Investing can be a tough game when the markets are going against you, and that’s the reason so many people want more options to invest. Recently, many Indians have started investing in global markets and the U.S. is without a doubt their number one preference for it.
In this surge, Vested, which provides services to invest in U.S. stocks, has been a popular platform for many investors over the years. However, Scripbox’s offers and investment options have started changing this trend.
And that’s why in this blog post, we will have a detailed comparison between the two platforms and see which one comes out victorious for the investors. So, let’s get started straight away.
Contents
What is Vested?
Vested Finance is a fintech platform that lets Indians invest in U.S. stocks and ETFs. As it is a problem for many investors, Vested Finance lets you buy fractional shares of U.S. stocks as they are very expensive for Indians.
Not only that, Vested has no account opening charges or hidden fees, which makes it a very affordable option for investors.
What is Scripbox?
Scribox has been one of the top-performing investing platforms in India for quite some time now.
Recently, they launched a new feature letting their users invest directly in U.S stocks and hence putting it up against Vested Finance.
Scripbox offers other useful features as well that include Emergency funds, customized financial plans, Tax-saving plans, and more.
Features of Vested
Here are some of the most useful features of Vested.
1. AlphaScreener
AlphaScreener is without a doubt the best feature of Vested in this comparison. It lets you screen and analyze your watch list and shortlist your stocks and ETFs. You can also backtest your strategies on various metrics.
AlphaScreener is the complete trading tool that you’ll need to study your investments. It comes with a free and paid plan. On top of it, all the users who have subscribed to the Vested premium account get complimentary access to the AlphaScreener at zero extra cost.
2. Zero Commission
Apart from being a great investing app both for beginners and seasoned investors, Vested charges zero commission from its users. This makes it highly affordable and useful for traders and investors who are tired of paying hefty fees and commissions.
3. Fractional Investing
Many Indians stay away from investing in U.S. stocks because of their high prices. However, unlike the Indian Stock Market, the U.S. markets allow investors to buy fractional shares of any of the stocks.
Vested brings this feature for the users sitting in India through which they can buy the stocks of their favorite companies as per their budget and will.
4. Vests: Pre-Build Portfolios
This is undoubtedly the USP of Vested Finance. These Vests are pre-build portfolios that are meant to make investment a hassle-free task for their users. There are two categories of Vests available for the users– Goal-based Vests and Theme-based Vests.
Goal-based vests are curated keeping in mind a specific goal for the investor and contain a portfolio that has the ability to achieve it. Theme-based vests are based on certain specifications and the users can opt for them to get their expected returns.
5. Recurring Investments
Vested allows recurring investments to its users. This means that you can set your limits and a specific date, and Vested will automatically invest those funds in your desired assets. However, you can choose to activate it or do it manually for yourself.
6. Vested Direct
Vested has come out with a solution to solve the Indian investor’s problem of paying hefty fees and commissions to US banks. Now, Indian investors can deposit their funds in US banks faster and at a much lower fee.
This allows the investors to frequently deposit funds and get motivated to invest more in the global markets.
Features of Scripbox
Let’s have a look at the features of Scripbox.
1. Fractional Investing
Just like Vested Finance, Scripbox also allows you to buy fractional shares of U.S. stocks. You can easily buy as much quantity as you like and this feature helps investors diversify their portfolio who doesn’t have huge capital.
2. Various Funds
Scripbox is not only limited to U.S. stocks, but also allows you to invest in tons of funds based on different goals and needs. From the best Hybrid funds to the top ELSS funds, Scripbox has a lot to offer.
You can simply invest your capital in these funds and a professional team of experts handles it on your behalf.
3. Goal-Based Fixed Deposits
Scripbox has multiple fixed deposits that offer varying returns. However, the good part about these funds is that they are aligned in a way that they serve different goals for different investors.
For example, there are senior citizen FDs that offer a stable rate of return for the investor. This gives a sense of security and less risk.
4. Planning Tools
The planning tools are undoubtedly one of the highlights of the platform. There are various tools available for users to manage and calculate their investments.
They also come with a simple UI that makes them very user-friendly. Some of the most popular tools are the SIP calculator, EPF calculator, and Compound Interest calculator.
Detailed Comparison Between Vested & Scripbox
Here is an in-depth comparison of Vested and Scripbox on different criteria.
1. Brokerage Charges
Talking about the brokerage charges, Vested Finance promises zero commission as always to its users. However, Scripbox charges 0.50% of the trade value (minimum $1 per trade). So, Vested becomes a much more affordable option for investors.
2. Withdrawal Fee
Both Vested and Scripbox have withdrawal fees attached to their procedures. This is because the US laws charge a percentage of the funds from the investors.
However, there is a significant difference in this amount. On one hand, Vested Finance charges approximately $5 per withdrawal whereas, Scripbox charges $10 for a withdrawal from its investors.
3. Investment Instruments
This is clearly a no-brainer. Scripbox has far more investing options than Vested Finance.
As Vested was launched primarily with the objective of providing U.S. stocks to the Indians, Scripbox launched as an investment platform that already provided various mutual funds, FDs, and more. So, it is quite clear that you will have more options in Scripbox than in Vested.
4. Customer Support
Scripbox has been operational for over a decade now and over this time, one thing that they have improved on a lot is their customer support. You can instantly get in touch with the team of Scripbox in case of any help.
Similarly, Vested also has pretty decent customer support, but at times users have been seen complaining about their slow response.
5. User-Interface
Both Scripbox and Vested have a very sleek UI, which gives a comfortable feel to the users. You can simply choose your stock, enter the quantity and buy it. There are no complications or overwhelming features to confuse you.
Pros of Vested
- One-stop solution for investing, screening, and backtesting U.S. stocks and ETFs
- Charges no commission or hidden fee
- Affordable plans
- User-friendly interface
- Good customer support
Pros of Scripbox
- Different investing options include Mutual Funds, Fixed Deposits, US stocks, and more.
- Fractional investing
- Real-time market data
- Many tools for investing and trading purposes
- Goal-based investing
Cons of Vested
- Cannot invest in domestic stocks
- No access to cryptocurrencies, IPOs, and derivatives
- Deposits are delayed in the app
Cons of Scripbox
- Does not give stock suggestions
- The charting tool is very basic
My Verdict
Overall, both Vested and Scripbox are exceptional platforms for investing in the U.S. market. On one hand, Vested offers simple and quick investing options whereas Scripbox lets you invest in a plethora of assets including Mutual Funds, ETFs, FDs, NFOs, and NPS.
However, I would still prefer to go for Vested Finance if I just want to invest in U.S. stocks because of its excellent AlphaScreener, which gives in-depth analysis and tools that help in the research of stocks and other assets.
Not just that, the direct deposits, and recurring investments provided by Vested gives a lot of benefits to its investors and make it a better choice for investing in the US markets. Let me know your favorite app for investing in the U.S. markets in the comment section below.
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