Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

This device is too small

If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.

Skip to main content

Best Investment Apps for August 2024

Review Updated
Matt Frankel, CFP®

Our Brokerage Expert

Nathan Alderman
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

You don't need a full-service stock broker or financial advisor to help manage your investments. In fact, you don't even need a computer. Excellent investment apps make it easy to buy and sell stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and other investments right from your phone -- from anywhere. There are apps for beginners and experienced investors, for active trading and hands-off automation. Some even offer robust features like stock analysis and research.

The best investing apps are more than apps to buy stocks. While some apps in this list are dedicated to that purpose, some go beyond investing and bring together your full financial picture in one place where you can set up banking and loans through the same app. Whatever your financial needs, there's an app for you. Here's our list of the best investment apps.

There are a lot of options to compare, even on this page. It can be overwhelming! If you're looking for a place to start, here are some investment apps our experts recommend and why they like them:

  • Robinhood: Standout mobile brokerage app
  • WARNING SCL [brokerage slug=fidelity field=apply_url] does not generated a link. Anchor tag will not render in production.Fidelity: Extensive investing research tools

Our 11 best investment apps for August 2024

Broker/Advisor Best For Commissions Next Steps
Robinhood Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

$0 commissions

Commission:

$0 for stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
Fidelity Offer Image
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
5.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
5.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Full-featured broker

Commission:

$0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETF trades. No fees to buy fractional shares.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
Tastytrade Offer Image
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Options investing app

Commission:

$0 for stocks, $1 per option contract (opening trades only), 1% per crypto purchase and sale

M1 Finance Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Investing and banking in one

Commission:

$0 commissions and no management fee. M1 Plus membership costs $3 per month.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
SoFi Active Investing Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Managing your money needs with one app

Commission:

$0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
Ally Invest Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Combined investment and banking needs

Commission:

$0 stock and ETF trades

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
Betterment Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Robo-advisor investing app

Commission:

$0 per trade, management fee of $4 per month or 0.25% per year

Webull Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Mobile app trading platform

Commission:

$0 per trade

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
Charles Schwab Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Investing app for IRAs

Commission:

$0 stock, ETF, and Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource® trades. No fees to buy fractional shares.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
Wealthfront Offer Image
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Robo-advisor app

Commission:

$0 per trade, management fee 0.25%

Acorns Offer Image
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For:

Beginning investors

Commission:

$3-$12 monthly

Stash Offer Image
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best For: Commission:

None

How to choose the best investment app

There are are a few things we like to look for when choosing an investing app:

  • Diverse investment options
  • Low or no fees
  • Affordable account minimum
  • Educational resources
  • User-friendly platform
Robinhood
Open Account for Robinhood

On Robinhood's Secure Website.

Ratings Methodology

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

Robinhood's user-friendly mobile investing app allows trading in stocks, ETFs, options, cryptocurrencies, and fractional shares, all with $0 commissions.

Fees:

$0 for stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies

Account Minimum:

$0

Open Account for Robinhood

On Robinhood's Secure Website.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Our Rating:

Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars.
5.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

Fidelity is one of the largest and one of the most well-rounded brokerages available in the US today. Importantly, Fidelity offers $0 commission for online stock and ETF trades, plus a high-quality mobile app that's good for both beginners and seasoned investors.

Fees:

$0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETF trades. No fees to buy fractional shares.

Account Minimum:

$0, ($1 minimum per fractional share transaction)

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

tastytrade is laser-focused on options investing and its app is well-suited to options traders. Its feature-rich order entry platform helps is versatile enough on mobile for actions you'd otherwise want to take through its other trading platforms.

Fees:

$0 for stocks, $1 per option contract (opening trades only), 1% per crypto purchase and sale

Account Minimum:

$0

Open Account for Tastytrade

On Tastytrade's Secure Website.

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

M1 Finance packs in robust investing and banking needs within a simple-to-use-app. What's more, there's no account management fee.

