10 Best Stock Apps and Sites to Use in 2024
Looking for the best stock apps and sites to help you invest and build your portfolio? Here are the web's best offers.
Stock apps and sites make it easy for anyone to take part in the financial markets and from the comfort of their homes or on the go.
Many of these offerings are targeted at beginners just setting out on their investment journey, and they often include all the tools and guidance to help you succeed.
However, there are so many stock apps and offerings out there. So, this post clears the air by presenting the 10 best stock apps and sites to help you build your portfolio.
Tips For Choosing The Right Stock App
Here are the major tips and considerations to help you choose the right stock app.
- User Friendliness: First, you want an app or website layout that you can work with. An app with all the features in the world, but that is difficult to access or use, is practically useless.
- Investment Options: Some stock trading apps offer the ability to trade options and other instruments, while other apps don’t. It’s up to you to know if you want the ability to trade other instruments or not.
- Fees: Many stock trading apps offer low-commission or commission-free trading. Some charge monthly fees for certain features, while others include hidden fees here and there. So, check well to make sure of what you are getting.
- Educational Materials: Many of the apps geared toward beginners include enough educational content to help you become a better investor or trader. The good news is that you only need to learn once.
Stock Apps & Sites
| S/N | Name | Highlights | Countries | Acc. Min. | Fees | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Fidelity | Trading, charting, stocks, cryptos | US | $0 | $0 | fidelity.com |
| 2. | Webull | Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos, Options | 9+ | $0 | $0 | webull.com |
| 3. | E*Trade | Savings, trading, investing | US | $0 | $0 | etrade.com |
| 4. | Robinhood | Savings, trading, retirement | US | $0 | $0 | robinhood.com |
| 5. | Merril Edge | Self-directed investing | US | $0 | $0.75 | merrilledge.com |
| 6. | Interactive Brokers | Large selection of instruments | 200+ | $10,000 | $0.005 | interactivebrokers.com |
| 7. | TD Ameritrade | Multiple platforms | 15+ | $0 | $0 | tdameritrade.com |
| 8. | Wealthfront | Trade, auto-invest, save | US | $500 | $0 | wealthfront.com |
| 9. | Vanguard | $6+ Tr. AUM, 30m investors | 15+ | $0 | $0 | vanguard.com |
| 10. | Acorns | Robo-advisor, micro invest | US | $0 | $3/mo | acorns.com |
1. Fidelity
Highlights: Trading, charting, investing, education, support
Countries Served: US
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0 for stocks & EFTs, $0.65 per options contract, $1 per bond
Website: fidelity.com
The Fidelity investment app is ideal for serious investors that are willing to take control of their personal finance journeys and handle the day-to-day operations themselves.
The platform offers everything you need, from access to stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, and cryptocurrencies, to market research, charting, and technical analysis tools. You can monitor the markets and trade in real-time or set alerts and price triggers to call your attention when you are away.
Cash management is also included, with smooth transfers and deposits, scheduled transfers, and automated investments. Finally, Fidelity includes 2-factor authentication and voice biometrics for your security, plus 24/7 customer support.
The app is available for Android devices here with 5+ million downloads and a 4.2-start rating. It is also available for iOS here with a 4.8-star rating from 1.9 million ratings.
2. Webull
Highlights: Stocks, Options, ETFs, Cryptocurrencies
Countries Served: US, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Turkey, China, Korea, Japan
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0
Website: webull.com
Webull offers everything you need for a diversified portfolio, ranging from stocks to ETFs, options, ADRs, and cryptocurrencies. With Webull, you can either save for retirement using an IRA or open a brokerage account to buy and sell securities.
Webull offers $0 commissions for stocks, ETFs, and options. You can trade fractional shares starting from $5 and cryptocurrencies starting from $1. You also get a wealth of market information to help you reach better decisions, as well as customizable charts and 50+ indicators.
You can find its iPad version with its 4.7-star and the Android version here with a 4.4-star rating and 10+ million downloads.
3. E*Trade
Highlights: Bank, save, trade, invest
Countries Served: US
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0 for stocks, $0.65 for options, $1.50 for futures
Website: us.etrade.com/home
E*Trade provides a 1-stop shop service for all your personal finance needs. You can save and earn competitive rates on the platform, trade the markets, or invest for the long term.
Its saving account is FDIC insured and comes with competitive rates. It lets you deposit cheques, make transfers, pay bills, and get unlimited ATM fee refunds with E*Trade’s debit card.
Trading stocks is commission-free, while options attract a $0.65 contract fee, bonds cost $1 per contract, and futures contracts cost $1.50. The fees can also reduce when you pass 30 trades per month.
The E*Trade app offers streaming quotes, charts, and your portfolio information. You can additionally set alerts to help you keep an eye on potential investments, as well as stream live Bloomberg videos, and chat with customer service. You can get the Android version here and the iOS version here.
4. Robinhood
Highlights: Save, trade, invest
Countries Served: US
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0
Website: robinhood.com
Robinhood lets you invest and build your portfolio from as little as $1. You can buy stocks, options, and ETFs commission-free. As well as cryptocurrencies such as ETH, DOGE, BTC, and so on, from as little as $1 and with 0% commission.
You can also invest in your IRA retirement contributions commission-free with Robinhood and the platform will add a 1% match. Then, there is the Robinhood Cash Card, a debit card with weekly rewards that let you invest your change from purchases.
The Robinhood app includes charts with all the necessary technical indicators, in-app lessons that teach you as you invest, and 24/7 customer service all for free.
