Best Investment Apps of November 2023

One of the best ways to build wealth over time is to learn how to invest money. When you invest, you put your money to work for you. The right investment platform could help you earn passive income — a return on your money — without you needing to take much action.

Remember every investment comes with risk. This is not investment advice, be sure to do your own research if you're going to invest.

Best 13 investment apps of November 2023

If you’re looking for the best investing app to achieve your financial goals, here are 13 excellent options and who they’re right for. 

Beginners and newcomers:

1. Best for learning about investing: Public
2. Best for long-term wealth: Stash
3. Best for free stock trading: Robinhood
4. Best for beginners: Wealthfront
5. Best for automated investing: M1 Finance
6. Best for 401(k) rollovers: Betterment
7. Best for micro-investing: Acorns

Advanced and active traders:

8. Best for experienced and active traders: TD Ameritrade
9. Best for IPO investing: SoFi Invest
10. Best for investment planning: Charles Schwab
11. Best for well-rounded offerings: Fidelity

Real estate investors:

12. Best for beginner real estate investors: Fundrise
13. Best for experienced real estate investors: Crowdstreet

Comparison of the best investment apps

	Description	Account minimum	Fees
Public	Commission-free trading with fractional shares and educational resources	$0	Commission-free trading $0 account fee
Stash	Personalized investment portfolios for long-term goals	$0	Commission-free trading $3 to $9 per month account fee
Robinhood	Commission-free trading with access to cryptocurrencies and options trading	$0	Commission-free trading $0 account fee
Wealthfront	Automated investment portfolios with tax optimization	$500	0.25% annual management fee
M1 Finance	Automated investment portfolios with fractional shares9	$0	Commission-free trading8 $0 account fee
Betterment	Automated investment portfolios and simple 401(k) rollover process	$0	0.25% annual management fee with a minimum monthly fee of $4
Acorns	Automated investment portfolios with spare change investing	$0	Commission-free trading $3 to $5 per month account fee
TD Ameritrade	Wide range of investment options with powerful research tools	$0	Commission-free trading $0 account fee
SoFi Invest	Active and automated investment options with access to IPOs and cryptocurrencies	$1	Commission-free trading $0 account fee
Charles Schwab	Robust research tools with commission-free trading	$0	Commission-free trading $0 account fee
Fidelity	Comprehensive investment options with research tools	$0	Commission-free trading $0 account fee
Fundrise	Real estate investment options with low minimums	$10	0.85% annual management fee 0.15% annual service fee
Crowdstreet	Real estate investment options for accredited investors	$25,000	Varying deal sponsor fees $0 account fee

Beginners and newcomers

1. Best for learning about investing: Public

Public prides itself on offering free trades and a community component to investing. Connect to other investors and take advantage of resources available to help you learn about investing, and follow others’ portfolios to learn how they manage their investments. Public is mobile-friendly and easy for beginners to use.

In addition to offering access to stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Public also offers Treasury bonds and bills, some popular cryptocurrencies, and fractional shares of alternative investments. For example, Public also offers access to fine art and collectibles. Public plans to offer Treasurys in the future.

However, even though Public offers access to various asset classes, it doesn’t offer any tax-advantaged accounts. You won’t be able to open an IRA or a 529 plan with Public. Instead, your only available choice is a taxable brokerage account.

Public Premium, which costs $8 a month, offers access to more advanced features and insights. This includes extended-hours trading, VIP customer support, and research from Morningstar, one of the most established market research companies. One downside is that it doesn't offer advanced trading tools.

Sign up for Public...

... Or read our Public review.

2. Best for long-term wealth: Stash

Stash offers a way to consistently invest for long-term wealth by letting users set up automated recurring investments, including dividend reinvestment. You can choose from two plans, one costing $3 per month and one costing $9 per month. It’s possible to start investing with as little as $5.

