Best Investing Apps of

How We Chose the Best Online Investment Platforms 

Whether you’re looking to test the waters of stock trading with a beginner-friendly platform, ease into crypto or want to diversify your portfolio with long-term investments like mutual funds, finding the right online brokerage to meet your individual goals and preferences is a key step toward realizing your financial goals. 

The best online investment platforms provide a wide range of assets to choose from, robust research and educational content to help you make sound decisions, strong customer support when you need it most and a transparent cost structure so you know what you’re committing to up front. 

We made sure that our top recommendations hit these marks and more. Here’s a closer look at the criteria we used to narrow down our choices for the best investment platforms you should consider:

Fees & Pricing

When it comes to investing, things like broker fees, trader fees, account fees and expense ratios directly impact your bottom line, which makes them a major determining factor when choosing which platform to put your money with. It’s important to prioritize investing platforms that offer low or no-commission trades, especially for stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). We made sure to include options that even waive the commission on more niche assets, like cryptocurrencies, which many brokers still charge for. And pay special attention to recurring fees that can quickly add up over the lifetime of your investment, like annual or monthly account maintenance fees, inactivity fees or transfer fees. 

Investment Options

Being able to access and manage a variety of assets and accounts through one platform can provide the flexibility you want with the convenience you need. Most online brokers offer the option to buy and sell stocks, ETFs and options, but many of the options on our list also include access to mutual funds, high-yield savings accounts, alternative investments and bonds, with some including access to cryptocurrencies or even fractional shares to help match your investment style and diversify your portfolio. Also, not all platforms will offer Roth or Traditional IRA accounts, so we made sure our list includes options that can satisfy all investment needs.  

Ease of Use 

Online investing can be intimidating, which is why you’ll want to choose a platform that offers a clear, user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and research investments, place trades and manage your money across desktop and mobile devices seamlessly. Features like quick links to popular actions, high level dashboards, personalized recommendations, portfolio analysis and more can all help make your experience more positive and productive, regardless of your financial or technical prowess.   

Educational Resources

In addition to an intuitive user experience, having robust resources to help you make informed investment decisions can make all the difference in your investment journey. Everything from tutorials, webinars and in-depth articles to real-time market data, trending investments and third-party financial reports can help users stay informed and engaged. The best platforms tend to offer both high level insights for beginners and advanced data for more experienced investors, allowing you to explore investment strategies, compare options and track performance with confidence.

Security & Reputation 

When choosing any online investing platform, you’ll want to validate that the company behind it has a strong track record of reliability, trustworthiness and customer satisfaction. Start by checking if the platform is regulated by reputable financial authorities, like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and if it offers insurance from the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to protect your investments. Read user reviews and independent ratings to get a sense of how the platform handles customer service, outages and account issues. You’ll also want to make sure they’re using enhanced security features, like multi-factor authentication, as well as protecting your data from third parties. 

Customer Support 

Whether you’re an investment beginner or a seasoned pro, having access to great customer support when you need it can make all the difference. Look for platforms that provide reliable customer service across multiple platforms, including live chat, email, phone and even social media, and those that include 24/7 support so you can get your questions answered at any time. We even highlighted platforms that offer access to a certified financial advisor, who can be an incredible resource for more in-depth or personalized recommendations that even DIY-investors can find useful. 

Disclosures
Public
Paid endorsement. Brokerage services provided by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Investing involves risk. Not investment advice. Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Review Options Disclosure Document here. Review Options Rebate Terms here. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool by Public Advisors. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. See disclosures at public.com/disclosures/GA. See terms of match program at https://public.com/disclosures/matchprogram. Matched funds must remain in your account for at least 5 years. Match rate and other terms are subject to change at any time.
**Rate as of 1/30/26. APY is variable and subject to change.

MooMoo
Disclaimer: *And up to $1000 in NVDA stock. Promo expires December 31st, 2025.

Robinhood
For the free stock promotion, feel free to link any “Terms Apply” language to: rbnhd.co/freestock

Margin investing involves the risk of greater investment losses. Before using margin, customers must determine whether this type of strategy is right for them given their investment objectives and risk tolerance. For more information please see our Margin Disclosure Statement.

Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before engaging in any options trading strategies. Customers should consider their investment objectives and risks carefully before investing in options. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.

Robinhood Gold Card is offered by Robinhood Credit, Inc. (RCT) and is issued by Coastal Community Bank, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. RCT is a financial technology company, not a bank. The Gold Card requires an annual Robinhood Gold subscription and does not include a 30 day free trial. Robinhood Gold is offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC (RHG) and is a subscription offering premium services for a fee. RCT and RHG are subsidiaries of Robinhood Markets, Inc. Must have RHF brokerage account to redeem cash back.

Futures trading and options on futures trading are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC (“RHD”), a registered futures commission merchant with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Member of National Futures Association (NFA) (NFA ID 0424278).