Top 6 Investing and Trading Apps for Beginners

It’s never been easier to start investing, thanks to a variety of online brokers and robo-advisors that offer easy access to the financial markets from your phone. The best investing apps for beginners simplify the process of selecting stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to help you build an investment portfolio.

These six investment apps stand out for making trading easier and offering useful portfolio management services and educational resources.

Charles Schwab is one of the best online brokers and their app has a lot to offer beginners. You’ll get low-cost trading, access to fractional share investing (which allows investors on a limited budget to purchase less than a full share of a stock or fund), along with plenty of educational and research resources that new investors will find useful. Additionally, Schwab has the best customer service, with specialized support for specific products, as well as phone and live chat service.

Key Features

• Commission-free trading on stocks and ETFs

• fractional shares

• Includes access to watchlists, news and chart functionality.

• Top-notch customer service

Robinhood’s streamlined mobile app (and commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies) opened up the world of investing for mobile users. The platform is easy to use and supports fractional share investing in stocks and ETFs, making it popular with beginners, who often start with smaller sums.

Key Features

• Commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs, options and cryptocurrencies

• The app interface is easy to navigate.

• Trade orders are easy to place

• Basic stock research pages provide key metrics

Often mentioned in the same breath as Robinhood, Webull’s mobile app offers a full range of features that many investors will appreciate. Commission-free trading goes beyond stocks and ETFs and includes options. And you can open an account with no minimum deposit. For investors who want to try their hand at more exotic fee trading, Webull also offers futures and cryptocurrencies.

Key Features

• Commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and options

• Trading 24/5

• Competitive interest rates on cash accounts

• Advanced graphics tools

Fidelity Investments has one of the best financial platforms out there and can handle almost anything a typical investor is looking to do. You’ll get low-cost trading, access to multiple retirement accounts, thousands of mutual funds with no transaction fees, and access to your low-cost, highly rated robo-advisor, Fidelity Go. Fidelity is a great option for investors looking to keep the majority of their financial life in one company.

Key Features

• No commissions on stock and ETF trades

• Many different types of accounts available

• Research and education on ETFs, mutual funds, and many personal finance topics.

• Customer service is among the best in the industry.

Betterment is one of the best robo-advisors and is a good option for investors who want an investment portfolio to be managed automatically. The app creates a portfolio based on your goals and risk tolerance using ETFs. There is an annual administration fee of 0.25% if you have a balance of at least $24,000 or at least $200 per month in recurring deposits. For those with balances less than $24,000 and monthly recurring deposits less than $200, the fee is $5 per month. This is less than you would probably pay for a traditional financial advisor.

Key Features

• Low-cost portfolio management

• Tax loss harvesting

• High Yield Cash Management Account

• Access to premium level human advisors

Wealthfront is another top option for those looking for a robo-advisor to manage a portfolio, but also a place to serve as command central for their other banking and investing needs. Wealth-fronted portfolios are built using low-cost ETFs and include features like tax-loss harvesting and automatic rebalancing for a 0.25% annual management fee. Beyond automated portfolio management, it also offers commission-free stock and ETF trading, and a feature-rich cash management account (with checking, bill pay, fee-free ATM access, and more) that took first place in the Bankrate Awards.

Key Features

• Low-cost portfolio management

• Tax loss harvesting

• Strong cash management account

• Wide investment offer

When choosing which investing app is best for you, as someone just starting out, you’ll want to think about your core needs when it comes to investing. Are you looking to trade stocks and ETFs on your own or need help building a portfolio?

Those who want to trade frequently should pay attention to the costs and values ​​available in a given application. If you’re looking for help building a portfolio, you’ll want to find a robo-advisor to work with.

Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research on investment strategies before making an investment decision. Additionally, investors are cautioned that the past performance of investment products is no guarantee of future price appreciation.

— Bankrate’s Dayana Yochim contributed to an update to this article.