Fees:

$0 commissions and no management fee. M1 Plus membership costs $3 per month.

Account Minimum:

$100

Open Account for M1 Finance

On M1 Finance's Secure Website.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

SoFi is a great lending, investing, saving, and personal finance app all rolled into one, making it a very good investment app for handling your money needs under one roof.

Fees:

$0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts

Account Minimum:

$0

Special Offer Circle with letter I in it. For new accounts: Customer must fund their Active Invest account with at least $10 within 30 days of opening the account. Probability of customer receiving $1,000 is 0.028%.

Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new Active Invest account.

Open Account for SoFi Active Investing

On SoFi Active Investing's Secure Website.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

Ally combines investment and personal financial accounts in one easy-to-use app.

Fees:

$0 stock and ETF trades

Account Minimum:

$0

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

Betterment helped pioneer the robo-advisor business and remains one of the best investment app options.

Fees:

$0 per trade, management fee of $4 per month or 0.25% per year

Account Minimum:

$0

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

Webull offers a user-friendly stock investing platform with more features than some of its rivals, including cheap margin rates.

Fees:

$0 per trade

Account Minimum:

$0

Open Account for Webull

On Webull's Secure Website.

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

Few stock brokers have a mobile app that closely resembles the robust features and capabilities of their online investment app. Schwab bucks that trend. Importantly, accountholders can manage all of their standard accounts via the app, including IRAs, taxable brokerage, and bank accounts.

Fees:

$0 stock, ETF, and Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource® trades. No fees to buy fractional shares.

Account Minimum:

$0, ($5 minimum per fractional share transaction)

Award Icon 2024 Award Winner

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

One of the best robo-advisors for low costs and diverse investing needs, with an excellent mobile app to boot.

Fees:

$0 per trade, management fee 0.25%

Account Minimum:

$500

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

A solid pick for investors that want to put their savings and investments on cruise control. Acorns' approach to automatically rounding up purchases is a simple way to start investing.

Fees:

$3-$12 monthly

Account Minimum:

$0

Open Account for Acorns

On Acorns' Secure Website.

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

Stash has an easy to understand fee structure as well as a low barrier to entry to start investing. It has tools that are great for beginners and even comes with a debit card.

Fees:

None

Account Minimum:

$0

Open Account for Stash

On Stash's Secure Website.

Editor's Note: TD Ameritrade is transitioning to Charles Schwab

TD Ameritrade has been acquired by Charles Schwab, and the company expects all accounts to be transitioned by the end of 2024. We've removed TD Ameritrade from our best-of lists to align with this development. Here at The Ascent, you can trust that we're constantly evaluating our top broker picks to bring you current recommendations.

Reviews of the best investment apps

SoFi Active Investing

Best app for investors who: Want an all-in-one financial app with tons of features.

SoFi could be an excellent choice for investors, especially those who prefer to keep all of their finances in the same place. SoFi offers an excellent active investing platform as well as one of our top robo-advisors, in the same app you can use to manage your savings and checking account, apply for a mortgage, and much more.

Why investors might love SoFi Active Investing

  • No trading commissions (including options) or account minimums
  • Fractional share investing is available.
  • Choose active investing or automated portfolios (or both) in the same app.

Why some investors might not choose SoFi Active Investing

  • Some investment types (like mutual funds) aren't available.
  • Trading platform might be light on features for active investors.

Read our full review of SoFi Active Investing.

Robinhood

Best app for investors who: Want an easy-to-use platform to buy and sell stocks and cryptocurrencies.

Robinhood pioneered the concept of the app-based investment platform, and it is still one of the best in the business today. It doesn't charge any commissions, even on options trading, and allows for fractional share investing. There are more than a dozen cryptocurrencies available with no trading commissions, and although the Robinhood Gold membership costs $5 per month, it offers some excellent benefits that could more than justify the cost, such as a 3% match on IRA contributions.

