Investing comparison
Bloom vs Vanguard
Updated
Before you compare: This compares features and fees from each company's own pages. It isn't investment advice, and investing involves risk, including loss of money.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Short answer
Bloom and Vanguard are both investing apps. Bloom offers a $15 monthly plan and a $99.99 annual plan, and its custodial plan costs $150 a year, while Vanguard Digital Advisor charges an annual gross advisory fee of 0.20% for index portfolio options or 0.25% for an active portfolio option. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
Bloom vs Vanguard at a glance
Bloom and Vanguard are both investing apps. This page puts what each company's official pages and app store listings say side by side, with the date we checked every fact. The sources differ on 5 of the 10 rows in the table below.
Management or subscription fee
Bloom offers a $15 monthly plan and a $99.99 annual plan, and its custodial plan costs $150 a year. Vanguard Digital Advisor charges an annual gross advisory fee of 0.20% for index portfolio options or 0.25% for an active portfolio option. That fee is reduced by a credit for revenue Vanguard keeps from the investments in your account. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
Account minimum
Bloom has no minimum account balance, but deposits and stock orders must be at least $1. Vanguard says there's no fee or minimum investment amount to open an account. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
Stock and ETF commissions
Vanguard lists $0 for online ETF and stock trades, and a $25 broker-assisted commission per trade placed with a representative. We haven't verified this for Bloom yet, so check the official site for Bloom before you decide. We checked Vanguard on Oct 24, 2026.
Account types
Bloom lists these account types: Investing account and UTMA/UGMA custodial brokerage accounts for teens 13-17. Vanguard lists these account types: Brokerage accounts, Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP-IRAs, Spousal IRAs, Custodial IRAs, UGMA/UTMA, 529 accounts, Trust accounts, Organization accounts, 403(b) services and Cash Plus Account. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
Fractional shares
Vanguard says dollar-based trading lets you buy a Vanguard ETF for as little as $1, regardless of the ETF's share price. We haven't verified this for Bloom yet, so check the official site for Bloom before you decide. We checked Vanguard on Oct 24, 2026.
Automatic investing
Vanguard says its robo-advisor uses an algorithm to automatically build and rebalance a portfolio. We haven't verified this for Bloom yet, so check the official site for Bloom before you decide. We checked Vanguard on Oct 24, 2026.
Managed portfolios (robo)
Vanguard Digital Advisor is Vanguard's all-digital robo-advisor. Enrolling requires at least $100 in each Vanguard Brokerage Account. We haven't verified this for Bloom yet, so check the official site for Bloom before you decide. We checked Vanguard on Oct 24, 2026.
Protection
Bloom's brokerage accounts are held at Alpaca Securities, a SIPC member. SIPC protection is limited to $500,000, including a $250,000 limit for cash. Vanguard says its accounts are protected by SIPC, which covers up to $500,000 in securities and up to $250,000 in cash if the firm fails. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
Platforms
Bloom lists iOS and Android. We haven't verified this for Vanguard yet, so check the official site for Vanguard before you decide. We checked Bloom on Oct 24, 2026.
App store rating
Bloom has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 46,596 ratings. Vanguard has 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store from 177,560 ratings. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026. Store ratings are a dated snapshot from each listing, not our score.
What it costs
Bloom$15a month
Bloom offers a $15 monthly plan and a $99.99 annual plan, and its custodial plan costs $150 a year.
Cost over 1 and 3 years: $99.99 and $299.97, at the yearly list price before tax.
As of · bloomapp.com/faq
- Vanguard
Vanguard Digital Advisor charges an annual gross advisory fee of 0.20% for index portfolio options or 0.25% for an active portfolio option. That fee is reduced by a credit for revenue Vanguard keeps from the investments in your account.
Bars show only when every app here lists a yearly price, so these prices sit side by side without them. Prices are list prices from each app's own page, before tax and any offer. Investing fees appear as each company states them. A yearly advisory fee is a percent of your balance, not a monthly price, so it never gets a bar or a price tag.
At a glance
App Store rating
- Bloom
- 4.846,596 ratings
- Vanguard
- 4.6177,560 ratings
Source
- Bloom has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 46,596 ratings. App Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Vanguard has 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store from 177,560 ratings. App Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Platforms
- Bloom
- iOS
- Android
- Vanguard
- Not verified yet
Source
- Bloom lists iOS and Android. bloomapp.com, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Vanguard: Not verified yet.
