Rovia vs Vested: 2026 comparison for Indian residents
Rovia is built around the RSU-holder workflow; Vested is a general US-investing platform. The right pick depends on whether you hold employer stock at a US broker.
Last reviewed: July 2026 · Source: 4-way long-form review
Editorial disclosure: Information is compiled from publicly available sources, the platforms’ own pricing pages, and our own platform reviews. It is not verified by the brokers themselves. Vested.blog is the editorial publication of Rovia; we’ve aimed to keep this comparison factually neutral, but pricing, features, and policies can change — verify any decision-critical detail with the broker directly.
Quick answer
Vested is a clean full-universe US-investing platform — established, broad, India-friendly. Rovia is newer and narrower, but architected specifically for Indian residents holding RSUs/ESPP at Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, or Morgan Stanley: lot-level INR tax tracking with vest-date SBI TT rates pre-applied, specific lot identification at sell, automated loss-harvesting reports, and a flat $5 fee on outbound repatriation.
At a glance · Broker comparison for Indian residents
Rovia
Founded 2025 · Bengaluru
Vested
Founded 2018 · Bengaluru
| Brokerage | |
| 0.15% per trade | 0.25% per trade, capped at $35 |
| FX markup | |
| ~50–60 paise on inbound; $5 flat fee on outbound | ~75–100 paise per USD |
| Account minimum | |
| $1 (fractional buys) | $1 (fractional buys) |
| Fractional shares | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Tax docs | |
| INR P&L per lot with vest-date SBI TT rates pre-applied, Schedule FA helper, dividend tracking with Form 67 prep, realized loss schedule for tax-loss harvesting. | INR P&L statement, Schedule FA helper, capital gains breakdown — all India-friendly formats. |
| ACATS from US employer brokers | |
| Supported via Alpaca — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in. | Supported via DriveWealth — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in. |
Best fit for
Indian residents holding RSUs/ESPP at US employer brokers who want to consolidate without selling first
Best fit for
Investors new to US markets who want a paved-road onboarding
Information compiled from public sources · NOT verified by the brokers · Last reviewed: July 2026
vested.blog/compare/rovia-vs-vested
How Rovia and Vested compare
Vested is a clean full-universe US-investing platform — established, broad, India-friendly. Rovia is newer and narrower, but architected specifically for Indian residents holding RSUs/ESPP at Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, or Morgan Stanley: lot-level INR tax tracking with vest-date SBI TT rates pre-applied, specific lot identification at sell, automated loss-harvesting reports, and a flat $5 fee on outbound repatriation.
Spec-by-spec
| Dimension | Rovia | Vested |
|---|---|---|
| Brokerage | 0.15% per trade for equities and ETFs. | 0.25% per trade for equities and ETFs, with a maximum of $35 per order. The cap kicks in on trades above $14,000. |
| FX markup | Inbound LRS FX markup typically 50–60 paise above the live interbank rate. On outbound repatriation, Rovia charges a flat $5 fee. | FX markup on the inbound LRS leg is typically 75–100 paise above the live interbank rate; outbound repatriation also carries an FX markup. |
| Account minimum | $1 (fractional buys) | $1 (fractional buys) |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Asset universe | Most major NYSE/NASDAQ stocks and ETFs at launch. UCITS funds and global stocks are on the Q2/Q3 2026 roadmap. No options or OTC at launch. | Full NYSE/NASDAQ universe — all listed US stocks and ETFs including small- and mid-caps. No options, no OTC pink-sheet stocks, no international exchanges. |
| RSU / ESPP support | Inbound ACATS supported via Alpaca. RSUs at Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, and Morgan Stanley can be transferred in. | Inbound ACATS supported via DriveWealth. RSUs at Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, and Morgan Stanley can be transferred in. |
| Tax docs | INR P&L per lot with vest-date SBI TT rates pre-applied, Schedule FA helper, dividend tracking with Form 67 prep, realized loss schedule for tax-loss harvesting. | INR P&L statement, Schedule FA helper, capital gains breakdown — all India-friendly formats. |
| W-8BEN handling | Handled at signup; 3-year renewal automated. | Handled at signup; 3-year renewal automated. |
| Customer support | India-based, IST hours, in-app chat plus email. Small team; engineering and product responses are direct. | India-based, in-app chat, English/Hindi, IST hours. |
| Account safety | Shares held at Alpaca Securities (FINRA-regulated, US clearing broker); SIPC insurance up to $500k per account. | Shares held at DriveWealth (FINRA-regulated, US clearing broker); SIPC insurance up to $500k per account. |
| ACATS-in | Supported via Alpaca — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in. | Supported via DriveWealth — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in. |
| Repatriation | 3–5 business days; flat $5 fee on outbound repatriation. | 3–7 business days; FX markup applies on the outbound leg as well as the inbound leg. |
| US partner broker | Alpaca Securities | VF Securities, Inc. (introducing); DriveWealth (clearing & custody) |
| Regulation | SEBI-registered in India; underlying broker is FINRA/SIPC member in the US | SEC-registered RIA and FINRA-member broker-dealer (VF Securities, Inc.); not SEBI-registered |
Which one fits you?
