Best Investing Apps for Beginners 2026: 10 Picks That Actually Deliver ROI

Most beginners obsess over which stocks to buy when they should be obsessing over which app to use first. Here's the truth: the app you pick in year one can cost you thousands of dollars over a decade — or save you just as much. Not because one app magically makes you rich, but because the wrong one can quietly drain your returns through fees, push you toward bad habits, or just confuse you so badly that you quit. The best investing apps for beginners in 2026 do the opposite — they lower costs, simplify decisions, and help you build real wealth over time.

I've run the numbers on 10 of the most popular beginner investing apps. What you'll find below isn't a list of shiny features — it's a hard look at what you actually get for what you actually pay.

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How We Evaluated These Investing Apps

Here's the methodology, kept simple:

• Cost structure — Fees, commissions, account minimums, and hidden charges
• Ease of use — Can a true beginner open an account and make a trade in under 10 minutes?
• Investment options — Stocks, ETFs, crypto, fractional shares, bonds, IRAs
• Automation features — Auto-investing, rebalancing, dividend reinvestment
• Educational resources — Does the app teach you, or just take your money?
• Customer support — What happens when something goes wrong?

No app scores a perfect 10 everywhere. The goal is finding the right trade-off for your situation.

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Quick Comparison Table: Best Investing Apps for Beginners 2026

App	Best For	Account Minimum	Monthly Fee	Our Rating
Robinhood	Commission-free trading	$0	$0 (Gold: $6.99/mo)	⭐ 4.2/5
Webull	Active beginner traders	$0	$0	⭐ 4.3/5
Acorns	Micro-investing / spare change	$0	$3–$5/mo	⭐ 4.1/5
Stash	Learning + investing combo	$0	$3–$9/mo	⭐ 3.9/5
M1 Finance	Long-term portfolio building	$100	$0 (Premium: $3/mo)	⭐ 4.5/5
Betterment	Hands-off robo-investing	$0	0.25%/yr (or $4/mo)	⭐ 4.4/5
Wealthfront	Automated tax optimization	$500	0.25%/yr	⭐ 4.4/5
SoFi	All-in-one financial app	$0	$0	⭐ 4.2/5
Fidelity	Full-service brokerage	$0	$0	⭐ 4.6/5
Public	Social + ethical investing	$0	$0 (Premium: $10/mo)	⭐ 4.0/5

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Detailed Reviews: Best Investing Apps for Beginners 2026

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1. Robinhood — Best for Commission-Free Stock Trading

Get Robinhood

Robinhood basically invented the commission-free trading era, and it's still one of the most downloaded investing apps in 2026. It's simple, fast, and genuinely good for beginners who want to buy individual stocks or ETFs without paying per trade. Honestly, though, I think Robinhood's reputation is a little inflated at this point — it coasts on name recognition more than it probably should. And it's had its share of controversies: the 2021 GameStop trading restrictions left a bad taste in a lot of mouths (and wallets), and that's not the kind of thing you just forget when real money is on the line.

Key Features:

• Commission-free stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto trading
• Fractional shares starting at $1
• Robinhood Gold for margin trading, higher interest on cash, and Morningstar research
• Cash Card with investing round-ups
• IRA accounts with 1–3% match on contributions (Gold tier)
• Real-time market data and basic charting

Pricing:

• Standard: $0/month
• Robinhood Gold: $6.99/month (includes 5% APY on uninvested cash, 3% IRA match)

Pros:

• Truly $0 commissions with no minimum balance
• Slick, dead-simple interface
• IRA match is legitimately good value on Gold tier
• Fractional shares make diversification accessible

Cons:

• Limited research tools on free tier
• No mutual funds
• Customer support is still below average for the industry
• Payment for order flow model means your trades may not always get the best execution

Verdict: Robinhood's fine if you want simplicity and zero commissions. But don't confuse "easy to use" with "best for your long-term returns." The Gold tier's IRA match is worth doing the math on before you commit.

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2. Webull — Best for Beginner Active Traders

Get Webull

Webull is what you'd get if Robinhood went to business school. Still commission-free, but it packs in dramatically more analytical tools — real-time data, advanced charting, paper trading (practice mode with fake money), and detailed financial reports. If you're a beginner who actually wants to learn how to read markets rather than just tap "buy" and hope for the best, Webull gives you a lot of runway.

