Best Investing Apps: Top Picks for 2025
Investing apps allow you to manage your portfolio and buy or sell investments via your phone. Here are our testers' top picks for the best investment apps available right now.
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The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.
The best investment apps are intentional about ensuring users and the mobile app experience are top of mind. They allow you to invest quickly and easily, review your portfolio's performance and analyze potential investment opportunities.
In our 2025 Best-of Awards, our team selected Fidelity as the best overall investing app. But below, we're sharing the full list of apps that stood out to our testers and scored highly in our analysis.
Most of the apps are from standard brokerages — meaning you'll need to choose and manage your investments yourself, and you can trade a variety of assets within the app, including stocks, exchange-traded funds and options. But two, Wealthfront and Betterment, are robo-advisors. Robo-advisors pick and manage your assets for you for a small fee. They're more similar to financial advisors.
How our team selects the best investing apps
Our full-time investing writers and editors do comprehensive testing of each broker's mobile app, which typically includes opening and funding accounts. In our testing, our reviewers focus on ease of use, available functionality (especially as compared to the company's website and online platform), trading and account fees and customer support. We also note how easy it is to fund an account, how quickly investment transfers settle and any account-linking hiccups.
The apps that make our list must have high scores from users in mobile app stores, in addition to favorable feedback from our independent testing.
- Read our full methodology
Over 60 investment account providers and apps reviewed and rated by our expert Nerds.
More than 50 years of combined experience writing about finance and investing.
Hands-on testing of the account funding process, provider websites and trading platforms.
Dozens of objective ratings rubrics and strict guidelines to maintain editorial integrity.
NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks the largest U.S. brokers and robo-advisors 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 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.
Best Investing Apps: Top Picks
| Broker | NerdWallet rating | Fees | Account minimum | Promotion | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.5/5 | $0 per trade | $0 | 1 Free Stock after linking your bank account (stock value range $5.00-$200) | Learn moreLearn more on Robinhood's website | |
4.4/5 | $0 per trade | $0 | Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new account. | Learn moreLearn more on SoFi Invest's website | |
5.0/5 | $0 per trade | $0 | Get up to 40 free fractional shares ( each valued up to $3,000) when you open and fund an account with Webull. | Learn moreLearn more on Webull's website | |
5.0/5 | $0 per trade | $0 | None no promotion available at this time | Learn moreLearn more on Interactive Brokers' website | |
4.6/5 | $0 | $0 | Earn up to $10,000 when you transfer your investment portfolio to Public. | Learn moreLearn more on Public's website |
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
1 Free Stock
after linking your bank account (stock value range $5.00-$200)
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
Get up to $1,000
in stock when you fund a new account.
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
Get up to 40 free fractional shares ( each valued up to $3,000)
when you open and fund an account with Webull.
Fees
$0
per trade
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Fees
$0
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
Earn up to $10,000
when you transfer your investment portfolio to Public.
Fees
$0
per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Fees
$0
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
N/A
Fees
$0
Account minimum
$0
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time
Fees
0.25%
management fee
Account minimum
$500
Promotion
Get a $50 customer bonus
when you fund your first taxable investment account
Fees
0.25%
with a balance over $20K or qualifying recurring deposit. Otherwise, $4/month.
Account minimum
$0
$10 to start
Promotion
Get up to $1,000
when you open and fund a new investing account. Terms apply.
Which investment apps do the Nerds use? | |
|---|---|
 | Chris Davis | Assigning editor I really appreciate that Webull gives you the option of using an interface designed either for advanced trading, or more hands-off, long-term investing. And whichever you choose, the interface is really good. Toggling back and forth between the two is easy, too. Previously, that biggest drawback of mobile-first investing platforms like Webull was the lack of retirement accounts or any long-term financial planning tools, but that's starting to change. |
 | Alana Benson | Lead investing writer I use the Fidelity app to keep track of my investments. I like how I can see my workplace retirement plan and my Roth IRA in the same place. I'm a pretty boring long-term investor and Fidelity suits my needs really well. I also like that I can get in touch with an advisor right through the app if I need to. |
 | Sam Taube | Lead investing writer In my experience, Fidelity combines the convenience of a mobile-first investing app with the wide investment selection of a large institution. In the last few years, Fidelity has built a mobile user experience that is almost as smooth as Robinhood or Webull — its app allows you to transact, change your settings and more with just a few taps after logging in. However, it also offers something that those upstart brokers don't: a huge variety of mutual funds, including target-date funds for IRAs. |
Which features are most important when choosing the best investing app?
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. (To see a list specifically focused on stock trading, check out our picks for the best stock apps). If you want to invest but don't want to actively manage a portfolio, an app from a robo-advisor might make the most sense.
How much money do you need to start investing through an app?
At this point, several apps allow you to start investing 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 — but in most cases, you'll be able to find options you can afford now matter how much you can invest.
What investments can you trade through an investing 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 or start-ups tend to limit their selection. Here are some investments that may be offered through an investment app:
Stocks
Bonds
Mutual funds
Index funds
Exchange-traded funds
Options
Cryptocurrencies
Futures
Forex
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, Wealthfront and Betterment both offer robo-advisor services.
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 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.
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 January 3, 2025
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.