The common saying goes, “You need money to make money.” It’s true—especially when it comes to investing.

But it also helps to have a stock trading app.

It doesn’t matter whether you want to buy and sell a couple of stocks each year, trade a few options contracts every couple of weeks or so, or plop yourself in front of a monitor Monday through Friday and make a living off day trading. If you want to trade, you’re doing it through an account—and you’ll be accessing that account via a desktop, web, or mobile trading app.

But how often you plan on trading, and what you plan to trade, very much does matter. The best stock trading apps for a casual investor will look much different than the top stock trading apps for an extremely experienced or even professional trader. They’ll have different features, different costs, different interfaces … you get the picture.

So, what’s the best stock trading app for you? Well, today, we’ll help you out with that.

Today, we’re going to run you through the best stock trading apps you can find. We’ll highlight their various features, and acknowledge weaknesses where they exist, so you can make the best decision based on your needs. And because different stock apps are meant for different crowds, we’ll highlight what each app is best for—so, App X is the best platform for advanced traders, App Y is the best stock trading app for beginners, and so on. 

And when we’re done, we’ll answer several of the most frequently asked questions about stock trading apps and brokerage accounts.

Best Stock Trading Apps and Platforms—Our Top Picks

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Best Free Stock Trading Apps and Platforms

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1. Webull (Best Stock Trading App for Intermediate Traders)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Self-directed investors and intermediate traders
• Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Webull first hit the investing world in 2018 and made a splash by offering free stock trading, as well as commission-free trading of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and options. And since then, it has become one of the best stock trading apps for intermediate traders, though many of its features are helpful to beginner investors as well.

For one, Webull remains friendly to wallet-conscious traders today. It costs nothing to open a Webull account. Stocks, ETFs, and options still trade commission-free. Many options have $0 contract fees. And Webull has no deposit minimums. On top of that, it offers fractional shares, which allows investors to start buying for as little as $1.

Webull also is available across just about every platform, allowing you to research, trade, and track your stocks on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

Why choose Webull to trade stocks?

Webull provides traders with a number of useful features and tools, including:

• Customizable screeners for both stocks and ETFs
• Preset lists–including Top Gainers, Top Losers, Most Active, and Best-Performing Industries—traders can use to identify opportunities
• Free real-time stock quotes
• 12 charting tools and more than 50 technical indicators
• Real-time stock alerts you can set to notify you of events such as significant price action or certain technical conditions
• Numerous order types—simple orders such as limit and market orders, sure, but also group orders such as bracket, OTO, and OCO orders
• Quant ratings that help you to evaluate stocks through numerous lenses, such as growth, value, income, quality, and momentum

These tools make Webull one of the best stock research and analysis apps for traders.

Also noteworthy: Webull provides one month of free Level 2 Quotes powered by Nasdaq TotalView. Per Webull: “It provides the best 50 levels of bids and asks for all NASDAQ-, NYSE- and regional-listed stocks on NASDAQ Market Center. It includes the prices and quantities of displayed quotes and orders, allowing investors to better determine the availability or demand for a stock at a certain price.” Experienced day traders can use these quotes to try to determine where the stock market is headed in the very short term. (Note: Level 2 Quotes cost $2.99 per month after the free trial.)

And traders can even get paid for stocks they’re sitting on. Webull’s Stock Lending Income Program allows you to receive interest, accrued daily and paid monthly, for allowing Webull to borrow certain stocks. The interest rate varies widely depending on demand for a particular stock.

Webull also has a couple other fun (and still useful!) features. For instance, you can set up voice commands that will allow you to simply speak to buy, sell, or look up information on a ticker. There’s also “Big Button Mode,” which, as you’d guess by the name, populates giant buttons on your screen that allow you to quickly make trades with just a push.

We’ll point out that while Webull allows for many types of commission-free trades, other costs will still apply to a few transactions. For instance, a 55-cent contract fee applies to certain options trades. Webull doesn’t directly charge fees for trading cryptocurrencies, but it does build a 1-percentage-point markup into the price of cryptocurrency when you buy or sell crypto. And Webull’s margin rates, which are variable depending on the debit balance, are currently roughly middle-of-the-road.

You should also know that you can’t buy mutual funds on Webull, though that’s more of a concern for long-term investors and less so for traders.

Regardless, Webull remains one of the best, and most cost-friendly, trading platforms you can come across. And on top of all the free features mentioned above, Webull also runs frequent promotions that allow investors to collect free stocks.

Read more in our Webull review, or sign up at Webull today.

Related: 20 Best Investing Research & Stock Analysis Websites

2. Interactive Brokers (Best for Day Traders)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Advanced and professional traders seeking low margin rates
• Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, macOS), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Interactive Brokers, founded in 1978, is one of the largest U.S. electronic trading platforms, offering traders access to stocks, bonds, funds, options, cryptocurrencies, foreign exchange, and more.

IB’s Trader Workstation (TWS) is Interactive Brokers’ flagship desktop program—a trading platform with roots back to 1995. But since then, the company has launched a number of other access points for brokerage accounts, including:

• IBKR Mobile: A powerful app for iOS and Android that allows people to trade on the go
• IBKR GlobalTrader: A simplified app for iOS and Android that targets global traders, allowing deposits in up to 23 different currencies
• Client Portal: A lighter web-based platform allowing clients to manage their account, evaluate performance, and read market news
• IBKR EventTrader: A web-based platform allowing investors to trade “event” contracts (yes-or-no questions like “Will the S&P 500 Index close above 3,900 today?”)
• IBKR Impact: A mobile app that helps investors select holdings most in line with their values.

