10 Best Investing Apps of 2023 (Stocks, Micro, REIT, +More)

Derek

December 12, 2022

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I’ll never forget it. I was in a TJ Maxx looking for clothes that might fit my thin 6’8” frame (which is next-to-impossible by the way), and I heard the voice of an older gentleman from the next aisle over. (Actually… I saw him over the rack. Let’s not forget my stature here.) It was pretty obvious that he was calling his wife.

“Hi hun. I found a shirt that I want to buy. Do we have $14 in our account?”

My jaw nearly hit the floor.

This was a guy that should have been living his golden years of retirement—going on trips around the world, hosting lavish dinner parties, and getting overly bronzed on the many beaches of Florida. Yet, here he was calling his wife to see if he could spend fourteen bucks.

This was a guy that didn’t take investing seriously in his younger years.

Thankfully, you are not this guy. You’re here because you’re ready to invest! Hats off to you, my friend. 

To get you started quickly, we did quite a bit of the legwork for you here. We vetted the absolute best investing apps and sorted them based on how you might want to invest your money (whether it be real estate, crypto, stocks, mutual funds, etc.). The next step is up to you. 

Simply choose an app, fund it, and be sure to start investing sooner rather than later. 

After all, I want you to have golden years, not tuna-on-toast years.

Ready? Set? Let’s go!

10 Best Investment Apps of 2023

Best Investment Apps—High Level Review

These apps wowed us. They were the best in their categories and earned the top spots on the list. See the table below for a quick peek at why these apps came away with ribbons and trophies.

If you want more of an in-depth summary of each app (i.e., pros and cons, why we picked it, and other notable alternatives), keep scrolling and you’ll find more detail on our top 10 investing apps.

Want to Know More? Best Investing Apps: Detailed Reviews

Best Investing App Overall—Charles Schwab

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Overall	4.9/5	$0	$0	$101 in free stock

Why we picked it

Never thought a stuffy old investment firm that’s been around forever would wow me (sorry, Charles Schwab!), but it absolutely did! Charles Schwab won the top spot of all the apps with their user-friendly app, broad selection of investments, expansive list of research guides and helpful posts, and a fantastic promo offer to get started.

You’ll win when you get started (the $101 in free stock), you’ll win while you’re investing (with the large selection of investments and helpful advice), and you’ll win if you get stuck and need help (thanks to their excellent support team). 

It’s an amazing investment app, so we gave it a nearly perfect rating of 4.9 out of 5.

Pros

• No account minimum
• No trading costs
• Current promotion: $101 in free stock
• Great selection of investments across stocks, bonds, ETFs, forex, options, and futures
• Best customer service when compared to similar brokerages

Cons

• $50 transfer cost if you want to move your money to another brokerage

Best Investment App For Beginners—Robinhood

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Beginners	4.3/5	$0	$0	$5-$200 free stock

Why we picked it

Years ago, Robinhood shook up the brokerage industry by offering free trades on stocks. Today, they continue to innovate and make investing as simple as possible for the beginner investor. 

With Robinhood, you can trade stocks, ETFs (exchange traded funds), options, crypto, and fractional shares. And there’s quite a lot of help if you’re not sure what you’re doing or where to invest your money (including investing 101 articles, options trading essentials, and effective trading information on each stock that you may be looking to buy).

Robinhood has seen its share of issues with low customer reviews and regulatory fines for misleading customers (in 2020 and 2021), but they stated that were “investing heavily in improving platform stability, enhancing educational resources, and building out customer support and legal and compliance teams.” 

And, from my perspective, the app has improved as they promised it would.

Based on our review across this space, other brokerages may be more seasoned and offer a better variety of investments, but Robinhood is still the simplest way to trade.

Pros

• No fee investing
• No account minimums
• Solid selection of stocks and ETFs
• Free stock when you get started (value between $5–$200)

Cons

• $100 full transfer cost if you want to move all your funds to another brokerage
• Limited selection of crypto 
• Low customer service rankings and regulatory issues

Other Considerations

Not sold on Robinhood? Stash and Betterment were close runners-up for the best investment app for beginners.

Best Stock App—E*Trade

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Stocks	4.8/5	$0	$0	Up to $600 in free stock

Why we picked it

I started investing with E*Trade over a decade ago. They were one of the top investment brokerages then, and they continue to grow and evolve today, which is how it secured the top spot as the best stock app.

