Many old-school investors worldwide are considered long-term investors, and they park their monetary assets and cash values in some boring mutual funds and let it simmer for medium to long term bias. In the last decade, there has been a significant shift in active stock trading and long-term investments. Some investors now like to have a hands-on approach to their diversified portfolios using different functional stock market trading applications. Whether you want to invest and HODL for the long term or you want to trade on the markets actively; there are tons of stock trading apps for you!
Some criteria need to be met when choosing a stock app. For example, your stock trading app needs to have a user-friendly experience, a unique interface, includes tradable assets, lower commission & fee structures, and contains several brokerages. These are some of the most common things investors and traders look for in stock trading apps. Besides, if you are a day-trader, the stock trading app needs to be highly efficient, as day trading requires frequent buying and selling of assets, stocks. Below, we have curated and orchestrated a list of the 10 best stock market trading apps for you.
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List of the 10 best stock market trading apps
| No. | Stock Trading App | Tradeable Assets | Account Types | Fee/Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TD Ameritrade | ETFs, Options, Stocks, Mutual Funds, Bonds, & more | Standard, Educational, Retirement, and other accounts | Fee structures starting from $0 – $49.99 |
| 2 | IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro | Forex, CFDs, Hedge Funds, Options, Stocks, Mutual Funds, ETFs, Bonds, and Futures. | Retirement & Standard accounts | Varying fees structures, starting from $0 |
| 3 | Fidelity Investments | Fractional share investments, ETFs, Mutual Funds, & more | Educational accounts, Retirement accounts, Brokerages and others | Fee structures starting from $0 to $49.95 |
| 4 | Trading 212 | Crypto, forex, CFDs, stocks, and ETFs. | Retirement Accounts, Fund Accounts & Cash accounts. | Starting from $0. Varying commissions may apply on different assets trading |
| 5 | Webull | Stocks, options, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies only. | Brokerages and other IRA related accounts | Starting from $0 to $25 |
| 6 | Betterment | Stocks, ETFs, bonds, fractional shares, and more | Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, SEP IRA, Inherited IRA, Individual taxable accounts, and Trust accounts. | Robo-advisor Management fees of 0.25% on asset classes |
| 7 | Robinhood | Stocks, options, exchange traded funds, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs. | Cash accounts, standard, and margin accounts | Starting from $0 to $5.95 |
| 8 | Wealth front | ETFs, stocks, bonds, and much more | Educational accounts, Retirement accounts, Trust accounts, Individual accounts, and Joint accounts. | 0.25% of client portfolio monthly, as a management fees on various asset classes |
| 9 | SoFi Invest | Fractional shares, ETFs, stocks, and wide variety of cryptocurrencies. | Retirement accounts, Management portfolios, and Cryptocurrency accounts. | Starting from $0 to $75 |
| 10 | Tastyworks | Futures, options for stocks, and ETF | Retirement accounts, Trust, International Accounts, Corporate accounts, and Marginal cash accounts. | Starting from $0 to $10 |
Without further to do, let’s explore these apps!
1.TD Ameritrade
The TD Ameritrade stock market app gets the top spot in our best stock trading list. This app has acquired the top spot as it offers a wide variety of feasible features for every type of trader, and it contains an excellent pricing structure. TD Ameritrade provides different accounts for different traders. For instance, the basic TD Ameritrade Mobile app is a perfect version for novice traders and medium stock market traders who want to manage their investments and portfolio on the go. TD Ameritrade provides the thinkorswim mobile trading app for the advanced traders and high-end investors, which contains a variety of features and a professional experience for the advanced traders and investors.
Moreover, TD Ameritrade is not only a mobile app; it also gives you access to their personal TD Ameritrade brokerage account. The brokerage account has a wide variety of features, including no minimum balance requirements and no extra fees/commissions for trading ETFs and a wide range of stocks. Both the apps (professional and beginner) contain all the account management features and other related trading features. However, the thinkorswim (professional version of TD Ameritrade) includes a free live CNBC feed that allows you to orchestrate and develop your investment thesis and trading decisions on the go.