But Workstation remains the workhorse. The platform supports investments across 150 global markets, and offers a wide variety of features, including real-time monitoring, risk management tools, paper trading—all packaged under a heavily customizable layout.

While TWS users can still select the original view, they can build their own bespoke view through Mosaic. Functions such as stock monitoring, order entry, charts, and more appear as “tiles,” sized and arranged however you want them, and you can save custom layouts designed for one or more monitors.

Trader Workstation also lets investors:

• Create example watchlists
• Use preset scans or build your own
• Create real-time trading alerts using price, time, margin, and volume
• Access more than 100 order types and algorithms to execute better trades
• Read breaking news from Reuters, Dow Jones, and other financial news outlets
• Access research from Morningstar, Zacks, and other firms

Interactive Brokers offers two primary plans—IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro—and both have no account minimums and zero maintenance fees. They also provide investors with access to many of the same features, including the Client Portal, Trader Workstation, and IBKR Mobile platforms; advanced order types; fractional shares of U.S. and European stocks and ETFs; paper trading; and Risk Navigator, which evaluates your risk in single positions or across your entire portfolio.

IBKR Lite is most suitable for beginner and intermediate investors, offering unlimited commission-free U.S.-listed stock and ETF trading, and fixed pricing for non-U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, mutual funds, options, and futures.

IBKR Pro, meanwhile, is meant for advanced investors and active traders. While it does charge commissions on even U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, it provides better execution for trades via its IB SmartRouting, which seeks out the best available prices for stocks and options across exchanges and dark pools—possibly resulting in lower spreads that offset the commissions you pay. It also offers better margin rates than Lite, though both platforms’ rates are among the best on offer.

Pro also offers some features not available on IBKR Lite, including higher interest paid on idle cash balances, lower interest charged on margin loans, backtesting, and access to IBKR APIs, which allow you to build your own custom trading applications and even develop commercial trading software—features often used by hedge funds, Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), and proprietary trading firms.

We should note that IBKR’s rating does get dinged (by both us and app-store users) for its sometimes buggy mobile-app experience. But the desktop app is a mainstay among advanced and professional traders.

You can visit Interactive Brokers to sign up or learn more.

Related: 14 Best Investment Opportunities for Accredited Investors

3. Robinhood (Best Simple Stock Trading App for Beginners)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Beginner traders
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Robinhood is a pioneer of low-cost trading, jumping into the investing public’s consciousness in 2013 when they rolled out commission-free trading. They remain a standout option for cost-minded investors thanks to their continued $0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options, as well as for its fractional trading, which allows people to invest with as little as $1.

More importantly, though, Robinhood has evolved from a bare-bones app appealing to mostly beginner investors to a fuller-featured account suitable for a wider range of experience levels.

For instance, Robinhood now offers individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and Roth IRAs via Robinhood Retirement. Functionally, it comes up short compared to many other IRA providers because of its investment options. It offers just stocks and ETFs; like with its brokerage account, mutual funds aren’t available. Options aren’t currently available, though Robinhood has explicitly stated that options will be made available soon.

However, Robinhood Retirement still stands out from the pack because it’s the only IRA that offers a 1% match on contributions. The match, which typically hits your account almost immediately, applies to any contributions up to the IRS’s annual limits but does not count toward your contribution limit. And while you can choose your investments yourself, Portfolio Builder can provide you with a custom recommended portfolio made up of five to eight ETFs.

(Friendly message from your Young and the Invested tax expert: The reason the IRA Match doesn’t count toward your annual IRA contribution limit is because Robinhood treats it as interest income in your IRA.)

Robinhood has long catered to younger investors with its gamified interface and growing library of educational content. But over the years, it has added a boatload of other features for new and experienced investors alike. Advanced Charts, for instance, provides simple and customizable charts with a variety of technical features. Robinhood’s Options Strategy Builder simplifies the options-trading process by helping you build a strategy based on what you expect your target stock or ETF will do in the future. Robinhood also offers 24/7 commission-free cryptocurrency trading (though you’ll still have to pay a spread), allows extended-hours trading, and lets users earn interest through stock lending.

Robinhood does offer a paid subscription service—Robinhood Gold—with several more features mostly geared toward advanced traders. Benefits include Level II market data provided by Nasdaq, a lower charged rate on margin investing than regular accounts, higher interest on uninvested brokerage cash via the cash sweep program, and bigger Instant Deposits.

If you want to keep your banking and investing close together, you can also add a Robinhood spending account. This FDIC-insured account includes a Robinhood Cash Card issued by Sutton Bank—however, if you don’t want this physical debit card, you do have the option of having a virtual debit card only. The Cash Card is compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, and also provides you with access to fee-free withdrawals from more than 90,000 ATMs. The card allows you to round-up purchases and invest the money into your brokerage or crypto account.

Sign up for a Robinhood brokerage account or Robinhood retirement account today.

Related: 13 Best Stock Picking Services, Sites, Advisors and Subscriptions

4. TradeStation Select (Best for Advanced Traders)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Advanced traders, options and futures traders, active stock traders
• Platforms: Desktop app (Windows), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

TradeStation Select is a powerful trading system that includes a full-featured desktop app, a robust web trading platform, and a highly rated stock trading app—all of which include numerous tools for trading stocks that are useful to seasoned professionals.