There is also Robinhood Gold for $5 per month after a free trial. This premium plan offers up to 4.15% interest on your uninvested cash and enables margin investing for select users, plus Level II data from Nasdaq for deeper market insight. You can get the iOS version here and the Android version here.
5. Merril Edge
Highlights: Self-directed investing
Countries Served: US
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0
Website: merrilledge.com
Merrill Edge is an online investment broker formed from the merger of Merrill Lynch and the Bank of America. It is a self-directed investment platform that works well for beginners and intermediate investors alike.
The platform allows you to trade a wide range of investment products, from stocks to bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and options. It also features all the technical and fundamental tools that you need to make informed trading and investment decisions.
The Merrill Edge app lets you view your balances and transactions, receive real-time quotes, work with interactive charts, transfer money, pay bills, and manage other aspects of your finance. You can get the iOS version here and the Android version here.
6. Interactive Brokers
Highlights: Large selection of instrument, pro grade
Countries Served: 200+ countries
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0.005
Website: interactivebrokers.com
Interactive Brokers is a good choice for those who know what they are doing or who need to take a more professional approach to their money management and investing.
First, while their IBKR Lite and Pro accounts can be created with no minimum deposits, you will require a $10,000 minimum deposit to fund a traditional brokerage account for buying and selling financial instruments. And for IRAs, it’s $5,000.
You can trade stocks from $0.005 per share, with a minimum charge of $1. Options range from $0.25 to $0.70 per option, with a $1 minimum as well.
Interactive Brokers is available in 200+ countries and you can get its iOS app here and the Android version here.
7. TD Ameritrade
Highlights: Multiple platforms, many instruments
Countries Served: US, Mexico, India, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Costa Rica
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $0
Website: tdameritrade.com
TD Ameritrade combines a vast offering of trading instruments with commission-free trading and a choice of different platforms, including desktop, web, and mobile.
You can trade stocks, ETFs, and options using TD Ameritrade’s mobile app. And if you want to include futures and forex trading, then you can also choose its other platform, ThinkorSwim. Further features include research, charting, market news, and educative content, including videos.
TD Ameritrade offers completely free access to all its trading platforms, real-time streaming quotes, live help via chat, and hundreds of economic indicators and historical market data.
The app has over 1 million downloads on the Google Play Store with a 3.6-star review and a 4.5-star review on Apple’s App Store.
8. Wealthfront
Highlights: Trade, automatic investments, savings
Countries Served: United States
Account Minimum: $500
Fees: From $0
Website: wealthfront.com
With over $35 billion of assets under management from 500k+ accounts, Wealthfront is another serious app for anyone considering saving and investing.
You can save money with a cash account on Wealthfront and earn about 4% APY on your savings. You can also allow Wealthfront to invest and grow your money automatically, for which the platform charges a flat 0.25% fee annually.
Finally, you can invest in stocks by yourself. Wealthfront offers pre-built stock collections to choose from, zero-commission trades, fractional shares, and a minimum investment of just $1.
Wealthfront apps are available for Android, with 100k+ downloads and a 4.5-star rating. As well as for iOS 15 and later or macOS 12 and later here.
9. Vanguard
Highlights: $6+ trillion in AUM, 30+ million investors
Countries Served: 15+ incl. France, Luxembourg, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, UK, US
Account Minimum:
Fees: From $0 for stocks, $1 for options
Website: investor.vanguard.com/home
Vanguard is one of the largest investment companies in the world, with over $6 trillion of assets under management from 30+ million investors. Its app allows you to trade stocks and EFTs without fees, although there is a cost for options contracts.
The Vanguard app is available for Android and iOS devices, with features including fingerprint login, portfolio overview, account details, holdings details, transaction activities, and research.
You should note that this is not the most beginner-friendly offer on this list, but if you know what you are doing or are willing to learn and invest seriously in stocks, bonds, and money market funds, then Vanguard could be worth your time.
10. Acorns
Highlights: Robo-advisor, micro-investments, automated
Countries Served: United States
Account Minimum: $0
Fees: $3 per month
Website: acorns.com
Acorns is an automated micro-investment platform that makes it as easy to invest as possible for a flat $3 fee per month. It offers two opportunities, including using your spare change and recurring investments.
A recurring investment lets you set aside a fixed sum that the platform automatically invests for you each week or day or month. The minimum investment is $5.
The spare change investment rounds off your purchases by turning a $6.35 online purchase into $7 for instance and investing the $0.65 difference automatically for you.
Acorns uses an expert-compiled and diversified portfolio to invest on your behalf. Its banking system is fully digital, includes a debit card, and is FDIC-insured up to $250k.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stock Apps
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding stock trading apps.
What are stock trading apps?
Stock trading apps are mobile software that makes it easy for users to buy and sell stocks from their smartphones.
Do I need investment experience to use a stock trading app?
No, investment experience is not necessary. But you will still need to learn first.
Are stock trading apps safe?
Yes, stock trading apps from reputable companies are safe to use, so long as you use strong passwords and 2-factor authentication where available. On the other hand, you should avoid using software from disreputable sources.
How do I fund a stock trading app wallet?
Most stock apps offer funding features from bank transfers to credit/debit cards, and virtual payment methods like PayPal, Skrill, and PerfectMoney.
Do stock trading apps offer cryptocurrencies?
Some do. You have to check by yourself to make sure before signing up.
Conclusion
We have come to the end of our list of the top 10 stock apps and sites, and as you have seen there are many options for different investment personalities and budgets.
This also means that there is no single best option out there. So, it’s up to you to study each interesting offer in detail to find the best option for your needs.
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