Best Investment Apps: Easy-To-Use Platforms For Beginners

Investment apps are a great way to keep track of your portfolio's performance and make quick trades on the go. The best investment apps are user-friendly, have low fees, and offer a wide range of investment options.

- SoFi Active Invest: Offers commission-free trading, access to CFPs, and a robo-advisor option.

- Robinhood: A user-friendly app with commission-free trading for stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies.

- Stash: Combines robo-advisory and self-directed brokerage, offering regular and retirement accounts.

- Acorns: A robo-advisor app that makes investing easy and automatic, with features like Round-Ups to invest spare change.

- Betterment: A robo-advisor with no minimum investment requirement, offering low fees, a high-yield savings account, and cryptocurrency portfolios.

- Cash App Investing: A simple platform for buying and selling stocks and Bitcoin, with fractional share investing.

Other popular investment apps include Vanguard, Ally Invest, Ellevest, and eToro.

When choosing an investment app, consider your investment goals, fees, available investment options, and whether you want a robo-advisor to manage your portfolio. It's also important to understand the risks involved and ensure your investments are protected by the appropriate regulatory bodies.

Investment apps for beginners

Investment apps are a great way to keep track of your portfolio's performance and make it easy to buy and sell while on the move. Here are some of the best investment apps for beginners:

SoFi Active Invest

SoFi Invest is a great platform for US investors who are looking for an intuitive online trading experience. It offers an easy-to-use platform with rock-bottom pricing. You can get started with just $1, and there are no commissions for trades and no recurring account fees. It offers a self-directed investing account and a robo-advisor option. In addition to its low-cost investment options, SoFi offers users the ability to track credit scores, find loan rates, and even have a consultation with a certified financial planner.

Robinhood

Robinhood was the first to offer a low-cost, beginner-friendly trading app, and it is still one of the best in the business. The investing app makes it easy for beginners to start buying and selling stocks, even if you've never done it before. It has no commissions and offers fractional share trading, allowing beginner investors to build diverse portfolios with little money. It also has one of the best cryptocurrency trading platforms, with more than a dozen cryptocurrencies available.

Stash

Stash combines a robo-advisor and self-directed brokerage in one app. You can use Stash to automate your investing, to build a portfolio of stocks and ETFs, or both. It offers regular (taxable) brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, and custodial accounts. It also offers the excellent Stock-Back® Card, a debit card that lets you use the uninvested cash in your account to pay for purchases. Stash is a combination of a highly-rated robo-advisor and a do-it-yourself broker, making it a great option for putting your investing strategy on autopilot.

Acorns

Acorns is a robo-advisor app that makes investing even easier than most beginner-friendly investing apps. You can contribute to your Acorns account through direct transfers or Round-Ups, which round up your debit and credit card purchases to the nearest dollar and invest the difference. It makes saving small amounts easy and painless. Acorns has five investment options with easy-to-understand themes like "aggressive" and "moderately conservative". The app is easy to navigate and set up, and it has high ratings on the App Store and Google Play store.

Betterment

Betterment is an investment app with no minimum investment requirement and a low 0.25% fee. It offers a high-yield savings account that rivals most online banks and is one of the few beginner-friendly apps that offer crypto. It is a top-rated robo advisor with low fees for investments and no minimum balance requirement, making it a good fit for hands-off investors who want to join the market but put their investments on cruise control.

Cash App Investing

Cash App Investing lets you buy and sell stocks and Bitcoin in the popular Cash App. It offers fractional share investing, so you can buy slices of stocks for as little as $1, and there are no commissions. The main downside is that it's barebones—it only accommodates stocks, ETFs, and Bitcoin, and it lacks features like mutual funds, bonds, and other investment types.

Investment apps for experienced traders

Investment apps are a great way to manage your money and grow your wealth. Here are some investment apps that are suitable for experienced traders:

Fidelity

Fidelity's brokerage service is one of the best in the business, offering a beginner-friendly platform with advanced trading products and tools. The app provides a seamless, well-organised experience, making it easy to navigate complex market data and insights. It offers a wide range of educational resources, including detailed research reports and live streaming TV from Bloomberg, making it a great choice for those seeking to enhance their knowledge. The app also integrates with Fidelity workplace 401(k) accounts, allowing for easy management of both retirement and non-retirement investments.