In addition to investing (including tax-advantaged retirement accounts), you can also access financial advice, banking products, and life insurance with each monthly plan.^{14 3} The higher-cost plan also includes custodial accounts for minor children, Stock-Back® rewards for the debit product, and a higher level of life insurance coverage.^{11 17}

Stash’s personal advice, however, doesn’t come from a human advisor. Instead, it sends you to articles and guides or Smart Portfolios (i.e., robo-advisors). ¹⁶ Additionally, the banking product is limited to a debit card with Stock-Back® rewards.⁷ This account doesn’t pay interest, so the only benefit is receiving stock as a reward when you use the debit card. 

However, Stash makes it easy to invest over time and offers crypto exposure in addition to individual stocks and ETFs.¹⁵ The mobile app is also intuitive and easy to use.

Sign up for Stash...

... Or read our Stash review.

3. Best for free stock trading: Robinhood

Robinhood is one of the pioneers of commission-free trading. It allows you to invest without paying any commission fees, making it one of the best stock trading platforms. In addition to stocks, you can also trade in ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies without paying commission fees.

Robinhood can be attractive to active traders because it offers unlimited free trades, allowing for customizable portfolios. There’s no account minimum, and it’s possible to invest as little as $1.

In addition to offering a taxable brokerage account, Robinhood also has an IRA offering that comes with a 1% match, known as Robinhood Retirement. There’s also a debit card product that allows you to earn rewards in stock or cryptocurrency.

Robinhood also has a premium offering called Gold. With Robinhood Gold, you get bigger instant deposits, earn an annual percentage yield (APY) on idle cash, and get a lower rate when you engage in margin borrowing and receive real-time market data. The cost for Robinhood Gold is $5 per month.

The mobile app’s interface is easy to use, though Robinhood has been criticized for not providing enough support for beginners who might not fully understand the trades they’re executing. However, it does provide educational resources that can help them get the hang of things. 

Sign up for Robinhood...

... Or read our Robinhood review.

4. Best for beginners: Wealthfront

Wealthfront can be a great investment app for beginners since it offers simple portfolio management. For 0.25% a year in management fees, you can have Wealthfront automatically tailor and adjust your portfolio according to your risk tolerance and financial goals. The platform also offers tax-loss harvesting which may increase your portfolio’s efficiency.

Wealthfront offers a variety of investment options including stocks, bonds, and ETFs. Additionally, Wealthfront offers a range of financial planning tools, including a retirement planning calculator and a college savings planner.

Wealthfront also has a 529 college savings accounts that may help families plan for the future.

The platform works with you upfront so you understand how much college is likely to cost and how much you’ll need to save.

Wealthfront's technology makes it possible for you to have excess cash automatically moved from either an external checking account or a Wealthfront Cash Account into your investment or 529 accounts.

Sign up for Wealthfront...

... Or read our Wealthfront review.

5. Best for automated investing: M1 Finance

M1 Finance¹ is designed to allow you to “set it and forget it.” You can set up automatic investments, choose from automated portfolios, and invest in individual stocks.⁴

M1 Finance calls itself “The Finance Super App” because it also offers banking products. For example, you can get access to a high-yield savings product. M1 also offers personal loans and the ability to borrow against your stock portfolio.⁶ Keep in mind that M1 is not a robo-advisor and only offers self-directed brokerage services.

It’s possible to open different types of IRAs and set up trust accounts with M1 Finance. M1 also offers custodial accounts that allow you to save on a minor’s behalf. There is also a premium option, called M1 Plus, that costs $125 per year after a three-month free trial. M1 Plus offers more trading flexibility and a lower interest rate on portfolio loans.²

M1 can be a little difficult for beginners to understand, however. The interface isn’t as easy to navigate as other investing or trading apps. Additionally, there is a minimum deposit of $100 for a brokerage account and $500 for an IRA.

Sign up for M1 Finance...

... Or read our M1 Finance review.

