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Best Investment Apps for Beginners for April 2024

Review Updated
Matt Frankel, CFP®
By: Matt Frankel, CFP®

Our Brokerages Expert

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.

It is easier than ever to invest on the go, and in the past couple of years, many great beginner-friendly investment apps have hit the market. Do you want to start buying stocks? Do you want to invest for retirement? Or do you want a robo-advisor that can do all the heavy lifting for you? There's an app for that.

With the stock market reaching new record highs already in 2024, now could be a great time to get started. Read on for our top investment apps for beginners.

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 brokerage apps our experts recommend and why they like them:

Our 5 Best Investment Apps for Beginners

Broker/Advisor Best For Commissions Next Steps
Award Icon 2024 Award Winner
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.
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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.
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= Excellent
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Best For:

Mobile Experience

Commission:

$0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold

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.
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= Excellent
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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.
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= Excellent
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Best For:

Beginners

Commission:

$0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts

Acorns 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
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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.
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Best For:

Investing with Spare Change

Commission:

$3-$9 monthly

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.
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= Excellent
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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.
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Best For:

Hands-Off Investors

Commission:

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

Cash App Investing 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.
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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.
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Best For:

Simple Stock Investing

Commission:

$0 for stocks, fees vary for cryptocurrencies

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.

How to pick the best investment app for beginners

There's no one-size-fits-all investment app that is perfect for all beginners. This is why we've included several top picks on our list of the best investment apps for beginners -- all of these investing apps offer different features and investment choices.

Robinhood
Open Account for Robinhood

On Robinhood's Secure Website.

Ratings Methodology
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.
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Bottom Line

A great choice for people who want to keep fees at an absolute minimum and who want the ability to trade stocks, options, and crypto in the same place. Robinhood's app is extremely user friendly, and it's one of the few places where all three of these investment vehicles trade commission free.

Fees:

$0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold

Account Minimum:

$0

Open Account for Robinhood

On Robinhood'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.
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Bottom Line

Makes it easy to buy and sell stocks on its app, and it has one of the best selections of cryptocurrencies offered by a non-crypto exchange. It is very much an all-in-one app, with a great robo-advisory option, as well as many other financial products in a single app.

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.

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.
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Bottom Line

The simple, modern approach to investing helps people invest faster. It's fee structure is easy-to-understand and low, making a good fit for hands-off investors who want to participate in the market, but want to put their investments on cruise control.

Fees:

$3-$9 monthly

Account Minimum:

$0

Open Account for Acorns

On Acorns' 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.
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Bottom Line

One of the top-rated robo-advisors and helped pioneer the space years ago. It has low management fees for investments, no minimum balance requirements, and a high-yield cash management account to pair with its robo-advisor. It offers a variety of account types, as well as features (such as tax-loss harvesting) that are typically only available to high-balance customers at other firms.

Fees:

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

Account Minimum:

$0

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.
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Bottom Line

Perhaps the easiest place for new investors to buy and sell stocks. It's very user friendly and provides many other financial functions (and likely more will be added over time). Bitcoin trading is also available, and the Cash App money transfer functionality is excellent.

Fees:

$0 for stocks, fees vary for cryptocurrencies

Account Minimum:

$0

Looking for an app for day trading?

If you're...

  • Not interested in day trading
  • Interested in day trading and other types of investing

...you're in the right spot!

If you're exclusively interested in day trading, head over to our Best Day Trading Platforms page.

Reviews of the best investment apps for beginners

Robinhood

Best investing app for beginners who: Want a user-friendly platform with minimal expenses.

Robinhood pioneered the concept of a low-cost, beginner-friendly trading app, and it is still one of the best in the business. Robinhood makes it extremely easy for beginners to start buying and selling stocks, and with fractional share trading, newer investors can build a diverse portfolio with little capital. It also offers one of the best cryptocurrency trading platforms that is also integrated with a stock trading app.

Why beginning investors might love Robinhood

  • No commissions: Robinhood is one of the few beginner investing apps that doesn't charge anything for options or cryptocurrency trading. (Robinhood, like most investing apps don't charge commissions on stock trading.)
  • Fractional share trading: Fractional shares allow beginning investors to construct a diversified portfolio with little capital.
  • Cryptocurrencies: Robinhood has more than a dozen cryptocurrencies available on its platform -- perfect for beginner investors interested in getting started with crypto.

Why some beginning investors might not choose Robinhood

  • Membership: Some features, like stock research, require a Robinhood Gold membership, which beginners may not be ready to commit to.
  • Investment options: If you'd like to get started investing with mutual funds or bond investments, this isn't the beginner app for you: Mutual funds and bond investments are not available on Robinhood.
  • Light on features: Though this is otherwise a beginner-friendly app, there are few educational resources to help new investors learn.

Read our full review of Robinhood.

SoFi Invest

Best investing app for beginners who: Want a one-stop-shop for managing their money.

SoFi is best-known for its loan products and online bank accounts -- but it also offers an excellent investment platform that could be a great fit for beginners. In simple terms, SoFi offers a rare combination of an easy-to-use platform and lots of functionality. The SoFi Invest platform allows users to buy stocks (even new IPOs) and options, with no commissions, making it an extremely accessible option. Additionally, the SoFi Invest platform is a top choice for new investors who want to put their investing strategies on autopilot.

Why beginning investors might love SoFi

  • Low-cost: No trading commissions (including options) or account minimums -- great for beginning investors who want to start small.
  • Fractional share trading: Fractional shares allow beginning investors to put together a diversified portfolio with little capital.
  • Great for learning: SoFi offers lots of educational resources compared to other apps, which can help investors become more skillful over time.
  • Robo-advisor: SoFi Automated Investing is an excellent automated investing platform for new investors who would like a hands-off option.