Much like every other online discount broker found on this list, this free stock trading app helps traders avoid commissions. Specifically, TradeStation offers zero commissions on stocks, exchange-traded funds, options, futures, micro futures, and futures options.

But the reason traders opt for TradeStation isn’t just the cost—well, lack of it—but its advanced trading features and services.

What makes TradeStation different?

TradeStation is one of the most high-powered stock trading platforms on this list. That’s because opening a TradeStation brokerage account provides you with free access to the TradeStation Analytics platform, which includes tools such as:

• Matrix: TradeStation packs market depth, advanced order entry, and order tracking all in a single window, then combines it with one-click trading and extremely fast order execution. TradeStation calls it the “Swiss Army Knife of trading tools,” and it’s an apt description.
• RadarScreen: Identify trading opportunities with RadarScreen, a real-time screener that can monitor as many as 1,000 tickers. You can also use RadarScreen to rank those stocks based on your own custom criteria, or based on more than 180 preset (but customizable) fundamental and technical indicators.
• OptionStation Pro: This app provides a more visually appealing, and easier-to-understand, method of exploring the options markets. You can build option chains, model options positions with 3D graphics, and quickly place your trades.
• EasyLanguage: Want to take your trading to the next level? Create your own trading tools, indicators, even applications, with this trading-focused programming language—a language TradeStation already uses in every one of its indicators, strategies, and user functions.

(Note: Even if you don’t use TradeStation as your trading platform, you can still access TradeStation Analytics for $99 per month if you’re a non-professional trader, or $199 per month if you’re a professional trader.)

Other trading features include a simulated trading mode that allows you to test out trading plans without putting your funds at risk, backtesting, and customizable charting.

A passive feature of note is the Fully Paid Stock Lending Program. Through the program, you can allow TradeStation to lend out fully paid or excess margin securities, and in exchange, they’ll pay you a portion of the interest TS earns each day.

Other considerations

TradeStation is one of the best stock trading apps for advanced traders, but even experts might need a hand every now and then—and less experienced traders very well might need assistance. Fortunately, TS offers personalized support from the company’s brokerage professionals.

While TradeStation is commission-free, it’s hardly cost-free. For instance, all stock options trades still require a 60-cent contract fee. Futures trades are charged $1.50 per contract per side, micro futures trades are charged 50 cents per contract per side, and futures options are charged $1.50 per contract per side. Crypto trades have tiered pricing depending on volume size (unless made within a TradeStation IRA, which has just one pricing tier regardless of size). Margin rates, currently in the double digits, are high compared to peers. And mutual fund fees are a steep $14.95 per trade—no big deal for traders, who likely would avoid them anyways, but a hurdle for anyone looking to buy and hold mutual funds in their TS account.

And let’s be clear: Beginning traders could be overwhelmed by this service, which caters to extremely active and experienced traders.

Regardless, TradeStation’s top-of-class trading tools (and a wide variety of ways to access them) makes it one of the best stock trading platforms for advanced traders on this list. Intermediate users should be able to make plenty of hay on this platform, too. So if you’re interested, visit TradeStation to sign up for an account or get more information.

Related: 6 Best Apps for Trading Stock Market Futures

5. Firstrade (Best for Beginner Traders)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Beginners, traders looking for low options fees
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Firstrade might not have the same name recognition among younger investors as platforms such as Robinhood and Acorns, but if you’re just getting started on trading stocks, it very well could be the best option for you regardless.

For one, Firstrade has some of the best trading fees among all stock trading apps. Like most of the competition, it offers $0 commissions on stock and ETF trading. But it also offers free trading of no-load mutual funds, load mutual funds, and no-transaction-fee (NTF) mutual funds. And Firstrade goes a step above the zero-commission options trading offered at other apps—in addition to no commission, Firstrade also charges no contract fees and no exercise and assignment fees.

Firstrade does have one cost disadvantage that mostly pertains to more advanced traders, and that’s margin rates. While its rates vary depending on account size, most are currently in double digits and are much higher than most of its competitors.

In addition to the assets mentioned above, Firstrade also offers cryptocurrency trading. It has a decent list of 40 or so digital currencies you can trade—better than some other beginner investing apps, though not as robust as some higher-powered platforms. Crypto trading is technically commission-free, too. But like some other brokers, it adds a markup (Firstrade charges 1%) on both sides of each crypto trade.

The mobile apps, for iOS and Android, are user-friendly; features include Face ID login, charting, and real-time streaming quotes. But users should know that the mobile experience is pared down compared to the primary web experience.

Firstrade also offers a scaling cash bonus for new accounts depending on how much money you use to fund your account. The promo states cash bonuses are up to $4,000, but that’s for a deposit of more than $1.5 million. Cash bonuses for more common beginner-investor sums include:

• $50 on a deposit of at least $5,000
• $100 for at least $10,000
• $300 for at least $25,000
• Firstrade also will provide up to $200 to cover any transaction fees

Looking for a comprehensive solution for all of your trading needs? Learn more about Firstrade or sign up today.

Related: 11 Best Stock Advisor Websites & Services to Seize Alpha

6. E*Trade (Best for Options Traders)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Intermediate investors
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

E*Trade has long been seen as a leading stock trading app for retail investors. E*Trade provides investors access to educational resources that assist you with conducting investment research and analysis and diversifying your portfolio.

