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Money is a non-client promoter (“Promoter”) of Robinhood Strategies. Promoter receives compensation of $35 for each newly opened and funded Robinhood Strategies managed account, creating an incentive to positively promote the product. The Promoter is not affiliated with Robinhood Strategies or its affiliates. No fees or other amounts will be charged to Robinhood Strategies clients in connection with, or as a result of, the Promoter’s activities. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Nothing in this review should be construed as a solicitation, offer, or recommendation, to buy or sell any security or pursue any investment strategy. Investment advisory services provided by Robinhood Asset Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser.
Margin Disclosure: Margin borrowing increases your level of market risk, as a result it has the potential to magnify both your gains and losses. Before using margin, customers must determine whether this type of strategy is right for them given their investment objectives and risk tolerance. Regardless of the underlying value of the securities you purchased, you must repay your margin loan. Robinhood Financial can change its maintenance margin requirements at any time without prior notice. If the equity in your account falls below the minimum maintenance requirements (varies according to the security), you’ll have to deposit additional cash or acceptable collateral. If you fail to meet your minimums, Robinhood Financial may be forced to sell some or all of your securities, with or without your prior approval. For more information please see Robinhood Financial’s Margin Disclosure Statement, Margin Agreement and FINRA Investor Information.
Margin Risk: Margin trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Borrowing on margin increases your level of market risk and can amplify both gains and losses.
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IRA Match: The 3% matching on annual contributions requires a subscription with Robinhood Gold ($5/mo) and customers must stay subscribed to Gold for 1 year from the date of the first eligible deposit to keep the full Gold match. The funds that earned the match must be kept in the account for at least 5 years to avoid a potential Early IRA Match Removal Fee. Match rate subject to change. Non-Gold customers receive a 1% match. Offer only applies to self-directed IRAs. For more information refer to the IRA Match FAQ.
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Robinhood Strategies Managed Portfolios: Robinhood Strategies charges an annual management fee of 0.25% on the net portfolio value of each managed account. Eligible Robinhood Gold subscribers pay no management fees on the portion of their managed account net portfolio value that exceeds $100,000, thereby limiting the annual management fee to $250. Other fees apply.
General Trading Risk: All investments involve risk and loss of principal is possible.
Brokerage services are offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, ("RHF") a registered broker dealer (member SIPC) and clearing services through Robinhood Securities, LLC, ("RHS") a registered broker dealer (member SIPC).
RHF and RHS are not banks. All are separate but affiliated entities. Securities offered by RHF are not FDIC insured and involve risk, including possible loss of principal.
Robinhood Gold is a subscription-based membership program of premium services offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC.
Portfolio management of managed accounts by Robinhood Asset Management, LLC (“Robinhood Strategies”), an SEC-registered investment advisor.
Investing Risk: Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.
Brokerage Services: Brokerage services are offered through Robinhood Financial LLC (“RHF”), a registered broker-dealer (member SIPC), with clearing services through Robinhood Securities, LLC (“RHS”) (member SIPC).
Not a Bank / Insurance: RHF and RHS are not banks. Securities offered through RHF are not FDIC insured and involve risk, including possible loss of principal.
Options Risk: Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before trading options.
Robinhood Gold: Robinhood Gold is a subscription-based membership program offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC. Fees and terms apply.
Crypto Risk: Cryptocurrency trading is offered through Robinhood Crypto, LLC (NMLS ID 1702840). Trading and holding digital assets involves significant risk, including the risk of substantial loss. Cryptocurrency held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected.
*Trading and owning digital assets involves significant risk, including the risk of substantial loss. Cryptocurrency trading is offered through an account with Robinhood Crypto, LLC (NMLS ID 1702840). Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Cryptocurrency held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected.
** Network fees may apply. Availability may be subject to regulatory approval in certain states.
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The Plynk® app helps you confidently grow into the investor you want to be
- Trade over 5,000 stocks and nearly 2,000 ETFs with no fees or commissions.*
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Access to the Plynk app is free. Transactional fees may apply.
Keep in mind that investing involves risk. The value of your investment will fluctuate over time, and you may gain or lose money.
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*Commission-free applies to U.S. equity trades and funds for Digital Brokerage Services LLC (DBS) retail clients. Expenses charged by investments, interest charges, or other expenses for transactions still apply. See brokerage fee schedule for details.
**The Simulated Trading tool is for informational purposes only. Please note that past performance in the simulation does not indicate future results in actual trading. Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Plynk marks are the property of FMR LLC; third-party marks are the property of their respective owners. © 2026 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Key Takeaways
- Fidelity Investments is the best overall stock trading app thanks to its low fees, variety of order types, comprehensive research tools and intuitive interface. Robinhood is an excellent alternative for beginners, while TradeStation is ideal for experienced traders.