6. Best for 401(k) rollovers: Betterment

Betterment has made it easy for investors to roll over an existing 401(k) into an IRA account. With just a few clicks, you’ll receive simple, step-by-step instructions via email on how to complete your rollover.

While other investment platforms may require you to submit paperwork or undergo a complicated process to move money, Betterment gives you all the information you need to complete your rollover easily and in as little as 60 seconds.

And unlike some of its competitors, Betterment offers personalized investment recommendations based on your needs and priorities, plus automatic investment portfolio rebalancing. You'll also have the option to speak with certified financial planners if you have questions about your portfolio. However, these conversations cost $299 or more unless you have the premium plan, which requires a $100,000 minimum investment.

If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to roll over a 401(k) to an IRA, Betterment is an excellent option.

Visit Betterment...

... Or read our Betterment review.

7. Best for micro-investing: Acorns

Acorns is a micro-investing platform that allows you to invest your spare change. It offers an automated approach to investing, automatic portfolio rebalancing, and a unique round-up feature.

With an Acorns Lite account, you can get started for as little as $1 a month and a minimum investment of $5. Acorns users can choose to link up their Acorns debit card or another debit card or credit card and take advantage of the platform’s round-up feature. Acorns will review purchases from your linked account and automatically round them up to the nearest dollar. You’ll then have the option to invest the spare change. Higher-tier accounts also offer features like custodial accounts for your children if you'd like to start investing on their behalf.

If you’re interested in micro-investing and prefer to take a hands-off approach, Acorns may be the ideal platform for you.

Sign up for Acorns...

... Or read our Acorns review.

Advanced and active traders

8. Best for experienced and active traders: TD Ameritrade

With its beginnings as a more traditional broker, TD Ameritrade offers a range of investment products and services. It’s important to note that the Charles Schwab Corporation completed its acquisition of TD Ameritrade in 2020 and plans to transition all TD Ameritrade accounts to Schwab by the end of 2023, with one small group of client accounts transitioning in the first part of 2024.

TD Ameritrade offers a powerful platform for experienced traders. You can trade stocks, options, and ETFs without paying a trading commission. Additionally, many mutual funds are available for trading without fees. TD Ameritrade offers other asset classes, including bonds and CDs, futures, and forex. Users can’t trade cryptocurrencies, however.

You can open a retirement account in addition to a taxable brokerage account, and TD Ameritrade also offers education and custodial accounts and margin trading.

Though it offers a wide variety of products and services, learning to trade using TD Ameritrade’s platform can be challenging. The platform's functionality isn’t as intuitive as those of more recent investing apps.

Additionally, the trading fees can be quite steep for some investments (like certain mutual funds). And, while there’s no trading commission for options, TD Ameritrade still charges a per-contract fee.

Sign up for TD Ameritrade...

... Or read our TD Ameritrade review.

9. Best for IPO investing: SoFi Invest

SoFi Invest offers automated and active investing, as well as access to unique investment opportunities (like initial public offerings, or IPOs).¹⁰ It’s also possible to buy and sell cryptocurrencies with SoFi Invest, as well as execute stocks, options, and ETF trades. The ability to invest at IPO prices is one way SoFi Invest tries to set itself apart, as few apps provide this ability.

SoFi Invest offers retirement accounts in addition to taxable brokerage accounts. Like many other investment apps, SoFi doesn’t charge trading fees for stocks and ETFs. It’s possible to start fractional investing with as little as $5.

SoFi account holders are called “members” and can take advantage of free financial counseling and other perks, including access to SoFi’s bank account and lending products. SoFi also offers events and access to rewards.

However, SoFi Invest doesn’t offer the ability to directly invest in mutual funds or bonds. You can only get exposure to these investments through ETFs. Mutual funds and bonds are often included in retirement portfolios, so this leaves out a key part of retirement planning and investing.

SoFi has an easy-to-use app and strong customer support. It offers online chat and a weekday call center.

Sign up for SoFi Invest...

... Or read our SoFi Invest review.

