The below investment apps have been researched, reviewed, confirmed, vetted, re-vetted, and then ranked based on eight categories: account minimum, trading costs, account fees, selection, ease of use, sign-on bonus, education, and customer service. These are the investment apps that made the grade.
eToro—Best for stocks and crypto.
Wealthfront—Best for simple/robo investing.
Acorns—Best for micro-investing.
Crowdstreet—Best for real estate investing.
M1 Finance—Best for automatic investing.
Coinbase—Best for crypto investing.
Robinhood—Best for beginners.
Empower—Best for investment tracking.
Charles Schwab—Best overall.
Vanguard—Best ETF app.
E*Trade—Best for stock investing.
Fidelity—Best for mutual funds.
Interactive Brokers—Best for dividend investing.
| Name | Score | Visit | Disclaimer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 9.8 | Visitplus500 | CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Availability subject to regulations. FCA (FRN 509909). | |
 | 8.7 | Visitetoro.com | Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. Your capital is at risk. 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money. | |
 | 6.9 | Visitwealthfront.com | ||
 | 8.8 | Visit | ||
 | 8.2 | Visit | ||
 | 6M1 | 9.0 | Visit | |
 | 8.4 | Visitcoinbase.com | ||
 | 6.0 | Visitrobinhood.com | ||
 | 9.0 | Visit | ||
 | 8.0 | Visitschwab.com | ||
 | 11Vanguard | 6.0 | Visitinvestor.vanguard.com | |
 | 12E*Trade | 6.5 | Visitetrade.com | |
 | 7.5 | Visitfidelity.com | ||
 | 9.1 | Visitinteractivebrokers.com |
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13 Best Investment Apps Reviewed
- Fee-free investing.
- $10 account minimum.
- 3,000+ assets, including 25 types of crypto.
- $5 withdrawal fee.
- $10/month inactivity fee after 12 months of no login activity.
Why we picked it
eToro is a trading platform that's been around for nearly two decades and they operate in over 100 countries around the world.
From the beginning, their mission was to make trading accessible to anyone, anywhere, and reduce dependency on traditional financial institutions. They've kept this as their core mission, but they've also added capabilities as a social platform, crypto, options, and 0% commission stocks.
- No fee investing.
- $1 account minimum.
- Intro offer of $50 for funding your account.
- 0.25% management fee for automated investing.
- Limited selection of crypto.
Why we picked it
Wealthfront was founded in 2008, originally as a mutual fund analysis company, but quickly pivoted into wealth management.
They understood that people often don't know if they're making the right decisions with their investments. But, if they hand their money over to an advisor, they also don't really know if that advisor is working in their best interest.
Wealthfront solves both of these problems as an automated investment medium—a robot advisor of sorts. Its model is easy to understand and has your best interest at heart, always.
- Simple interface.
- $10 sign-up bonus.
- No account minimum.
- Cashback for 250+ retailers.
- Easy to understand ETF investing.
- Steep monthly cost for low account balances.
Why we picked it
If you’re looking for a hands-off approach to investing, Acorns has you covered.
Acorns will round up your purchases and invest little bits at a time into various investments of your choice. The app is simple to use, and the investment options are also easy to understand.
Instead of choosing individual stocks (which can be daunting), you can choose from five investment portfolios—conservative, moderately conservative, moderate, moderately aggressive, or aggressive. And, if you’re interested in crypto, you can invest in BITO (a Bitcoin ETF).
The cost of Acorns is between $3 and $5 a month. If you have thousands of dollars invested, this fee is nominal. However, the charge is ludicrous if you’ve only got $20 in your account. If you can’t see yourself using Acorns for the long term, it’s probably not worth it. But if you stick with it and leave your investments alone, Acorns makes a ton of sense.
- All real estate opportunities go through extensive research and analysis before you can invest.
- Wide selection of real estate investments and asset classes to choose from.
- Easy to use app with many features.
- The choice to go solo or receive more help and customization from experts.
