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Just like most of the best investment apps, stock trading apps allow traders to access the stock market from a mobile device. With a stock trading app, you can buy and sell assets, plus access additional app features like educational resources and goal planning tools.
If you're looking to invest outside of stock trading, see Insider's picks for the best cryptocurrency exchanges and the best online brokerages to help you get money in the market.
The Best Stock Trading Apps
- Charles Schwab: Best overall
- TD Ameritrade: Best for active traders
- SoFi Invest: Best for beginners
- Vanguard: Best for no commission fees
- Fidelity Investments: Best for long-term investing
- Interactive Brokers: Best for expert traders
- Ally Invest: Best for banking and stock trading
Check out the best stock trading apps currently available as picked by Insider's editors.
Compare the Best Stock Trading Apps
Stock Trading Apps Frequently Asked Questions
SoFi Invest is the best stock trading app for beginners, because it has an easy-to-use interface and educational materials about stocks. You also just need $1 to start investing, so it's a good app for beginners who don't have much money to invest yet.
The best app for day trading stocks is probably thinkorswim by TD Ameritrade. It's affordable, and it has advanced trading tools and chat support from a TD Ameritrade trading specialist.
Robinhood is a good app for actively trading stocks, but it doesn't offer automated investing.
Stock Trading App Reviews
Best Stock Trading App Overall
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab's Schwab Mobile is a strong all-around choice for stock traders. It comes with no account minimums and no recurring fees. You can choose between just about any type of investment account you would want and most types of investments. And for stock trades, the app is well-rounded for both beginners and experts. Charles Schwab also offers a no-fee automated adviser, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, but you'll need at least $5,000 to get started.
The mobile app makes it easy to view your accounts, positions, and balances. You can view market indices and news, research stocks, and enter an array of trade types from the app. One of its features, the Schwab Assistant, gives you voice control to make trades, get quotes, set alerts, and get answers to questions about investments.
Users also have access to the more advanced StreetSmart Mobile. It works well but doesn't rate among the very best for the most active traders. But Schwab now owns TD Ameritrade and thinkorswim, which is an industry leader for active traders. More on that in the next section.
Best Stock Trading App for Active Traders
TD Ameritrade thinkorswim trading platform
TD Ameritrade's thinkorswim is a top stock trading app for active traders. TD Ameritrade features accounts with no recurring fees and no minimum balance. It offers a diverse range of accounts and investments, including some investments that are less commonly supported such as futures, forex, and cryptocurrencies. But it stands out for its active trader offering for both experts and those looking to become experts in active trading.
The flagship active trading platform at TD Ameritrade is thinkorswim. Thinkorswim gives you a nearly identical experience wherever you log in, including desktop or mobile. It features advanced charting, advanced trade tools, profit and loss calculations, a live CNBC news stream, and chat support where you can get live help from a TD Ameritrade trading specialist from inside the app.
Important note: TD Ameritrade was acquired by Charles Schwab on October 6, 2020. However, Schwab has announced it plans to keep thinkorswim alongside StreetSmart Edge. If you're looking to set up a managed account, though, you'll have to do so through Schwab.
Best Stock Trading App for Beginners
SoFi Invest
SoFi Invest is one of the best stock market brokerages for new traders. SoFi's app is less robust than some larger competitors, but that also makes it easy to navigate and understand if you don't have as much experience in the markets.
SoFi Invest offers taxable accounts, retirement accounts, and a more limited set of investment choices. But stocks and ETFs are well represented. SoFi also offers a no-fee automated investing platform, and it lets you invest in fractional shares through a product it calls Stock Bits. In addition, SoFi has now launched options trading. Beginners will enjoy browsing through groups of stocks by category to get ideas for how to invest. The app also includes educational articles accessible from stock account pages.
If you are brand new to the markets, SoFi offers a way to get started with a small investment and no fees. That's a good combination for learning how to trade stocks. Plus, you can dabble in cryptocurrency trading with 22 different cryptocurrencies if you're looking to diversify your portfolio outside of stocks. Crypto transactions will cost you 1.25% each, though.
Best Stock Trading App for No Commissions
Vanguard
Vanguard has investment options for just about every type of investor. In addition to its Jack Bogle-created index funds, the brokerage offers commission-free trading on several investments, automated investing through Vanguard Digital Advisor (with the additional choice of one-on-one advisor guidance, thanks to Vanguard Personal Advisor Services), IRAs and other retirement resources, and market research and educational resources.
You can trade stocks without commissions here, and Vanguard offers margin accounts (these accounts let you borrow money to buy more securities) and commission-free options trading for more advanced investors. You'll have to apply for margin trading, though.
In addition to its iOS and Android mobile apps, Vanguard also offers trusts, 529 plans, custodial accounts, small business retirement plans and more.
Best Stock Trading App for Long-term Investing
Fidelity
Fidelity offers a wide range of accounts and investments that could meet the needs of virtually any investor, but it stands out as a great choice for stock market inventors looking to buy and hold for long-term goals like retirement. It offers a wide range of investing products, including fractional shares.
In addition to common tools that allow you to research and trade stocks, Fidelity offers apps and tools to help you reach retirement goals and other long-term plans. For example, the Fidelity Spire app is a goal-oriented app that encourages good saving and investing habits to reach the goals you've specified.
Fidelity Investments is best for beginners, but it also suits active traders, passive investors, and long-term-focused investors.
Best Stock Trading App for Expert Traders
Interactive Brokers
For expert traders looking for a slick, Wall Street-style trading platform, Interactive Brokers is a great choice. Sometimes called IBKR for short, Interactive Brokers offers multiple types of accounts, including ones that work well for retail investors all the way up to professional and institutional investors. It gives investors access to a very wide range of assets including, of course, stocks.
