Robinhood vs. Stash: 2022 Comparison
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We're doing more and more on our phones every day, and that includes investing. If mobile trading matters to you, two names worth comparing are Robinhood and Stash.
The main differences between Robinhood and Stash are that Robinhood is a free-trading app, designed for investors who want to actively trade stocks, options, exchange-traded funds and cryptocurrency. Stash aims to make the process of finding and selecting investments — specifically exchange-traded funds and individual stocks — easy and approachable for beginners to build their portfolio. Stash also offers a managed portfolio for investors who want to be completely hands off.
Here's more on how they compare.
Robinhood is best for:
Mobile users.
Individual taxable accounts.
Margin accounts.
Robinhood at a glance
Account minimum | $0 for brokerage account and for Robinhood Gold account. |
Stock trading costs | $0. |
Options trades | $0. |
Account fees (annual, transfer, closing, inactivity) | No annual, inactivity or ACH transfer fees. $75 ACAT outgoing transfer fee. (Robinhood Gold costs $5 a month.) |
Tradable securities | • Stocks. • ETFs. • Options. • Cryptocurrency. • American Depositary Receipts for over 650 global companies. • Fractional shares. |
Crypto availability | 7 coins in 48 states. |
Number of no-transaction-fee mutual funds | Not rated. |
Trading platform | Web platform is purposely simple but meets basic investor needs. |
Mobile app | Mobile trading platform includes customizable alerts, news feed, candlestick charts and ability to listen live to earnings calls. |
Research and data | News available from WSJ Markets, Reuters, Barron's, CNBC Business and Cheddar. Gold members have access to research from Morningstar, Nasdaq, Nasdaq Totalview level II Market Data for an additional $5 per month. |
Customer support options (includes how easy it is to find key details on the website) | Email, social media, in-app request-to-call service 24/7. |
Stash is best for:
Beginners who want to learn how to invest.
Investors who want to buy fractional shares.
Investors who want to choose their own investments and get automated portfolios.
Stash at a glance
Account minimum | $0 ($5 for Smart Portfolios). |
Account management fee | $3 per month for automated investing. $1- and $9-a-month tiers available as well. |
Investment expense ratios | Average is less than 0.06% for Smart Portfolios. |
Account fees (annual, transfer, closing) | $0 standard transfer fee, or 1% fee for instant transfers. Outgoing ACAT full transfer fee: $75. |
Portfolio mix | Smart Portfolio mix is well-diversified but lacks exposure to non-market correlated assets like REITs and commodities. Over 4,000 individual stocks and ETFs are available in the DIY individual brokerage account (available for $1 per month). |
Socially responsible portfolio option | No automated socially responsible portfolio. Themed ETFs, including socially responsible ETFs, are available in the DIY individual brokerage account. |
Accounts supported |
Note: Only individual brokerage accounts are available to be managed with Smart Portfolios. IRA and UTMA/UMGA accounts are available for DIY management only. |
Tax strategy | Not available. |
Automatic rebalancing | Smart Portfolios option features automatic rebalancing upon withdrawals or contributions, plus quarterly rebalancing. |
Human advisor option | Not available. |
Bank account/cash management account | Stash offers access to an online banking account with a stock-back rewards debit card, but the account doesn't pay interest. |
Customer support options (includes how easy it is to find key details on the website) | Phone and email support Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern. Additional email support is available on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. |
» Curious about other options? View the best stock apps
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Fees$0 per trade | Fees$0 per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs | Fees$0 per trade |
Account minimum$0 | Account minimum$0 | Account minimum$0 |
PromotionUp to $600 when you invest in a new Merrill Edge® Self-Directed account. | PromotionGet $100 when you open a new, eligible Fidelity account with $50 or more. Use code FIDELITY100. Limited time offer. Terms apply. | PromotionGet up to 12 free stocks (valued up to $30,600) when you open and fund an account with Webull. Promotion ends 8/31/2022. |
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