- High minimum investment of $25,000—large investments always carry risk.
- Real estate investments are illiquid, with an average hold time of 3–5 years, so you could be waiting a while to see returns.
- Only accredited investors can invest using Crowdstreet.
Why we picked it
If you’re interested in commercial real estate investing, chances are you’ve heard of CrowdStreet. With $4 billion invested, over 750 deals, and an eyebrow-raising 19.2% return rate, the platform certainly stands out from the crowd.
CrowdStreet is an award-winning online commercial real estate investment platform that connects investors with real estate opportunities across the US.
- No trading costs.
- Over 6,000 stocks to choose from, plus REITs, ETFs, crypto, and socially responsible investments.
- Sign-up bonuses.
- High rewards possible when credit card, savings account, and investment brokerage are all utilized.
- Excellent customer service.
- $100 account minimum.
- $100 termination fee if you move funds to another brokerage.
Why we picked it
M1 Finance was founded in 2015. To be completely honest, I just heard of it recently. Based on what I’ve heard, researched, and recently found out first-hand (because I signed up and created an account), this is one of the top investment apps out there. More specifically, though, it’s the best automatic investing app.
So why is it so highly regarded? Because it’s different from anything else out there. First off, it’s an investment brokerage account. (Not so different there.)
But, there’s also:
a high-yield savings option at 4.5% interest,
a checking account element that earns 3% interest,
a credit card option that can earn you 10% rewards at select retailers,
and you can set up your rewards earnings to auto-invest into your M1 investment account.
That’s quite the circle of life there. Watch out Simba, I think your theme song just found a new home with M1 Finance.
- No account fees.
- No account minimums.
- Excellent selection of crypto.
- Great video resources on crypto and trading in general.
- Minimum 0.5% trading fee. More likely 1% or more per transaction.
Why we picked it
Crypto was once a cheap speculative investment. Then it nearly went mainstream and turned pimply teenagers into millionaires.
Recently, though, crypto has taken a dive in value. This is mainly due to security fears and threats of government regulation.
There are hundreds of apps that claim to be a crypto exchange. Don’t believe the hype. Some are scams. Others are just a shell of a website with little backing or security.
So we stuck with the tried-and-true app for crypto investing—Coinbase.
Coinbase offers over 170 types of cryptocurrencies, they have no account minimum, and their platform is quite user-friendly. And, if you set up an account with them, they’ll give you $5 of Bitcoin to get you started. That’s pretty cool!
The only downside? The trading fee is 1%. It’s not the highest fee among their competitors, but it’s not the lowest either.
However, remember the security feature of crypto trading. It may be worth paying a little extra for trades on a more seasoned, secure platform vs. the potentially unsecure, cheaper alternative.
Read more:
- No fee investing.
- No account minimums.
- Wide selection of investible assets.
- Free stock when you get started.
- $100 full transfer cost if you want to move all your funds to another brokerage.
- Limited selection of crypto.
- Low customer service rankings and regulatory issues.
Why we picked it
Years ago, Robinhood shook up the brokerage industry by offering free trades on stocks. Today, they continue to innovate and make investing as simple as possible for the beginner investor.
With Robinhood, you can trade stocks, ETFs (exchange traded funds), options, crypto, and fractional shares. And there’s quite a lot of help if you’re not sure what you’re doing or where to invest your money (including investing 101 articles, options trading essentials, and effective trading information on each stock that you may be looking to buy).
Robinhood has seen its share of issues with low customer reviews and regulatory fines for misleading customers (in 2020 and 2021), but they stated that were “investing heavily in improving platform stability, enhancing educational resources, and building out customer support and legal and compliance teams.”
And, from my perspective, the app has improved as they promised it would. Based on our review across this space, other brokerages may be more seasoned and offer a better variety of investments, but Robinhood is still the simplest way to trade.
- Free digital analysis.
- Many educational materials.
- Excellent customer service.