E*Trade, like most of the best stock trading apps, offers zero-commission stock, ETF, and options trading. It also has a leg up on some platforms by offering $0-commission mutual fund trading. Options still incur a 50- to 65-cent contract fee, however. Meanwhile, bond trades are $1 apiece, and future trades are $1.50 per contract per side, plus other fees.

E*Trade has two platforms, both of which are free, and both of which have web and mobile versions:

Power E*Trade

Power E*Trade is designated for more intermediate-to-advanced traders. Features include:

• Advanced charting that includes intraday and historical options; more than 100 studies; over 100 drawing tools; and the ability to automatically identify technical patterns
• Snapshot Analysis, which lays out risk-reward probabilities in your options trading
• Powerful stock and trade scanner; use preset filters or customize as you wish
• Paper trading to test out strategies without putting your money at risk
• Ability to design exit strategies

Like with the Power E*Trade web platform, the Power E*Trade app is a more powerful version of its basic counterpart. This app allows you to use preset scans, work with interactive charts, place complex options trades, and more.

E*Trade

The “basic” E*Trade web platform might be more suitable for beginning-to-intermediate traders and investors, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on features.

E*Trade’s main web platform includes everything you need to keep up to date on your portfolio, including real-time quotes, charts, market commentary, and stock news. The latter includes free access to Thomson Reuters and TipRanks research. Meanwhile, you’ll have ample tools at your disposal, including stock, mutual fund, bond, and ETF screeners; trade optimizers; backtesters; and more.

E*Trade also touts its educational resources, which includes articles, videos, and classes, as well as monthly webinars and live events. But we will note that its educational content is difficult to sort through.

Other considerations

Like with a couple other trading apps on this list, E*Trade also allows you to earn additional income by allowing the firm to borrow your fully paid-for holdings. E*Trade also offers retirement planning to clients as well as some in-person informational sessions.

Visit E*Trade to learn more or sign up today.

Related: 9 Best Real Estate Crowdfunding Sites + Platforms

7. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing (Best for Self-Directed Investors + Chase Customers)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Self-directed investors, Chase customers
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing acts as an investing solution offered from Chase and is accessible through the Chase Mobile^® app or Chase.com.

You can use this investing app to make unlimited commission-free trades in thousands of investment options, including a wide range of stocks, ETFs, fixed income, mutual funds and options.

The investing app allows you to utilize tools to build your portfolio including screeners and watchlists—both useful for building diversified portfolios and staying on top of market activity.

The app provides personalized news and J.P. Morgan Research and market analysis to empower informed investment decisions. You can leverage these resources to design your own target allocation for your investments.

Consider using J.P. Morgan’s Self-Directed Investing platform if you’d like the flexibility to invest as much as you want without paying any commissions on equity and options trades. Some regulatory fees and fund expenses may apply.

You can choose an account that’s right for you: an individual taxable account, Traditional IRA or Roth IRA. All carry a $0 minimum.

Open your J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account today and get up to $700 when you open and fund an account with qualifying new money:

• $700 when you fund with $250,000 or more
• $325 when you fund with $100,000-$249,999
• $150 when you fund with $25,000-$99,999
• $50 when you fund with $10,000-$24,999

Learn more by visiting J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing’s website to see if it’s the right fit for your needs.

Related: 9 Best Stock Charting Apps [Free + Paid Software Options]

8. TD Ameritrade/Schwab (Great for All Experience Levels)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: All levels of trading experience
• Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

TD Ameritrade is among the best stock trading apps for intermediate and beginner traders. But some massive changes are afoot that would-be new users should know about before diving in.

Charles Schwab announced in 2019 that it would acquire TD Ameritrade, and it closed on the deal in 2020. While it has allowed the TD Ameritrade system to operate independently since then, Schwab announced that in 2023, it would be migrating existing TD accounts over to Schwab—which means if you open a TD account now, you’ll be using Schwab’s platform by the end of the year.

One thing that will stick around is TD’s popular Thinkorswim—an advanced trading platform also available across desktop, web, and mobile. The service boasts 400,000 economic data points, more than 400 technical studies, an earnings tool that explains their effect on options prices, even a programming language so you can build your own trading algorithms. And the Thinkorswim mobile app is more dynamic than even many full-featured desktop and web platforms. Schwab’s equivalent is StreetSmart Edge, which simultaneously isn’t as powerful but is more streamlined and user-friendly.

For now, it appears Schwab will offer both products once it has fully merged with TD, allowing them to meet the needs of a much wider range of trading experience.

Otherwise, TD and Schwab’s primary offerings have a lot of similarities, especially on pricing. Both have zero commissions for stock and ETF trades. Both charge 65 cents per contract on options trades, and $2.25 per contract on futures trades. Both offer desktop apps, mobile apps, and web interfaces. Schwab and TD both offer robo-advisory products. They both have 24/7 customer support. They even share a similar drawback: neither directly offers cryptocurrency, just Bitcoin futures.

TD Ameritrade users might feel the switch is a downgrade if they access their brokerage account on multiple platforms—TD’s experience is more similar and consistent through all of its platforms compared to Schwab. But they’ll get a couple of upgrades, too, including a larger selection of no-load, no-fee mutual funds (more than 20,000 at Schwab vs. more than 3,600 at TD), and more initial access to international exchanges. And for advanced traders, Schwab does feature higher-than-average margin rates, but that’s still better than TD, which typically has some of the highest margin rates among popular brokerages.

For now, you can still sign up for TD Ameritrade and get to learn Thinkorswim. Just don’t get too attached to TD’s main account interface, because that will be changing.

