Best 529 Plans
If your own state offers a meaningful tax deduction for contributing to its own plan, use that plan first and stop there. If it does not, my529 is a strong default for its highly customizable investment tracks and low costs, Bright Start and Invest529 are close alternatives with similarly broad, low-cost index options, and the Vanguard 529 suits anyone who wants a plan built entirely around Vanguard’s own funds.
Best 529 Plans
Nothing we can price
None of these carry the figures needed to rank them for your situation yet.
Compared side by side
4 compared on the 4 things that decide it. A blank cell means we could not confirm the answer, not that the answer is no.
| Provider | State tax deduction (for residents) | Sold direct or advisor | Open to out-of-state residents | Investment menu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| my529 Best overall for flexibility | — | — | — | — |
| Bright Start Best for Illinois residents, and a strong pick for everyone else | — | — | — | — |
| Invest529 Best for a large, established state program | — | — | — | — |
| The Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan Best for an all-Vanguard portfolio | — | — | — | — |
Every offer, priced the same way
Ranked by what it costs you over a year. The arithmetic behind each figure is shown so you can check it. Offers we could not price are listed at the bottom with the reason.
1. my529 — Utah Educational Savings Plan
Best overall for flexibility
Direct-sold, open to residents of any state, and built around highly customizable investment tracks rather than a handful of fixed portfolios.
Priced from national figures.
2. Bright Start — Illinois State Treasurer
Best for Illinois residents, and a strong pick for everyone else
A direct-sold, low-cost index lineup, with a state income tax deduction for Illinois residents who contribute to it.
Priced from national figures.
3. Invest529 — Virginia529
Best for a large, established state program
One of the largest 529 programs in the country, direct-sold, with a deduction for Virginia filers and broad index options for everyone else.
Priced from national figures.
4. The Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan — Nevada, managed by Ascensus and The Vanguard Group
Best for an all-Vanguard portfolio
Nevada’s direct-sold plan, managed by Ascensus, built entirely around Vanguard index funds for investors who already prefer that fund family.
Priced from national figures.
How we ranked these
We compare whether a plan is direct-sold (you manage it yourself, no advisor commission) or advisor-sold, whether it is open to residents of any state, the breadth of its investment menu, and whether it has a track record other 529 plans are commonly benchmarked against. We do not state a plan’s expense ratios or fees as a fixed fact, since those are periodically revised and a plan’s own disclosure document is the only place to check the current number.