Free Stock Trading Apps – How To Find The Best Trading App in 2024

Fees: $1 or 0.25% per month

Min Deposit: $5

The Stash Invest app, launched in 2015, is pitched at beginner and intermediate investors. By offering investing and banking services in one app, Stash helps you allocate idle funds, spare change, and windfalls to investing and savings accounts.

According to Stash co-founder Brandon Kreig, the company is on a mission to simplify investing and open up opportunities that have historically been inaccessible to all but institutional investors. The Stash App can be downloaded by IOS and Android device users. The app offers news as well as investing and savings tips/guides through Stash Learn.

Fees Overview

Stash offers three low fee monthly subscription services: Beginner ($1), Growth ($3) and Stash+ ($9). All three offer investing and banking services, with a cashback debit card. The latter two subscriptions provide retirement accounts.

Additionally, Stash+ allows you to add two investing accounts for kids and earn 2x cashback rewards. ETF expense ratios averaging 0.24 percent apply. Since the platform’s main target is new investors, most users are likely to start in the $1 per month range.

Fees: Variable but highly competitive

Min Deposit: £100

Founded in 2008, this broker is now one of the largest forex and CFD brokers in the UK. Plus500UK Ltd is authorized & regulated by the FCA in the UK, ASIC in Australia, and CySEC in Cyprus. The online broker is also listed and publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange.

We like Plus 500 for a number of reasons. Firstly, the platform hosts a huge selection of CFD forex pairs, all of which can be bought and sold online 24/7. Their proprietary trading  platform is also highly advanced and specially designed to suit the expert trader needs. The trading interface is super user-friendly and also hosts multiple advanced technical analysis and market research tools.

Fees overview

Plus 500 does not charge any commissions to trade stocks and their spreads, though variable, are also highly competitive.

Additionally, Plus 500 offers a mobile app for both both Android and iOS operating systems that let you trade while on the go.

Fees: 0% pa

Min Deposit: $0.01

DEGIRO is not a no-fee broker that maintains some of the most competitive trading fees. The broker charges a low $2 fee per trade for market access to CFDs and direct stock trading that are typically reserved for large institutions. Retail investors in 18 European counties can access direct securities trading on 50 international exchanges. When you trade on your domestic stock market the price is discounted further.

You also get one free ETF trade a month. The broker is regulated by the Dutch AFM and DNB, and in many other jurisdictions around the world. If you are looking for low fee investing in stocks, DEGIRO is a popular option. DEGIRO offers five account levels – Custody, Basic, Active, Trader, Day Trader.

Fees overview

Compared to competitors, trades priced on a flat fee plus a percentage of the volume are relatively low especially for US traders. US share trades are priced at €0.50 + USD 0.004 per share while the UK shares trade at £1.75 + 0.022% add up as follows: €2,000 of Apple shares at $190/share costs €0.54 (US exchange) €2,000 of Nestle costs €5.16 (UK exchange). Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore trades are more expensive at €10 + 0.68 percent, but still below many domestic trading fees.

ETFs start from €2 + 0.038% while bonds are priced at €2 + 0.068%. Options and futures trades, on the other hand, start from 0.65 per contract. Real-time price feeds are available ranging from free for the Frankfurt Stock Exchange to €10.50 per month for the Germany Eurex. Margin accounts, called Debit Money, are offered to Active, Trader, and Day Trader account holders.

Fees: 0.00% pa

Min Deposit: Robinhood $0, Robinhood Gold $2,000

Robinhood is a popular app among investors  looking for commission-free stock trading. The broker pioneered the commission-free trades onslaught for online trading. On their platform, you will be able to trade stocks with no commission charges, as well as ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies.

Broker-assisted trades by phone are also free. One of the most popular apps for buy-and-hold investors has added trading features. Basic candlestick charts and indicators (moving average and relative strength) are now offered on this app appreciated for its simplicity.

Fees overview

The no-frills US broker has added premium features. A Robinhood Gold Account provides margin accounts, Nasdaq Level II market data, and MorningStar research for a thrifty $5 a month. Leverage on margin accounts is up to 2:1. And interest on margin loans ranges from 7.2 percent on a $1,000 ($6/month) loan to 4.8 percent on $50,000 ($200/month) and a competitive 5 percent over $50,000.

Fees are charged for international stock trades and wire transfers ($25–$50). Robinhood is also  preparing to lure customers from the banks by providing them with a cash management account with a generous 3 percent interest rate. The average checking account, in comparison, earns 0.09 percent.

Fees: 0.00% commission - 4% on borrowing credit facility

Min Deposit: $10 on Fractional Trading

M1 Finance makes investing easy by automating trading based on your chosen portfolio allocation when your balance is above $10 (adjustable). This robo-advisor works hard to ensure your money is always working for you. Designed to create cost savings for the long-term investor, M1 Invest offers no fee automated investing in custom portfolios with a choice of over 6,000 stocks and ETFs. M1 Borrow is a low-cost line of credit for margin and other loans.

M1 Spend is an FDIC-insured checking account that sweeps idle cash into your higher earning investment portfolio. Portfolios, represented as pies, can be created with stocks, ETFs and Expert Pies (portfolios designed by professional investors for different investment styles and sectors). Automatic portfolio rebalancing ensures your optimal portfolio allocations are maintained. A checking account with a debit card is a new option that can pay bills and sweep the excess cash into investments.

Fees overview:

M1 Finance charges no fees to investors. Fractional shares investing also allows you to start trading with as little as $10. One way this broker makes money is through M1 Borrow – a low-cost line of credit for not only margin borrowing but also other uses such as a second mortgage or business loan with the borrowing fee set at 4%.