Related: 7 Best Fundamental Analysis Tools to Find Value Stocks

9. Moomoo (Advanced Stock Trading App With Low Margin Rates)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Advanced traders
• Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, macOS), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Moomoo is a commission-free trading platform for stocks, ETFs, and options. While Moomoo is best for advanced traders, offering powerful tools to empower your trading insights and strategies, it takes a different approach from other similarly targeted platforms, favoring simple interfaces and high ease of use. The desktop platform is highly customizable, while the mobile app is straightforward, allowing you to search for stocks and trade with minimal hassle.

Still, Moomoo has more than enough under the hood for advanced traders to get the job done. Its charting system, for instance, includes 62 technical analysis indicators and 22 drawing tools. You can set up alerts based on changes in price, bids, turnover ratio, and more. Free Level 2 market data helps you get a greater understanding of a stock’s value, determine how liquid a stock truly really is, and better time your trades. You can even enjoy 24/7 financial news handpicked by Moomoo’s editorial team. The trading platform provides these features to empower investors to make better investing decisions.

While Moomoo isn’t as suitable to beginner investors, the trading platform does include some useful educational tools. For instance, paper trading functionality with real-time data simulates the investment experience without committing any of your real money. (This feature is also helpful to advanced traders, allowing them to test out strategies and hone their skills.)

Also worth noting is Moomoo’s relatively low rates for trading on margin. The annualized interest rate on financing, as of this writing, is 6.8%—one of the most competitive rates among its peers.

Also, the app pays you for giving it a spin by offering free stocks when you make a qualifying deposit after signing up. Specifically, you can get up to 15 free stocks if you sign up for a Moomoo account and make a qualifying deposit.

If you want a professional-grade system for research and trading, but with a simpler user experience, Moomoo is among the best trading platforms to consider.

For Moomoo disclaimer, please see the fine print at the bottom of this article.

Related: 13 Best Stock & Investment Newsletters for Inbox Alpha

10. Public.com (Trading App With Alternative Assets)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: New investors with limited capital
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Public.com is a commission-free investing app, geared toward Millennials and Gen-Zers, that as of late has built up the types of assets available to its users. On Public, users can trade not just stocks and ETFs, but also more than 25 different cryptocurrencies, and more recently, alternative assets from art to sneakers.

That last point is worth noting. Alternative assets are a relative rarity among stock trading apps. They can be difficult to research (and thus difficult to properly invest in), but they can provide uncorrelated returns compared to the stock and bond markets, so many savvy investors like to diversify into these assets.

The “Public” part of the name nods at the platform’s social aspect. For one, you can make your portfolio holdings open to other users, and conversely, you can look through other Public users’ portfolios. Investors can also connect with corporate founders and CEOs through live “Town Hall” meetings.

Public also acts as a micro-investing app, allowing you to invest in fractional shares with as little as $1.

While the number of tradable assets on Public.com is growing, it’s still somewhat limited: It doesn’t offer mutual funds, options, bonds, or futures. New users are also limited to individual brokerage accounts.

Users also can upgrade their experience with the $10/month Public Premium subscription.

Public Premium offers some features that are included in some free brokers’ services, but other features justify the cost. For instance, Premium offers extended-hours trading (8 to 9:30 a.m., and 4 to 8 p.m. Eastern) and stock price alerts—several competitors, such as TradeStation and E*Trade, deliver these services at no charge. However, Premium also provides:

• Advanced data on companies—Public.com’s examples include Tesla quarterly deliveries by model or Apple’s annual sales by continent
• Institutional-grade research provided by Morningstar
• Members-only analysis about events including major economic report releases, earnings announcements, and more
• Exclusive audio programming by Public.com’s expert analysts

What makes Public.com different?

Unlike other free stock trading apps found on this list, Public.com does not monetize its trading activity through receiving payment for order flow (PFOF). PFOF, in brief, is money that a market maker pays a brokerage firm for routing trades through that market maker.

Some investors have called out this practice as harmful to everyday investors, providing them with worse trade-execution prices than they would otherwise get—and this call grew louder amid the GameStop market mania in early 2021. In the wake of this event, Public.com announced a change in its revenue model, breaking with how many free stock apps generate income. Instead, it makes money off interest on cash balances, securities lending, and even tipping—users can choose to (but are not required to) tip Public when submitting trade orders. Public also will make money off its Premium subscription product.

By doing this, Public.com believes it’s better aligning its financial incentives with the best interests of its customers.

If you’re interested, you can sign up today and receive a free “slice of stock.” Or, if you’re transferring funds from a different brokerage account, Public.com will provide you with a cash bonus. While Public says it will pay out up to $10,000, that’s on an account transfer of $5 million plus. More common payouts include $150 for transfers of between $5,000 and $24,999, and $250 for transfers of $25,000-$99,999. (And at the very least, if you transfer at least $500, Public will reimburse you up to $100 per transfer for any fees charged by your original brokerage firm.)

Read more in our Public.com investing app review.

For Public.com disclaimer, please see the fine print at the bottom of this article.

Related: 11 Best Non-Stock Investments [Alternatives to the Stock Market]

11. SoFi Invest (Best for Personal Finance-Focused Investors)

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• Available: iOS, Android, Web
• Best for: Traders looking for an all-in-one personal finance experience
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

SoFi is a multi-faceted financial company that offers everything from credit cards and insurance to student loans and mortgages … and they also allow you to trade and invest through its SoFi Invest app.

