The 10 Best Investment Apps for Beginners in 2025

For years, a persistent myth has surrounded the world of investing: that it’s a club reserved for the wealthy, requiring thousands of dollars just to get a seat at the table. If you’re just starting your career, like our friend Alex, a junior graphic designer in Austin, that idea can be incredibly intimidating. You know you want to plan for the future—a down payment on a house, a comfortable retirement—but the barrier to entry seems impossibly high. What if I told you that this myth is officially busted, especially as we head into 2025?

The game has completely changed thanks to a simple but revolutionary concept: fractional shares. This innovation, powered by user-friendly mobile apps, has torn down the financial walls, allowing anyone to start building a diversified portfolio with as little as $5. You no longer need to save up $350 to buy a single share of a popular ETF or thousands for a tech giant. You can now own a piece of the companies you love and believe in, for the price of a coffee.

That’s why we’ve created this definitive guide. We’ve meticulously researched, tested, and analyzed the crowded market of investment apps to bring you the clear, straightforward list of the 10 best platforms for beginners in 2025. Our focus is squarely on the features that matter most to you: zero account minimums, low (or no) fees, and, most importantly, easy access to fractional shares. Let’s find the perfect app to turn your long-term goals into a reality.

Why Fractional Shares Are a Beginner’s Best Friend in 2025

Before we dive into the apps themselves, it’s crucial to understand the engine that makes modern investing so accessible. If you take away one concept from this guide, let it be fractional shares. This isn’t just a minor feature; it’s the key that unlocks the stock market for a new generation of investors. It fundamentally changes the question from “How much does one share cost?” to “How much do I want to invest?”

Think of it like this: you wouldn’t be expected to buy an entire pizza every time you were hungry for a slice. Fractional shares apply the same logic to stocks. For decades, if you wanted to invest in a company like NVIDIA or Apple, you had to purchase at least one full share. As these companies grew, their share prices soared into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, effectively pricing out anyone without significant capital. Fractional shares break that single, expensive share into tiny, affordable pieces, and you can buy just the amount you can afford.

What Are Fractional Shares?

In the simplest terms, a fractional share is a portion—a fraction—of one full share of a company’s stock or an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF). If a full share of Company XYZ costs $1,000, but you only have $20 to invest, you can purchase 0.02 shares of that company. You still become a shareholder, your investment grows (or falls) by the same percentage as the full share, and you can even earn dividends proportional to your ownership stake.

This process is managed seamlessly by modern brokerage apps. They purchase full shares and then divide them up electronically among their users who want to buy smaller pieces. For you, the investor, the experience is incredibly simple. You just decide you want to invest $20 in a specific stock, and the app handles the complex mechanics behind the scenes. This is the foundation of building a portfolio on your own terms, and learning how to buy fractional shares is your first step toward accessible investing.

The Key Benefits:

• Accessibility: This is the most obvious benefit. You can invest in high-priced, blue-chip companies like Amazon, Google, or NVIDIA without needing thousands of dollars. This means your portfolio isn’t limited to just low-priced stocks; you can own a piece of the biggest and most successful companies in the world from day one.
• Diversification: This is arguably the most powerful benefit for a new investor. Diversification means not putting all your eggs in one basket. With a small budget, buying full shares would mean you could maybe only afford stock in one or two companies. With fractional shares, you can take that same $100 and spread it across 10, 15, or even 20 different companies and ETFs, creating a much more balanced and less risky portfolio.
• Dollar-Cost Averaging: This is a strategy where you invest a fixed amount of money at regular intervals (e.g., $25 every Friday). Fractional shares make this incredibly easy. You don’t have to worry about whether your $25 can afford a full share; the app just buys whatever fraction your money allows. This disciplined approach helps smooth out the effects of market volatility over the long term.

How We Ranked the Best Investment Apps

In a digital world overflowing with options, choosing the right tool can be paralyzing. A quick search for “investment apps” will give you dozens of choices, each claiming to be the best. To cut through the noise and provide you with truly actionable advice, we developed a rigorous, multi-point evaluation process designed specifically from the perspective of a beginner investor like Alex.

