Both are FCA-regulated and FSCS-protected. The real difference is fees, account types and how each platform feels to use. Verified against each provider’s published charges.
Fees verified July 2026. Capital at risk. Information, not financial advice.
Hands-off investors happy to hold only Vanguard index funds and LifeStrategy.
Fund investors who value guidance, tools and phone support.
Tick what you need. No account, no email. The answer is on this page.
Tick what you need above and we'll tell you which of the two covers it.
Account availability verified July 2026. Capital at risk. Information, not financial advice.
Long-term investors praise the low fund costs and the simplicity of LifeStrategy portfolios.
The £4 minimum monthly fee frustrated smaller investors when it landed, and some reviews mention slow customer service.
Read Vanguard reviews on TrustpilotReviewers highlight helpful phone support and a straightforward transfer process.
The £7.50 share dealing charge and dated parts of the website draw criticism.
Read Fidelity reviews on Trustpilot| Fee | Vanguard | Fidelity |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | £4/month minimum below £32k; 0.15% above £32k, capped at £375/year | 0.35% from £25k to £250k; 0.20% from £250k to £1m; nothing above £1m; £90 a year flat under £25k without a regular savings plan |
| Share dealing | Not available (funds and Vanguard ETFs only) | £7.50 per online trade |
| Fund dealing | Free | Free |
| FX fee | None (GBP funds) | 0.75% tiered |
| Stocks & Shares ISA | Platform fee applies | Platform fee applies |
| SIPP | Platform fee applies | Platform fee applies |
| Withdrawals | Free | Free |
| Minimum to start | £100/month or £500 lump sum | £25/month or £1,000 lump sum |
A 0.25% yearly fee gap sounds small. On £50,000 over 20 years it is about £5,900 (illustrative). Add your ISA and pension balances to Delphina yourself and see what your charges cost by retirement and whether you're on track.
See what my fees costIllustrative: £50,000, 5% a year growth before charges, 0.25% vs 0.50% a year in charges, no further contributions. Not a recommendation of Vanguard or Fidelity. Delphina is guidance, not financial advice.
Vanguard UK is the default answer for one-fund index investing. If your plan is a LifeStrategy or FTSE Global All Cap fund and nothing else, the combination of cheap funds and a capped 0.15% platform fee is excellent, especially above £32,000.
Below £32,000 the £4 monthly minimum changes the maths, and a free platform like Trading 212 or Prosper holding a similar Vanguard ETF can work out cheaper. You also cannot hold individual shares or other fund managers' products.
Fidelity is a solid full-service choice for fund investors. Fund dealing is free, the ETF and share service fee is capped at £90 a year, and the guidance content is some of the best of the big platforms.
Costs are less friendly if you trade shares often or hold a small account without a regular savings plan. Compare it against AJ Bell if you want similar breadth with lower dealing charges.
Vanguard charges an account fee of £4 a month (£48 a year) under £32,000, then 0.15% a year capped at £375, on invested money only. Fidelity charges 0.35% on funds from £25,000 to £250,000, or a flat £7.50 a month (£90 a year) under £25,000 unless you have a regular savings plan. These are annual platform or account fees only, before fund costs:
Vanguard offers Vanguard funds and Vanguard ETFs only: no individual shares and no other providers' funds. Fund dealing is free, and optional quote-and-deal ETF trades cost £7.50. The funds' own ongoing charges, from 0.06% to 0.79%, come on top of the account fee.
Fidelity's ISA and SIPP hold funds, shares, ETFs and investment trusts. Fund dealing is free. Share trades cost £7.50 online, or £1.50 through a regular savings plan, and the fee on shares, ETFs and investment trusts is capped at £90 a year.
Both offer a Stocks & Shares ISA, Junior ISA, personal pension (SIPP) and general account. You can usually access a personal pension from 55, rising to 57 from 6 April 2028.
Vanguard has no charges for transfers, switches, withdrawals or closing an account. Fidelity has no exit or transfer fees on funds. Transfers are started by the provider you are moving to, and holdings move without being sold only where both platforms hold the same investment. Because Vanguard holds only its own products, anything else moving to Vanguard has to be sold to cash first.
Vanguard tends to suit people content to hold Vanguard funds and ETFs who want a low, capped account fee. Fidelity tends to suit people who want individual shares or investment trusts in the same account as their funds, or a regular savings plan with low share dealing.
It depends on what you hold and how often you trade. Vanguard's platform fee is £4/month minimum below £32k; 0.15% above £32k, capped at £375/year, against 0.35% from £25k to £250k; 0.20% from £250k to £1m; nothing above £1m; £90 a year flat under £25k without a regular savings plan at Fidelity. On dealing, Vanguard charges not available (funds and Vanguard ETFs only) for shares and free for funds, while Fidelity charges £7.50 per online trade for shares and free for funds. Fees verified July 2026.
Vanguard is best for hands-off investors happy to hold only Vanguard index funds and LifeStrategy. Fidelity is best for fund investors who value guidance, tools and phone support. Both are FCA regulated and covered by the FSCS.
On Vanguard's ISA: Platform fee applies. On Fidelity's ISA: Platform fee applies. Vanguard offers a flexible ISA and Fidelity does not. Minimums are £100/month or £500 lump sum at Vanguard and £25/month or £1,000 lump sum at Fidelity.
Vanguard offers a SIPP (platform fee applies). Fidelity offers a SIPP (platform fee applies).
Vanguard scores 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot (Excellent) from 5,332 reviews (checked 12 October 2026). Fidelity scores 4.6 out of 5 (Excellent) from over 6,500 reviews. The £4 minimum monthly fee frustrated smaller investors when it landed, and some reviews mention slow customer service. The £7.50 share dealing charge and dated parts of the website draw criticism.
Yes. UK platforms accept ISA and SIPP transfers in, and you start the transfer with the receiving provider rather than the one you are leaving. Vanguard charges free on withdrawals and Fidelity charges free. Transfer as cash and you are out of the market while it settles; transfer in specie and you keep your holdings but it takes longer.
Vanguard or Fidelity, the account is the easy part. What decides when you can retire is how much goes in and for how long. Delphina works that out from what you already hold and what you pay in each month.
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