Why investors might love Robinhood

  • No commissions, even on options and cryptocurrencies
  • Fractional share investing
  • Extremely easy to use

Why some investors might not choose Robinhood

  • No mutual funds or fixed-income investments.
  • No stock research without Robinhood Gold membership.
  • Few tools for advanced investors and traders.

Read our full review of Robinhood.

Fidelity

Best app for investors who: Want a full-featured brokerage platform in the palm of their hand.

Fidelity is one of the largest and most well-known brokerage firms in the world, and it offers an excellent and highly rated investment app. Customers can trade stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, options, and more from Fidelity's app, and can open virtually any type of investment account they need. Fidelity is one of just a few brokers that allow customers to trade on foreign stock markets, and with fractional share investing, it can be easier than you think to create a diversified portfolio.

Why investors might love Fidelity

  • Fractional share investing: Fidelity allows investors to buy and sell fractional shares. This can allow you to create a diversified portfolio with little money.
  • International trading: Fidelity allows investors to access and trade on 25 different international stock markets.
  • Accounts and investments: As a full-featured brokerage, Fidelity offers a variety of account types that can be opened for app-based stock trading, including individual, joint, retirement, custodial, and trust accounts. It offers stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, CDs, and several other types of investments.

Why some investors might not choose Fidelity

  • Margin rates: Fidelity is on the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to margin interest rates, especially for customers with smaller accounts.
  • No cryptocurrencies: Several other investment apps allow you to trade cryptocurrencies. Fidelity does not.

Read our full review of Fidelity.

Ally Invest

Best app for investors who: Want a mobile-first broker with an all-in-one financial platform.

Ally Invest is an all-in-one financial platform that offers checking and savings accounts, loans, and investment accounts. It offers both an active investing account as well as a robo-advisory service and offers a variety of account types and investments on its platform. It could also be an excellent app for mutual fund investors, as it is one of the only investment platforms that has eliminated mutual fund commissions entirely.

Why investors might love Ally Invest

  • All-in-one app: Ally's app offers all of its investment and banking services in the same place, which could make it a great choice for stock traders who like keeping their finances in one place.
  • Active and automated: Ally Invest offers a self-directed investment platform, as well as an automated (robo-advisor) platform.
  • Commissions: Ally Invest not only offers free stock trades, but it's one of the only investment apps where mutual fund commissions are completely non-existent.

Why some investors might not choose Ally Invest

  • Commissions on some stocks: Ally Invest offers free stock trading on most stocks, but still charges commissions for stocks with share prices below $2.
  • Light on trading tools: Ally Invest is designed more for long-term investors than active traders. So, if you're looking for a sophisticated trading platform with tons of research tools, you may want to look elsewhere.

Read our full review of Ally Invest.

Betterment

Best app for investors who: Want a low-cost but feature-packed way to automate their investing.

Betterment is a robo-advisor platform that was one of the pioneers in the automated investing industry. It has a reasonable management fee, no minimum balance, and some excellent features that are often only available to high-balance accounts, such as tax-loss harvesting. Betterment also features an integrated cash management account that is competitive with the top high-yield savings accounts on our radar.

Why investors might love Betterment

  • Low management fee (0.25%) and no minimums.
  • Integrated high-yield savings account.
  • Tax-loss harvesting and automatic portfolio rebalancing.

Why some investors might not choose Betterment

  • Human advisors only available to Premium members with over $100K balances.
  • Doesn't offer self-directed investing.

Read our full review of Betterment.

Webull

Best app for investors who: Want an easy way to buy and sell stocks, especially for active traders.

Webull is designed to be the premier investing app for active traders. It offers $0 commission stock and options trades, fractional share investing, and a mobile platform that is far more feature-packed than those offered by other app-based brokerage firms. It also offers a few cryptocurrencies for trading on the platform as well.