E*Trade earns high marks on nearly every front. They offer free stock trades, no account minimums, a great assortment of research tools and reports, and their app is straightforward and easy to navigate. 

Also, for a limited time, they have a bonus offer where you can earn cash credits. Just use promo code BONUS22 when you set up your account.

Pros

• Free trades
• No account minimums
• Bonus offer of $600 if you fund your account with $200,000
• Easy-to-use app with many features

Cons

• Low customer service scores
• $75 charge for full transfer to another brokerage

Other considerations for stock apps

Interactive Brokers and Fidelity

Best Real Estate Investment App—Fundrise

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Real Estate	4.3/5	$0	$10	$10 Bonus

Why we picked it

Fundrise was one of the first companies to crowdfund real estate investment opportunities. They continue to lead the market in this category with over 275+ active projects and a minimum investment of just $10. 

Fundrise made real estate investing available to everyone, and it has also been profitable. Over the past five years, Fundrise clients have earned an average of 11.78% on their invested funds. The lowest average annual returns were +7.31% (2020), and the highest average annual returns were +22.99% (2021). The S&P 500 lows and highs during that same stretch were -4.38% (2018) and +28.71% (2021), respectively. The S&P 500 may have higher highs, but they have also had lower lows. So far, Fundrise has never averaged negative annual returns.

There is an increasing number of real estate investment apps that open otherwise private investments to individuals. They have multiple deals to choose from, just like Fundrise, but the minimum investment is often higher, and so are their fees.

Fundrise is still the leader when it comes to real estate investing apps.

Pros

• $10 account minimum
• Easy to sign up and invest
• Hundreds of real estate investment options available
• Bonus offer of $10 if you start investing with Fundrise

Cons

• Investments are illiquid (may take years to get your money out)
• Fees are difficult to understand (minimum is 1%, but each project has additional fees)

Other Considerations

Fundrise is the best real estate investment app, but CrowdStreet and Realty Mogul are also quite good. They’re worth a look.

Best Micro Investing App—Acorns

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Micro Investing	4.4/5	$3-$5/mo	$0	$10 Bonus

Why we picked it

If you’re looking for a hands-off approach to investing, Acorns has you covered. Acorns will round up your purchases and invest little bits at a time into various investments of your choice. 

The app is simple to use, and the investment options are also easy to understand. Instead of choosing individual stocks (which can be daunting), you can choose from five investment portfolios—conservative, moderately conservative, moderate, moderately aggressive, or aggressive. And, if you’re interested in crypto, you can invest in BITO (a Bitcoin ETF).

The cost of Acorns is between $3 and $5 a month. If you have thousands of dollars invested, this fee is nominal. However, the charge is ludicrous if you’ve only got $20 in your account. If you can’t see yourself using Acorns for the long term, it’s probably not worth it. But if you stick with it and leave your investments alone, Acorns makes a ton of sense.

Pros

• Simple interface
• $10 sign-up bonus
• No account minimum
• Cashback for 250+ retailers
• Easy to understand ETF investing

Cons

• Steep monthly cost for low account balances

Other Considerations

Stash and Sofi

Best Automatic Investing App—M1

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Robo Investing	4.5/5	$0	$100	Up to $500 Bonus

Why we picked it

M1 Finance was founded in 2015. To be completely honest, I just heard of it recently. Based on what I’ve heard, researched, and recently found out first-hand (because I signed up and created an account), this is one of the top investment apps out there. More specifically, though, it’s the best automatic investing app.

So why is it so highly regarded? Because it’s different from anything else out there.

First off, it’s an investment brokerage account. (Not so different there.) But, there’s also:

• a high-yield savings option at 4.5% interest, 
• a checking account element that earns 3% interest, 
• a credit card option that can earn you 10% rewards at select retailers, 
• and you can set up your rewards earnings to auto-invest into your M1 investment account. 

That’s quite the circle of life there. Watch out Simba, I think your theme song just found a new home with M1 Finance.

