If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.
If you're just starting to invest, knowing how to buy portions of stocks using fractional investing can seem complicated, but it's actually very easy.
Many online brokerages offer fractional investing, and one popular option is the Webull trading platform. Thankfully, you can set up an account and start buying fractional shares on the platform without much hassle. Here's how to do it.
On Webull's Secure Website.
2025 Award Winner
As a mobile-focused brokerage, Webull provides better functionality than its competitors, along with offering some cash and stock bonuses.
$0 per trade
$0
On Webull's Secure Website.
You'll need to give Webull some personal information to open your account, including:
Webull doesn't charge fees to open the account and has no minimum deposit amount. You can begin buying fractional shares with just $5.
Before you get started with your Webull account, you'll need to know which type of account you want to open. Webull gives you four options; here's what they mean:
Download the Webull app or go to the company's website and enter your phone number. You can also sign up for an account using your Google or Facebook profile.
Choose any of these options and then select "Open an account." You'll be asked to enter your email address, and then Webull will send you a verification code to set up the account with a password.
You'll then need to enter some personal information, including uploading photo identification, your address, employer's information (if applicable), and Social Security number.
You'll be asked a series of investing-related questions, including whether you're associated with a broker-dealer, if you're a member of a stock exchange, and whether you or a family member is a director or a 10% shareholder of a publicly traded company. It's likely that you'll answer "no" to these questions.
You'll also be asked about your annual income, total net worth, and approximate liquid net worth. Liquid net worth is your total cash and cash equivalents after you deduct your liabilities. You'll be given drop-down ranges to choose from.
Then, you'll answer a few questions about your investing goals, timeline, and experience. These questions are just to help Webull build your investment profile.
Webull offers the option of a cash account or a margin account. With a cash account, you make investments using the cash you deposit. Your buying power is limited to the dollar amount in the account.
With a margin account, you can leverage your funds and securities to borrow money to buy additional securities. Webull's margin account requires a minimum deposit of $2,000. It's worth noting that buying on margin is risky, and new investors (and many seasoned ones) should avoid it.
Once you've set all this up, you'll move on to the next page to review the legal information and sign your name to open the account.
Once you've set up the account, you're ready to fund it. To do this, select the "make your first deposit" button and enter your bank account information and the amount you want to deposit.
Now you're ready to buy fractional shares on Webull! Here are steps for finding and buying fractional shares on the platform.
Search for the stock or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that you want to buy in the Webull app. A green diamond will be next to the stocks and ETFs available for fractional share investing.
Once you've found your stock with the green diamond next to it, click the "trade" button and switch the order type from "limit" to "market." This means that your fractional share purchase will occur during market trading hours, which is currently the only way Webull offers buying fractional shares.
Beneath the "order type" you'll see the "amount in" option. Click this and change "share" to "USD" to buy a specific dollar amount of the stock. Then, enter the amount of money you want to invest. There is a minimum $5 investment amount for buying fractional shares.
Double-check all the information to ensure it's correct, then select "buy." It's worth mentioning that once you've placed the order, you can't modify it. Congratulations, you've bought fractional shares on Webull!
Opening a Webull account and buying fractional shares is easy, but making investment decisions is a little more complicated. That's why we've created an investment guide to help you understand the basics of investing. You can use the guide to help assess your risk tolerance and learn about the differences between passive and active investing.
We recommend comparing brokerage options to ensure the account you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of our best trading platforms of 2025.
| Broker | Best For | Commissions | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
Low-cost investing with a full-featured platform | $0 stock, ETF, and Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource® trades. No fees to buy fractional shares. |
Learn More for Charles Schwab
On Charles Schwab's Secure Website. |
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
Managing your finances under one roof | $0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts |
Learn More for SoFi Active Investing
On SoFi Active Investing's Secure Website. |
5.0/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
Full-service investing at every experience level | $0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETFs*. No account fees****. |
Learn More for Fidelity
On Fidelity's Secure Website. |
Fractional shares allow you to buy a portion of a stock, if you don't have enough money to buy the full share. For example, if a company's stock price is $100 and you only have $20 to invest, you can buy one-fifth of a share of that company's stock. Fractional shares are great for investors who don't have a lot of money to invest, but still want a diversified portfolio.
Selling full shares of a stock is easier than selling fractional shares. To close your position for fractional shares on Webull, there is a minimum of 0.00001 shares per order. Webull also says the rule of a $5 minimum doesn't work for closing fractional share positions. Fractional shares may take longer to sell if there isn't demand for the smaller fractional share amount.
Webull doesn't charge you any fees to open an account. You can start buying fractional shares with as little as $5.
Fidelity disclosure
Investing involves risk, including risk of loss
* - $0.00 commission applies to online U.S. equity trades and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in a Fidelity retail account only for Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC retail clients. Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee (historically from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal). Other exclusions and conditions may apply. A limited number of ETFs are subject to a transaction-based service fee of $100. See full list at Fidelity.com/commissions. Employee equity compensation transactions and accounts managed by advisors or intermediaries through Fidelity Institutional® are subject to different commission schedules.
**Fidelity Crypto® is offered by Fidelity Digital Assets®. Investing involves risk, including risk of total loss. Crypto as an asset class is highly volatile, can become illiquid at any time, and is for investors with a high risk tolerance. Crypto may also be more susceptible to market manipulation than securities. Crypto is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Investors in crypto do not benefit from the same regulatory protections applicable to registered securities. Fidelity Crypto® accounts and custody and trading of crypto in such accounts are provided by Fidelity Digital Asset Services, LLC, which is chartered as a limited purpose trust company by the New York State Department of Financial Services to engage in virtual currency business (NMLS ID 1773897). Brokerage services in support of securities trading are provided by Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”), and related custody services are provided by National Financial Services LLC (“NFS”), each a registered broker-dealer and member NYSE and SIPC. Neither FBS nor NFS offer crypto as a direct investment nor provide trading or custody services for such assets. Fidelity Crypto and Fidelity Digital Assets are registered service marks of FMR LLC.
***Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.
****Zero account minimums and zero account fees apply to retail brokerage accounts only. Expenses charged by investments (e.g., funds, managed accounts, and certain HSAs) and commissions, interest charges, or other expenses for transactions may still apply. See Fidelity.com/commissions for further details.