- Most stock trading apps operate as brokerage platforms, meaning they execute trades on behalf of users rather than acting as marketplaces themselves.
- Automation features are an increasingly common sight in trading apps, from recurring investments and dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs) to portfolio rebalancing tools and robo-advisors.
- We evaluated 20 stock trading apps based on 24 data points grouped under three factors: cost, features and user experience.
Our top picks for the best stock trading apps
- Fidelity Investments: Best for Wide-Range of Investment Products
- Robinhood: Best Trading App for Beginners
- TradeStation: Best App for Active Traders
- Interactive Brokers: Best Trading App for Global Investing
- SoFi Invest: Best Low-Cost Trading App
- Moomoo: Best Trading App for Options
- Charles Schwab: Best Trading App for Retirement Investing
- eToro: Best App for Social Trading
Best for Wide-Range of Investment Products: Fidelity Investments
- Commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs and options
- Industry-leading research from 20+ independent providers
- No expense ratios on select Fidelity index funds
- Highly-rated mobile app
- High broker-assisted trade fees
- 65 cents per options contract
- 0% expense ratio funds are limited to Fidelity’s offerings
Why we chose it: Fidelity does more things exceptionally well than any other platform on our list. It charges no trading commissions, offers proprietary index funds with a 0% expense ratio, provides research from more than 20 independent data providers and has one of the highest-rated apps in the industry. All this with no account minimum and no pressure to upgrade to a paid tier to unlock basic features.
What makes Fidelity especially compelling for a wide range of investors is how well it scales. A first-time investor can open an account for as little as $1 with fractional shares available for around 7,000 stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), follow structured educational content and get started with a Fidelity Zero fund at no cost. Meanwhile, more experienced investors have access to Active Trader Pro, which offers sophisticated screeners and one of the deepest libraries of third-party research in retail brokerage.
- Fees
- $0 stocks/ETFs; 65 cents per options contract; bonds ~$1
- Promotions
- $100 bonus for a $50 deposit
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
Best Trading App for Beginners: Robinhood
- $0 commissions with no per-contract options fee
- Clean, intuitive mobile-first user interface
- IRA with up to 3% contribution match
- 24/7 in-app customer support
- History outages during high-volatility market events
- No mutual funds or individual bonds
- $5/mo or $50/yr (single charge) for Robinhood Gold
- Limited third-party research
Why we chose it: Robinhood offers a nearly frictionless experience, with account setup taking just minutes and an uncluttered, easily readable trading screen. Fractional shares starting at just $1 lets you build a portfolio with whatever amount you can spare, even if that’s just a few dollars. That level of accessibility combined with 24/7 customer support directly inside the app makes Robinhood the most forgiving platform for investors who are still learning the basics.
Robinhood includes a wide variety of educational resources, 24-hour stock trading five days a week and a Gold membership tier that unlocks Morningstar research, Level 2 market data and margin trading at rates competitive with much larger brokers. Robinhood also offers an individual retirement account (IRA) with up to a 3% contribution match — a meaningful feature that competitors rarely offer.
- Fees
- $0 trades; no options contract fee
- Promotions
- Up to $200 in free stock for new accounts
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
Best App for Active Traders: TradeStation
- Advanced trading tools in a modern, cross-platform interface
- Commission-free stock and ETF trades
- High complexity futures and options tools
- Extensive backtesting capabilities
- $35 annual IRA fee and $50 IRA termination fee
- Steeper learning curve than competitors
- Inactivity fee of $10 per month
Why we chose it: TradeStation comes closest to giving retail investors the same execution environment as professional traders. Its newest Mac and Windows application marks a significant quality-of-life improvement by packaging TradeStation's multi-asset charting, complex options spread grouping, real-time Matrix price ladder and FuturesPlus platform into an interface that is much easier to navigate.
TradeStation’s integration with Claude, Anthropic's AI model, allows traders to connect their brokerage account directly to the AI to fetch live quotes, preview orders and analyze portfolio risk using plain-language prompts. Moreover, the platform is virtually unrivaled when it comes to backtesting and systematic strategy thanks to its extensive historical data library and EasyLanguage scripting environment.
- Fees
- $0 (TS Go); ~60 cents per options contract
- Promotions
- Up to $3,500 cash bonus on qualifying deposit transfers
- Minimum Deposit
- $0 (margin trading requires $2,000; day trading requires $25,000)
Best Low-Cost Trading App: SoFi®
- $0 commissions on stocks and ETFs
- No account minimum or annual fee
- Fractional shares starting at $5
- No options contract fees
- Limited third-party ETF variety
- $100 account transfer-out fee
- $25 inactivity fee
Why we chose it: While other platforms charge 65 cents per options contract and many discount brokers still collect a per-contract fee, SoFi Invest applies zero commission and zero contract fee across the board. For investors who trade options with any regularity, that difference adds up quickly and meaningfully over time.