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab's acquisition of TD Ameritrade has resulted in an extensive array of educational offerings and resources, making it a top choice for experienced traders seeking to further their knowledge. The Schwab-thinkorswim platforms offer best-in-class paper trading tools, newsletters, webcasts, and articles. The app provides a rich, responsive experience, with access to in-depth market data, live video feeds, and advanced order entry options. Additionally, the integration of AI through the Schwab Assistant enables voice commands for convenient management of investments on the go.

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers stands out for its advanced trading platform and app, offering unique features such as a customisable dashboard, an ESG dashboard, and support for nine languages. With three mobile apps to choose from, Interactive Brokers caters to a diverse range of investor needs. The IBKR Mobile flagship app is ideal for experienced traders, offering extensive features, while the Impact app focuses on ESG investing and the Global Trader app caters to global stock investors.

E*TRADE

E*TRADE's mobile apps are user-friendly and intuitive, making them a great choice for experienced traders seeking a seamless trading experience. The apps offer excellent research tools, watch lists, and smooth navigation. E*TRADE Mobile is perfect for monitoring market news and conducting in-depth stock research, while Power E*TRADE Mobile excels in chart-driven day trading, providing advanced tools like technical studies and advanced order types.

Webull

Webull's trading app offers a terrific user experience and advanced features, including paper trading and voice command functionality. It provides better charts than its competitor, Robinhood, and offers commission-free options trading. While experienced investors may eventually seek more features, investment choices, and research offered by leading brokers, Webull is an excellent choice for those seeking a user-friendly platform with low margin rates.

Investment apps with low fees

Investment apps are a great way to start investing with the convenience of being able to do everything from your mobile device. Here are some investment apps with low fees:

Fidelity

Fidelity is one of the favourite apps that allows you to invest for free. This surprises most people because most people don't associate Fidelity with "free". However, Fidelity offers a range of commission-free ETFs, $0 commission stock, option, and ETF trades, and fractional share investing. Fidelity IRAs have no minimum to open and no account maintenance fees. Fidelity also has a highly rated mobile app that is clean and easy to use.

Robinhood

Robinhood is an app that lets you buy and sell stocks for free. It allows you to make limit and stop-loss orders, and includes basic research tools. It also allows options, fractional shares, and cryptocurrency investing. The drawbacks are that the platform has become unreliable in recent months with large outages impacting investors.

E*TRADE by Morgan Stanley

E*TRADE offers a large selection of commission-free ETFs and $0 stock, ETF, and options trades. It offers IRAs with no minimums and no transaction fees, but the app is not as user-friendly as other options.

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab is great for beginners because it provides tons of research and education to help new investors get up to speed on investing and personal finance. It offers commission-free stock and ETF trades, fractional shares, and more than 4,000 no-transaction-fee funds.

Ally Invest

Ally Invest is a solid choice for free investing. It has a solid app that allows you to invest in stocks, options, and ETFs commission-free. It also offers bonus offers if you transfer your account to them.

Public

Public is a trading app geared towards helping new investors learn about business and investing. It offers commission-free stock, ETF, and options trades, and cryptocurrency trading for a commission. It also offers an attractive rate on its high-yield cash account.

Investment apps with a wide range of investment options

When it comes to investment apps with a wide range of investment options, there are several options to choose from. Here are some of the best apps that offer a diverse selection of investment choices:

• Hargreaves Lansdown: This app allows you to invest in funds, shares, and ready-made portfolios. It offers an intuitive platform for trading and tracking your performance. While the app has good ratings, Hargreaves Lansdown's platform and trading fees are relatively higher compared to some competitors.
• AJ Bell: With AJ Bell, you gain access to thousands of stocks, ETFs, and funds, making it ideal for those who want to diversify their portfolios. The app is well-rated on the Apple store but has a lower rating on Google Play. Within the app, you can track investments, search for stocks, and add funds.
• Etoro: Etoro is an international trading platform that provides access to thousands of stocks, ETFs, and other assets. It assigns membership tiers based on portfolio value, offering perks such as airport priority passes and access to sporting events. Etoro also has a social aspect, allowing users to connect and share ideas with other investors.
• Charles Stanley Direct: This platform offers a wide range of investment options, including trading in equities, ETFs, investment trusts, and Unit Trusts. It also provides a financial coaching service for all clients, offering a 15-minute call with a qualified professional.
• IG: IG is suitable for experienced investors who frequently trade throughout the day. It offers zero commission on US shares if you make at least three trades per month. While there is a foreign exchange fee, IG can save you money if you trade regularly. It accommodates various investment strategies and does not offer fractional shares.

