9 Best Investment Apps for Beginners in 2025

Which investment apps do the Nerds use?

Summary of reviews from iOS and Android app stores

• How we collect real user sentiment about apps

  NerdWallet's evaluations focus on data we collect, like account fees, portfolio diversification, features and account minimums, as well as our own testers' experiences. We include two factors that directly address customer service: Support availability and contact methods, and website transparency, which our team assesses by looking for key information on the provider's website, just as a potential customer would. For mobile apps, we also consider the app's overall rating in both iOS and Android stores. But qualitative customer satisfaction is harder for us to directly assess. To offer a more complete evaluation, we've used an AI tool to comb investing and stock app reviews from the iOS and Android app stores. We then evaluate that data for consistent themes, both positive and negative. Due to the anonymous nature, we're unable to confirm these customer experiences as we normally would. The summaries below are based on up to a year's worth of reviews ending February 2025.

Betterment's app reviews: Users of both iOS and Android praise Betterment's easy-to-use interface, noting that it makes the app especially beginner-friendly. They also call out how simple the process is to setup automated investing, and that for beginners, it's a strong "set-it-and-forget-it" investing platform. Some users do note that Betterment's fees can be high, which partially tracks with our own assessment; expressed as a percentage, $4 per month can be high if your balance is low. However, considering many users call out Betterment as a good vehicle for long-term saving, this fee goes down as your balance or monthly deposits grow. We find Betterment's 0.25% fee for balances over $20,000 to be standard in the industry.

Charles Schwab app reviews: Reviews for Schwab's mobile app generally praise the customer service support and functionality of the app. They also frequently call out the educational resources and financial literary tools that could be helpful for beginner investors. On the negative side, some app users are dissatisfied with recent updates to the user interface that they feel made it harder to navigate. And long-time users who were previously on the TD Ameritrade app (TD Ameritrade was acquired by Schwab in 2020) lament some features that didn't make the transition.

Coinbase app reviews: Coinbase user reviews consistently call out how easy the app is to use and its learning rewards program, which allows crypto traders to earn crypto by watching informational videos and completing quizzes. This educational rewards program is wildly popular and helpful in supporting new crypto investors. On the downside, app users sometimes complain about Coinbase's fees, which can be on the high side compared to competitors, and the customer support. (We agree that Coinbase's customer support is difficult to reach and have factored that into our rating.)

Fidelity's app reviews: Fidelity is designed for every type of investor, and generally meets that need well. The app won NerdWallet's award for the best investing app in 2025, and impressed all of our testers. Many users praise the Fidelity app for being easy to use and navigate, with lots of high-quality educational content to help users learn how to invest and manage their money. The app also gets high praise for security features, including biometric login, though some Android users report issues with that feature. Complaints generally center around the interface — users call it cluttered and cite issues with the navigation — and the frequency of updates and changes, which some feel have degraded the quality of the app.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing's app reviews: Like other apps that combine banking and investing products in one, users appreciate that J.P. Morgan's app integrates with bank accounts and offers the ability to view all balances within one platform. It was difficult to assess sentiment around the app's investing features specifically, as the bundled nature of the app and the popularity of Chase's banking services means most reviews are about that product. However, our testers found this to be a user-friendly platform for trading stocks, and one that will be particularly appealing to beginners or existing Chase customers.

Public's app reviews: Public's intuitive design and interface is called out as a positive by nearly half of app reviewers, as well as the breadth of features — you can invest in stocks, crypto or options, plus earn high interest rates on fixed-income products through the Treasury account. Public is another app that is praised for its educational content. Criticism primarily centers around difficulties withdrawing funds, including long wait times and fees, as well as some technical glitches like slow updates.

Robinhood's app reviews: Let's be real; Robinhood can be polarizing. It's not uncommon for the app to add 500 new reviews in each app store per month, which means this is the only app on our list that required us to limit our analysis to the last month's worth of reviews, rather than the last year's worth. Although Robinhood's overall rating in each store is above 4 stars, user reviews did mention issues with the app freezing or crashing, as well as some issues with the process of verifying their identity. Positive themes include the app's simplicity, ease of use and educational tools and resources, calling it an ideal option specifically for beginner traders and investors.