10. Best for investment planning: Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab offers a wide range of accounts and asset classes for beginner to advanced investors. In addition to taxable brokerage accounts, Schwab offers various accounts designed to help with your long-term investment planning. This includes trust and estate accounts, education savings and 529 college savings accounts, and charitable investment accounts. If you need help integrating investing into your long-term financial planning, Schwab likely has an account that will work for you.

Additionally, you can access a range of assets, including fee-free trading on stocks, ETFs, and options, as well as a limited number of mutual funds. Schwab offers Canadian securities, futures, Treasuries, preferred stocks, and other bonds. However, Schwab doesn’t offer access to cryptocurrency trading.

With Schwab, you can manage your own portfolio or choose from robo-assisted automated investing with Intelligent Portfolio. Schwab also offers access to human advisors (though it might come with an additional fee). You will also pay a contract fee for options, though regular stock options don’t come with trading fees.

You have access to various customer service options, including the ability to speak with someone on the phone. However, the app charges a broker-assisted trade fee if you need help placing a trade.

Read our Charles Schwab review.

11. Best for well-rounded offerings: Fidelity

Fidelity is a traditional full-service broker that has added various online offerings in recent years. With Fidelity, you’ll have access to self-directed brokerage accounts and robo-assisted portfolios.

In addition to offering stocks and ETFs for no trading fees, Fidelity also has a selection of no-fee mutual funds — including funds with no expense ratios. Fidelity also offers access to options, bonds, and cryptocurrencies. Additionally, Fidelity offers a few crypto ETFs.

Fidelity has a wide variety of accounts, including retirement accounts, custodial accounts, education accounts, and taxable investment accounts. You can also access different financial products, such as banking and insurance products, and Fidelity offers a margin account.

Fidelity also offers access to a wide variety of research and trading tools, human advisors, and personalized wealth management.

It’s important to note that some products and services, like wealth management, human advisors, and broker-assisted trades, might come with additional costs. Some of these costs can be hefty, so it’s important to pay attention before using some of the more customized services.

Read our Fidelity review.

Real estate investors

12. Best for beginner real estate investors: Fundrise

If you’re just getting started with real estate investment, Fundrise may be a valuable platform for you. The company was founded with one goal: to use technology to make high-quality real estate investments available to everyone at a low cost.

Fundrise allows users to invest in several different property types, including single-family, multifamily, retail, apartment, commercial, and new construction. The Fundrise platform is easy to navigate, and you don’t need to be an accredited investor to get started. Users can sign up in a matter of minutes and start investing with as little as $10.

While you can expect to pay a 0.15% annual advisory fee and a 0.85% to 1.85% annual management fee when you invest with Fundrise, the company is dedicated to keeping those fees low. 

If you’re a novice real estate investor seeking an easy-to-understand platform with low buy-in and relatively low fees, Fundrise could be an excellent option for you.

Sign up for Fundrise...

... Or read our Fundrise review.

13. Best for experienced real estate investors: Crowdstreet

If you have some real estate investing experience, Crowdstreet may be an excellent platform to explore. Crowdstreet lets accredited investors invest in various property types for a $25,000 minimum investment.

To become an accredited investor with Crowdstreet, you need to meet one of the qualifying conditions. The most common two are having a net worth of at least $1 million, excluding the value of your primary residence, or having a net income as an individual of $200,000 or as a married couple of $300,000 or more in the last two years.

Crowdstreet offers the option to invest in multiple property types, including multifamily, retail, hospitality, office, industrial, self-storage, and more.

While the Crowdstreet website provides a wealth of data about each available property as well as helpful investing advice, it may be difficult for a novice real estate investor to navigate and understand. This complexity, the fact that you need to be an accredited investor, and the high minimum investment requirement make this platform a better option for more experienced investors.

Sign up for Crowdstreet...

... Or read our Crowdstreet review.