Interactive Brokers mobile app, IBKR Mobile, is a fully-functioning investment platform with advanced trading tools in your pocket. Advanced quotes and research contain 50 columns of data in a very similar format to the desktop platform. It's cutting-edge and works best for those with at least some investment experience.
Best Stock Trading App for Banking and Stock Trading
Ally Invest
If you're interested in a simple and straightforward investment platform that goes hand-in-hand with some of the best checking and savings accounts on the market today, Ally could be the right fit. Ally Invest has no minimum and no recurring fees and shares the same login for accounts with Ally Bank.
With Ally Mobile, you can view your investments and enter stock trades with just a few taps. The app includes basic research and charting, recent news, and the ability to quickly enter a trade. It doesn't have as many bells and whistles as some stock trading apps, but it covers the basics and makes it easy to trade for a very low cost.
Plus, investors who prefer automated portfolios might be excited to know that the Ally Invest Robo Portfolio has a $100 minimum and no advisory fees. The only catch is that it doesn't allow for DIY stock trading; it primarily uses ETFs. The account also automatically sets aside 30% of your portfolio as cash to protect you against market volatility.
It also offers a market-focused, automated portfolio that only sets aside 2% of your portfolio as cash, but this option includes a 0.30% fee. However, both of its automated portfolios offer 3% annual interest on the cash held in the account.
Other Brokerages We Considered for the Best Stock Trading Apps
- E*TRADE: E*TRADE offers a great stock trading platform for a wide range of investors, but infrequent traders will pay more for options contracts.
- Robinhood Investing: Robinhood is a brokerage service offering commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and options. The investing platform also offers fractional shares and specialty investment products like cryptocurrencies, but its investment selection is limited.
- Webull: Webull and Robinhood share many similarities. Both brokerages offer cryptocurrencies and commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and options, but Webull also offers IRAs. A drawback, however, is that it doesn't offer automated accounts, mutual funds, or joint brokerage accounts.
- tastytrade: tastytrade (previously called tastyworks) is best for traders who are more interested in active options trading.
- Firstrade: Firstrade offers commission-free trades for most assets, but its trading apps are not quite as strong as some others.
- Public Investing: Public is best for traders looking to learn how to trade from others. It includes "public" trading where you can view what others are doing to learn more and improve your trading skills. However, it doesn't allow day trading.
Why You Should Trust Us: Our Expert Panel on the Best Stock Trading Apps
We consulted financial planners, investing experts, and our own wealth-building reporter to inform our picks for the best stock trading apps.
We're focusing on what makes a stock trading app and brokerage account most useful. When weighing different apps, it's best to consider pricing, investment choices, account types, and investment research resources.
We interviewed the following three investing experts to see what they had to say about stock trading apps:
- Brian Fry, CFP, founder at Safe Landing Financial
- Charlotte Geletka, CFP, CRPC, managing partner at Silver Penny Financial Planning
- Kaysian Gordon, MBA, CFP, CDFA, CPA, wealth manager at Clarus Group
What are the advantages of using an investing app to trade stocks?
Brian Fry, CFP:
Of course, there's going to be different levels of what's offered through these different apps. Some of them may offer light financial planning, or low-cost or transparent investment options.
[It's about] drilling down and finding the app that's going to best provide that transparency and best provide the confidence that one's looking for in planning one's financial future.
Charlotte Geletka, CFP, CRPC:
Investing apps make it easier than it has ever been for the individual to trade stocks right on your phone.
Kaysian Gordon, MBA, CFP, CDFA, CPA:
[The advantage] is being able to have the research you need to make that decision. Look for the app that's going to give you enough of the information that you need to be able to make a wise decision when you're trading stocks.
What are the disadvantages of using an investing app to trade stocks?
Brian Fry, CFP:
When you have free trades, you have to realize that these investment companies are making their money one way or another. So just because it's free doesn't mean it's better.
Cost is definitely something, but when you're looking at free trades versus $5 trades or $10 trades, to me it's all irrelevant. It's really about what's going to be the best user experience? What's going to empower an investor to feel confident?
Charlotte Geletka, CFP, CRPC:
The disadvantage is that [mobile trading access] encourages impulse investing. Numerous studies show that when the retail investor engages in impulse investing and frequent trading he or she ends up with lower than average returns.
Kaysian Gordon, MBA, CFP, CDFA, CPA:
You want to make sure you [don't have] all of your eggs in one basket. I can't stress that enough no matter how good you think a company is.
Is there any other advice you'd offer someone who's considering using a stock trading app?
Brian Fry, CFP:
Most investment platforms offer similar benefits. Choose the platform that best helps you stay on track and identify progress towards your financial goals.
Charlotte Geletka, CFP, CRPC:
Make sure that you have an emergency fund and that you are adequately funding your savings goals. Use your extra money for trading apps.
Kaysian Gordon, MBA, CFP, CDFA, CPA:
Don't put too much money in one stock that, if you lose the money, you're going to be hurting.
Methodology: How we Reviewed The Best Stock Trading Apps
The best stock trading apps come from brokerages that offer low-fee accounts and feature-filled mobile trading platforms. When compiling the best investment platforms for stock trading, we considered pricing, available investments, account types, and investment research resources. We reviewed more than a dozen platforms.
Personal Finance Insider's rating methodology for investment products considers pricing and fees, investment options, account types, investment platforms, investment research, and educational resources.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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