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.
Robinhood is a free-trading app that’s ideal for investors who want to trade stocks, options, exchange-traded funds and cryptocurrency on a barebones platform without paying commissions or fees. The Stash app 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 | $5. |
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 online brokers for beginners
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Fees$0 per trade | Fees$0 per trade | 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. | PromotionNone no promotion available at this time | Promotion$5 to $1,000 in free stock for users who sign up via mobile app |