Our ranking isn’t based on which app has the flashiest ads or the biggest sign-up bonus. Instead, we focused on the core fundamentals that create a positive, empowering, and safe investing experience. We believe the best app for a beginner is one that lowers barriers, builds confidence, and grows with you on your financial journey. Here’s a transparent look at the criteria we used to build our 2025 list.

• Ease of Use & User Interface (UI): How intuitive is the app for someone who has never placed a trade before? We prioritized apps with clean layouts, simple navigation, and jargon-free language. A confusing interface is one of the quickest ways to discourage a new investor.
• Fees & Commissions: Hidden costs can eat away at your returns, especially with a small portfolio. We heavily favored apps with $0 commission on stock and ETF trades. We also dug into their fee schedules to ensure there were no surprise “gotchas” like high transfer fees or account inactivity fees.
• Account Minimums: The ability to start with whatever you have is non-negotiable. Every app on our primary list requires $0 to open an account. You should be able to fund your account with $10 and get started immediately.
• Fractional Share Availability: For this guide, this was a pass/fail criterion. We only considered platforms where buying fractional shares is a core, seamlessly integrated feature, not a clunky add-on.
• Educational Resources: A great app doesn’t just execute trades; it teaches you *why* you’re making them. We looked for apps that provide accessible articles, videos, tutorials, and market insights to help you become a more informed investor over time.
• Security: Entrusting an app with your money is a big deal. We verified that each platform offers robust security features, including two-factor authentication (2FA) and strong encryption. Critically, we also ensured they are members of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), which protects your investments up to $500,000 if the brokerage fails.

The 10 Best Investment Apps for Beginners in 2025

Now, let’s get to the main event. After extensive analysis based on the criteria we just outlined, we’ve curated the definitive list of the best investment apps for beginners in 2025. Each platform has its unique strengths, and the “best” one for you will ultimately depend on your personal style and goals. Whether you want a powerful, all-in-one platform from a trusted industry giant or a simple, automated tool that invests your spare change, there’s an option here for you.

We’ve structured our review of these top fintech investment platforms to be as clear and comparable as possible. For each app, you’ll find a quick “Best for” summary, a breakdown of its key features, a balanced list of pros and cons, and a straightforward look at its fee structure. This format is designed to help you quickly identify the top two or three contenders that resonate most with your needs.

1. Fidelity – Best Overall for Beginners

For decades, Fidelity has been a titan in the investment world, often associated with serious, high-net-worth investors and complex retirement accounts. However, in recent years, they have made a powerful and successful push to become one of the most welcoming platforms for beginners. By combining their legacy of trust and powerhouse research tools with a sleek, modern app and zero-fee structure, Fidelity has created an offering that is hard to beat.

What truly sets Fidelity apart in 2025 is that it provides a platform you can start with and never have to leave. As a beginner, you can stick to the simple features like buying fractional shares through their “Stocks by the Slice” program. But as your knowledge and confidence grow, you’ll find a full suite of advanced tools, research reports, and different account types (like IRAs and HSAs) waiting for you. This scalability makes it our top overall choice for anyone serious about long-term wealth building.

• Key Features: Zero-commission stock/ETF trades, robust fractional shares system (Stocks by the Slice), extensive research tools from professional analysts, excellent 24/7 customer service, a wide range of account types.
• Pros: Highly trusted brand with a long history, no account fees or minimums, powerful yet accessible mobile app, provides a clear path for growth as an investor.
• Cons: The sheer number of features and research options can be slightly overwhelming at the very beginning compared to simpler, stripped-down apps.
• Fee Structure: $0 commission on US-listed stocks and ETFs. No account maintenance fees.

2. M1 Finance – Best for Automated Portfolio Building

M1 Finance isn’t a traditional brokerage; it’s a hybrid platform that brilliantly blends automated, robo-advisor-style investing with the control of a self-directed account. It’s built around a unique and intuitive concept called “Pies.” You create a portfolio Pie where each “slice” represents a stock or ETF you want to own, and you set the target percentage for each slice (e.g., 50% VTI, 20% Apple, 10% NVIDIA, etc.).

