11 Best Investment Apps of February 2023
Investing apps allow you to manage your portfolio and buy or sell investments via mobile app. Here are NerdWallet's top picks for the best investing apps.
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You can do just about anything on your phone — including invest, thanks to an increasing number of high-quality investment apps.
All of the brokers on our list of the best brokers have well-reviewed investment apps that are suitable for beginners and advanced investors alike. But if investing on the go is most important to you, we've narrowed down that list to the best investing apps.
The best investing apps are ones made with users top of mind. They have robust customer support options and positive user reviews. We also factored investment costs, account fees and account minimum to invest.
» Looking to trade stocks or options? Consult our list of the best stock apps instead.
You can do just about anything on your phone — including invest, thanks to an increasing number of high-quality investment apps.
All of the brokers on our list of the best brokers have well-reviewed investment apps that are suitable for beginners and advanced investors alike. But if investing on the go is most important to you, we've narrowed down that list to the best investing apps.
The best investing apps are ones made with users top of mind. They have robust customer support options and positive user reviews. We also factored investment costs, account fees and account minimum to invest.
» Looking to trade stocks or options? Consult our list of the best stock apps instead.
Best Investment Apps
| Broker | NerdWallet rating | Fees | Account minimum | Promotion | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fidelity Learn more on Fidelity's website | $0 per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs | $0 | Get $100 when you open a new, eligible Fidelity account with $50 or more. Use code FIDELITY100. Limited time offer. Terms apply. | Learn more on Fidelity's website | |
 Merrill Edge Learn more on Merrill Edge's website | $0 per trade | $0 | Up to $600 when you invest in a new Merrill Edge® Self-Directed account. | Learn more on Merrill Edge's website | |
 E*TRADE Learn more on E*TRADE's website | $0 per trade | $0 | Get up to $600 or more when you open and fund an E*TRADE account | Learn more on E*TRADE's website | |
 TD Ameritrade Learn more on TD Ameritrade's website | $0 per trade | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn more on TD Ameritrade's website | |
 J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Learn more on J.P. Morgan's website | $0 per trade | $0 | Get up to $700 when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money | Learn more on J.P. Morgan's website |
$0
per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs
$0
Get $100
when you open a new, eligible Fidelity account with $50 or more. Use code FIDELITY100. Limited time offer. Terms apply.
Pros
Commission-free stock, ETF and options trades.
Large selection of research providers.
Strong customer service.
Expense-ratio-free index funds.
Highly rated mobile app.
Cons
Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Why We Like It
Fidelity offers $0 trading commissions, a selection of more than 3,300 no-transaction-fee mutual funds and top-notch research tools and trading platform. Its zero-fee index funds and strong customer service reputation are just icing on the cake.
$0
per trade
$0
Up to $600
when you invest in a new Merrill Edge® Self-Directed account.
Pros
Robust third-party research.
Integrated with Bank of America.
Cons
Advanced traders may find fewer securities on offer.
Why We Like It
Merrill Edge offers high-quality customer service, robust research and low fees. Customers of parent company Bank of America will love the seamless, thoughtful integration, with a single login to access both accounts.
$0
per trade
$0
Get up to $600 or more
when you open and fund an E*TRADE account
Pros
Easy-to-use tools.
Large investment selection.
Excellent customer support.
Advanced mobile app.
Commission-free stock, options, mutual fund and ETF trades.
Cons
Website can be difficult to navigate.
Why We Like It
E*TRADE has long been one of the most popular online brokers. The company's $0 commissions and strong trading platforms appeal to active traders, while beginner investors benefit from a large library of educational resources.
$0
per trade
$0
None
no promotion available at this time
Pros
Commission-free stock and ETF trades.
Free research.
High-quality trading platforms.
No account minimum.
Good customer support.
Large investment selection.
Cons
No fractional shares.
Why We Like It
TD Ameritrade meets the needs of both active traders and beginner investors with quality trading platforms; $0 commissions on online stock and ETF trades; and a large selection of mutual funds.
$0
per trade
$0
Get up to $700
when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money
Pros
Easy-to-use platform.
$0 commissions.
App connects all Chase accounts.
No account minimum.
Cons
Limited tools and research.
Portfolio Builder tool requires $2,500 balance.
Why We Like It
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is a clear-cut investment platform that is great for beginners looking to learn how to buy and sell investments. More advanced investors, however, may find it lacking in terms of available assets, tools and research. INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE
4.6
/5Reviewed in: Oct. 2022
Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2022
on Acorns' website
AD
Paid non-client promotion
$3 - $5
per month
$0
$10 Sign Up Bonus
Pros
Automatically invests spare change.
Cash back at select retailers.
Educational content available.
Cons
High fee on small account balances.
Why We Like It
If you want to make the most of your spare change and get the occasional retailer kickback, there’s really no better place to do that. The automatic roundups at Acorns make saving and investing easy, and most investors will be surprised by how quickly those pennies accumulate. The downside? At small balances, Acorns fees can cut into or completely wipe away investment returns.
$0
per trade
$0
None
no promotion available at this time
Pros
Large mutual fund selection.
Commission-free stock, options and ETF trades.
Leader in low-cost funds.
Cons
Basic trading platform only.