Neither platform is universally better. Both are legitimate long-term homes for an Indian resident’s US portfolio. The right pick depends on your stage, what you already hold, and how much paperwork you’ll handle.
Pick Rovia if
- •You hold meaningful vested RSUs at a US employer broker and want to consolidate them without selling first
- •You want specific-lot identification at sell time and ITR-ready realized-loss schedules
- •You're cost-sensitive on per-trade brokerage (0.15% vs 0.25%) and on outbound repatriation FX
Pick Vested if
- •You're a general retail investor without significant RSU exposure — the RSU-specific tooling on Rovia is over-engineered for your use case
- •You value the more established brand and broader retail product surface
- •You don't need lot-level tax-loss harvesting reports
Honest trade-offs
Every platform optimizes for some users and not others. Here are the real constraints to factor in — not flaws, just design choices.
Rovia — constraints to factor in
- ·Youngest of the four platforms — narrower asset universe at launch (UCITS / global stocks on roadmap)
- ·Smaller team means less polish on edge cases than the more established platforms
- ·Less suitable for investors with no RSU exposure — the RSU-specific tooling is over-engineered for pure retail use
Vested — constraints to factor in
- ·FX markup is higher than IBKR in absolute paise terms
- ·No OTC (pink-sheet) stocks or international exchange access
- ·No options or futures
FAQ
- Is Rovia better than Vested?
- Neither platform is universally better. Rovia: RSU-first Indian platform with lot-level tax tooling, inbound ACATS from US employer brokers, and a flat $5 fee on outbound repatriation. Vested: SEC/FINRA-regulated US platform with India-friendly tax docs and a clean full-universe US-investing product. The right pick depends on how much you’re deploying per year, whether you hold RSUs at a US employer broker, and how much tax-paperwork friction you’ll handle.
- Which is better for Indian investors — Rovia or Vested?
- For small or frequent trades (under ~₹1.5L per trade), percentage-based brokerage typically wins. For larger lump-sum deployments above ₹20L per year, the platform with the lower FX markup saves more over time. Use the spec table above to compare your exact scenario.
- What's the FX cost difference between Rovia and Vested?
- Rovia: ~50–60 paise on inbound; $5 flat fee on outbound. Vested: ~75–100 paise per USD. On a ₹10 lakh LRS remittance, the FX delta between platforms can add up to ₹5,000–₹15,000 per transfer — meaningful for large deployments, negligible for small ones.
- Can I transfer my US employer RSUs to Rovia or Vested?
- Rovia: Supported via Alpaca — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in. Vested: Supported via DriveWealth — Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley RSUs can be transferred in.
- Are both Rovia and Vested safe for Indian residents?
- Yes. Rovia: Shares held at Alpaca Securities (FINRA-regulated, US clearing broker); SIPC insurance up to $500k per account. Vested: Shares held at DriveWealth (FINRA-regulated, US clearing broker); SIPC insurance up to $500k per account. For most Indian retail accounts under $500k, the standard SIPC coverage is plenty. Both platforms route through regulated US broker-dealers.
- Do Rovia and Vested support Schedule FA for Indian tax filing?
- Rovia: INR P&L per lot with vest-date SBI TT rates pre-applied, Schedule FA helper, dividend tracking with Form 67 prep, realized loss schedule for tax-loss harvesting. Vested: INR P&L statement, Schedule FA helper, capital gains breakdown — all India-friendly formats. Schedule FA is required for any Indian resident holding foreign assets. For our complete walkthrough, see the Schedule FA guide.
Other broker comparisons
A note on freshness. Pricing, features, and policies on all four platforms change. We re-review on a quarterly cadence; the last full review was July 2026. If you spot an inaccuracy or a materially-changed fact, please flag it — accuracy here matters more to us than pretending the data is settled.
This page is editorial. It is not investment advice. Vested.blog is the editorial publication of Rovia. The comparison above is drawn from our 4-way long-form review, which discloses the relationship and contains the underlying methodology.