Beyond its pricing structure, SoFi's broader advantage is integration. Users who already bank with SoFi can move money between checking, savings and investing accounts without friction. That helps provide a full picture of your finances in a single app, which also gives you access to IPO investing and automated portfolios alongside self-directed trading.
- Fees
- $0 trades; no options contract fee
- Promotions
- Up to $1,000 in free stock for new accounts; $150 for first deposit of $1,250+
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
Best Trading App for Global Investing: Interactive Brokers
- Unmatched reach in global market and currency access
- Commission-free U.S. stock and ETF trading on IBKR lite
- Among the lowest currency conversion fees in the industry
- Exceptionally low margin rates
- High minimum balance required for reaping interest
- Steep learning curve for its flagship platform
- Limited crypto offering
Why we chose it: Interactive Brokers (IBKR) provides access to over 170 markets, 29 trading currencies and 23 currencies for funding, all in a single account. Where most U.S. brokers limit international exposure to a handful of American Depositary Receipts or a curated set of foreign ETFs, IBKR offers direct access to tens of thousands of listings across North America, Europe and Asia.
IBKR Pro’s currency conversion fee of a flat 0.002% is significantly cheaper than the 0.50% to 1.50% markup charged by competitors — a difference that compounds meaningfully for any investor regularly moving between currencies to buy foreign-listed securities. Moreover, the platform’s research library spans more than 140 domestic and international providers and its SmartRouting technology routinely scans for best execution across exchanges globally.
- Fees
- $0 (Lite); ~65 cents per options contract
- Promotions
- None currently
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
Best Trading App for Options: Moomoo
- No equity options commissions and no per-contract fee
- Advanced multi-chart layout and AI-powered assistant
- Paper trading with up to $1 million in virtual funds
- Access to new Nasdaq weekly expirations
- $20 fee for domestic bank wire withdrawals; $25 for international
- No mutual funds or IRAs
Why we chose it: Moomoo doesn’t charge commissions or per-contract fee on equity options, putting it on a very short list of platforms that offer options trading for free. For traders who run high-frequency strategies or manage sizable positions across multiple names, the savings relative to the 65 cents-per-contract standard charged by most full-service brokers are substantial.
The Moomoo desktop and mobile apps support up to six simultaneous charts, a customizable layout, over 100 technical indicators and Moomoo AI — an integrated trading assistant that processes real-time market data. The platform's partnership with Nasdaq adds nine major U.S. underlyings — the main investment an option is based on — that expire twice a week for even greater flexibility in short-term strategies.
- Fees
- $0 stocks/options (reg fees apply)
- Promotions
- Up to $1,000 in NVDA shares plus 8.1% APY on cash for new deposits
- Minimum Deposit
- $0
Best Trading App for Retirement Investing: Charles Schwab
- Widest selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds among major brokers
- Nearly 400 branch locations nationwide for in-person guidance
- Automated IRA management with no advisory fee
- 24/7 phone and chat support
- Low interest rate on uninvested cash
- Limited crypto trading
Why we chose it: Schwab offers nearly 8,000 no-transaction-fee mutual funds, giving IRA holders a broader selection from which they can build a passive, low-cost portfolio without worrying about trading fees eroding contributions. Its IRAs carry no annual fees and no closing fees, removing two of the most common hidden costs in retirement accounts.
The platform also leads on the advisory side. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios provides fully automated IRA management with no management fee — unusual in an industry where robo-advisory services typically cost 0.25% annually. For investors who want human support, Schwab's certified financial planners are accessible through Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium, and its 24/7 phone and chat support remains among the most consistently praised customer service teams in retail brokerage.
- Fees
- $0 stocks; 65 cents per options contract
- Promotions
- Up to $1,000 via referral from an existing Schwab client
- Minimum Deposit
- $0 ($5,000 for Schwab Intelligent Portfolios)
Best App for Social Trading: eToro
- 30 million+ user community
- Commission-free stock and ETF trading
- Automatic replication of vetted investors' portfolios
- Social feed, live market commentary and sentiment data
- $5 withdrawal fee and a $30 minimum withdrawal amount
- Narrower asset selection than full-service competitors
- Fractional shares carry a $10 minimum
Why we chose it: eToro’s CopyTrader feature lets you automatically mirror the real-time trades of verified investors with publicly audited performance histories. Performance data going back multiple years, risk scores and monthly return breakdowns make it easy to evaluate who you’re copying. Plus, there are no management fees for copy trading; the only cost is the same spread you'd pay on any trade executed manually.
Every asset page on eToro is integrated with live community discussion, sentiment indicators and real-time commentary from other investors. In 2025, eToro expanded that feed by incorporating data from Stocktwits' over 10 million users, giving the platform one of the most robust market-sentiment signals available to retail investors.