Once your Pie is created, M1 Finance automates the entire investment process. Whenever you deposit money, it automatically buys the right fractional shares to keep your portfolio balanced according to your targets. This makes it an absolutely phenomenal tool for passive, long-term investors who want to build a diversified portfolio without the stress of manually managing it. If your goal is to “set it and forget it,” M1 Finance is one of the best tools on the market.

• Key Features: “Pie” based investing for easy portfolio creation and automation, fractional shares are central to the platform’s functionality, dynamic rebalancing to maintain your target allocations.
• Pros: Excellent for promoting and automating diversification, perfect for passive, long-term investors, clean and visual interface.
• Cons: Not designed for active or day trading (it has one or two trading windows per day), some advanced features like an extra trading window require a paid M1 Plus subscription.
• Fee Structure: No trading commissions or account management fees for the basic plan.

3. Charles Schwab – Best for Education and Research

Much like Fidelity, Charles Schwab is another legacy brokerage giant that has successfully adapted to the modern, mobile-first investor. Schwab’s greatest strength has always been its commitment to investor education, and this ethos is woven directly into its app. For a beginner who feels intimidated and wants to learn the “why” behind their investments, Schwab is an unparalleled resource.

Their fractional share program, “Schwab Stock Slices,” allows you to buy pieces of any company in the S&P 500 for as little as $5. While the app’s interface might feel a bit more traditional or “corporate” than some of the newer fintech startups, it’s clean, reliable, and packed with high-quality research, market commentary, and educational articles. It’s a fantastic choice for the curious investor who wants to build a strong foundation of knowledge.

• Key Features: “Schwab Stock Slices” for fractional share investing in S&P 500 companies, top-tier educational content (articles, podcasts, webcasts), integrated banking services with a fantastic checking account.
• Pros: Fantastic learning resources for building financial literacy, no account minimums, rock-solid reputation and excellent customer support.
• Cons: The app interface is more traditional and less “gamified” or sleek than newer apps like Robinhood or Public.
• Fee Structure: $0 commission on US-listed stocks and ETFs.

4. Robinhood – Best for a Simple, No-Frills User Experience

Robinhood was the original disruptor, the app that truly brought commission-free trading to the masses and forced the entire industry to follow suit. Its enduring appeal lies in its radical simplicity. Robinhood’s user interface is famously clean, intuitive, and easy to use, making it perhaps the least intimidating entry point into the world of investing. Opening an account and making your first trade can take just a few minutes.

The platform has matured significantly since its early days, offering fractional shares not only for stocks and ETFs but also for a wide range of cryptocurrencies. While it has faced some controversy and regulatory scrutiny in the past, its core product remains one of the most straightforward and accessible options available. For someone like Alex who wants a no-fuss, mobile-first experience to simply buy and hold investments, Robinhood is a very strong contender.

• Key Features: Pioneered commission-free trading, incredibly simple and intuitive UI, fractional shares for stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies.
• Pros: Extremely easy to get started, clean and visually appealing interface, offers crypto trading in the same app.
• Cons: Customer support can be less accessible than traditional brokers; has faced regulatory scrutiny in the past which may concern some users. Research tools are very basic.
• Fee Structure: $0 commission on stock, ETF, and crypto trades.

5. SoFi Invest – Best for All-in-One Finance

SoFi (short for Social Finance) started with student loans but has rapidly evolved into a comprehensive digital finance hub. SoFi Invest is their investing arm, and its biggest advantage is its seamless integration with the rest of the SoFi ecosystem, which includes high-yield checking and savings accounts, personal loans, credit cards, and more. If you’re looking for an app to manage your entire financial life in one place, SoFi is an excellent choice.

The platform offers both active, self-directed investing (where you pick your own stocks and ETFs) and an automated, robo-advisor service with no management fees. Fractional shares, which they call “Stock Bits,” are available for active investors, allowing you to start with as little as $5. This flexibility, combined with the convenience of an integrated financial ecosystem, makes SoFi a powerful tool for streamlining your finances.

