In this Vanguard vs Fidelity comparison review, we will have a look at two of the biggest online brokers on the market. Head to head comparison of stats for many different types of data.
Vanguard vs Fidelity: Popularity
| Query | Vanguard | Fidelity |
| Number of users (approximate) | 30m | 32m |
| Website traffic (estimated) | 23.3m | 85m |
| # results on web | 112m | 147m |
| Search volume Google | 1.22m | 4.2m |
| Twitter followers | 302K | 271K |
| FB followers | 224K | 263K |
| How popular on mainstream media? | High | High |
| Negative media? | Low | Low |
| Notable awards | 2019 U.S. Morningstar Award, for Investing Excellence, Best New U.S. Equity ETF | Best Online Broker 2020 |
As we can see from the table above, both companies are pretty similar in terms of customers but also social media following.
Vanguard vs Fidelity: User Rating
| Query | Vanguard | Fidelity |
| # users rated on user platforms | 45 on SiteJabber | 2 on TrustPilot, 17 on SiteJabber |
| Percentage of positive reviews out of user reviews | 91% | 26% |
| Common compliments | Good investment platform, low fees | Great customer support and research reports |
| Common complaints | Sometimes poor customer service | The system and user interface antiquated |
| Positive feedback on Twitter? | Great information and analysis | People appreciate the charts, research ideas and feeds |
| Negative feedback on Twitter? | Hard to receive help from support | Lately the support seems overwhelmed and is hard to respond |
| App rating (summary) | Almost 5K reviews with an average rating of 3.1 / 5 | Over 1.36m reviews with an average 4.65 / 5 rating |
Big difference in the positive feedback online in favor of Vanguard, but overall, both companies have have happy customers. Fidelity could use more work on their interface design because many are complaining about their antiquated look.
Vanguard vs Fidelity: Background Information
| Query | Vanguard | Fidelity |
| Company public/private | Private | Private |
| Revenue Data | $48.5 billion in Q1 of 2020 | $20.9 billion in 2019 |
| CEO and bio | Mortimer J. Buckley – earned a BA degree in economics in 1991 from Harvard College and an MBA degree in 1996 from Harvard Business School | Abigail Johnson – completed an MBA at Harvard Business School and since 2014, she has been the president and CEO. |
| Number of employees | 17,600 | 50,000+ |
| Notable investors (private companies) | None | None |
Both companies are private and are generating nice profits but, from the revenue data we could gather, Vanguard seems to be the more profitable company, despite the fact that they have 1/3 of the employees compare to Fidelity.
Vanguard vs Fidelity: Security
| Query | Vanguard | Fidelity |
| HTTPS Certificate | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA ? | Yes | Yes |
| Device monitoring? | Yes | Yes |
| New device extra security? | Yes | Yes |
Vanguard vs Fidelity: Fees & Offering
| Query | Vanguard | Fidelity |
| Account minimum | $20 | None |
| Account fixed fees | $20 | None |
| Fractional shares? | No | Yes |
| Margin costs | Varies | Varies |
| ETF buying fees | None | None |
| Stock buying fees | None | None |
| Option buying fees | $0 + $1-per-contract fee | $0.65 per contract with commission-free trades |
| Short selling fees | None | 6% to 10% |
| Futures buying fees | Not available | Not available |
| Future options buying fees | Not available | Not available |
| Cryptocurrency fees | Not available | Not available |
| Fixed income fees | None | $19.95 per trade |
| Mutual funds fees | None | None |
Vanguard has a minimum account needed and account fixed fees of $20, which is a drawback for those just starting their investing journey. Fidelity has the upper hand in this aspect and might be a better choice for people with low budgets.
Vanguard vs Fidelity: Trading App
| Query | Vanguard | Fidelity |
| Android app # installs | 1m+ | 1m+ |
| Android app # reviews | 4756 | 66K |
| iPhone app # reviews | 29 | 1.3m |
| Android app rating | 2.1 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| iPhone app rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 |
| Common compliments on app | Easy to use and navigate once you get used to it. | Easy to navigate and use. Simple and direct explanations and directions. |
| Common complaints on app | No fingerprint support, the app feels dated. | Recently the new update is creating problems for some users trying to login and/or use it. |
| Weighted average app rating | 3.1 / 5 | 4.65 / 5 |
Fidelity’s app is way more used than the app from Vanguard. And the huge number of downloads, reviews, and better ratings, can only further cement that statement.
Final conclusions:
Two big player in the market with similar numbers of existing clients, but with huge difference in their attention give to the mobile app users. No one company can focus on all the aspects of the business but not having interest in keeping happy and grow your mobile app users is a big drawback in this technology driven days.