The common saying goes, “You need money to make money.” When it comes to investing, this claim stands true. You need some initial money to invest to make that amount grow.
When people pay fees to invest, that chips away at returns. These charges may include transaction fees, management charges, annual fees and more.
When all else is equal in an investment, the less you pay in fees, the greater your overall returns. Fortunately, it’s possible to avoid all of these fees and maximize your profits through today’s best free stock trading apps.
Take a look below at the best stock trading apps you should consider opening and using to trade your stocks. We highlight the best stock trading app for beginners first
1. Webull: Best Stock Trading App for Beginners
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Self-directed investors and intermediate traders
- Sign up here
Webull first hit the investing world in 2018 by offering free stock trading in addition to free trades of ETFs, options and cryptocurrencies.
The company provides you the ability to trade on your smartphone, tablet or desktop, track your stocks and charges no commissions for the trades you make in your portfolio.
It also recently began allowing fractional shares for you to buy smaller portions of stocks with higher share prices.
Why Choose Webull to Trade Stocks?
Webull also provides you access to several powerful tools useful for in-depth trading analysis. These easily make the service one of the best stock research and analysis apps for conducting technical analysis.
For traders, in addition to the commission-free trading and analytic tools, the brokerage offers a subscription to Nasdaq TotalView for $1.99/month, allowing you to see Level II quotes.
This can help you to gain a better sense for the full supply and demand for a stock outside of the national best bid offer (NBBO).
These advanced quotes will provide you with a deeper look into the market for understanding market direction and any potential supply and demand imbalances for a stock you pick.
If these account features sound attractive, the best part might also come with knowing setting up a Webull account is free and comes with no account minimums you must meet or maintain.
2. SoFi Wealth: Best for Personal Finance-Focused Investors
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Investors looking for automated investing already using SoFi’s other personal finance products
- Sign up here: (iOS), Android, Desktop
SoFi Invest is an app that allows you to track and trade your money. The service is the latest from the SoFi financial wellness platform and offers free trades on stocks, ETFs, cryptos and more.
The service allows you to be an active trader by buying and selling offered assets on a daily basis or passive through its automated investing service.
The company wants to serve all customers who have an interest in improving their financial situation alongside participating in their other personal finance products like student loans, money management, credit cards and more.
3. Public.com: Best Free Stock App for Theme-Based Investing
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: New investors with limited capital
- Sign up here
Public.com is another commission-free investing app that targets Millennials and Gen-Zers who have attuned their senses to social media. These age groups want to align their investing with their social preferences as well as keep good company to socialize and learn from others.
The stock investing app boasts an increasingly-common feature geared toward younger investors who may not have enough money to buy some higher cost shares at one time: fractional investing.
This product feature plays on the company’s mission of making the stock market an inclusive, educational investment opportunity which can be fun. They accomplish the latter point by allowing people to invest alongside friends and other well-regarded investors.
Much like social media platforms who provide the standard blue check mark logo to verify public figures, Public.com provides visibility into trade activity and other insights these verified investors wish to provide to the Public.com community.
What Makes Public.com Different?
Public.com does not monetize its trading activity through receiving payment for order flow (PFOF) unlike other free stock trading apps found on this list.
In light of the GameStop market mania in early 2021, Public.com announced a change in its revenue model, breaking with how many free stock apps generate income.
They no longer generate revenue from PFOF and has introduced a tipping feature in the app, acting as a de facto (optional) commission.
The company believes they have a responsibility to lead the industry in a different direction and no longer receive compensation for routing orders to market makers for trade execution.
With the Robinhood blow up, we saw how this created a conflict of interest between brokerage and customer.
By doing this, Public.com will better align their financial incentives with the best interests of their customers.
For those interested in starting to trade on Public.com, the online brokerage platform offers a free $10 signup bonus if you make an initial deposit. Further, you can share your special link with others and gift them free stocks (fractional shares) as well.
If this sounds like an interesting investing app, open an account and make an initial deposit to see if the app meets your social and investing needs.
4. M1 Finance: Best Free Stock App to Start Investing
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Google Android
- Best for: Passive Investors
- Sign up here
M1 Finance works as one of the best stock trading apps because it provides self-directed and automated investing options according to your predetermined investment decisions. This high-level of customization makes this stock trading app this site’s top robo-advisor pick.
Robo-advisors, which are almost exactly what they sound like, are automated investment managers who handle administrative investment actions on your behalf. Things like investing contributions, rebalancing your portfolio or making automated withdrawals.
Once you set up your portfolio, you can edit it as you wish or simply let the app handle all the nitty gritty while you learn how to increase your net worth with a growing account balance.
Specifically, clients can create a portfolio of stocks and ETFs tailored to their exact specifications, down to the last dollar thanks to their ability to trade fractional shares.
One major callout before going any further, however, is that while M1 Finance offers pre-made portfolios aligned to several investing goals—the company is not an advisory service.