How to choose the best investment app for you

As you consider your options, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Your investment budget

First, it’s important to understand your investment budget. Your budget should consider how much it will cost to invest as well as required account minimums. Realize, too, that passive investing is a long-term financial commitment. Avoid investing any amount of money that you think you’ll need in the near future.

The good news is that you can invest no matter how little you have. For example, some platforms like Stash require no account minimums and allow you to invest for as little as $1 per month. Other platforms, however, require a larger initial investment. If you have some money to get started with, it can make sense to use a platform with a higher minimum so you get access to the passive income tools you prefer.

Available asset classes

Next, when evaluating the best investment apps, consider what types of assets you want to invest in. Different apps offer different investment options. For example, some make it easy to build a portfolio out of stocks, ETFs, and bonds. Others may offer options trading, and cryptocurrencies.

Some platforms also offer you access to different opportunities, such as Fundrise, Crowdstreet, and Diversyfund, which focus on real estate investing. 

Remember, though, that a diversified portfolio might help you manage some of your investment risks. Consider one or more platforms that allow you to invest in different asset classes, so you aren’t overly exposed in one area.

Account types

Figure out what types of accounts you want access to. For example, some investment platforms offer a wide variety of accounts, including individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and trust accounts, in addition to personal taxable investment accounts.

If you’re trying to increase the tax efficiency of some of your passive income, it can make sense to look for a platform that offers you the ability to open an IRA account. For example, if you’re interested in real estate opportunities, certain platforms offer you the option to hold some of your portfolio in traditional, Roth, or simplified employee pension (SEP) IRAs. You can also open a taxable investment account as well.

Look at your portfolio holistically to determine which assets should be kept in tax-advantaged accounts and which should be kept in taxable accounts. This approach can save you money over time.

Investment management fees and pricing

Many investment platforms charge fees, so it’s important to be aware of this when you’re deciding where to invest. Some platforms charge a monthly account fee based on the features you want to access. Others charge an annual fee based on the assets in the account.

Your deposit might also determine what extra services you have access to. For instance, if you deposit less than $100,000 with a certain platform, you’ll get access to a personalized portfolio and investment advice, but you might pay a 0.5% annual fee. With an account balance of more than $100,000, though, you could pay a lower annual fee and get access to financial planning sessions.

Consider your needs and expectations, and the types of services you expect as you compare investment platforms to determine which will work best for you.

Security features

Don’t forget to look into security. You want to make sure your transactions are encrypted. Check to see whether the platform is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and see what clearinghouse it uses. For example, some platforms use Apex Clearing for their transactions, which means they have Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) insurance and are a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Check to see which memberships the platform has as a way to determine whether it’s properly regulated. If you plan to download and use a mobile app for iOS or Android, ensure that it offers security features like two-factor authentication, TouchID, and more.

FAQ about the best investment apps

Best investment apps: bottom line

The best investing app is one that offers a range of investment options, low fees, and a user-friendly interface. Having educational resources is a great plus. Ultimately, the best investing app for you will depend on your individual needs and investment goals.

Each investment app has its own unique features and is best suited for different types of investors. For example, we recommend Public as the best app for learning about investing, Stash as the best investing app for building long-term wealth, and Robinhood as the best investing app for commission-free stock trading. 

Methodology

In compiling this list of the best investment apps, we first determined areas that may be essential to new and experienced investors. These areas include minimum investment requirements, available asset classes, ease of use, account types, fees, and security features.

Then, we considered what each app delivers in these areas to help investors get a good understanding before making their decisions. Lastly, we assembled a list of investment apps that stood out that we regularly revise to ensure that it stays up to date with shifting investing needs and the latest financial technology trends.

Keep in mind that we did not rank these investment apps in a certain order and did not review all available investment apps. This list is not comprehensive and is designed to be a starting point for a person who is researching the subject. Make sure to have an investment strategy or consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions. Note that some investment apps on our list may be current or past FinanceBuzz partners.

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