Pros

• No trading costs
• Over 6,000 stocks to choose from, plus REITs, ETFs, crypto, and socially responsible investments
• Sign-up bonus ($100 bonus with $50k, $500 bonus with $250k, up to $4,000 bonus at $2 million)
• High rewards possible when credit card, savings account, and investment brokerage are all utilized
• Excellent customer service

Cons

• $100 account minimum
• $100 termination fee if you move funds to another brokerage

Other Considerations

Want more of a straightforward investing option? Webull may suit you better as it provides many investment possibilities. But, there are no high-yield savings accounts or credit card rewards.

Best Mutual Funds App / ETF App—Fidelity

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Mutual Funds	4.8/5	$0	$0	$150 with $50 deposit

Why we picked it

Fidelity is another one of those brokerages that has been around for decades. While some businesses may become more dated and irrelevant with age, Fidelity still appears to be at the top of its game.

Their investment app is super user-friendly and helpful. They eliminated nearly all fees. They have a selection of 4,300 different mutual funds. And they have a special $150 promo offer when you deposit just $50 into a new Fidelity account. For these reasons, Fidelity has earned the top spot for the best mutual funds app.

Pros

• No trading fees
• No account minimums
• $150 promo when you deposit $50 into a new Fidelity account

Cons

• Fees still present on competitor funds offered through Fidelity

Other Considerations

If you want another option for mutual funds and ETFs, Vanguard also ranks high. The platform isn’t as intuitive, but the selection is vast and the fees are minimal. If, however, you’re looking for the best app for stocks and crytpo, you might want to explore eToro.

Best App for Crypto Investing—Coinbase

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Crypto	4.4/5	1%	$0	$5 in Bitcoin

Why we picked it

Crypto was once a cheap speculative investment. Then it nearly went mainstream and turned pimply teenagers into millionaires. Recently, though, crypto has taken a dive in value. This is mainly due to security fears and threats of government regulation. 

There are hundreds of apps that claim to be a crypto exchange. Don’t believe the hype. Some are scams. Others are just a shell of a website with little backing or security. So we stuck with the tried-and-true app for crypto investing—Coinbase.

Coinbase offers over 170 types of cryptocurrencies, they have no account minimum, and their platform is quite user-friendly. And, if you set up an account with them, they’ll give you $5 of Bitcoin to get you started. That’s pretty cool!

The only downside? The trading fee is 1%. It’s not the highest fee among their competitors, but it’s not the lowest either. However, remember the security feature of crypto trading. It may be worth paying a little extra for trades on a more seasoned, secure platform vs. the potentially unsecure, cheaper alternative.

Pros

• No account minimums
• No account fees
• Excellent selection of crypto
• Great video resources on crypto and trading in general

Cons

Other Considerations

The other top cryptocurrency trading app is Binance. But beware—they have had regulatory issues, poor customer service scores, and people have reported that moving their money out of the Binance platform is challenging.

Best App For Dividend Investing—Interactive Brokers

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Dividend	4.6/5	$0	$0	None

Why we picked it

If you’re interested in dividend investing and don’t want to be limited in your selection, then Interactive Brokers is the right investment brokerage for you.

Interactive Brokers offers over 4,000 no-fee U.S. mutual funds, and (get this) over 14,000 offshore no-fee mutual funds. Given the magnitude of this selection, you’re almost certain to find the type of dividend investment you’re looking for.

Pros

• No account minimums
• No trading costs or account fees
• Huge selection of mutual funds (which includes great dividend investment options)

Cons

• No sign-on bonus
• App isn’t as user-friendly as other major brokerages

Other Considerations

Looking for something else? Try Charles Schwab. They won our best investment app overall, and part of that overall rating was because of a strong dividend investment offer. Take a look!

Best Investment Tracking App—Personal Capital

Broker	Best of:	Rating	Trading Fees	Min. Deposit	Promo	Learn More
	Investment Tracking	4.5/5	NA	$100,000	Free wealth mgmt

Why we picked it

I’ve been using the Personal Capital site for nearly a decade now. It came onto the scene in 2009 as a digital wealth management company, and that’s always been its strength. 

I remember linking all my investment accounts within their platform and getting my first visual of where my money was actually invested. And I’m not talking about brokerages or ticker symbols, but rather classifications like growth, small-cap, large-cap, cash, bonds, or perhaps even currency investments. 

Honestly, I was a bit astonished when I got that first look. 

I was young, and my intent was to be aggressive with my investments. But when I used the Personal Capital tool, I discovered that over 15% of my holdings were in traditional bonds that were way too safe and earning very little. 