Key Features:

• Commission-free stocks, ETFs, options, and crypto
• Paper trading (simulated trading with fake money — genuinely useful)
• Extended hours trading (4am–8pm ET)
• 50+ technical indicators
• Fractional shares
• IRAs available

Pricing:

• Standard: $0/month
• Moomoo (sister platform): offers similar features, worth comparing if you want a second opinion

Pros:

• More analytical depth than almost any other free app
• Paper trading is excellent for learning without risk
• Extended trading hours
• No account minimum

Cons:

• Interface has a steeper learning curve than Robinhood
• No mutual funds or bonds
• Limited education content for true beginners
• Crypto selection is narrower than dedicated crypto platforms

Verdict: If you're a beginner who's genuinely curious and wants to develop real trading skills, Webull is the better free option over Robinhood. The paper trading feature alone makes it worth downloading.

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3. Acorns — Best for Micro-Investing and Spare Change

Try Acorns

Acorns' pitch is simple: round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and invest the difference. Buy a $3.60 coffee, $0.40 goes into your portfolio. It sounds trivial, but behavioral economics shows it actually works — people who'd never manually transfer money do save this way. The question is whether the fees justify it, and honestly, the answer depends almost entirely on your balance.

Key Features:

• Round-Up investing from linked cards
• Automated recurring investments
• Diversified ETF portfolios (conservative to aggressive)
• Acorns Later (IRA accounts)
• Acorns Early (custodial accounts for kids)
• Found Money: brands invest in your account when you shop with them

Pricing:

• Personal: $3/month (brokerage + IRA + checking)
• Premium: $5/month (adds custodial accounts, 1:1 financial coaching)

Pros:

• Genuinely passive — you barely have to think about it
• Good for building the habit of investing
• IRA included in base plan
• No investment minimums

Cons:

• $3/month is brutal on small balances — on a $500 account, that's 7.2% annually just in fees
• No individual stock picking
• Limited portfolio customization
• Not suitable as a primary investment account for anyone serious about growing wealth

Hot take: Acorns is a great gateway drug to investing for people who genuinely struggle to save. But the moment your balance hits $2,000–$3,000, you should move to a lower-cost platform. That flat fee eats returns that compound significantly over decades — we're talking potentially $10,000+ in lost growth over a 30-year horizon if you stay too long.

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4. Stash — Best for Education-First Investors

Stash

Stash tries to teach you while you invest, which is a genuinely different philosophy from most apps. It offers a mix of ETFs and fractional shares wrapped in educational content that explains what you're buying and why. It also includes a debit card that rewards you with stock, which is kind of a fun gimmick — though "gimmick" is maybe the right word, because the rewards are tiny in practice.

Key Features:

• Fractional shares in ETFs and individual stocks
• Stock-Back® Card (earn stock when you use the debit card)
• Auto-Stash recurring investment feature
• Smart Portfolio (automated, managed option)
• Retirement accounts (IRA)
• Financial education articles and guidance

Pricing:

• Growth: $3/month (investing + IRA + banking)
• Stash+: $9/month (adds custodial accounts, 2x stock rewards on debit card)

Pros:

• Strong educational content for absolute beginners
• Stock-Back debit card is a unique feature, and people genuinely like it
• Both DIY and managed portfolio options
• IRA included at the base tier

Cons:

• Monthly fees add up fast — $9/month is $108/year, which is a lot relative to what most beginners have invested
• Investment selection is narrower than full brokerages
• Stock-Back rewards are small in practice
• Smart Portfolio isn't as sophisticated as Betterment or Wealthfront

Verdict: Stash works best for someone who needs hand-holding through their first 6–12 months of investing. After that, you've probably outgrown it and should move somewhere cheaper.

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5. M1 Finance — Best for Long-Term Portfolio Building

Try M1 Finance

Look, M1 Finance is the one on this list I'd genuinely recommend to the widest range of beginners. It's free, it automates portfolio rebalancing, it offers fractional shares in 6,000+ stocks and ETFs, and it lets you build "Pies" — visual, customizable portfolios that make it easy to see exactly what you own and why. There's no per-trade commission and no management fee on the standard plan. That combination is genuinely rare and worth paying attention to.

(Fun fact: M1 Finance has been around since 2015 and has quietly amassed over $8 billion in assets under management — not bad for a platform most casual investors have never heard of.)

