Moneyfarm and Vanguard are two popular investing platforms available to UK retail investors. They’re slightly different in their approach as Moneyfarm is basically a robo-advisor with some share dealing available, 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 Vanguard vs Moneyfarm against each other in a head-to-head battle.
Both Vanguard and Moneyfarm 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 Vanguard vs Moneyfarm 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.
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| Finder Score | 7.6Great | 9.1Excellent |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Fees score | 6.7Standard | 9.5Excellent |
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Go to Site |
Vanguard and Moneyfarm are pretty different when it comes to their Finder score, with Vanguard scoring a solid 9.1 out of 10, and Moneyfarm scoring a slightly lower 7.6 out of 10.
Both platforms offer stocks and shares ISA, and both come with full Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection of up to £120,000.
However, Vanguard scored better than Moneyfarm in the most recent Finder Investing Customer Satisfaction Awards. 97% of Vanguard customers said they’d recommend the platform to a friend.
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| 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 |
Both Moneyfarm 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 Moneyfarm 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
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| Investment choice score | 8.1Great | 7.8Great |
| Available markets | 3+ | 4+ |
| Number of investments | 1,000+ | 85+ |
| Number of ETFs/funds | 600 | 85 |
| Fractional shares | ||
| Min. initial deposit | £1 | £500 lump sum (or £100/month) |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site |
Both Moneyfarm 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).
Moneyfarm mostly offers ready-made portfolios of funds, as a digital wealth manager platform, but it did recently add the ability to invest in individual shares from the UK and Europe.
It is a bit easier to get started with Vanguard because you can set up a £100 monthly investment, but you need a £500 lump sum to kick off your Moneyfarm portfolio. But, if you opt for share investing, you only need £1 to start with Moneyfarm.
Winner: Moneyfarm
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| Fees score | 6.7Standard | 9.5Excellent |
| Platform fees | £0 | 0.15% |
| Price per trade | £3.95 | |
| Funds/ETFs | £3.95 | £0 |
| Foreign exchange fee | 0.7% | 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 |
Although Moneyfarm offers good value for those with larger portfolios, it charges higher percentage fees if you have a smaller portfolio.
Vanguard on the other hand just has one cheap 0.15% no matter the size of your portfolio, with account charges capped at £375 per year.
This difference is reflected in each platform’s Finder fees score. Moneyfarm has a score of 6.7 vs Vanguard’s 9.5 (both out of 10).
Winner: Vanguard
| | |
| Ease of use score | 9.3Excellent | 9.6Excellent |
| Apple iOS rating | 4.6/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Google Play rating | 4.3/5 | 3.7/5 |
| Ways to contact customer service | Phone and email | 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 |
Both platforms scored well in our ease of use assessment and they’re pretty comparable when it comes to Google Play and App Store ratings (with Moneyfarm being slightly better review than Vanguard’s new app).
One benefit Vanguard has is that there are a more ways to contact its customer service team if you need some support. After using both these platforms myself, I did find it easier making investments and withdrawals on Vanguard.
Winner: Tie
| | |
| Features score | 6.7Standard | 6.7Standard |
| Analysis features | ||
| Tools for investing/trading | ||
| Social features | ||
| Learning resources | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site |
Both of these platforms offer a fairly limited selection of tools and resources making them difficult to separate in this area.
Winner: Tie
Moneyfarm does have more to offer in the way of investments. However, Vanguard’s low fees, easy-to-use platform and superior account options means it comes out on top.
This is all reflected in the overall Finder score with Vanguard scoring a solid 4.3 out of 5, and Moneyfarm scoring a slightly lower 3.9 out of 5.
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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