SoFI's app reviews: SoFi also gets high marks from app users for its user-friendly interface — here, reviews repeatedly call out the all-in-one platform which can be used to invest in addition to managing bank accounts, loans and other SoFi products. Reviews consistently praise the company's rewards program and customer service. Negative trends center around the app's tendency to push other SoFi products and services, as well as intermittent technical issues like freezes.

Webull's app reviews: Webull is another app that has a sleek, streamlined interface that's much appreciated by users — in fact, 55% of reviews mention this, according to our analysis. Users also love the real-time data, technical analysis tools and paper-trading functionality. Criticism typically centers around some of the limitations with that functionality, as well as longer-than-expected wait times to deposit or withdraw funds. Here, too, there are a small number of complaints about the app crashing, freezing or loading slowly. That feedback is most common from iOS users.

Ask the Nerds: Your questions about investment apps, answered

Which features are most important when choosing the right investing app for you?

The most important thing to consider when choosing an investing app is how you're going to use it — if you're a frequent stock trader, you might prioritize an app with strong trading capabilities or stock analysis tools. If you want to invest but don't want to actively manage a portfolio, an app from a robo-advisor like Betterment might make the most sense.

How much money do you need to start trading stocks or investing through an app?

At this point, many apps allow you to open an account with as little as $1. But the amount of money you’ll need to begin investing after you open your account depends on the assets you intend to buy. In most cases, you'll be able to find options you can afford now matter how much you can invest. Many of the apps on this list allow you to trade fractional shares, which means you can purchase a dollar amount of a stock (say, $5 or $10) instead of a full share.

What investments can you trade through an app?

The investments available to you will vary by broker. Typically, an app from a traditional online broker will offer the largest range of investment options, while smaller apps, start-ups or robo-advisors tend to limit their selection. Investments that are commonly available through investing apps include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, index funds, exchange-traded funds and options. Some apps will also offer access to trade cryptocurrencies, futures, forex or commodities.

What is the best investment app for beginners?

For new investors, working with a larger, established brokerage like Fidelity is often a good fit — their apps rate highly, and they also offer higher levels of educational support and strong customer service. You might also consider an investing app from a robo-advisor. Robo-advisors build and manage portfolios for you, often using ETFs, so you don't have to choose any investments yourself. On the list above, Betterment is a robo-advisor that is a good choice for beginners.

What is the best stock app for beginners?

Many of the brokers on our list of the best brokers for beginners also show up here. In general, mobile trading apps are a good choice for beginners because they're typically easier to navigate than online or desktop platforms. However, we've chosen Robinhood as the best overall stock app for beginners because of how approachable and initiative the app is. Robinhood's features were designed with beginners in mind and it shows.

What's the best app for free stock trading?

All of the stock apps above offer commission-free trades of U.S.-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds. The best one for you depends largely on your trading needs — for example, active traders often index heavily on the available investment options, and what type of functionality is possible on the go. If you'd prefer more education or a more advanced mobile trading platform, you may want to opt for an app from an online broker.

Are investing apps safe?

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. This includes investing apps. $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. (Here’s more on SIPC insurance and what it does and doesn’t protect.)

Some of the investment apps listed here also offer bank or savings accounts, which are FDIC insured against loss.

Investment apps typically also use industry-standard security measures, including two-factor authentication, hashing of passwords and encryption of personal information.

What happens if an investment app goes out of business?

If your brokerage (app or brick-and-mortar institution) goes out of business, it's highly unlikely that you will lose money. In most scenarios, another institution will agree to buy the investing app or take over its accounts, and your assets will be transferred to the new brokerage.

Can you lose money with an investing app?

Yes, it is possible to lose money through an investment app, but that largely depends on how you invest your money within the app, rather than the app itself. Like traditional brokers, your investment and trading 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 funds, bonds or Treasurys.