Key Features:

• "Pie" portfolio builder with full customization
• Automatic rebalancing when you deposit new funds
• Fractional shares on 6,000+ stocks and ETFs
• Expert Pies (pre-built portfolios by risk level, theme, or strategy)
• IRAs with no management fee
• M1 Borrow (portfolio line of credit at competitive rates)
• M1 Spend (checking account with cash back)

Pricing:

• M1 Basic: $0/month ($100 minimum to start)
• M1 Premium: $3/month (higher APY on cash, lower borrowing rates, afternoon trading window)

Pros:

• No management fees on the standard plan
• Genuinely excellent portfolio automation
• Huge investment selection
• Fractional shares make diversification easy at low balances
• IRA with no extra cost

Cons:

• $100 minimum to open (not a massive barrier, but it exists)
• Only one daily trading window on the free plan — not built for active traders
• No tax-loss harvesting
• No cash management tools for short-term savings

Verdict: M1 Finance offers the best fee-to-feature ratio for buy-and-hold beginner investors. If you want to build a long-term portfolio without paying for the privilege, this is where I'd start.

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6. Betterment — Best for Hands-Off Robo-Investing

Try Betterment

Betterment pioneered robo-advising, and it's still one of the best at it. You answer a few questions, it builds you a diversified ETF portfolio based on your goals and risk tolerance, and then it manages everything automatically — rebalancing, dividend reinvestment, tax-loss harvesting. The annual fee is 0.25%, which on a $10,000 portfolio works out to $25/year. That's genuinely good value for what you're getting.

Key Features:

• Goal-based investing (retirement, emergency fund, home purchase, etc.)
• Automatic rebalancing and dividend reinvestment
• Tax-loss harvesting on all accounts
• Socially responsible investing (SRI) portfolios
• Betterment Cash Reserve (high-yield savings)
• Access to human advisors (Premium tier)
• Crypto portfolios available

Pricing:

• Digital: 0.25%/year (or $4/month for balances under $20,000)
• Premium: 0.40%/year (requires $100,000 minimum, includes unlimited advisor access)

Pros:

• Set-it-and-forget-it simplicity with real sophistication under the hood
• Tax-loss harvesting on all accounts, not just premium
• Goal-based approach helps beginners stay focused on why they're investing
• No account minimum on the Digital plan
• Strong track record going back to 2010

Cons:

• 0.25% fee plus underlying ETF expense ratios means your total cost is slightly higher than a DIY approach
• Limited control over specific holdings
• Premium tier's $100K minimum is a steep jump
• No individual stock trading

Verdict: Betterment's the answer for beginners who want professional-grade automation without the professional price tag. The 0.25% fee is more than fair for what you get.

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7. Wealthfront — Best for Tax Optimization

Wealthfront

Wealthfront and Betterment are constantly compared side-by-side, and honestly, it's a fair fight. They're neck-and-neck in most categories. Where Wealthfront edges ahead is tax optimization, particularly for taxable accounts. It offers direct indexing starting at $100,000, which allows for individual stock-level tax-loss harvesting — something that can meaningfully reduce your tax bill once your portfolio gets large enough. For a beginner just starting out, that's probably not relevant yet, but it's genuinely nice to know you won't need to switch platforms as your wealth grows.

Key Features:

• Automated ETF portfolios based on risk tolerance
• Tax-loss harvesting on taxable accounts
• Direct indexing at $100K+
• Risk Parity Fund (alternative asset exposure)
• Wealthfront Cash Account (high-yield, FDIC insured up to $8M)
• Path financial planning tool
• Crypto trust exposure available

Pricing:

• 0.25%/year on all invested assets
• $500 minimum to open

Pros:

• Best-in-class tax optimization tools
• Path financial planning tool is genuinely useful for tracking long-term goals
• High-yield cash account is competitive
• Strong long-term scalability as your balance grows

Cons:

• $500 minimum (higher than Betterment)
• No access to human advisors — and that's a real gap if your financial situation gets complicated
• Less goal flexibility than Betterment's interface
• No individual stock trading

Verdict: Wealthfront is excellent — but if you're a true beginner with under $10,000, the $500 minimum and the absence of any human advisor access makes Betterment the slightly better starting point. Come back to Wealthfront when tax optimization actually starts to matter.

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8. SoFi Invest — Best for All-in-One Finance

Join SoFi

SoFi's whole angle is that it wants to be your entire financial life — banking, loans, insurance, credit cards, and investing all inside one app. For investing specifically, it offers commission-free stocks, ETFs, crypto, fractional shares, and an automated investing option. The thing that genuinely stands out here, though: active members get access to certified financial planner (CFP) advice at no extra charge. That's a meaningful perk that most apps don't come close to matching.