That said, the firm has attracted billions of dollars in assets under management and has over one million users on the stock trading platform since its founding in 2015. No small feat in today’s competitive brokerage account market.
Why M1 Finance?
Sophisticated investors and beginners alike can use this stock trading app to build wealth through customizing your portfolio for free, automating additional contributions and dynamically rebalancing it over time to keep your assets allocated to your wishes.
With all these benefits, this best free stock trading app has a primary selling point: an orientation toward medium and long-term investors interested in building wealth through automated, diversified investing.
The robo-advisor provides the ability to buy and sell individual stocks and ETFs. Hence, why M1 Finance is this site’s best stock trading platform.
Additionally, you can opt to choose from 80+ expert portfolios or even purchase fractional shares if your target companies carry too high of a price tag.
For example, if you wanted to buy an entire share of a major tech company like Google or Amazon, but couldn’t float the entire cost, you could buy a fractional share.
Finally, investing with M1 Finance can be as simple as depositing money, setting your stock and index selections and having the platform automate your investments on your behalf.
This truly automates your investments if you set up recurring deposits, allowing your wealth to build.
Over time, M1 Finance will also rebalance your portfolio in line with your stated asset allocation targets. Regular rebalancing has been shown to improve portfolio performance over time, all things equal.
Consider opening an investment account with M1 Finance. If you deposit $1,000, you can even earn a free sign up bonus.
5. TradeStation: Best for Intermediate to Advanced Traders
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Advanced traders, Options and Futures traders, Active stock traders
- Sign up here
TradeStation is a powerful stock trading app and platform which comes with analytic tools useful to seasoned professionals and new traders alike. The platform comes equipped with brokerage services and trading education resources recognized by respected industry reviewers.
Much like every other online broker found on this list, the free stock trading app charges no commissions for stock and ETF trades and low fees on options and futures contracts.
TradeStation caters to its target audience: advanced, active and technically-minded traders. Beginning traders likely will be overwhelmed by this service and may even face fees.
The technical tools and screeners provided by TradeStation are all at or near the top of the class.
What Makes TradeStation Different?
TradeStation is one of the most high-powered stock trading platforms on this list.
The stock trading platform helps you analyze stocks, options, ETFs, futures, and crypto markets. If you open a TradeStation brokerage account, you can use the company’s robust TradeStation Analytics platform for free.
You have access to backtesting, historical intraday data, and extensive charting capabilities.
TradeStation Analytics helps you to find the right opportunities in real-time, when to get into and out of trades and discover hidden opportunities with technical analysis.
You can use the free stock trading app to monitor and rank up to 1,000 ticker symbols in real-time with access to more than 180 technical and fundamental indicators useful for valuing a stock and identifying likely price action.
If you’d like to purchase the analytics software without using the platform for making your trades, you can pay a monthly fee of $99 for non-professionals and $199 for professional subscribers.
6. Unifimoney: All Financial Products in One Place [iOS Only]
- Available: Sign up here
- Best For: High earners looking for multiple financial products on one platform
- Price: Free stock/ETF trades
Unifimoney is a digital money management app allowing users to invest in stocks, ETFs, precious metals and cryptos as well as bank, purchase insurance, sign up for credit cards, loans, mortgages, and even more!
The service combines robo-advisor with self-directed investing capability, allowing you to customize your portfolio on the fly or automate your portfolio in the background. Depending on your lifestyle and financial goals, Unifimoney offers the capability to invest how you want.
Further, you can even dive into cryptocurrency trading if that attracts your interest.
The company’s integrated banking and investment platforms help higher earning individuals make the most of their money in one location.
To qualify for the company’s competitive high-yield checking account’s top tier rates, you’ll need to deposit at least $2,000 per month or maintain a minimum balance of $20,000.
What Makes Unifimoney Different?
Where the app differentiates itself from other investing apps on this list is that it also offers access to other financial products like insurance, credit cards, mortgage and more. They offer perks for buying financial products through their platform.
Of note, Unifimoney only offers services to iOS users right now. Further, it does not offer a retirement account (IRA) at this time.
If you’d like to sign up for an account with Unifimoney, you’ll need to pony up at least $100, one of the higher minimums on this list, though certainly not a major barrier.
To get you started, Unifimoney offers to deposit BTC into your account if you meet certain deposit minimums. The lowest deposit amount you can make within 30 days of account opening to get free BTC is $1,000.
7. E-Trade
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Options traders
- Sign up here
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.
The online brokerage platform also has a significant amount of options trading and data functionality after the company acquired OptionsHouse.
These tools can assist with making more-informed options investment decisions. The company also acts as a stock futures app for more experienced investors.
As another service, E-Trade also offers retirement planning to clients as well as in-person informational sessions annually in certain areas.
E-Trade has three platforms. All are free and have no minimum investment limit.
- Power E-Trade offers investors real-time data and studies.