• Key Features: Active and automated investing options, fractional shares (“Stock Bits”), integrated with SoFi banking, loans, and other financial products.
• Pros: Great for managing all your finances in one app, no advisory fees for its automated investing service, user-friendly interface.
• Cons: Research tools and charting capabilities are less comprehensive than those offered by traditional brokers like Fidelity or Schwab.
• Fee Structure: $0 commission for active investing; no management fees for automated investing.

6. Public – Best for Social & Community-Focused Investing

Public takes a unique approach to investing by building a community-centric platform. It combines a standard brokerage service with a social media feed, allowing you to follow experienced investors, see what your friends are trading (if they share), and participate in discussions about different companies and market trends. This design aims to make investing less isolating and intimidating, transforming it into a collaborative learning experience.

A key differentiator for Public is its transparent business model. The company has done away with the controversial “Payment for Order Flow” (PFOF) practice, instead offering an optional tipping feature for trades. They also organize stocks into “Themes” (e.g., “The AI Revolution,” “Green Power”) which is a great way for beginners to discover new investment ideas based on their interests. If you want to learn from a community, Public is the best place to do it.

• Key Features: Social feed to see what others are trading, investment “Themes” for discovering stocks, strong focus on investor education and community events.
• Pros: Makes investing feel less intimidating and more collaborative, transparent order flow (no PFOF), great for learning from others in a practical way.
• Cons: The social features might be a source of distraction or “FOMO” (fear of missing out) for some investors who prefer a quieter, more focused experience.
• Fee Structure: $0 commission on stocks and ETFs.

7. Stash – Best for Guided Investing with a Subscription

Stash is designed for individuals who want to invest but feel they need a helping hand to get started. It’s less of a pure brokerage and more of a financial guidance app that uses a subscription model. Stash helps you build a portfolio by asking about your goals, risk tolerance, and personal values, and then recommends a diversified mix of stocks and ETFs. It’s all about making investing feel structured and purposeful.

The platform’s “Stock-Back” card is a standout feature, acting like a cashback debit card that rewards you with small pieces of stock when you shop. While the monthly subscription fee is a significant drawback compared to free alternatives (especially for very small account balances), the guidance and educational framework it provides can be invaluable for someone who feels completely lost and is willing to pay for that structured support.

• Key Features: Combines investing with banking and a “Stock-Back” card, guides users toward building a portfolio based on their values and goals, strong educational content.
• Pros: Excellent for those who need guidance and a structured plan, educational content is well-integrated into the user experience, “Stock-Back” is an innovative feature.
• Cons: The monthly subscription fee model can be expensive relative to the account balance for new investors, making it a costly way to start.
• Fee Structure: Tiered monthly subscription fees (e.g., plans starting around $3/month and going up to $9/month or more).

8. Acorns – Best for “Set It and Forget It” Micro-Investing

Acorns pioneered the concept of micro-investing with its brilliant “Round-Ups” feature. The app links to your debit or credit card, and every time you make a purchase, it rounds up the transaction to the nearest dollar and automatically invests the spare change. That $4.30 coffee becomes a $0.70 investment. It’s a powerful and effortless way to build an investing habit without even thinking about it.

It’s important to note that Acorns doesn’t let you invest in individual stocks. Instead, it invests your money into one of several pre-built, diversified ETF portfolios that are selected based on your risk tolerance. This makes it a pure “hands-off” tool. Like Stash, it uses a monthly subscription model, but for someone who struggles to save and invest consistently, Acorns can be the perfect psychological trick to get started.

• Key Features: “Round-Ups” feature automatically invests your spare change, pre-built ETF portfolios based on risk tolerance, simple and completely hands-off experience.
• Pros: An effortless way to start investing without changing your habits, great for building a savings and investing discipline.
• Cons: You have no control over individual investment choices (ETFs only), the monthly subscription fee can be high for small balances.
• Fee Structure: Tiered monthly subscription fees (e.g., plans at $3, $5, and $9 per month).