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Latest Development
In 2019, TD Ameritrade was acquired by Charles Schwab Corporation, a financial service company. The entire acquisition took over a year. Also, the financial service company reiterated that the services would be initiated in over 18 months.
Key Features
Stock Market App name: TD Ameritrade Mobile and Thinkorswim
Tradable assets: ETFS, options, stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and much more.
Account Minimum: no minimum deposit required
Account types: retirement, standard, educational, and other related accounts
Fees/commission: Fees/commission structure for the TD Ameritrade varies across different asset classes. For instance, there is a $0 commission for trading online stocks, ETFs, and options trades. However, there comes a 65-cent flat fee for option contracts. Also, there is a flat $25 fee for the broker-assisted or supported trades. There is a $49.99 fee for no-load mutual funds. Additional fees are compatible and can be due for high-end investors and traders.
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Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Zero cost account openings
- Different trading apps for different trading styles.
- Wide range of assets supported and different account types
- Research sources and free extensive research databases.
- Availability of trading OTC stocks – for non listed securities.
Cons:
- Due to the Schwab acquisition, there remains uncertainty in the inception of the services.
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2. Interactive Brokers
Interactive brokers are one of the online stock trading apps. If you are an active investor looking to invest and trade the US-listed exchanges regularly, interactive brokers is the best option. However, if you are a long-term investor and are interested in long-term wealth-building, other options may be more suitable.
Interactive Brokers provides retirement, cash management, and trading services for their institutional clients or individual investors/traders. In a nutshell, the brokerage offers two different investment/trading plans for their customers. These plans are elucidated as IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro.
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Both of these plans are mostly the same when exploring the pricing structure. For example, commission-free trades are provided by both plans, no minimum account deposit, and provides access to more than 135 stock exchanges.
The IBKR Pro version includes extensive research content and other notable services such as automated investment management, educational content, and fractional shares. Moreover, the IBKR pro version includes educational courses on trading, investing, and financial markets.
The tradable assets on this broker include mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, futures, hedge funds, options, and forex.
Key Features
App name: IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro
Account minimum: no minimum required to open an account
Fees/commission: no commission on real stocks and ETFs. Varying and additional fees may apply to other tradable assets.
Tradable assets: forex, CFDs, hedge funds, options, stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, and futures.
Account types: Retirement accounts, etc.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Access to 135 stock exchanges in 33 countries
- Wide variety of tradable assets
- Commission-free trades on both IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro
- Pervasive educational content and research database
- Availability of penny stocks trading
- Availability of trading OTC stocks
Cons:
- Limited accounts supported
- Limited customer service
3. Fidelity
Fidelity is one of the most influential and powerful brokerages for beginner and novice investors and people with long-term retirement plans and investments. This brokerage allows you to trade stocks and ETFs at low costs, and it lets you explore different trading styles through their extensive research sources and databases. Also, fidelity brokerage is a full-service that includes various account types and multiple investments, and related opportunities.
Fidelity brokerage provides their app named Fidelity Investments. It is available for a wide range of devices, including iOS, Android, Amazon devices. The app includes various features such as managerial properties for the investment accounts and trade entering features. However, the app does not have the most professional features that high-end investors require. As it is an app designed for novice and beginner traders, it does not include essential features available on other compelling apps such as TD Ameritrade.
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Key Features
App Name: Fidelity Investments
Account minimum: No minimum account opening deposits
Fees: 0 to no commission on ETFs, stocks, and options trades. 65 cent flat fee on options contracts. Brokerage-assisted trades require a $32.40 commission. Also, there is a flat $49.95 transaction fee that includes mutual funds fees, commissions. Additional costs can also be due if there is more options contracts or mutual funds transaction.