Account minimum
- Bloom
- Bloom has no minimum account balance, but deposits and stock orders must be at least $1.
- Vanguard
- Vanguard says there's no fee or minimum investment amount to open an account.
Source
- Bloom has no minimum account balance, but deposits and stock orders must be at least $1. bloomapp.com/faq, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Vanguard says there's no fee or minimum investment amount to open an account. investor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/brokerage-accounts, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Stock and ETF commissions
- Bloom
- Not verified yet
- Vanguard
- Vanguard lists $0 for online ETF and stock trades, and a $25 broker-assisted commission per trade placed with a representative.
Source
- Bloom: Not verified yet.
- Vanguard lists $0 for online ETF and stock trades, and a $25 broker-assisted commission per trade placed with a representative. investor.vanguard.com/client-benefits/investment-fees, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Protection
- Bloom
- Bloom's brokerage accounts are held at Alpaca Securities, a SIPC member. SIPC protection is limited to $500,000, including a $250,000 limit for cash.
- Vanguard
- Vanguard says its accounts are protected by SIPC, which covers up to $500,000 in securities and up to $250,000 in cash if the firm fails.
Source
- Bloom's brokerage accounts are held at Alpaca Securities, a SIPC member. SIPC protection is limited to $500,000, including a $250,000 limit for cash. sipc.org/for-investors/what-sipc-protects, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Vanguard says its accounts are protected by SIPC, which covers up to $500,000 in securities and up to $250,000 in cash if the firm fails. investor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/brokerage-accounts, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Features
| Feature | Bloom | Vanguard |
|---|---|---|
| AI features | Listed by the source | Not verified yet |
✓ means the official site lists it. ? means we haven't verified it yet, not that the app lacks it. Bloom: bloomapp.com, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Screen by screen
Pick a task to see what each app shows for it. App Store and Google Play images are the apps' own marketing, so they can show sample data and staged layouts. Help center images come from the app's support articles. See every app's screens.
Investments
Bloom
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Build wealth early" showing an investing potential chart and an amount picker.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Copy the trades of top investors" showing a Discover screen with portfolios.App Store listing, as of
Vanguard
No official screen found yet
Getting started
Bloom
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Earn free stocks" showing a Welcome to Bloom screen offering $75 for completing a first lesson.App Store listing, as of
Vanguard
No official screen found yet
AI assistant
Bloom
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Your AI stock assistant" showing a Bloomie chat with suggested questions.App Store listing, as of
Vanguard
No official screen found yet
Other screens
Bloom
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Learn to invest" showing a lesson path and a quiz card.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Swipe to invest in the stories you believe in" showing stacked news cards with stock prices.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Practice trading" showing a paper trading screen and a tournament card.App Store listing, as of
Vanguard
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 1 of 4 from the Vanguard listing.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 2 of 4 from the Vanguard listing.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 3 of 4 from the Vanguard listing.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 4 of 4 from the Vanguard listing.App Store listing, as of
Bloom and Vanguard, side by side
Rows marked “Differs” are where the official sources say different things, and 5 rows do here.
Swipe the table sideways to see both apps.