I immediately restructured my portfolio.

And I’ve been a Personal Capital user ever since. 

Pros

• Free digital analysis
• Many education materials
• Customer service scores are strong
• Sign-on bonus: 6 months of free wealth management

Cons

• $100,000 account minimum to qualify for a personal advisor
• 0.49% to 0.89% advisory fee

Other Considerations

If you just want to see your accounts and get an up-to-date view of your net worth, Mint.com is a perfect resource. If you’d like to be more hands-on and get your day-to-day income and expenses auto-populated into an Excel sheet, TillerHQ is probably best for you.

More About Investment Apps

It’s a great time to be an investor. There’s a seemingly endless sea of investments for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, dividends, forex, futures, crypto, and real estate. There are countless platforms to invest with, and each has its own spin on investing. 

While all these options can be beneficial, they can also make the investment world extra confusing! So what do you do if you’re a beginner investor?

Investing money for beginners

What would I do if I was just getting started in the investing game? What would be my advice on how to invest money for a beginner?

First, keep things as simple as possible. And one of the most straightforward, simple investments on this entire list is Acorns. 

• Sign up, 
• link your account, 
• choose your investment risk,
• and then move on with your life while your investments grow.

Then what?

Here’s what’s going to happen. 

You likely won’t look at your Acorns account for a while. You’ll assume it’s doing practically nothing. Then, months down the road, you’ll take a peek and have $200 sitting there. 

Whoa! 

At this point, you’re going to be inspired. You’ll want to do more. You’ll search, read, and research. You’ll learn so much more about investing that you’ll be ready to move up to the next level.

That’s how it usually starts—with a simple act. And the simplest act is Acorns.

What investment app should I use?

We already covered the most straightforward app—our top pick for micro-investing—but what if you’re looking to invest at a higher level than that? What if you’d like to get more involved with your investments?

From beginner to intermediate

If you’d like to invest beyond Acorns (which basically does everything for you), Robinhood and Fundrise are great next-level options. With these apps, you can invest in individual stocks, real estate, and even crypto. So, you’ve got more of a selection and greater freedom to invest in precisely what you want, and the platforms are still simple enough that it’s not overwhelming.

Intermediate and advanced

Want to open your world to all the investments, including bonds, forex, options, and the complete crypto offer?

Then these are the apps for you:

• M1 Finance
• Coinbase 
• Charles Schwab
• E*Trade
• Fidelity
• Interactive Brokers

Can you lose money with investment apps?

Stock prices rise and fall based on their value. By purchasing shares, you’re essentially a part-owner of the company. Therefore, if the company goes down in value, so does your investment. 

The same is true for real estate and cryptocurrency. If the values go down, your investment goes down as well.

So can you lose money with investment apps? 

Of course!

That’s the name of the game. Without risk, there’s no reward.

Are investment apps worth it?

What if we take a step back and look at these investment apps as a whole? Are they really worth putting money into?

Let’s pretend for a minute that you invest nothing. You earn money, put it in savings, and gain absolutely nothing from those savings.

However, at the same time, inflation happens each and every day. That $5 cheeseburger will become a $10 cheeseburger a decade from now. 

The patty isn’t any bigger. The bun isn’t any better. It’s just inflation at work.

If you invest nothing and earn no interest on your money, the metaphorical money pile will actually shrink (by half in ten years).

So are these investment apps worth it? Absolutely! Without investing, there is very little chance of a long-term retirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money should you have to start investing?

With most top investment apps, you need just $0.01 to get started.

There’s no excuse these days. We all know investing is key to growing wealth. Start early, contribute often, and invest for the long term!

Do any investment apps give free stock?

What apps are giving away free stock or free money today?

What are the best robo investment apps?

Based on our research, the best automatic investment apps are:

What is the best app for long term investments?

The best long-term investment apps are:

• Charles Schwab
• E*Trade
• Fidelity
• Interactive Brokers

These brokers have the most extensive offering and typically have the lowest fees. Also, if you’d like to get investment help down the road, they likely have advisors in-house that can help.

What is self-investment?

Self-investment is spending money on personal growth vs. monetary growth. Your self-investment could be in self-help books, online classes, or personal coaching. Often, an investment in yourself is just as important as an investment in your future retirement account.

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