Tradable assets: fractional share investments, ETFs, mutual funds, and much more
Account types: educational accounts, retirement accounts, brokerages, and others
Other important details: performance screens that let you analyze and research your overall trading performance, social media feed that is custom-tailored for novice and beginner traders, and investors’ needs.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Best app for beginners and novice investors
- Supports many account types
- Extensive research bases
- Availability of OTC (Over the counter) stocks
Cons:
- Very few charting criteria and options
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4. Trading 212
Trading 212 is one of the most used brokerages by the masses. It is a London-based brokerage whose core mission is to democratize trading and enable the masses to their platform. Trading 212 has a wide variety of tradable assets for its traders and investors. Some of these tradable assets include commodities, crypto, stocks, forex, and currencies. This wide variety of tradable assets makes it one of the best app for day trading stocks. Trading 212 is regulated and approved by FCA’s financial authority (Financial Conduct Authority of England and Wales. It started operating in the UK at the start of 2013. Trading 212 comes with both free and paid services. The basic features are included in the free version. However, the more advanced features and professional trading tools are available only in the paid version. The advanced features and professional trading tools can be beneficial for competent traders and high-end investors.
Key Features
App name: Trading 212
Account Minimum: $10 minimum deposit required
Fees/commissions: trading 212 does not include any commissions on trading real stock and ETFs. However, varying fees and commissions may apply on Forex and CFDs. Overnight holding fees for CFDs may also be subjective and varying.
Tradable assets: crypto, forex, CFDs, stocks, and ETFs.
Account types: retirement accounts, fund accounts, and cash accounts.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Best stock app for day trading
- Demo accounts available
- Day-trading tradable assets
- No commissions
- Easy-to-use interface
Cons:
- Short-selling limited/not allowed.
- Overnight/inactivity fee
- Slower execution
- Limited availability of OTC stocks
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5. Webull
Webull is a specified and curated stock market trading app specifically designed for experienced traders or traders with average financial markets experience. It is considered a technology-centric trading app, which does not include rich educational or research sources. However, it contains tons of trading features that are feasible for making a conducive trading environment. Some of the features include advanced charting options and professional asset quote data. These advanced features can help create an investment thesis or formulate a directional bias on stocks and other financial assets.
In most apps, such advanced features come with a viable price tag. However, Webull provides all of these features and other services completely free. Also, there is no additional commission on executing trades on the app, such as commission/fees for stocks and ETFs. The platform also includes cryptocurrencies to invest as classified tradable asset in the app. Nevertheless, mutual funds, bond trading, and other asset classes are not included in the app. As new as it is, Webull performs really well for active stock market traders and high-end investors who want to trade/invest stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies.
Key Features
- App name: Webull: Stocks, Options & ETFs
- Account minimum: account opening deposit – no minimum
- Fees: no commission/fees for trading online stocks, options, and ETFs. The only commission and fees it includes are upon wire transfers and other additional legal fees.
- Tradable assets: not a wide variety, stocks, options, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies only.
- Account types: it supports different brokerages and other IRA related accounts
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- $0 commissions for active stock, crypto, ETFs, and options trading across the whole platform.
- Provides a valuable community chatting platform where all the traders/investors worldwide can interact and share trading/investment ideas.
- It includes virtual currency trading.
Cons:
- Not a wide variety of tradable assets available
- Customer service is not up-to-notch
- Cannot trade OTC stocks on this app
6. Betterment
Betterment is one of the best stock trading apps for beginners and experienced traders/investors. Betterment includes very professional and goal-oriented tools that appeal to many investors around the world. The company provides Robo-advisors with its premium version.
Key Features
App name: Betterment
account minimum: no account minimum required
Commission/fees: management fees of 0.25% of assets is charged
Tradable assets: stocks, ETFs, bonds, fractional shares, and more
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Portfolio diversification and customization
- No account minimum
- Robo-advisors
- Low fees
Cons:
- Financial planning costs are high.
- Limited availability of OTC stocks
7. Robinhood
Robinhood is considered one of the best free stock trading apps. It is not just a stock trading app; it allows its investors/traders to explore through a wide variety of tradable assets such as stocks, exchange-traded funds, options, crypto market, and ETFs, which are not normally available on other apps for free.