| Field | BloomInvesting appBloom is a subscription app for learning to invest, with lessons, games and an investing account for adults and teens.Visit Bloom's site | VanguardInvesting appVanguard is a fund company and brokerage with an investing app, retirement and custodial accounts, and a robo-advisor called Vanguard Digital Advisor.Visit Vanguard's site |
|---|---|---|
| Management or subscription feeDiffers | Bloom offers a $15 monthly plan and a $99.99 annual plan, and its custodial plan costs $150 a year.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: bloomapp.com/faq | Vanguard Digital Advisor charges an annual gross advisory fee of 0.20% for index portfolio options or 0.25% for an active portfolio option. That fee is reduced by a credit for revenue Vanguard keeps from the investments in your account.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/advice/robo-advisor |
| Account minimumDiffers | Bloom has no minimum account balance, but deposits and stock orders must be at least $1.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: bloomapp.com/faq | Vanguard says there's no fee or minimum investment amount to open an account.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/brokerage-accounts |
| Stock and ETF commissions | Not verified yet. | Vanguard lists $0 for online ETF and stock trades, and a $25 broker-assisted commission per trade placed with a representative.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/client-benefits/investment-fees |
| Account typesDiffers | Bloom lists these account types: Investing account and UTMA/UGMA custodial brokerage accounts for teens 13-17.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: bloomapp.com/faq | Vanguard lists these account types: Brokerage accounts, Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP-IRAs, Spousal IRAs, Custodial IRAs, UGMA/UTMA, 529 accounts, Trust accounts, Organization accounts, 403(b) services and Cash Plus Account.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans |
| Fractional shares | Not verified yet. | Vanguard says dollar-based trading lets you buy a Vanguard ETF for as little as $1, regardless of the ETF's share price.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/article/what-is-dollar-based-investing |
| Automatic investing | Not verified yet. | Vanguard says its robo-advisor uses an algorithm to automatically build and rebalance a portfolio.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/advice/robo-advisor |
| Managed portfolios (robo) | Not verified yet. | Vanguard Digital Advisor is Vanguard's all-digital robo-advisor. Enrolling requires at least $100 in each Vanguard Brokerage Account.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/advice/robo-advisor |
| ProtectionDiffers | Bloom's brokerage accounts are held at Alpaca Securities, a SIPC member. SIPC protection is limited to $500,000, including a $250,000 limit for cash.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: sipc.org/for-investors/what-sipc-protects | Vanguard says its accounts are protected by SIPC, which covers up to $500,000 in securities and up to $250,000 in cash if the firm fails.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: investor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/brokerage-accounts |
| Platforms | Bloom lists iOS and Android.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: bloomapp.com | Not verified yet. |
| App store ratingDiffers | Bloom has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 46,596 ratings.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: App Store listing | Vanguard has 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store from 177,560 ratings.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: App Store listing |
App store ratings are a dated snapshot from each store listing, not our score. “Not verified yet” means we don't have a current official source for that line. How we source and date this data. Spotted a change? Tell us if something changed.
Weighing a third option? Add up to two more apps to this table and compare up to four side by side.
Who it's for
Pick the tab that sounds like you. The questions come from app help centers, FAQ pages and user forums, and every answer comes from the app's own pages, with the date we checked it.
Just me
Budgeting on your own? These are the basics people ask about first.
Is it free?
Bloom
Bloom offers a $15 monthly plan and a $99.99 annual plan, and its custodial plan costs $150 a year.
As of . Source: bloomapp.com
Vanguard
Not verified yet
Family
Bringing in more of the household? Here's what each app says about families and kids. See apps with custodial accounts for kids.
Does it have accounts or features for kids or teens?
Bloom
Yes. It has accounts or features for kids or teens.
In their words: “Bloom charges a subscription fee for access to an investing account (including UTMA/UGMA custodial brokerage accounts for teens 13-17), 200+ interactive financial lessons, and stock rewards for learning.”
As of . Source: bloomapp.com
Vanguard
Not verified yet
“Not verified yet” means we haven't found a current official source that answers it, not that the app can't. We only say no when the app's own page does.
Which fits your Money Type?
There are four Money Types: Strategist, Spender, Saver and Scrambler. Each card matches one type to what the sources say about these two apps.
StrategistNeither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.
First fix: Save the Raise.
SpenderNeither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.
First fix: Sleep on It.
SaverNeither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.
First fix: Put It to Work.
ScramblerNeither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.
First fix: Bills First.
Not sure which one you are? Take the free Money Types quiz. It takes about two minutes.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Another option: Fifecta
If neither Bloom nor Vanguard feels right, here is one more option to look at. Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, and it starts from your Money Type, so the plan matches how you already handle money.
What real users say
These are other people's opinions, not Priceless Tay's. We quote public reviews and posts word for word, link each one and show its date, but we haven't checked the claims in them. A post counts toward a theme when it uses one of that theme's keywords, so a mention can be praise or a complaint.
What Bloom users say
Based on 500 App Store reviews, 3 Reddit posts and 2 YouTube videos dated Nov 2025 to Oct 2026, read Oct 2026. We collected the Reddit and YouTube data with Apify, a scraping service, on Oct 24, 2026.
- Of the 505 reviews, posts and videos we read, 223 mention learning about investing.
- Of the 505 reviews, posts and videos we read, 71 mention how easy or hard the app is to use.
- Of the 505 reviews, posts and videos we read, 22 mention the price, fees or the subscription.
Positive
“...my favorite feature is the learning section of it. It has helped me understand so much that I wish I knew when I was younger!”
Mixed
“My kids are on bloom and it has been great so far. Only downside is you have to pay for it but worth it imo.”