Why investors might love Webull

  • No commissions: Webull offers $0 commission trading on stocks and options.
  • Mobile platform: Webull's mobile platform is packed with advanced trading tools that many of its competitors can't match.
  • Cryptocurrencies: Webull offers Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin for trading on its platform.

Why some investors might not choose Webull

  • Education: Webull might not be the best choice for beginning investors, as one of its key weaknesses is a lack of educational resources.
  • Investment choices: Webull doesn't offer mutual funds, bonds, futures, or CDs.
  • Account types: There are several popular account types Webull doesn't offer, such as SIMPLE and SEP IRAs, custodial accounts, and solo 401(k)s. You also can't open a joint account with Webull.

Read our full review of Webull.

Charles Schwab (Schwab Mobile)

Best app for investors who: Want more than just a place to buy and sell stocks.

Charles Schwab is one of the largest full-featured brokerage firms in the United States, and offers a trading app to pair with its web-based and desktop platforms. It has excellent educational research, as well as top-notch customer service through the app. Users can open many different types of accounts, and Charles Schwab is one of the few trading apps that allows investors to buy and sell mutual funds, futures, and several other types of investments.

Why investors might love Charles Schwab

  • Feature-packed platform: Charles Schwab offers extensive educational resources for investors, has some excellent advanced trading tools, and provides access to third-party stock research reports.
  • Investment choices: Charles Schwab's platform offers more investment choices than most. It includes stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, mutual funds, foreign exchange, futures, and CDs for investors.
  • Account types: In addition to standard brokerage accounts and traditional and Roth IRAs, Charles Schwab offers SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, Solo 401(k)s, college savings accounts, custodial accounts, as well as joint brokerage accounts.

Why some investors might not choose Charles Schwab

  • Not easy to use: Charles Schwab has an extremely functional app, as discussed earlier, and we wouldn't exactly call it a clunky experience. But it isn't nearly as easy to navigate as some of the mobile-first trading apps on this list.
  • Some commissions: Charles Schwab charges a per-contract fee on options trading, which many of its competitors have eliminated. There are also commissions on mutual funds that aren't on its OneSource list.

Read our full review of Charles Schwab.

Tastytrade

Best app for investors who: Actively trade options or futures.

While Tastytrade facilitates stock investing, and the platform offers IRAs and trusts, the main focus is facilitating options and futures trading for active investors. It has one of the best trading platforms in the industry, and has an excellent options commission structure. While its desktop trading platform is the company's flagship product, it packs a powerful collection of trading tools in a mobile app as well.

Why investors might love Tastytrade

  • Commission structure: Tastytrade charges a $1 per contract fee for options, but there are two caveats. First, it only charges a commission on purchases (not when you sell). Second, the commission is capped at $10 per trade, no matter how many contracts.
  • Most options-focused platform: Tastytrade was designed by industry leaders who pioneered online options trading technology decades ago. You won't find a more options-focused platform.
  • No minimums: You can open a Tastytrade account with any amount you wish, and start trading. However, you'll need at least $2,000 for margin privileges.

Why some investors might not choose Tastytrade

  • Margin rates: Other platforms that target active traders often have better margin interest rates.
  • Not great for long-term investors: In simple terms, if you're aiming to build a portfolio of stocks to hold for the long term, Tastytrade might not be your best choice.

Read our full review of Tastytrade.

Wealthfront

Best app for investors who: Investors who want a robo-advisor app with lots of features.

Wealthfront is an automated investing platform, or robo-advisor, designed to automatically allocate clients' assets in an age-appropriate manner. It has a reasonable advisory fee, provides tax-loss harvesting strategies, and offers many different account types. It also has an excellent integrated cash management account, and Wealthfront actually lets investors buy individual stocks in addition to their robo-advisory portfolio.