These apps provide users with a diverse range of investment options, allowing them to build and manage their portfolios according to their preferences and financial goals.

Investment apps with good ratings

Investment apps are a great way to keep track of your portfolio's performance and make quick trades on the go. Here are some investment apps with good ratings:

SoFi Active Investing

SoFi Active Investing is a great app for beginners as it has a low minimum investment of $1 and no commissions for trades. It offers both self-directed investing and a robo-advisor option. The app is highly rated, scoring 4.8 on iOS and 3.8 on Android. It also provides access to financial planners at no additional charge.

Robinhood

Robinhood is a well-known and beginner-friendly trading app with no commissions on stocks, options, and cryptocurrency trading. It offers fractional share investing and a wide range of services, including financial news and education. The app is easy to use and perfect for those who want to keep fees at a minimum.

Fidelity

Fidelity's app is suitable for both beginners and advanced traders, offering real-time quotes, multi-leg options trading, and a consolidated version of the company's research offerings. It has excellent ratings of 4.8 on the Apple App Store and 4.5 on Google Play.

Stash

Stash is a combination of a robo-advisor and a self-directed broker, allowing users to automate their investing or build a portfolio of stocks and ETFs. It offers regular brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, and custodial accounts. Stash provides educational content and has a unique Stock-Back® Card, which rewards your debit card purchases with stock. However, it charges monthly fees ranging from $3 to $9, which may be relatively high for new investors with small account balances.

Acorns

Acorns is a robo-advisor app that makes investing simple and automatic. It offers Round-Ups, which round up your credit and debit card purchases to the nearest dollar and invest the difference. Acorns provides five easy-to-understand investment themes, such as "aggressive" and "moderately conservative." The app is highly rated and has a simple, modern approach to investing.

Betterment

Betterment is a well-known investment app with no minimum investment requirement, making it ideal for beginners. It charges a low management fee of 0.25% and offers a high-yield savings account and cryptocurrency portfolios. However, access to human financial advisors is limited to those with a $100,000 balance or a premium membership.

Public

Public is a beginner-friendly app that combines social networking features with traditional brokerage capabilities. It offers commission-free trading on stocks and ETFs, cryptocurrency trading, and fractional share investing. Public provides educational resources and a community aspect, allowing users to share insights and learn from other members. The app has good ratings of 4.7 on iOS and 4.3 on Android.

Hargreaves Lansdown

Hargreaves Lansdown offers a wide range of investment options, including funds, shares, and ready-made portfolios. The app is intuitive and allows users to trade, track their performance, search for stocks, and create personalised watchlists. However, it has slightly higher platform and trading fees compared to some competitors.

EToro

EToro is an international trading platform providing access to thousands of stocks, ETFs, and other assets. It assigns users a membership tier based on their portfolio value, offering favourable fees and perks such as an airport priority pass for higher tiers. eToro also functions as a social hub, providing a free academy, performance tracking of other investors, and a platform to share investing ideas.

AJ Bell

AJ Bell offers access to thousands of stocks, ETFs, and funds, making it ideal for those who want to diversify their portfolio. The app scores well on the Apple Store (4.7 rating) but drops to a 3.2 rating on the Google Play Store. Within the app, users can track their investment performance, search for stocks, and add money to their portfolio.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a robo-advice platform that helps take the hassle out of investing by determining your risk appetite and financial goals. It offers ready-made diversified portfolios that can be easily managed via the app, which has excellent ratings of 4.8 on the Apple Store and 4.4 on Google Play.

Pensionbee

Pensionbee is an investment app focused on pension saving, offering ready-made portfolios, including ethical and sharia funds. It is competitive on price and provides a drawdown service for retirees. The app allows users to do everything from transferring pensions to selecting investments and tracking performance.

These apps offer a range of features and investment options to suit different needs. Be sure to consider your investment goals, risk tolerance, and preferred investment style when choosing an investment app.

Frequently asked questions