- $100,000 account minimum to qualify for a personal advisor.
- Annual advisory fee if you sign-up for the wealth management service.
Why we picked it
I’ve been using the Empower site for nearly a decade now. It came onto the scene in 2009 as a digital wealth management company, and that’s always been its strength.
I remember linking all my investment accounts within their platform and getting my first visual of where my money was actually invested. And I’m not talking about brokerages or ticker symbols, but rather classifications like growth, small-cap, large-cap, cash, bonds, or perhaps even currency investments.
Honestly, I was a bit astonished when I got that first look. I was young, and my intent was to be aggressive with my investments. But when I used the Empower tool, I discovered that over 15% of my holdings were in traditional bonds that were way too safe and earning very little.
I immediately restructured my portfolio. And I’ve been an Empower user ever since.
- No fee investing.
- $10 account minimum.
- 3,000+ assets, including 25 types of crypto.
- $5 withdrawal fee.
- $10/month inactivity fee after 12 months of no login activity.
Why we picked it
Never thought a stuffy old investment firm that’s been around forever would wow me (sorry, Charles Schwab!), but it absolutely did!
Charles Schwab won the top spot of all the apps with their user-friendly app, broad selection of investments, expansive list of research guides and helpful posts, and a fantastic promo offer to get started.
You’ll win when you get started (the $101 in free stock), you’ll win while you’re investing (with the large selection of investments and helpful advice), and you’ll win if you get stuck and need help (thanks to their excellent support team).
It’s an amazing investment app, so we gave it a nearly perfect rating of 8.7 out of 10.
- No fee investing.
- Wide selection of low-cost mutual funds and ETFs.
- Highly rated for customer service and ease of use.
- $20 annual account fee.
- No fractional shares.
- Many funds have a $1,000 minimum to invest.
Why we picked it
Vanguard began on the premise of low-cost investing, and that's still where it holds its value today. With an offering of 160+ Vanguard low-cost mutual funds and 3,000 non-Vanguard funds with no transaction fees, they're still a great go-to platform for a simple low-cost diversified investment.
- Free trades.
- No account minimums.
- Easy to use app with many features.
- Earn $100 cash credit with a $5,000 deposit.
- Low customer service scores.
- $75 charge for a full transfer to another brokerage.
Why we picked it
I started investing with E*Trade over a decade ago. They were one of the top investment brokerages then, and they continue to grow and evolve today, which is how it secured the top spot as the best stock app.
E*Trade earns high marks on nearly every front.
They offer free stock trades, no account minimums, a great assortment of research tools and reports, and their app is straightforward and easy to navigate. Also, for a limited time, they have a bonus offer where you can earn cash credits. Just use promo code BONUS22 when you set up your account.
- No trading fees.
- No account minimums.
- Cash promo when you deposit $50 into a new Fidelity account.
- Fees still present on competitor funds offered through Fidelity.
Why we picked it
Fidelity is another one of those brokerages that has been around for decades. While some businesses may become more dated and irrelevant with age, Fidelity still appears to be at the top of its game.
Their investment app is super user-friendly and helpful. They eliminated nearly all fees. They have a selection of 4,300 different mutual funds. And they have a special $150 promo offer when you deposit just $50 into a new Fidelity account.
For these reasons, Fidelity has earned the top spot for the best mutual funds app.
- No account minimums.
- No trading costs or account fees.
- Huge selection of mutual funds.
- No sign-on bonus.
- App isn't as user-friendly as other major brokerages.
Why we picked it
If you’re interested in dividend investing and don’t want to be limited in your selection, then Interactive Brokers is the right investment brokerage for you.
Interactive Brokers offers over 4,000 no-fee U.S. mutual funds, and (get this) over 14,000 offshore no-fee mutual funds. Given the magnitude of this selection, you’re almost certain to find the type of dividend investment you’re looking for.