Key Features:

• Commission-free stocks, ETFs, and crypto
• Fractional shares from $5
• SoFi Automated Investing (robo-advisor, 0% management fee)
• Free CFP access for members
• IPO investing
• IRA accounts
• Integration with SoFi banking, loans, and credit products

Pricing:

• $0/month, no commissions
• Automated investing: 0% management fee (ETF expense ratios still apply)

Pros:

• Genuinely $0 for most features
• Free CFP access is rare and legitimately valuable — a one-hour session with a financial planner can easily run $200–$400 elsewhere
• Clean, unified app experience
• Great for people who want to consolidate their financial life

Cons:

• Robo-advisor portfolio options are more limited than Betterment or Wealthfront
• Crypto selection is narrower than dedicated platforms
• SoFi's investment tools are solid but not exceptional at anything in particular
• IPO access sounds exciting but carries significant risk for beginners — approach with caution

Verdict: SoFi's best value is the free CFP access and all-in-one convenience. If you're already a SoFi banking customer, adding investing is honestly a no-brainer.

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9. Fidelity — Best Overall for Serious Beginners

Fidelity

Here's my hot take: Fidelity is the best investing app for beginners in 2026, full stop — and most people under 35 don't even consider it because it feels "old." It's not. Fidelity has zero commissions, zero account minimums, zero fees on four of its own index funds (literally 0% expense ratio — I still find that remarkable), excellent educational resources, strong customer support including 24/7 phone access, and one of the most trusted names in finance with over 75 years of operation behind it. It scales seamlessly from a $1 first investment to a $10 million portfolio without you ever needing to switch platforms. That scalability alone is underrated.

Key Features:

• $0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options
• Fidelity ZERO index funds (0% expense ratio)
• Fractional shares via Stocks by the Slice
• Full IRA suite (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE)
• Excellent research tools (Morningstar and S&P reports included free)
• Youth Account for teens
• Fidelity Go (robo-advisor, free under $25K)
• 24/7 customer support by phone

Pricing:

• $0 commissions, $0 account minimum
• Fidelity Go: Free under $25,000; 0.35%/year above $25K

Pros:

• No fees on basic investing — genuinely hard to beat $0
• ZERO expense ratio funds are remarkable and worth using
• Best-in-class research and education content
• Strong, accessible customer support at every hour
• Scales as your portfolio grows without switching apps

Cons:

• Interface is less "fun" than Robinhood or Webull — it looks like what it is: a serious platform
• Active trading tools aren't as advanced as Webull's
• Fidelity Go's robo-advisor fee above $25K is slightly higher than Betterment and Wealthfront

Verdict: If you're building wealth seriously and you want one platform to last you for decades, Fidelity wins. The zero-fee index funds alone are worth the switch from wherever you are right now.

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10. Public — Best for Social and Ethical Investing

Public

Public is the investing app that leans hard into community — you can see what other investors are buying, share your portfolio thesis, and follow investors whose approach you respect. It's also made a real push into alternative assets: bonds, real estate, art, and crypto alongside traditional stocks and ETFs. For beginners who are motivated by community and transparency, it's a genuinely interesting option. That said, I'll be honest — the social features make me a little nervous for beginners, for reasons I'll get into.

Key Features:

• Commission-free stocks and ETFs
• Fractional shares from $1
• Social investing feed (see what others are buying and why)
• Bonds, crypto, art, and real estate investing
• Public Premium (AI-powered research tools, deeper analytics)
• High-yield cash account (Treasury-backed)

Pricing:

• Standard: $0/month
• Public Premium: $10/month

Pros:

• Unique social layer adds real accountability and learning opportunities
• Broadest alternative asset selection of any app on this list
• High-yield cash account is competitive
• No payment for order flow — they charge a tip-based fee instead, which is more transparent

Cons:

• Social features can encourage herd behavior, which is a genuine risk for beginners who are still developing their own investment philosophy
• $10/month for Premium is expensive if your account balance is under $5,000
• Research tools are good but not as deep as Fidelity or Webull
• Alternative assets like art and real estate are illiquid and high-risk — not a place for beginner money

Verdict: Public is interesting, and I actually like what they're doing with transparency. But the social investing angle is a double-edged sword. It can teach you, or it can make you chase performance. Go in with your eyes open and your own thesis already formed.

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Detailed Feature Comparison: Best Investing Apps for Beginners 2026

Feature	Robinhood	Webull	Acorns	M1 Finance	Betterment	Wealthfront	SoFi	Fidelity	Public
Fractional Shares	✅	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
IRA Available	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Robo-Advisor	❌	❌	✅	Partial	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Tax-Loss Harvesting	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Auto-Rebalancing	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Crypto	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅	Partial	✅	❌	✅
Account Minimum	$0	$0	$0	$100	$0	$500	$0	$0	$0
Management Fee	$0	$0	$3–5/mo	$0	0.25%/yr	0.25%/yr	$0	$0	$0
Human Advisor Access	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅ (Premium)	❌	✅ (CFP)	✅	❌
Education Content	Medium	Medium	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium	High	Medium
Paper Trading	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

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How to Choose the Best Investing App for Your Situation

Don't pick an app because it's popular. Pick one because it fits your numbers and your habits.