With SoFi Invest, you can invest as actively or as passively as you’d like.

The Active SoFi Invest Brokerage Account has no required minimum balance, charges no commissions on stock, ETF, and options trades, and its options trading is free of contract fees, too. SoFi does offer 24/7 cryptocurrency trading, too, but it charges a 1.25% markup on transactions.

The interface is still very much geared toward younger, less experienced investors—everything is focused on simplicity and ease of use, rather than an expanse of sophisticated tools. SoFi also offers budget-friendly features such as fractional shares, which allow you to invest for as little as $1. And SoFi even provides a social element, such as bringing SoFi members together at exclusive events.

Want to put your portfolio on autopilot? SoFi’s robo-advisory services will create a portfolio for you free of charge (that can be designed to address one or several goals) and auto-rebalance it for you as necessary over time.

SoFi also occasionally has sign-up bonuses attached to its brokerage accounts and/or its crypto trading services, which you can read more about below. You can also visit SoFi to learn more or sign up today. You can also download the app for iOS and Android.

Related: 9 Best Robo-Advisors for Investing Money Automatically

12. Axos Self-Directed Trading (Comprehensive Financial Platform)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Self-directed investors currently banking with Axos
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Axos Self-Directed Trading (SDT) allows you to trade stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options, which you can access via an easy-to-use platform. The account has no minimum deposit, and offers investing features such as dividend reinvestment.

The Basic account is a little fee-heavy, though. While you can trade U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs commission-free, its selection of 10,000-plus mutual funds requires $9.95 per trade, and options incur a heavy $1.00 contract fee.

You can bring down some fees and access more powerful tools by signing up for Axos Elite. Among the benefits there are:

• Extended-market trading
• Margin trading
• Access to TipRanks research reports
• A reduction in options contract fees to a (still-high) 80 cents per contract
• Real-time market data

The downside? Axos Elite costs $10 per month, and many of the benefits listed above are part and parcel of many free brokerage accounts.

Where Axos SDT differs from its competitors is its unified financial dashboard with its other Axos Banking products, allowing you to sync all of your accounts in one convenient place. Also, in addition to individual brokerage accounts, you can also open up joint brokerage accounts and IRAs through Axos.

Related: 10 Investments that Earn a Great Return [10% or More]

13. Vanguard (Best for Vanguard Fund Investors)

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• Available: Sign up here
• Best for: Basic trading options with cheap mutual fund investing
• Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Vanguard has long been regarded as the low-cost index fund investing service provider. In fact, in 1975, John Bogle launched the first U.S.-listed index fund available to retail investors. Now, Vanguard offers numerous dirt-cheap index products in both its mutual fund and exchange-traded fund lineups.

But Vanguard also offers low-cost trading, and no account minimums, through its brokerage and other accounts. That means commission-free trading not just on Vanguard products like VTI or VTSAX, but also on stocks, all other ETFs, and all no-transaction-fee mutual funds. But investors and traders still shoulder some costs: Unless you have more than $1 million in your account, transaction-fee mutual funds cost $20 per trade, and options, while commission-free, still charge a $1 contract fee.

Vanguard’s web and mobile versions are very much geared toward beginning investors, though the latter is better-designed. The web version can be downright clunky at times, and it can be difficult to access some of the features. I used to use the app to manage my work’s 401(k) plan, and I’ll admit to its bloat and lack of clarity on calculating investment returns on a percentage basis. The mobile apps run more smoothly, and I like the secure two-step login. But certain features, such as price alerts, aren’t available on mobile.

Also, Vanguard doesn’t offer nearly the range of technical tools, screeners, and customizable options as some of the more advanced platforms we’ve discussed.

My main beef with Vanguard’s apps is that they make it difficult to measure the performance of individual holdings. All that said, Vanguard might have made this by design, incentivizing you to check your funds less often and thus living by their buy-and-hold ethos.

Still, if you’re a beginner who’s not sure if you’ll be more into trading, or more into long-term investing, a Vanguard account is a good place to start.

Related: 5 Best Investment Accounts for Kids [Child Investment Plans]

Related Questions on Stock Investing Apps

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Below you will find several frequently asked questions related to free investing apps.

Can I trade stocks for free?

Nowadays, it’s common to pay nothing to trade stocks. But that hasn’t always been the case. It wasn’t until 1975, when President Gerald Ford signed the Securities Acts Amendments of 1975, that brokers could even adjust the price of their commissions—they were fixed. For comparison’s sake, shortly after that, commissions per trade were in the $40-$50 range. By the 1990s, brokerage commissions had fallen to anywhere between $5 and $30 per trade.

Trading costs continued to decline until hitting a new frontier in 2013, when brokerage app Robinhood offered the first zero-commission trades. To stay competitive, almost every major U.S. brokerage began to provide the same.

Now, by and large, most outlets commission-free stock and ETF trades at a minimum, with some also offering commission-free options and/or mutual fund trades.

Fees aren’t completely gone, however.

Many brokerages still charge contract fees on options, for instance, and others charge for mutual fund trades. They also tend to charge for trading more complicated assets, such as futures, forex, and cryptocurrency.

Brokerages also make money in other ways, such as interest on margin loans, fees for premium services, and lending user-owned securities.

The good news for casual/beginner traders: You typically won’t be impacted by these fees. However, frequent traders, or those who trade more exotic assets, will have to deal with them—but they sometimes can access premium accounts that cut down on these particular fees.

