Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Fidelity International 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, Vanguard UK Investor offers better pricing than Fidelity International 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 - Fidelity International would cost £127.50 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - Fidelity International would cost £108 or £180 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - Fidelity International would cost £144 or £360 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - Fidelity International would cost £270 or £990 per year, while Vanguard UK Investor would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - Fidelity International would cost £1000 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.
When comparing investment choices between Fidelity International and Vanguard UK Investor, Fidelity International offers more diverse options for UK investors. While both firms provide ETF and fund trading, Fidelity International has the edge with additional services like share trading and investment trusts. Vanguard UK Investor, on the other hand, lacks several of these key options, which might limit investors seeking a wide range of trading assets.
Fidelity International not only offers broader investment choices but also scores higher in user ratings, with a 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, compared to Vanguard's 3.5 stars. Furthermore, Fidelity holds a better ranking for investment choices, coming in at 12th out of 21 brokers, while Vanguard sits at 18th. This distinction may be crucial for UK investors prioritizing variety and flexibility in their trading activities.
| Feature |
Fidelity International
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | ||
| Advisor Services | Yes | |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Fidelity International and Vanguard UK Investor cater to UK investors with their online trading tools, but Fidelity appears to provide a richer set of features for those who want detailed insights and enhanced trading capabilities. Fidelity International distinguishes itself with the ability to display corporate events like earnings and stock splits directly on charts, offering investors a clearer picture of potential market movements. While Vanguard UK Investor lacks drawing and technical indicator tools, Fidelity International provides five drawing tools and 21 technical indicators for a more thorough analysis. Moreover, Fidelity allows users to add index and stock overlays, helping them build context around their investments, though this functionality is not available with Vanguard UK.
Both platforms offer browser-based trading, which ensures convenient access from any device, but Fidelity gives its users the additional edge of creating alerts for stock price updates. This helps investors respond swiftly to market changes, a feature that Vanguard UK Investor does not provide. While real-time market data capabilities are not specified for both brokers, Fidelity International’s overall offering appears stronger for traders who value detailed and interactive charting functionalities.
| Feature |
Fidelity International
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 21 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 5 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
Fidelity International and Vanguard UK Investor both provide Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), making them suitable choices for UK investors planning for retirement. Fidelity International offers a user-friendly platform with various investment options to manage your ISA and SIPP effectively. Similarly, Vanguard UK Investor also enables access to both ISAs and SIPPs, with a straightforward approach focusing on simplicity and low-cost index and mutual funds. Both brokers cater to UK residents looking to invest tax-efficiently and prepare for retirement, but your choice may depend on specific investment needs and preferences in fund selection and platform usability.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Comparing the mobile apps of Fidelity International and Vanguard UK Investor for UK investors, both brokers offer apps for iPhone and Android devices, helping users manage their investments on the go. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Fidelity International's mobile app earns a 4-star rating, ranking 15th out of 21 brokers, while Vanguard UK Investor's app is rated 3.5 stars, placing it 19th. This suggests Fidelity offers a slightly more user-friendly experience compared to Vanguard in the mobile app department, providing UK investors with efficient tools to handle their portfolios more effectively.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors looking to enhance their knowledge in the UK, Fidelity International and Vanguard UK Investor offer solid educational resources, though with notable differences. Fidelity International shines with its educational client webinars and on-demand access, covering a broad range of topics including share trading, funds, and retirement. This comprehensive offering is reflected in its 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com and a ranking of 7th out of 21 brokers for beginner education. In contrast, Vanguard UK Investor also provides valuable educational content, particularly regarding funds and retirement, and offers archived webinars. However, it falls short in the area of share trading education and receives a 3.5-star rating and a 17th place ranking from the same reviewing platform. For those just starting their investment journey, Fidelity International presents a more highly-rated educational experience.
| Feature |
Fidelity International
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors seeking to explore market research features of online brokers, Fidelity International and Vanguard UK Investor both provide robust options. Both platforms offer research reports for funds and insights into portfolio allocation by asset class. Fidelity International stands out by offering a wider array of research options, including shares, ETFs, and bonds, alongside funds. Meanwhile, Vanguard UK Investor is competent in its coverage of funds and ETFs but doesn’t extend its research offerings to individual shares or bonds. While neither platform offers CFDs research, Fidelity International's more comprehensive research tools could be a deciding factor for investors looking for deeper analysis.
| Feature |
Fidelity International
|
Vanguard UK Investor
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Fidelity International or Vanguard UK Investor? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Fidelity International to be a better trading platform overall.
Fidelity offers thousands of investments to choose from and also offers financial advice for those wanting more direction. It's best suited to traditional investors who hold a range of accounts through the platform, enjoy the great research material available and who may also use Fidelity for financial advice. The platform can be expensive for those with portfolios of less than £20,000 and those with portfolios above £40,000.
| Feature |
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Vanguard UK Investor
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While Fidelity International does not offer crypto trading, Vanguard UK Investor also does not provide the option for trading cryptocurrencies.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Fidelity International Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | ||
| CFD Trading | |||
| Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | |||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | |||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | ||
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | |||
| Advisor Services | Yes |
| Trading Fees | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £1000 | £500 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £1.50 or £7.50 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £1.50 or £7.50 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £1.50 or £7.50 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £127.50 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 or £180 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £144 or £360 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £270 or £990 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £105 | £108 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £90 - £875 | Under £32,000: £48 / Over £32,000: 0.15% | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £500 - £1,000 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £1,000 - £2,000 | £375 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £2,000 | £375 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £7.50 | 0.02% to 0.14% | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £7.50 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £30 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | ||
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 21 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 5 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | |||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
| Research | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | ||
| Research - CFDs | |||
| Research - Funds | Yes | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | ||
| Education (Funds) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Summary | Fidelity International | Vanguard UK Investor | |
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| Review | Fidelity International Review | Vanguard UK Investor Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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