Limited research and data.
Why We Like It
Vanguard is the king of low-cost investing, making it ideal for buy-and-hold and retirement investors. But active traders will find the broker falls short despite its $0 trade commission, due to the lack of a strong trading platform.
$0
per trade (on eligible US securities)
$0
None
no promotion available at this time
Pros
Commission-free trades on eligible U.S. stocks, options and ETFs.
No account minimum.
Strong web-based platform.
Cons
No fractional shares.
Limited third-party research providers.
Why We Like It
Ally Invest’s robust trading platform and lineup of free research, charting, data and analytical tools make it a good choice for active traders. But it’s also appropriate for beginning investors who will appreciate that there is no account minimum and no annual fees.
$0
per trade
$0
Get up to 12 free fractional shares (valued up to $30,600)
when you open and fund an account with Webull. Promotion ends 2/28/2023.
Pros
Low costs.
Easy-to-use platform.
Advanced tools.
Access to cryptocurrency.
Cons
No mutual funds.
Thin educational support.
Why We Like It
Webull will appeal to the mobile-first generation of casual investors with its slick interface for desktop and mobile apps, but the brokerage also delivers an impressive array of tools for active traders. However, its relatively weak educational content may leave true beginners in the lurch, and it lacks access to a few common asset classes.
Want to compare more options? Here are our other top picks:
More about investing apps
How much money do you need to start investing through an app?
Shockingly little. Thanks to micro-investing apps like Acorns and Stash, you can kick-start an investment portfolio with small amounts of money — just your spare change, in fact. Acorns, for example, sweeps a linked credit or debit card account, rounds up purchases to the nearest dollar and invests the change. Stash offers a similar opt-in feature that rounds up purchases to deposit money in a user's account.
Beyond the micro-investing apps, the amount of money you’ll need to begin investing after you open your account depends on the assets you intend to buy. Individual stock shares range from as little as a few dollars to hundreds or even thousands of dollars per share. Mutual funds often have minimums of $1,000 or more, but exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are essentially mutual funds that trade like a stock, and they can often be purchased for less than many mutual funds. Don’t forget, too, that some brokers charge trading fees every time you buy or sell an investment. The good news there is that many brokers now offer free trades.
Many of NerdWallet’s picks for best apps have account minimums of $5 or less, so you can open an account right away and entirely online. Here’s more on what a brokerage account is and how to open one.
What investments can you trade through an app?
The mobile trading experience varies by broker — and so does the range of available investments. Typically, an app from a traditional online broker will offer the largest range of investment options, while smaller apps or start-ups tend to limit their selection. Among the picks above for best investing apps, Acorns offers only ETFs, while TD Ameritrade’s offerings include individual stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, options and currency (or forex). Some investment apps also offer access to cryptocurrency.
Can you lose money with an investing app?
That largely depends on how you invest your money within the app, rather than the app itself. Like traditional brokers, your investment decisions can determine how much money you gain or lose and how "safe" your money is overall. Some investments carry more risk than others — for example, individual stocks or cryptocurrencies are known to be riskier than bonds or Treasurys. Some of the investment apps listed here also offer bank or savings accounts, which are FDIC insured against loss.
The bottom line: No matter what app or investment company you're using, it's important to align your investment selections with your risk tolerance and time horizon. Generally speaking, many financial advisors suggest not investing money you need within the next five years — most investments should be considered long-term.
Last updated on February 1, 2023
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Methodology
NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks the largest U.S. brokers by assets under management, along with emerging industry players. Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgements on which ones will best meet your needs. We adhere to strict guidelines for editorial integrity.
We collect data directly from providers through detailed questionnaires, and conduct first-hand testing and observation through provider demonstrations. The questionnaire answers, combined with demonstrations, interviews of personnel at the providers and our specialists’ hands-on research, fuel our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance across more than 20 factors. The final output produces star ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars).
For more details about the categories considered when rating brokers and our process, read our full methodology.
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Best Investment Apps of February 2023
Frequently asked questions
The apps above are good choices for stock traders, but to see a narrower list focused specifically on trading, check out our picks for the best stock apps.
For new investors, working with a robo-advisor is a nice solution. Robo-advisors, like Acorns, build and manage portfolios for you so you don't have to choose any investments yourself.
While the idea of buying individual stocks might be exciting, building a portfolio of stocks requires a fair amount of research and discipline. ETFs offer instant diversification in that they contain shares of multiple companies (dozens, even) like a mutual fund, but trade like individual stocks. (Check out this full explainer on ETFs.)
If buying individual shares of companies is something you’d like to do, see our guide on how to buy stocks.
Just as FDIC insurance insures bank accounts, SIPC insurance insures the money you have in your brokerage account (or robo-advisor account) up to $500,000. $250,000 of that total can be applied to protect cash that you haven’t yet invested. All of NerdWallet’s picks for best apps are members of the SIPC.
Investment apps typically also use industry-standard security measures, including two-factor authentication, hashing of passwords and encryption of personal information. However, it’s important to note that investments you make in your account can potentially fall in value or even decrease to zero, and investment losses are not covered by any type of insurance. (Here’s more on SIPC insurance and what it does and doesn’t protect.)