9. Webull – Best for Data-Driven Beginners

Webull positions itself as a step up from the extreme simplicity of an app like Robinhood, offering a suite of tools typically found on more advanced trading platforms, but still within a commission-free, mobile-friendly package. If you’re a beginner who is also a bit of a data nerd—someone who enjoys looking at charts, technical indicators, and in-depth market data—then Webull is an excellent choice.

The app offers a fantastic paper trading simulator, which allows you to practice trading with “fake” money until you feel comfortable. This is an invaluable learning tool. Despite its advanced features, Webull still caters to beginners by offering $0 commissions and fractional shares. The learning curve is certainly steeper than some others on this list, but for the analytical-minded beginner, it provides incredible power and room to grow.

• Key Features: Advanced charting tools and technical data, paper trading simulator, full extended-hours trading (pre-market and after-hours).
• Pros: More powerful tools and data than most beginner apps, still offers $0 commission and fractional shares, great for learning technical analysis.
• Cons: Can be overly complex and intimidating for absolute beginners who just want a simple “buy” button. Steeper learning curve.
• Fee Structure: $0 commission on stocks and ETFs.

10. Cash App – Best for Ultimate Simplicity

Many people already have Cash App on their phones for its primary purpose: sending and receiving money between friends. A few years ago, Block (the parent company) integrated a simple investing feature directly into the app. This makes it one of the most accessible entry points to the stock market on the planet. If you already use and trust Cash App, you can start investing in stocks or Bitcoin with just a few taps.

The experience is as basic as it gets. You can buy and sell fractional shares of hundreds of popular stocks with as little as $1. There are no research tools, no advanced charts, and very few features to speak of. It is purely a tool for basic transactions. For someone who finds all other investment apps too complicated and just wants to dip their toe in the water with $5 or $10, Cash App’s investing feature is a valid, if limited, starting point.

• Key Features: Investing integrated directly into a popular peer-to-peer payment app, buy and sell stocks with as little as $1.
• Pros: Extremely accessible and convenient if you already use Cash App for payments, very simple and straightforward interface.
• Cons: Very limited features and investment options (stocks and Bitcoin only), no research tools or educational resources whatsoever.
• Fee Structure: $0 commission on trades, but be aware that other fees may apply depending on the transaction type and speed.

Comparison Table: Top Investment Apps at a Glance

To help you see the key differences in one place, here is a quick-reference table summarizing our top picks for 2025.

App	Best For	Account Minimum	Fractional Shares	Key Feature
Fidelity	Overall Experience	$0	Yes	Top-tier research
M1 Finance	Automation	$0	Yes	“Pie” investing
Charles Schwab	Education	$0	Yes	Stock Slices & learning
Robinhood	Simplicity	$0	Yes	Intuitive UI
SoFi Invest	All-in-One Finance	$0	Yes	Integrated banking
Public	Social Investing	$0	Yes	Community feed
Stash	Guided Investing	$0	Yes	Subscription-based guidance
Acorns	Micro-Investing	$0	Yes (ETFs)	“Round-Ups”
Webull	Data & Charts	$0	Yes	Advanced tools
Cash App	Accessibility	$1	Yes	Integrated P2P payments

How to Choose the Right Investment App for You

A comprehensive list of ten apps is a great starting point, but the goal is to find the single best app for *your* specific needs and personality. The perfect platform for a passive, hands-off investor will be a poor fit for someone who wants to dive into market research. To help you make that final decision, we encourage you to think honestly about your goals and personality.

Making the right choice upfront will significantly increase your chances of sticking with your investment plan for the long haul. Let’s break down the decision-making process into a few simple, actionable questions.

Assess Your Goal: Are You a Hands-On or Hands-Off Investor?

This is the most critical question you can ask yourself. Your answer will immediately cut the list of potential apps in half. There is no right or wrong answer here; it’s entirely about what approach will keep you engaged and consistent. Understanding your preferred style is one of the most fundamental investment strategies for beginners.

A “hands-on” or active investor enjoys the process of researching companies, following market news, and picking their own individual stocks and ETFs. A “hands-off” or passive investor prefers to set a broad strategy (like investing in diversified, low-cost funds) and let automation handle the day-to-day management. They want to set their contributions and not have to think about it again.

