Vanguard and Wealthify are two popular investing platforms available to UK retail investors. They’re slightly different in their approach as Wealthify is basically a robo-advisor, and Vanguard is a platform where you get to hand-pick your index funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, there is some crossover, so we’re going to pit Wealthify vs Vanguard against each other in a head-to-head battle.
Both Vanguard and Wealthify offer a limited range of investments and plenty of account options, including a stocks and shares ISA and a self-invested personal pension (SIPP). So, check out our breakdown of Wealthify vs Vanguard and hopefully this will help you pick who’s best, depending on what’s most important to you – whether that’s fees, investment choice, account types or anything else.
 |  | |
| Finder score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Vanguard and Wealthify are pretty even when it comes to their Finder score, with Vanguard scoring a solid 4.3 out of 5, and Wealthify scoring a slightly lower 4.2 out of 5.
Both platforms offer stocks and shares ISA, and both come with full Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection of up to £85,000.
However, Vanguard scored slightly better than Wealthify in the most recent Finder Investing Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024 results. 90% of Vanguard customers said they’d recommend the platform to a friend.
The platforms also go slightly different ways with their fees score. When you look at Wealthify fees vs Vanguard fees – Wealthify has a score of 4.2 vs Vanguard’s 4.7 score for fees (both out of 5).
| | |
| General investment account | ||
| Stocks and shares ISA | ||
| Lifetime ISA (LISA) | ||
| Pension (SIPP) | ||
| Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP) | ||
| Interest on cash balances | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Both Wealthify and Vanguard offer a wide range of account options, with plenty of tax-efficient options available. However, neither offers the option to use a lifetime ISA (LISA).
However, two things Vanguard has going for it that Wealthify doesn’t is that Vanguard will pay interest on cash in your accounts and it offers a junior stocks and shares ISA (JISA).
Winner: Vanguard
| | |
| Investment choice score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Available markets | 1 (global funds) | 4+ |
| Number of investments | 10+ | 85+ |
| Number of ETFs/funds | 10 | 85 |
| Fractional shares | ||
| Min. initial deposit | £1 | £500 lump sum (or £100/month) |
| Min. investment | £1 | £100 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Both Wealthify and Vanguard offer a limited range of investments. Vanguard has funds you can pick yourself (or a managed stocks and shares ISA for an added fee that basically works like a robo-advisor). Wealthify only offers ready-made portfolios of funds, as part of its robo-advisor service.
The barrier to entry is much lower with Wealthify. Even though it’s more limiting in terms of investments, you can get started with just £1, which is accessible to just about everyone.
Winner: Vanguard
| | |
| Portfolios rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Risk assessment quiz | ||
| Number of portfolios on offer | 10 | 21 |
| Ethical portfolios on offer | ||
| Managed portfolios on offer | ||
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Both platforms are pretty similar in terms of the portfolio set up, but Vanguard offers more options overall.
Winner: Vanguard
| | |
| Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Platform fees | 0.6% | 0.15% |
| US shares | N/A | £0 |
| UK shares | N/A | £0 |
| International shares | N/A | N/A |
| Funds/ETFs | £0 (ongoing percentage fees based on fund) | £0 |
| Foreign exchange fee | 0% | 0% |
| Regular investing | Yes | Yes |
| Withdrawal fee | £0 | £0 |
| Deposit fee | £0 | £0 |
| Inactivity fee | £0 | £0 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Although Wealthify offers a competitive platform fee at 0.6%, it’s still much higher than Vanguard’s 0.15% platform fee (or 0.35% if you want a managed portfolio).
Winner: Vanguard
| | |
| Ease of use score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Apple iOS rating | 4.4/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Google Play rating | 3/5 | 3.7/5 |
| Ways to contact customer service | Phone, secure messaging and live chat | Secure message, email, phone, chatbot |
| UI/UX | Good | Good |
| Desktop or web access | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
It’s hard to separate these two in this category with both platforms offering a simple but functional investing experience that’s easy to get to grips with.
Winner: Tie
| | |
| Tools, resources and features | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Analysis features | ||
| Tools for investing/trading | ||
| Social features | ||
| Learning resources | ||
| Additional features | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Wealthify and Vanguard offer a fairly limited selection of tools and resources making them difficult to separate in this area.
However, Wealthify offers investors slightly more tools and resources for investing on its recently re-designed app.
Winner: Wealthify
Wealthify offers an excellent robo-advisor platform, but unfortunately, Vanguard does everything Wealthify can do – and more! Not only this, but Vanguard does it for cheaper with some of the lowest investing fees available for UK investors.
Winner: Vanguard
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
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