Want to learn more about these brokerages’ business models? Check out “How Does Robinhood Make Money?”

Can you invest for free?

Just like trading, yes, you can invest for free.

If you’re a long-term investor, commission-free stock and ETF trading is really all you need to be able to build a buy-and-hold portfolio. If your preference is for long-term investing only, you should also focus on a platform that offers fee-free mutual fund trades as well, which you can pair with ETFs (or use them on their own) to build a diversified set of holdings.

Also pay attention to the type of investment accounts you’re allowed to open within a platform. Webull, for instance, allows not just taxable brokerage accounts, but also tax-advantaged traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs.

What are free stock trading apps?

A stock trading app is simply the software you use to buy and sell stocks and other securities through a brokerage. So, for instance, if E*Trade is your broker, then the stock trading apps you could use to access that would include the E*Trade mobile app and the Power E*Trade mobile app.

Virtually all brokerages have mobile apps, as well as web apps (versions of the software you access through a browser). Some platforms, such as Interactive Brokers and Moomoo, have desktop apps—apps that live on your computer and operate separately from your browser. Most of the time, desktop apps are the most powerful version of a brokerage’s software.

For the most part, “free stock trading apps” is simply another way of saying “free brokerage accounts.” A brokerage won’t have you sign up for an account for free, but then charge you for their mobile account. However, in a few instances—such as Axos Self-Directed Trading, with its Elite subscription—a trading platform might offer an additional premium subscription that provides additional benefits.

What are the best stock trading apps?

We feel all of the following apps have something to offer prospective stock traders. In no particular order …

• Robinhood
• Webull
• TradeStation
• SoFi (iOS), Android, Desktop
• Public.com
• Axos Self-Directed Trading
• E*Trade
• Firstrade
• Vanguard
• TD Ameritrade
• Moomoo
• Interactive Brokers

What is the best stock trading platform?

Based on our review of all the available stock trading apps in the market, we believe Webull offers the most compelling stock trading app overall. It offers an intuitive interface and design, useful analytics tools, easy trading and charges nothing for commissions.

Because this app likely covers most retail investors’ needs, we rate it as the best stock trading platform for beginning to intermediate traders.

That said, not everyone is an intermediate trader, so …

What is the best stock trading app/broker for beginners?

The best stocking trading app for you depends on your experience, trading goals, and desired level of educational support. Beginners benefit from low fees, simple interfaces, and educational tools. They’re all the more useful if they can double as stock news apps. Social features can also help beginner investors stay more involved.

Firstrade is a popular choice for beginners because it combines many of the above elements, including free trading of stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds; well-designed mobile apps; educational resources; and bonuses for new users.

Of course, you can sign up for more than one app—in fact, some people prefer test-driving numerous investment platforms to see what they’re most comfortable with. And many apps allow you to try them out before having to fund the account with real money.

A few other beginner apps to consider:

• Public.com offers a simple interface, several investment options (including alternative assets, which are difficult to find in most other stock trading apps), and the ability to let people see your portfolio, as well as see other users’ portfolios.
• Webull, while best for intermediate investors, is still a good choice for beginner investors because of its low costs, educational materials, and intuitive interface.
• Robinhood is another platform that was built upon casual retail investors. While it has since buffed up its tools to become more attractive to more experienced traders, its interface, educational tools, and Snacks letter are all great features for beginners.

How do I teach myself to trade stocks?

Despite what you might have seen in certain movies, you shouldn’t trade stocks based on guesses or gut feelings. You need to learn the basics—how to evaluate a stock’s fundamentals, read charts, place orders, etc.

Ideally you can take classes or have a mentor teach you. But it’s also possible to learn how to trade stocks all on your own.

You can study the practices and teachings of successful investors such as Warren Buffett. You can also immerse yourself in investment websites, books, articles, videos, and news segments.

Of course, some people prefer homework, while others prefer labs. So for some, one of the best ways to teach yourself stock trading is to practice. But … how do you trade stocks to gain experience without spending your hard-earned money?

For those nervous about spending your hard-earned money, you’re in luck. It’s possible to build up your confidence by first practicing stock trading through a simulator.

Webull, Interactive Brokers, and TD Ameritrade are among brokers and trading apps that offer “paper trading”—a free simulator that allows you to try out hypothetical trades to see what your profit or loss would have been based on your decisions.

And, of course, those interested in learning how to invest money can keep browsing through Young & The Invested, where we offer plenty of investing-focused articles.

Can I start trading with $100?

There has never been a better time to start investing with little money—even a solitary Benjamin. With a little focus, you can really stretch $100 into quite a powerful starter portfolio.

For one, start with a brokerage or trading app that has no minimum required deposit and no commissions on at least stock and ETF trading—which is basically just about every product we mentioned above. That keeps more of your money out of the brokerage’s pocket, and more of it buying stocks and funds.

We’d also suggest going with a company that offers fractional shares on stocks at the very least, if not also exchange-traded funds.

While the dollar amount a stock trades for typically doesn’t say much about the quality of a stock—a $50 stock isn’t necessarily any better than a $100 stock, for instance—uber-cheap stocks (those that trade under $5, but especially “penny stocks,” which trade under $1) tend to be riskier than most. So, if you have to buy whole shares, $100 won’t get you very far—maybe three or four companies—and you’ll be locked out of many popular stocks that cost triple-digits for just one share!