Key Features
App Name: Robinhood
Account minimum: $0 account minimum
Commission: ETFs and Stocks cost $0 commission. Additional fees and charges may apply to other tradable assets.
Tradable assets: stocks, options, exchange traded funds, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- No minimum account deposit required.
- Crypto is included
- Easy-to-use interface
- Availability of trading penny stocks
Cons:
- No mutual funds
- No bonds
- Meager customer service.
- Does not support trading OTC stocks
8. Wealth Front
Wealthfront is considered the best free stock trading app. It includes a wide variety of tradable assets with very low-cost access. It has Robo-advisors who offer account management with over 0.25% management fee. The management fee is 0 for accounts under the $5000 deposit. It includes a wide variety of tax strategies and tax optimization strategies for their investors.
Key Features
App name: Wealth Front
Account minimum: cash account minimum is $1, and investment account minimum is $500.
Tradable assets: ETFs, stocks, bonds, and much more
Account types: educational accounts, retirement accounts, trust accounts, individual accounts, and joint accounts.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- The management fee for accounts under $5000 is 0.
- Low ETF expense
Cons:
- No discounts
- Limited or no fractional shares
9. So fi
Social Finance, which is widely regarded as SoFi, is a convenient mobile app for a wide variety of functions. Some of its functions include investments, banking, loan offerings, and much more. It is considered an ideal app for investors looking forward to trading stocks or holding their investments. The app includes a user-friendly format, where traders/investors can explore their diversified portfolios across different asset classes. The app contains a wide variety of features and comes with $0 commission costs on stock and option trades. Get to know about elliott wave forecast subscription.
The app also includes an extensive research database, where investors and traders can develop their investment thesis and trading decisions.
Key Features
- App name: SoFi Invest Money Buy Crypto
- Account minimum: only $1 minimum account deposit required $1
- Fees: $0 commission/fees for active stock trades and ETFs. Wire transfer and crypto transactions have varying additional fees. Crypto transactions require over 1.25% markup.
- Tradable assets: fractional shares, ETFs, stocks, and wide variety of cryptocurrencies.
- Account types: retirement accounts, management portfolios, and cryptocurrency accounts.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Very low commissions/fees
- Low account deposit
- Fractional shares tradable asset
- Events for members
- Extensive research base
- Firstrade feature gives access to OTC stocks
Cons:
- Not a wide variety of tradable assets provided
- Limited account types
- No availability of OTCBB, pink sheet, and penny stocks
10. Tastyworks
Tastyworks is not an app that provides food recipes, considering its name. It is an app that is designed and orchestrated for advanced and professional options trading. The options provided by tastyworks are not exactly shares of stocks; however, they include options trades based on stocks’ directional price movements.
Stock and EFTs trading on this app holds 0 costs. However, the expenses gather up when trading options on stocks and ETFs, the commissions may be varying, but on average, it can be $1 per contract and coming with $10 as a maximum per leg. Traders and investors with options trading experience will find this app very professional and an excellent catalyst to all their trading needs. Other apps include a wide variety of features for different asset classes, such as stocks, ETFs, options, or fractional shares. As tastyworks is ultra-focused on options trading, it can be very-easy-to-use for novice traders with little or no experience in the financial markets.
Key Features
App name: Tastyworks
Account minimum: minimum deposit is $1
Fees: the app comes with $0 fees for ETF and stock trades. Also, $1 per option contracts on stocks. With a maximum of $10 per leg.
Tradable assets: futures, options for stocks, and ETFs.
Account types: retirement accounts, trust, international accounts, corporate accounts, and marginal cash accounts.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- No hidden fees. Commissions are already facilitated and illustrated on the app.
- Ultra-focused on options trading advanced options trading features
- Community platforms for trade and investment ideas
- Wide variety of account support
Cons:
- Fees and commissions are not cheap compared to other apps.
- Less educational databases compared to significant brokers and apps.
- Does not support OTC or penny stocks trading
Disclaimer: None of the information published in this article should be construed as investment advice. Article is based on author’s independent research, we strongly advise our readers to always do their due diligence before investing.
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