If you have less than $500 to start

Avoid platforms with monthly fees — the math genuinely doesn't work at small balances. On a $300 account, Acorns' $3/month fee is 12% annually before you've earned a single dollar. Start with Fidelity (free index funds), SoFi (free everything), or Robinhood (commission-free, $0 minimum).

If you want to be hands-off

Betterment is the easiest recommendation here. Set a monthly contribution, pick a risk level, let it run. Wealthfront is the better pick if tax optimization is a priority and you have $500 to start.

If you want to learn by doing

Webull's paper trading feature is the most underrated tool for beginner investors on this entire list. Practice without risking real money, figure out what you actually understand, then graduate to real trades.

If you're building a long-term retirement portfolio

Fidelity or M1 Finance. Fidelity for the ZERO funds and unbeatable customer support. M1 for the portfolio automation with no management fees attached.

If you struggle to save and invest consistently

Acorns for the round-ups — but only as a starting point. Once you have $2,000+ saved, move to a lower-cost platform. Think of Acorns as training wheels, not a long-term strategy.

If you want it all in one place

SoFi if you already use or want to consolidate banking, loans, and investing. Public if community engagement and alternative assets matter to you.

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Verdict: Our Top Picks for Best Investing Apps for Beginners in 2026

Best Overall: Fidelity — Zero fees, zero minimums, excellent education, scales forever. It's not sexy, but it's the right answer.

Best Robo-Advisor: Betterment — The most beginner-friendly automation at a fair price.

Best Free Portfolio Builder: M1 Finance — Customization + automation + no management fee is a rare combo that most people sleep on.

Best for Active Beginners: Webull — More analytical horsepower than anything else at $0.

Best for Habit Building: Acorns — But only if you commit to moving on once your balance grows past $2,000.

Best All-in-One: SoFi — Especially if you want free CFP access built right in.

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FAQ: Best Investing Apps for Beginners 2026

What's the best investing app for beginners with no money?

Fidelity, Robinhood, Webull, and SoFi all have $0 account minimums and $0 commissions. Fidelity's fractional shares start at $1, so you can literally begin with whatever you have sitting around. Don't let a small starting balance be your excuse — time in the market beats timing the market, every single time.

Are investing apps safe for beginners?

All the apps on this list are registered with FINRA and SIPC-insured up to $500,000 on securities (and $250,000 on cash). Your investments aren't bank deposits, so yes, they can lose value — but the platforms themselves are regulated and legitimate. The risk you're taking on is market risk, not platform risk. Those are very different things.

How much should a beginner invest per month?

Honestly, there's no universal number that works for everyone. Most financial planners suggest aiming for around 15% of your gross income toward retirement across all accounts. If that's not realistic right now, start with whatever you can afford consistently — even $25/month invested in low-cost index funds will beat doing nothing. The habit genuinely matters more than the dollar amount in the beginning.

Do investing apps charge hidden fees?

Some do. Acorns and Stash charge flat monthly fees that hit hard on small balances. Most brokerages — Fidelity, Robinhood, Webull, SoFi — have genuinely $0 commissions, but they make money through payment for order flow, interest on uninvested cash, or premium subscriptions. Wealthfront and Betterment's 0.25% fee is transparent and clearly disclosed upfront. Bottom line: always check the fee schedule before you open an account.

What's the difference between a robo-advisor and a self-directed brokerage?

A robo-advisor (Betterment, Wealthfront, Acorns) builds and manages a portfolio for you automatically — you just deposit money and let it work. A self-directed brokerage (Robinhood, Webull, Fidelity) lets you choose your own investments, which requires more knowledge but gives you full control over every decision. M1 Finance sits in the middle — you pick the assets, it handles the rebalancing automatically. For most true beginners, starting with a robo-advisor and graduating to self-directed investing over 12–18 months is a pretty reasonable path.

Can I use multiple investing apps at once?

Yes, and sometimes it actually makes sense. For example: using Fidelity for a Roth IRA with zero-fee index funds, plus Betterment for a taxable account where tax-loss harvesting adds real value. Just keep it manageable — spreading across too many platforms makes it genuinely harder to track your overall allocation and total net worth, and that visibility matters.