But with fractional shares, you can typically invest as little as $1 in each individual company, allowing you to spread your money around many different companies. This is called “diversification” and helps protect you against a decline in any single stock.

Another option is to invest in an indexed ETF or mutual fund (or two, or three). Index funds are typically cheaper than their actively managed counterparts, but they still allow you to own numerous stocks, bond, or other assets for very low annual fees—often just a few cents per year on that $100 you’re investing. That said, a few of the most popular index funds trade for more than $100 per share, so using an app or brokerage that offers fractional ETF shares is a great way to maximize your money.

Are stocks trading apps safe?

Absolutely.

That’s not to say you can’t/won’t lose money from investing in stocks. While stocks typically go up in the long term, many people experience losing years, and some overly aggressive investors can lose a lot by making just a few bad choices.

But if you do lose money, it shouldn’t be because of the brokerage service itself. These accounts offer Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) insurance on any cash held in them, as well as a variety of other investor protections.

How do I choose the best stock trading apps?

The best stock trading app for me isn’t necessarily the best stock trading app for you.

Maybe you’re more experienced with options. Maybe you’ve only started investing. Maybe you want as many research tools as possible. Maybe you rarely trade, so all you care about is a clean, simple interface that’s easy to use when you need it.

Your preferences are ultimately what will determine which app or brokerage account is best suited for you.

When we compiled this list of the best stock trading apps, we considered a number of features that are important to traders of varying experience levels. Among them?

• Commissions and other fees
• Account minimums
• Margin rates
• Stock charts
• Stock screeners
• Stock alerts
• Fractional shares
• Breadth of assets to invest in (stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, bonds, etc.)
• Educational materials
• Robo-advisory services
• Access to news and research
• Real-time market data
• Trading programming languages
• Intuitive interfaces
• Social experiences
• Other noteworthy features

Naturally, our best stock trading apps naturally include a large number of these features. But even then, a few of them are subjective.

For instance, one person’s easy-to-use app might be a chore to someone else. A library of educational articles might be attractive to you, but your best friend might prefer video lessons. Access to Reuters news might not appeal to you, but you might want to tap into Morningstar’s research.

Thus, we encourage you to base your decision on what’s important to you—not just on what we’ve deemed the best. Also, if you’re looking to trade CFDs for short-term movements with leverage such as currencies, shares or indices then we recommend viewing the CompareForexBrokers platform guide.

What are the advantages of using an investing app to trade stocks?

When we say “investing apps,” we’re talking about platforms that either prioritize long-term investing or have plenty of trading features but still have everything that long-term investors need.

The biggest advantage of using investing apps to trade stocks is they often have lower fees on more basic trading functions, and/or have a wider variety of basic trading functions that are low- or now-cost. They’ll also often have stronger educational libraries for those just getting started.

Many investing apps are attractive to both beginner and experienced traders. Firstrade, Webull, and TD Ameritrade stand out—yes, they have plenty of features that very much make them attractive investing apps for long-term investors, but they’re also teeming with features that are appropriate for intermediate and advanced traders.

What are the disadvantages of using an investing app to trade stocks?

The downside of some investing-focused apps is that they either have higher costs for advanced trading, or their tools aren’t as robust as active traders want/need. Mobile investing apps in particular are designed for simplicity, often intentionally narrowing options for better ease of use, while mobile trading apps might be a little clunkier but offer far more functionality.

This might raise the question: “Should I use a stock trading app and an investing app?”

It depends on what you need, and how much more added complexity you want in your day. On the one hand, using two apps would give you one platform with, say, lower options contract fees, better margin rates, and excellent tools that help you shape your stock trades—and another that, say, allowed you to easily search and research long-term holdings, and buy mutual funds for free.

But while you absolutely want to practice diversification in your portfolio, do you necessarily want to diversify where your money is held? Spreading your investments across stock app after stock app makes it even more difficult to keep track of your overall portfolio.

The Best Commission-Free Stock Trading Apps and Platforms

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Free stock trading apps are becoming more and more popular. No surprise here. For one, being able to trade fee-free, with a small amount of money, and from the convenience of your smartphone, has made stock trading accessible to more people than ever before.

And thanks to pushes in financial education, more people want to invest than ever before.

Whether you’re a beginner trader or more of an expert, there are stock app options to fit your needs. So, take one or more of the stock apps above for a spin, and start investing toward your future.

Related:

• What Is a Custodial Brokerage Account + How Does It Work?
• 24 Best Income Generating Assets [Invest in Cash Flow]
• Roth IRA for Kids: Can I Open a Custodial Roth IRA for a Child?

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Moomoo disclaimer

Moomoo’s parent company is Nasdaq-listed Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU). Their subsidiaries are licensed and regulated in the United States, Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.

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Public.com Disclaimer

This does not constitute investment advice. Investing involves the risk of loss, including the potential loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities available on Public are offered by Open to the Public Investing, Inc. (OTTP), a member of FINRA & SIPC, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Public Holdings, Inc. Brokerage services for alternative investments are offered by the Dalmore Group, LLC, a member of FINRA & SIPC. Alternative investments are over-the-counter equity securities that have been issued pursuant to Regulation A of the Securities Act of 1933. Cryptocurrency trading is provided by Apex Crypto LLC (NMLS ID 1828849). Apex Crypto is licensed to engage in the virtual currency business by the New York State Department of Financial Services. New customers of OTTP receive free stock valued between $3 – $1,000 (0.3% receive the maximum value).