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.
Vanguard vs Hargreaves Lansdown: At a glance
Round 1: At a glance
![]() | ![]() | |
| Stocks and shares ISA | ||
| Lifetime ISA (LISA) | ||
| Interest on cash balances | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site |
Round 2: Investment choice
![]() | ![]() | |
| Investment choice score | 7.8Great | 9.1Excellent |
| Available markets | 4+ | 4+ |
| Number of investments | 85+ | 11,000+ |
| Number of ETFs/funds | 85 | 1,500 |
| Fractional shares | ||
| Min. initial deposit | £500 lump sum (or £100/month) | £1 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site |
Round 3: Fees
![]() | ![]() | |
| Fees score | 9.5Excellent | 6.6Standard |
| Platform fees | 0.15% | 0.35% |
| Price per trade | £6.95 | |
| Funds/ETFs | £0 | £1.95 funds £6.95 ETFs (frequent trader discounts apply) |
| Foreign exchange fee | 0% | 0.99% |
| Regular investing | Yes | Yes from £25/month (no commission) £3.95 (20 or more trades in previous month) |
| Withdrawal fee | £0 | £0 |
| Deposit fee | £0 | £0 |
| Inactivity fee | £0 | £0 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site |
Round 4: Ease of use
![]() | ![]() | |
| Ease of use score | 9.6Excellent | 10Excellent |
| Apple iOS rating | 4.4/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Google Play rating | 3.7/5 | 3.2/5 |
| UI/UX | Good | Good |
| Desktop or web access | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site |
Round 5: Tools, resources and features
![]() | ![]() | |
| Features score | 6.7Standard | 8.3Great |
| Analysis features | ||
| Social features | ||
| Learning resources | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk |
| Go to Site |
Overall winner: Is Vanguard better than Hargreaves Lansdown?
Vanguard is an excellent platform and it’s hard to beat for fees and value but it does have quite a lot of limitations.
Hargreaves Lansdown is a much more well-rounded investing platform with so much more being offered for slightly more in fees. Yes, HL’s fees are steep for share dealing but Vanguard doesn’t even offer investors the ability to buy or sell individual stocks and shares.
So if we’re judging Vanguard vs Hargreaves Lansdown on what they offer investors as an apples to apples comparison, it’s only really the fees where Vanguard wins. In almost every other area, Hargreaves Lansdown just provides so much more and gives investors much more freedom.
Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown
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