Critical
“There is no way to avoid the $15 subscription with Bloom even if you are not using the "learning" platform.”
Where these come from
- Bloom reviews on the App Store, read Oct 24, 2026. The public feed returns the 500 most recent US reviews. We kept every one dated inside the window.
- Hacker News search for Bloom, read Oct 24, 2026. Public search of comments and posts. 0 named the app; we kept 0 where the writer shares their own use of it.
- Reddit search for Bloom, collected Oct 24, 2026. Collected with Apify (harshmaur/reddit-scraper) on Oct 24 2026: a keyword search for "Bloom investing app", posts and comments from after Oct 24 2025. It returned 79, most of them about something else. We kept 3 where the writer shares their own use of the app or a clear opinion of it. We left out moderators, bots, company accounts, referral posts and people promoting their own apps.
- YouTube search for Bloom, collected Oct 24, 2026. Collected with Apify (streamers/youtube-scraper) on Oct 24 2026: a search for "Bloom investing app review" from the past year, up to 8 videos. It returned 8. We kept 2 and left out the app's own channel, sponsored videos, videos with affiliate or referral links and videos about a different product. We count themes from each video's title, description and captions, but we don't quote videos, because the captions we have carry no timestamps.
- u/Mother-Mountain9299 in r/OracleStock on Reddit, Oct 15, 2026.
- u/ConditionSufficient7 in r/investingforbeginners on Reddit, Jul 14, 2026.
- "Investing For Beginners Is Now Accessible With Bloom | Bloom App Review" by SaaS Reviews on YouTube, Jul 7, 2026.
- u/itsyourboyjjjj in r/investing on Reddit, Mar 8, 2026.
- "How to Use Bloom Investment App for Teens App Properly Beginner Mistakes That Cost You" by Whodunnit Den on YouTube, Nov 12, 2025.
FAQ
How much does Bloom charge?
Bloom offers a $15 monthly plan and a $99.99 annual plan, and its custodial plan costs $150 a year. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
How much does Vanguard charge?
Vanguard Digital Advisor charges an annual gross advisory fee of 0.20% for index portfolio options or 0.25% for an active portfolio option. That fee is reduced by a credit for revenue Vanguard keeps from the investments in your account. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
What is Bloom's app store rating?
Bloom has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 46,596 ratings. That's a snapshot from the store listing on Oct 24, 2026, not our score.
What is Vanguard's app store rating?
Vanguard has 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store from 177,560 ratings. That's a snapshot from the store listing on Oct 24, 2026, not our score.
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Keep comparing
- See Bloom alternatives, closest category first.
- See Vanguard alternatives, closest category first.
- Browse our guide to the low-cost brokerage accounts.
- Want the bigger picture? Compare more money apps.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Want a plan built on your Money Type?
Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, so you know where each dollar goes.
Sources and confidence
- Last checked
- Not verified yet
- 5 of 20 facts
Bloom6 of 10 verified, 4 not verified yet, last checked Oct 24, 2026
- Management or subscription feebloomapp.com/faq, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Account minimumbloomapp.com/faq, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Stock and ETF commissionsNot verified yet
- Account typesbloomapp.com/faq, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Fractional sharesNot verified yet
- Automatic investingNot verified yet
- Managed portfolios (robo)Not verified yet
- Protectionsipc.org/for-investors/what-sipc-protects, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Platformsbloomapp.com, as of Oct 24, 2026
- App store ratingApp Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026
Vanguard9 of 10 verified, 1 not verified yet, last checked Oct 24, 2026
- Management or subscription feeinvestor.vanguard.com/advice/robo-advisor, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Account minimuminvestor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/brokerage-accounts, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Stock and ETF commissionsinvestor.vanguard.com/client-benefits/investment-fees, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Account typesinvestor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Fractional sharesinvestor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/article/what-is-dollar-based-investing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Automatic investinginvestor.vanguard.com/advice/robo-advisor, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Managed portfolios (robo)investor.vanguard.com/advice/robo-advisor, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Protectioninvestor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/brokerage-accounts, as of Oct 24, 2026
- PlatformsNot verified yet
- App store ratingApp Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026
Each fact links to the official page it came from, with the date we checked it. Once a fact is older than its app's window (8 days for apps whose rates change often, 35 days for the rest), it reads “Not verified yet” until we check it again. How we source, date and index this data.
This is education, not financial advice.