More About Investment Apps
It’s a great time to be an investor. There’s a seemingly endless sea of investments for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, dividends, forex, futures, crypto, and real estate. There are countless platforms to invest with, and each has its own spin on investing. While all these options can be beneficial, they can also make the investment world extra confusing! So what do you do if you’re a beginner investor?
Similar investment articles:
Other great "how to invest" posts:
And even some helpful free calculators:
Investing money for beginners
What would I do if I was just getting started in the investing game? What would be my advice on how to invest money for a beginner? First, keep things as simple as possible. And one of the most straightforward, simple investments on this entire list is Acorns.
Sign up,
link your account,
choose your investment risk,
and then move on with your life while your investments grow.
Then what? Here’s what’s going to happen.
You likely won’t look at your Acorns account for a while. You’ll assume it’s doing practically nothing. Then, months down the road, you’ll take a peek and have $200 sitting there. Whoa!
At this point, you’re going to be inspired. You’ll want to do more. You’ll search, read, and research. You’ll learn so much more about investing that you’ll be ready to move up to the next level. That’s how it usually starts—with a simple act. And the simplest act is Acorns.
What investment app should I use?
We already covered the most straightforward app—our top pick for micro-investing—but what if you’re looking to invest at a higher level than that? What if you’d like to get more involved with your investments?
From beginner to intermediate
If you’d like to invest beyond Acorns (which basically does everything for you), Robinhood and Fundrise are great next-level options. With these apps, you can invest in individual stocks, real estate, and even crypto. So, you’ve got more of a selection and greater freedom to invest in precisely what you want, and the platforms are still simple enough that it’s not overwhelming.
Intermediate and advanced
Want to open your world to all the investments, including bonds, forex, options, and crypto? Then these are the apps for you:
What apps are giving away free stock or free money today?
These investment apps give free stock or money:
eToro: $250 when you deposit $5,000 or more.
Wealthfront: $50 when you fund your new account.
Coinbase: $5 in Bitcoin after your first trade.
Robinhood: $5–$200 in free stock.
Acorns: $10 bonus.
Charles Schwab: $101 when you fund your account.
Fidelity: $150 when you deposit $50.
E*Trade: $50 with a $5,000 deposit.
M1 Finance: $100 when you invest $50,000.
Can you lose money with investment apps?
Stock prices rise and fall based on their value. By purchasing shares, you’re essentially a part-owner of the company. Therefore, if the company goes down in value, so does your investment.
The same is true for real estate and cryptocurrency. If the values go down, your investment goes down as well.
So can you lose money with investment apps? Of course! That’s the name of the game. Without risk, there’s no reward.
Are investment apps worth it?
What if we take a step back and look at these investment apps as a whole? Are they really worth putting money into?
Let’s pretend for a minute that you invest nothing.
You earn money, put it in savings, and gain absolutely nothing from those savings.
However, at the same time, inflation happens each and every day. That $5 cheeseburger will become a $10 cheeseburger a decade from now. The patty isn’t any bigger. The bun isn’t any better. It’s just inflation at work.
If you invest nothing and earn no interest on your money, the metaphorical money pile will actually shrink (by half in ten years).
So are these investment apps worth it? Absolutely! Without investing, there is very little chance of a long-term retirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money should you have to start investing?
What are the best robo investment apps?
What is the best app for long term investments?
What is self-investment?
Disclaimer
US Crypto Trading is offered via eToro USA. US Securities trading is offered via eToro USA Securities, Inc.("The BD"), a broker dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The US Broker Dealer is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). eToro USA (NMLS ID: 1769299 ) is not a registered brokerdealer or FINRA member and your cryptocurrency holdings are not FDIC or SIPC insured. Life And My Finances is not an affiliate of eToro USA Securities, Inc. or eToro USA LLC. Life And My Finances is compensated if you access certain of the products or services offered by eToro USA LLC and/or eToro USA Securities Inc. Any testimonials contained in this communication may not be representative of the experience of other eToro customers and such testimonials are not guarantees of future performance or success.
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