- Fees
- Spread-based; ~$5 withdrawal
- Promotions
- Up to $10 bonus for new accounts
- Minimum Deposit
- $10
Other stock trading apps we considered
E*TRADE
E*TRADE is a well-rounded broker and an excellent option for investors who want to dive into educational resources. In addition to commission-free stock, ETF and options trades, the platform also enjoys backing from Morgan Stanley, which adds a layer of institutional research most discount brokers can't match. However, it struggles to carve a niche for itself in a field where competitors offer comparable or superior tools at similar prices.
Plynk
Purpose-built for first-time investors, Plynk removes several barriers that typically discourage beginners. It has no account minimum, fractional trades starting at $1 and plain-language guidance throughout the app. The platform’s learning hub offers structured lessons on investing basics, and a simulated trading environment with $100,000 in virtual funds lets new investors hone their skills before risking real money.
Because Plynk offers no automated trading, rebalancing or tax optimization, and has no IRA support, investors may need to graduate to a fuller platform as their goals grow. But as an on-ramp for the genuinely uninitiated, it does its job better than almost any competitor in this category.
Public
Public offers stocks, ETFs, options, bonds, crypto and a high-yield cash account in one app, with a built-in social feed for community discussion. The platform stands out for its options rebate model, which pays traders back a portion of the spread rather than routing orders to market makers for profit. While it doesn't match the versatility or depth of eToro's copy-trading, it’s still worth a look for investors who want an honest cost structure and a community-driven experience.
What you need to know about stock trading apps
Stock trading apps allow investors to buy and sell stocks online, be it on desktop or on your mobile device. Most trading apps also allow you to trade other types of securities, such as ETFs, bonds, options, futures and even crypto.
To use one of these platforms, you must first create an account and deposit funds into it. Once the account is set up, you can research different stocks, track their performance and decide which ones to buy or sell. The app will calculate the total cost of trading and show it to you trade on a confirmation screen.
After the user confirms the transaction, the app will send the order directly to the broker. Then, once it has been completed — often within seconds — the user will receive a trade confirmation, and the stock will be added to their portfolio. The app will also provide real-time updates on the stock's performance so the user can monitor their investments.
What are stock trading app orders?
An order in a trading app is a set of instructions given to a broker that determine how and when a trade is executed. Stock trading apps typically support a set of standard order types that includes market orders, limit orders and stop orders. More advanced apps may offer conditional orders such as bracket orders or one-cancels-the-other (OCO) orders, where executing one order.
How to start investing with stock trading apps
Getting started with stock trading apps is a relatively simple process.
- Choose a brokerage app that matches your goal — such as retirement, saving for a major purchase or learning how markets work — and your style of investing. Compare fees, investment options, user interface, educational tools and customer support.
- Download the app and create a brokerage account. You’ll usually need to provide your personal information so the platform can verify your identity. Don’t forget to enable two-factor authentication, use a strong password and turn on biometric login if available.
- Connect your checking or savings account so you can transfer funds into the trading app.
- Choose a security, enter the dollar amount or number of shares, review the order and confirm the purchase.
- Check your investments periodically. As your goals, income and risk tolerance change, revisit your portfolio. You may need to rebalance, increase contributions or shift toward more conservative investments over time.
Best Stock Trading Apps FAQs
Are stock trading apps safe?
How much money is needed to start trading?
Do trading apps charge fees?
Are trading apps good for long-term investing?
How do taxes work with stock trading apps?
Methodology
To identify the best stock trading apps, we evaluated platforms across three categories: cost, features and user experience. Each category reflects several data points that directly affect how investors interact with a trading app, from affordability to functionality and ease of use.
Cost
We evaluated cost by looking at the direct and indirect expenses associated with each platform. That includes trading commissions for stocks, ETFs and options; margin rates; account minimums; and any subscription or premium feature fees. We also considered additional charges, such as transfer fees, inactivity fees and costs tied to advanced data or tools.
Features
For features, our focus was on the breadth and quality of investment tools offered by each app. We considered access to different asset classes such as stocks, ETFs, options and crypto, as well as the availability of fractional shares. Research tools, charting capabilities, educational resources, automation features and advanced trading functionalities were also taken into account.
User Experience
We assessed the overall usability and design of each app to evaluate user experience. This includes account setup, navigation, trade execution and portfolio management. Factors such as mobile app performance, interface clarity, customization options and reliability factored into the equation. Customer support availability and responsiveness also played a role.
Summary of our top picks
- Fidelity Investments: Best for Wide-Range of Investment Products
- Robinhood: Best Trading App for Beginners
- TradeStation: Best App for Active Traders
- Interactive Brokers: Best Trading App for Global Investing
- SoFi Invest: Best Low-Cost Trading App
- Moomoo: Best Trading App for Options
- Charles Schwab: Best Trading App for Retirement Investing
- eToro: Best App for Social Trading