Why some beginning investors might not choose SoFi

  • Investment choices: SoFi Invest doesn't offer mutual funds or fixed income investments, which might be appealing investments to some beginners.
  • Account types: Some account types aren't available. SoFi offers basic individual investment accounts, as well as traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs.

Read our full review of SoFi Active Investing.

Acorns

Best investing app for beginners who: Want an easy-to-use way to automate their investing.

Acorns is a robo-advisor app that makes investing even easier than most others do. In addition to being able to directly contribute money, Acorns allows customers to link their credit and debit cards and round up purchases to the nearest dollar to invest the change -- so beginners can start investing without much of a hit to their budget. It offers several different account types, a paired checking account product, and the Acorns Earn platform that allows customers to earn free investment dollars when making purchases through Acorns' partners.

Why beginning investors might love Acorns

  • Easy to automate investing: Acorns allows beginning investors to make one-time contributions, recurring investments, and to round up purchases and invest their spare change.
  • Top-rated app: Acorns' app is easy to navigate and set up and has high ratings on the App Store and Google Play store.
  • Easy investing options: Acorns has five investment options to choose from, with easy-to-understand names like "aggressive" and "moderately conservative."

Why some beginning investors might not choose Acorns

  • Pricing: While we're generally a fan of Acorns' straightforward pricing ($3, $5, or $9 per month, depending on the membership level), it can also make this an expensive platform for new investors just getting started.
  • No human advisors: Some robo-advisor apps offer access to real-live financial advisors, but Acorns isn't one of them. If you're a beginning investor who wants human guidance, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Read our full review of Acorns.

Betterment

Best investing app for beginners who: Want to automate their investments with a feature-packed platform.

Betterment was one of the pioneers of the automated investing industry and is still one of the best today. It has no minimum investment requirement, which is key for beginners looking to just dip their toes into investing. It also features a relatively low 0.25% management fee, so you won't have fees cutting into your gains. Betterment offers features that could be very appealing to beginners, including an integrated high-yield savings account and the ability to invest in cryptocurrency portfolios.

Why beginning investors might love Betterment

  • Low-cost: Betterment has no minimum investment requirements, and a reasonable 0.25% management fee. This amount could be considered average, but we think it's a deal considering the amount of features Betterment offers to beginning investors.
  • Cash management: Betterment has an integrated high-yield savings account that rivals most online banks.
  • Cryptocurrencies: Although they aren't right for all investors, cryptocurrency portfolios are available as an investment choice. If you're looking at getting started with crypto, Betterment is an app to consider.

Why some beginning investors might not choose Betterment

  • Lack of human help: Human financial advisor access requires a $100,000 balance, as well as a premium membership, which comes with a significantly higher management fee. This might not be accessible to some beginning investors.
  • Only a robo-advisor: Betterment doesn't offer self-directed investing (you can't buy stocks). While some beginning investors might prefer a robo-advisor, others will like the option to pick their own stocks.

Read our full review of Betterment.

Cash App Investing

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

Cash App Investing offers its users the ability to buy and sell stocks, as well as Bitcoin, within the popular Cash App personal finance app. It offers fractional share investing, which allows beginners to create a diverse stock portfolio without a ton of capital, and there are no commissions whatsoever. The biggest downside to investing with Cash App Investing is that it doesn't offer mutual funds, bonds, or any other investment type beyond stocks, ETFs, and Bitcoin.

Why beginning investors might love Cash App Investing

  • Easy to use: Cash App Investing makes it extremely easy for new investors to buy and sell stocks. All it takes to get started is just a couple taps on your screen and you can start a portfolio of your own.
  • Functionality: The ability to buy and sell stocks and cryptocurrencies integrates easily with the popular Cash App platform.
  • Fractional share trading: Fractional shares allow beginning investors to construct a diversified portfolio with little capital.

Why some beginning investors might not choose Cash App Investing

  • Few investment choices: Cash App Investing only accommodates stocks, ETFs, and Bitcoin. You can't buy mutual funds, fixed income investments, or several other types of securities that may appeal to beginners.
  • Light on features: Cash App Investing offers some basic beginner educational tools, but not nearly as many as some of its rivals. It also is lacking in features like stock research reports.
  • Doesn't support IRA investing: Cash App Investing offers one type of investment account, a standard taxable brokerage account. Beginners who want to start an IRA for retirement will have to look elsewhere.

Read our full review of Cash App Investing.

FAQs

  • Some investing app features that beginners may find useful include low minimum balances, educational resources, and an easy-to-use platform.

  • First, decide whether you'd like to pick your own stocks or have a robo-advisor help you invest on autopilot. Then, look at investing apps to find one with minimum balance requirements you can meet. Finally, keep an eye out for investing apps with educational resources -- these can help you both get started with investing and grow in your skills over time.

Our Brokerages Expert

Brokerages we evaluated for consideration on this page: Acorns, Ally Invest, Axos Self-Directed Trading, Betterment, Cash App Investing, Charles Schwab, Delphia, Domain Money, Ellevest, Empower, eToro Brokerage, E*TRADE Core Portfolios, E*TRADE, Fidelity, Fidelity Cash Management, Fidelity Go®, Firstrade, FOREX.com, Interactive Brokers, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing, M1 Finance, Magnifi, Marcus Invest, Merrill Edge® Self-Directed, moomoo, NinjaTrader, Personal Capital, Plynk, Prosperi Academy, Public, Robinhood, Rocket Dollar, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, SoFi Active Investing, SoFi Automated Investing, Stash, Stockpile, Tastytrade, Titan, Tornado App, TradeStation, Tradier, Vanguard, Vanguard Digital Advisor®, Wealthfront, Webull, Zacks Trade.