Lime Financial vs Vanguard - BrokerCue
BrokerCue

Select your country to see eligible brokers

Account eligibility and broker availability depend on your country of residence. Setting this now allows us to hide brokers that do not accept clients from your country.

Broker Comparison

Lime Financial vs Vanguard

Compare Lime Financial and Vanguard side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

Lime Financial

Lime Financial

Active traders seeking low-cost DMA

Lime Financial is a US agency broker offering commission-free stock and ETF trading, low-latency DMA, options…

VS
Vanguard

Vanguard

Long-term fund and ETF investors

Vanguard offers funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, margin, options, Cash Plus and advice services, with $0 online co…

Head-to-head comparison

Lime Financial vs Vanguard
Feature Lime Financial Vanguard
Minimum deposit - $0 to open an account
Stock trading fee $0 commission via market maker venues (domestic accounts); DMA routing: $0.005 per share; extended hours: $0.003 per share surcharge $0 online stock trading
Regulators FINRA, SEC, NFA, SIPC FINRA
Best for Active traders seeking low-cost DMA Long-term fund and ETF investors
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Bonds
-
Options
Futures
-
Margin
Funds
-
Fractional Shares
-
Ready Made Portfolios
-
Money Market Funds
-

Pros & cons

Lime Financial

Lime Financial

Pros

  • Commission-free stock and ETF trading via market maker venues
  • Low DMA rate of $0.005 per share for direct routing
  • Low options commission of $0.50 per contract
  • Multiple platform choices including Lime Trader, Sterling, CQG, and Bookmap
  • IRA and multiple account types supported
  • Agency-only broker model with no proprietary trading conflicts
  • SIPC membership protects accounts up to $500,000

Cons

  • No demo or paper trading account available
  • Inactivity fee of $15 per quarter for low-activity accounts
  • Minimum account balance of $1,000 for cash accounts, $2,000 for margin
  • No OTC stock trading
  • No GTC (Good-Till-Canceled) orders supported
  • Wire transfer fees for deposits and withdrawals
  • No fractional shares
  • Platform depth may overwhelm beginner traders
Vanguard

Vanguard

Pros

  • $0 online commissions for stocks, ETFs and Vanguard mutual funds
  • $1 minimum for Vanguard ETFs through fractional shares
  • $0 Cash Plus minimum balance and no service fee with e-delivery
  • Digital Advisor starts at $100 with no advisory fee for 90 days
  • SIPC coverage up to $500,000 for eligible brokerage securities
  • Free dividend reinvestment with no commission

Cons

  • $25 annual account service fee unless e-delivery is selected
  • Most Vanguard mutual funds require a $3,000 minimum
  • Individual bonds require a $1,000 minimum investment
  • Personal Advisor requires a $50,000 minimum
  • Cash Plus has no issued checks or ATM card
  • Cash Plus transactions may face 7-day or 60-day holding periods
Lime Financial

Lime Financial

Lime Financial is a US agency broker offering commission-free stock and ETF trading, low-latency DMA, options, and futures via proprietary and third-party platforms.

Visit Lime Financial Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Vanguard

Vanguard

Vanguard offers funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, margin, options, Cash Plus and advice services, with $0 online commissions on major listed products.

Visit Vanguard Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Not the right match?

Line up any two brokers side by side, or browse the full list to find your next platform.

Compare another broker Browse all brokers