Robinhood vs. Stash: 2024 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. It also offers a matching program for IRA accounts.
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 and IRAs.
Margin accounts.
Robinhood at a glance
Account minimum | $0 for brokerage accounts, Robinhood Gold accounts and IRAs. |
Stock trading costs | $0. |
Options trades | $0. |
Account fees (annual, transfer, closing, inactivity) | No annual, inactivity or ACH transfer fees. $100 ACAT outgoing transfer fee. (Robinhood Gold costs $5 a month.). Matching funds in IRAs may be taken back if money is withdrawn after less than five years. |
Interest rate on uninvested cash | 1.5% for free accounts, 5% for Gold accounts. |
Tradable securities | • Stocks. • ETFs. • Options. • Cryptocurrency. • American Depositary Receipts for over 650 global companies. • Fractional shares. • Bonds only available in the form of bond ETFs. |
Number of no-transaction-fee mutual funds | Not rated. |
Trading platform | Robinhood's mobile and web platforms are known for their smooth sign-up, funding and trading processes. However, the constant pop-up notifications can be exhausting. |
Mobile app | Mobile trading platform includes customizable alerts, news feed, advanced charting and ability to listen live to earnings calls for some companies. |
Research and data | Access to professional research from Morningstar and Level II market data from the Nasdaq Stock Exchange (with Gold subscription). |
Customer support options (includes how easy it is to find key details on the website) | 24/7 chat support. Phone support available from 7:00 a.m. ET to 9:00 p.m. ET. |
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
Reviewed: Oct. 2023
Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2023
Account minimum | $0 ($5 for Smart Portfolios). |
Account management fee | $3 per month for automated investing. $9-a-month tier available with access to Kids Portfolios (custodial accounts) and higher Stock-Back® rewards. Full details about each option below. |
Investment expense ratios | 0.08% to 0.14%. |
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. Smart Portfolio has a small amount of exposure to cryptocurrency. Over 4,000 individual stocks and ETFs are available in the DIY individual brokerage account. |
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 to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern. |
NerdWallet rating 4.9 /5 | NerdWallet rating 5.0 /5 | NerdWallet rating 4.1 /5 |
Fees $0 per online equity trade | Fees $0 per trade | Fees $0 per trade |
Account minimum $0 | Account minimum $0 | Account minimum $0 |
Promotion None no promotion available at this time | Promotion None no promotion available at this time | Promotion Get up to $700 when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money. |
» Curious about other options? View the best stock apps
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