- E-Trade Web provides live market commentary and stock analysis.
- E-Trade Pro gives you strategy scanners and back-testing.
Each stock trading platform gives you access to a dashboard for tracking your investment accounts, types of investment vehicles, and your trades. E-trade does have small fees for options contracts and some fees involved with retirement accounts.
8. Firstrade: Best for International Investors
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Mutual fund and target date fund investors
- Sign up here
Firstrade is a leading online brokerage firm offering a full line of investment products and tools designed to help investors improve their financial position through sound investing practices.
Like every other investing app provided on this list, it too does not assess commissions for making stock trades.
Firstrade combines proprietary trading technology with an intuitive user interface, offers customer service availability and utilizes a mobile application like all others in this article.
In short, the platform offers access to over 11,000 different investments, including index funds, stocks, bonds, target date funds, mutual funds, and more.
Firstrade offers a comprehensive solution for all of your investing needs, committing itself to excellence and putting customers first.
9. eToro: Best for Crypto Trading
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: U.S. investors focused on crypto-trading
- Sign up here
If you’d like to invest in more than just stocks or ETFs and also invest in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin, you might want a high-powered, user-friendly app like eToro.
eToro is the world’s leading social investing platform, offering a social trading feature where you can learn and copy the strategies of other traders.
If you are a profitable trader, you can have eToro users follow you and earn income based on how well you perform and how many people follow your trades.
The platform offers multi-asset trading capabilities with over 2,000 instruments available through the brokerage. You can trade crypto and other assets in 14 exchanges worldwide.
eToro can fulfill your needs for crypto investing by offering commission-free trading on 17 cryptocurrencies and other assets. Opening an account is simple and only takes $50 to start.
The bad news is that the forex fees are high and there is a $5 withdrawal fee charged.
10. Vanguard
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Investors looking for a simple index fund investing app
- Sign up here
Vanguard has long been regarded as the low-cost index fund investing service provider. In fact, John Bogle originated the idea of index fund investing and first offered them to retail investors as mutual funds and eventually exchange traded funds (ETFs).
The company has slashed fees over the years in a bid to outcompete other companies in the space and will always advocate for a low-fee index fund approach to investing.
Vanguard excels as a free stock trading platform when you wish to buy and sell Vanguard securities like index fund ETFs. You pay no commissions on their products like VTI or VTSAX or VFIAX.
Recently, Vanguard also announced it will no longer charge trading fees on competitors’ ETFs as well, a departure from a long-standing position. Vanguard also carries no account minimums.
What Vanguard lacks compared to some of these other apps is its clunky nature. I use the app for managing my work’s 401k plan and will admit to its bloat and lack of clarity on calculating investment returns on a percentage basis.
My main beef with their interface is my performance statistics will not save after I add them to assess how my funds have performed. All that said, Vanguard might have made this by design, incentivizing you to check your funds less often and thus living by their index fund ethos.
11. Robinhood
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Investors looking for a simple, no frills investing platform
- Sign up here
Robinhood became the first free stock app to slash trading commissions to $0. This shook up the industry and caused several competitors to rethink how they make money and follow suit.
Many merged as a result in the hopes of shedding costs and remaining competitive to this investing startup.
Likewise, many new apps like Robinhood have cropped up in recent years, many of which feature on this list.
The service boasts free stock trading alongside index funds, options, penny stocks and cryptocurrencies.
Robinhood’s app offers a simple and easy-to-use design. There aren’t numerous features called out to distract you from what you are using the app to accomplish: trade commission-free.
Like Webull, Robinhood has no fees upon account opening and includes no minimum balance requirements. These brokerages have been at the vanguard for eliminating the common barriers associated with investing in the stock market.
Consider signing up for a Robinhood account to see what you think. The company makes it worth your while by offering a free stock for signing up.
12. TD Ameritrade
- Available via desktop, Apple iOS and Android App on Google Play
- Best For: Traders interested in more asset classes like Forex and Futures
- Sign up here
TD Ameritrade is another one of the best stock trading apps on this list. It is a popular brokerage which recently purchased Scottrade and now is being purchased by the mega-retail brokerage Charles Schwab.
For the time being, the brokerage has managed to shed commissions on their clients’ stock and ETF trades (with competitive threats from Robinhood and Webull).
The company’s scale has garnered it a large retail trading presence and many have come to use the service for many of its free or low cost trading features.
You may have heard of the company through its thinkorswim stock trading platform, widely touted as a premier trading service. The company backs this platform by insights, education materials and a dedicated trading desk to place your trades.
It offers a fully-customizable trading experience which can pin down however complex of a trading strategy of technique you might want to employ.
You will want to be careful about TDAmeritrade for some investment choices. When sorting through the company’s security choices, make sure you filter for no load ETFs before you buy.
Likewise for mutual funds and equity trades, lest you get hit with a fee for trading certain stocks and equities.