Why investors might love Wealthfront

  • Lots of features for the cost: Wealthfront's 0.25% management fee isn't the lowest in the industry, but it delivers a lot of value. For example, it is one of the only robo-advisors that provides tax-loss harvesting to clients of all account sizes.
  • Great cash management account: Wealthfront allows investors to keep a cash account, which pays an APY comparable to our top high-yield savings accounts and gives access to money at more than 19,000 fee-free ATMs.
  • Can also buy individual stocks: Wealthfront allows investors to trade stocks commission-free (including fractional shares).

Why some investors might not choose Wealthfront

  • Account minimum: Wealthfront requires a $500 minimum deposit to get started, which is on the lower end, but is important to know.
  • No human advisors: Some robo-advisors provide clients with access to financial planners, but Wealthfront does not.

Read our full review of Wealthfront.

Acorns

Best app for investors who: Want a robo-advisor that takes automation to the next level.

Acorns earns a spot on our best investment apps list because it's perhaps the most user-friendly and most automated robo-advisor on our radar. While you have the usual ways to contribute money (one-time, recurring), a unique feature of Acorns is that it allows users to link their credit and debit cards, and round up each purchase to the next dollar -- investing the difference.

Why investors might love Acorns

  • Round-ups: In addition to being able to deposit money directly into your Acorns account, the key feature is being able to link a debit or credit card (or several), and round up all of your purchases to the nearest dollar to deposit the change into your investment account.
  • Easy to understand: Acorns app is extremely easy to navigate, and when it comes to investment selections, Acorns keeps it simple with portfolio titles like "aggressive" and "conservative."
  • Ways to earn extra investment cash: Acorns Earn is a promotional platform that gives cash-back offers for spending with Acorns partners, in the form of extra money added to your Acorns account.

Why some investors might not choose Acorns

  • Can't buy individual stocks: Acorns is only a robo-advisor. You can't buy individual stocks on its platform.
  • Fee structure: Depending on the membership tier selected, Acorns charges $3, $5, or $9 per month. This can be more expensive (as a percentage of assets) than most robo-advisors charge, especially for investors just getting started.
  • No human advisors: Some robo-advisors offer access to real-live financial planners, but Acorns isn't one of them.

Read our full review of Acorns.

M1 Finance

Best app for investors who: Want a robo-advisor with other financial functionality.

M1 Finance is a robo-advisor at its core, automating the investment portfolios of its users. It also offers an excellent checking and savings account, as well as personal loans to its customers. There are no commissions or investment fees whatsoever. There's a low $100 minimum investment and M1 Finance provides automatic rebalancing.

Why investors might love M1 Finance

  • No fees: M1 Finance is one of the few robo-advisors that doesn't charge an account management fee.
  • Integrated banking and lending: M1 Finance offers a checking account and a high-yield savings account, as well as a personal loan platform, so customers can handle most of their financial needs in one place.
  • Retirement accounts: M1 Finance supports traditional and Roth IRAs, rollover IRAs, and SEP-IRAs.

Why some investors might not choose M1 Finance

  • No human advisors: M1 Finance doesn't give access to real-live investment advisors, nor does it provide any recommendations or financial advice beyond its standard robo-advisory.
  • No tax-loss harvesting: An especially important feature for investors with larger accounts, tax-loss harvesting by a robo-advisor can make a tax bill dramatically lower.

Read our full review of M1 Finance.

FAQs

  • There are several good investment apps in the market, and the best one for you depends on your investment goals and risk tolerance. Some investment apps are full-featured brokerage platforms, others are user-friendly ways to occasionally buy or sell stocks, and others are robo-advisors that essentially put your investment strategy on autopilot.

  • There are several highly rated investment apps. Acorns, Wealthfront, and Betterment are popular choices, especially for beginners, as they completely automate your investment strategy. Robinhood and SoFi both have extremely user-friendly investment platforms if you're looking to buy and sell individual stocks. And for more experienced investors, or those who want a more full-featured experience, Schwab Mobile is highly rated in both the App Store and Google Play store.