• Hands-On (Active): If this sounds like you, your best choices will be platforms that provide control and robust research tools. You should lean towards Fidelity, Charles Schwab, or Webull.
• Hands-Off (Passive): If you prefer to set it and forget it, you’ll thrive with an automated platform. Your top choices would be M1 Finance (for building your own automated portfolio) or Acorns (for a completely managed, micro-investing approach).

Consider the Fees Beyond Commissions

The phrase “commission-free” is now standard across the industry, but that doesn’t mean investing is entirely free. The other primary fee model to be aware of is the monthly subscription. While a flat fee of $3 or $5 per month might not sound like much, it’s important to consider it as a percentage of your total investment.

For example, a $3 monthly fee ($36 per year) on a $300 account is a staggering 12% annual fee that will almost certainly erase any potential gains. That same fee on a $10,000 account is a much more reasonable 0.36%. If you are starting with a very small amount of money, a subscription-based app like Stash or Acorns can be a costly choice. In this case, a true no-fee broker like Fidelity or SoFi Invest is a much more mathematically sound option.

Look for Features That Will Help You Grow

Your first investment app is more than just a tool; it’s your first classroom. The platform you choose will shape your early understanding of the market and your habits as an investor. If one of your primary goals is not just to invest, but to learn *how* to invest, then prioritizing a platform with strong educational resources is a brilliant move.

An app that provides clear explanations, well-researched articles, and helpful context around market events can dramatically accelerate your learning curve and build your confidence. It helps you move from simply buying stocks to making informed decisions. If this resonates with you, give extra consideration to apps like Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and Public, which all excel at investor education.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

It’s completely normal to have a lot of questions and a little bit of anxiety when you’re starting something new, especially when it involves your hard-earned money. To help put your mind at ease, we’ve compiled answers to some of the most common questions we hear from new investors.

Q1: Can I lose money with these investment apps?

Yes, absolutely. It is critical to understand that all investments carry risk. The value of stocks and ETFs can go down as well as up due to a wide variety of factors like economic performance, company earnings, and global events. These apps make the process of investing more accessible and affordable, but they do not and cannot eliminate market risk. The key to long-term success is to invest in a diversified portfolio and maintain a long-term perspective, not reacting to short-term market swings.

Q2: How much money do I actually need to start investing?

This is the best part about investing in 2025. Thanks to the universal availability of fractional shares, you can realistically start with as little as $1 to $5 on most of these platforms. The idea that you need thousands of dollars is a thing of the past. The most important thing is not the amount you start with, but the habit of consistency. Investing $20 every single week is far more powerful over the long term than investing $500 once and then stopping.

Q3: Are my investments safe and insured in these apps?

Yes, for brokerage accounts, your money is protected in specific ways. Look for apps that are members of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). SIPC is a non-profit organization that protects the securities (stocks, bonds, ETFs) in your account for up to $500,000 (including a $250,000 limit for cash) in the unlikely event that your brokerage firm fails. It’s important to note that SIPC does *not* protect against market losses from your investment choices.

Q4: Do I have to pay taxes on my investment gains?

Yes. In a standard (taxable) brokerage account, when you sell an investment for more than you paid for it, that profit is considered a capital gain and is subject to taxes. You don’t pay any taxes just for holding an investment that has increased in value. The taxable event only occurs when you sell. At the end of the year, your brokerage app will send you tax forms (typically a Form 1099-B) that you will need to report when you file your taxes.

Q5: Should I choose a robo-advisor or a self-directed app?

This goes back to the “hands-on vs. hands-off” question. A robo-advisor is a service that uses algorithms to automatically build and manage a portfolio for you based on your answers to a questionnaire about your goals and risk tolerance. It’s the ultimate “hands-off” approach. A self-directed app is one where you are in complete control of picking and choosing your own individual stocks and ETFs.

If you want the app to handle everything for you, a robo-advisor is a great choice. On our list, Acorns is a pure robo-advisor, and SoFi Invest and M1 Finance offer excellent automated options. If you want to pick your own investments, a self-directed app like Fidelity, Schwab, or Robinhood is what you’re looking for.