Group Review
eToro Review
Saxo Review
CMC Invest Review
Freetrade Review
Halifax Review
Vanguard Review