Best Stock Trading Apps

Gone are the days when investing in stocks required a broker and a lot of paperwork. Nowadays, anyone can become a stock trader with just a smartphone and a reliable trading app like Robinhood. However, with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right app that caters to your investment needs.

That's where we come in. We've rounded up all the best stock trading apps for both short-term and long-term investors, helping you make informed decisions and maximize your investment potential, using trusted brokerages that have received the Benzinga seal of approval.

Quick Look at the Best Stock Trading Apps:

• Best for Mobile Users: Plus500
• Best for Beginners: Robinhood
• Best for Intermediate Traders and Investors: Webull
• Best for Copy Trading: AvaTrade
• Best for Active and Global Traders: Interactive Brokers
• Best for Long Term Investors: Magnifi
• Best for Investors Who Maintain Significant Margin Balances: TradeUP
• Best for Copy Trading: eToro
• Best for Active Traders: Moomoo
• Best for IPO Investing: SoFi Active Invest
• Best for Fund Investing: Charles Schwab
• Best for Short Selling over $25K: Cobra Investing

Best Stock Trading Apps

Stock trading apps offer real-time information and analysis. These apps provide up-to-date market data, including stock prices, charts, news, and financial analysis. Investors can utilize this information to make informed decisions about buying or selling stocks. Additionally, many trading apps offer various tools and indicators to help traders analyze market trends and make better investment choices. Overall, stock trading apps play a crucial role in democratizing stock market participation and empowering individual investors with convenient access to information and trading capabilities.

Here are some of our favorite stock trading apps along with a quick description of what they do and what kind of investing they’re best for. While these platforms are rated for their best attributes, you should also land on a platform that is most appropriate for your style, needs and goals.

1. Best for Mobile Users: Plus500

Plus500 is a global multi-asset fintech group that operates trading platforms globally, offering a range of trading products, including CFDs, Share dealing and Futures trading (US).

Highlights of the platform include:

• Quick onboarding
• Simplified mobile trading
• Easy-to-use platform
• CFDs for indices, ETFs, shares, forex, commodities, options and cryptocurrency
• Free deposits and withdrawals
• $100 minimum investment
• 0.7% currency conversion fee per transaction, when the currency in your account is different from those traded (Overnight Funding, Currency Conversion Fee, Guaranteed Stop Order, and Inactivity Fee)

However, Plus500 is not a platform for novices as it solely makes money from spreads and does not charge a commission. You may start trading Plus500 right away, leverage your experience, expand your portfolio, and start making money right away.

2. Best for Beginners: Robinhood

Robinhood offers commission-free trading on stock trades, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options, and some cryptocurrencies. You can buy fractional shares, set customized alerts and get regular updates with the latest news headlines related to your investments.

This is a great option for beginners because the UI makes it simple to start trading and learn the nuances of investing. It's also a great option for folks who want to start investing but have limited cash because its fractional shares make it easy to invest on any budget. Those investing for retirement, however, may miss out on tax breaks because Robinhood no longer offers IRAs or other tax-deferred retirement accounts.

Nonetheless, this is a simple guide to understanding how to manage a portfolio, how trading works, and what to invest in. Furthermore, the abundance of news and data available will instill in new investors the importance of investigating their stocks, conducting technical or fundamental analyses, and thinking twice before purchasing or selling.

Furthermore, the platform's low cost allows new users to "value invest" and hold specific assets rather than selling for immediate cash.

3. Best for Intermediate Traders and Investors: Webull

Webull is another commission-free trading platform for stocks, ETFs, options, cryptocurrency and more. The depth of analytical tools like charts, graphs and indicators Webull offers make it function more like an advanced trading platform even though it’s built into a user-friendly platform designed with mobile-first investors in mind.

Because of its minimal trading costs and plenty of free charting and technical analysis tools, it's an excellent choice for short- or medium-frequency methods. Although investors possessing rudimentary knowledge of charts and indicators can jump right in, there are ample educational materials and an easy-to-use interface that allow novices to become acquainted with the platform after experimenting with the features for some time.

On Webull, you can advance from basic investing ideas to advanced ones as you study. Webull's brokerage account makes it easy to build your portfolio because you won't feel like you've outgrown the platform in a matter of months. In addition, there are plenty of options to occupy your time as you increase your investments and experiment with different strategies to achieve the greatest outcomes.

4. Best for Copy Trading: AvaTrade

AvaTrade is one of the best places where you can trade stocks. Using this app, you can access your online account through AvaTrade, learn more about investing or try a demo accounts.

You can easily set up your account, invest at your own pace and take advantage of multilingual support that ensures all clients get the care they deserve.

5. Best for Active and Global Traders: Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers is one of the top choices for investors seeking access to a diverse range of tradable assets. The program includes stocks, options, futures, ETFs, mutual funds, currency, and even precious metals. Users can also access foreign markets. With so many assets available, investors will have no trouble constructing a diversified portfolio or enjoying a wide range of trading possibilities, regardless of the asset they want to trade..

There are also numerous account types, such as margin and IRA accounts, as well as light and pro plans. The pro package includes more analytical tools required for high frequency trading, however there is an inactivity fee if you do not trade frequently enough. The lite plan includes fewer analytical tools but no penalties for inactivity, making it ideal for passive investors or less regular traders.

Professional traders can build their portfolios with IBKR, utilizing the company’s powerful tools and endless insight. If you plan to open an institutional account, you can do so with IBKR, allowing you to invest on behalf of your business. This is a great platform for financial planners, new brokers or small business owners who want to do more with their money. Plus, everything on the institutional side works just as it does on the individual side.

6. Best for AI Investing: Magnifi

Magnifi is a marketplace that allows investors to utilize common brokerage tools and AI for optimal decision-making in their portfolios. With access to comprehensive asset information, investors can easily select assets that align with their strategy and yield desired outcomes.

Investors can search for alternative investment options, invest in specific categories, or find assets within their preferred price range. 

This platform caters to long-term investors and provides client support. Additionally, users can enhance their investing knowledge, leverage the AI-powered investing assistant, benefit from commission-free investing, utilize the mobile app, and choose from a wide range of over 15,000 alternative investments. Magnifi serves as an ideal trading platform for both seasoned and novice traders.

7. Best for Investors Who Maintain Significant Margin Balances

TradeUP App, TradeUP Securities, Inc. offers a mobile trading platform that allows investors to trade U.S. stocks, ETFs, and options without any commission or contract fees. The platform also has a low flat margin interest rate of 1.99%, which is advantageous in the current high borrowing cost environment. Competitors may charge up to 10% in comparison.

TradeUP offers attractive incentives to new investors, friend referrals, and account transfers as part of their commitment to creating a vibrant investor community. Their user-friendly platform is available on multiple platforms, including mobile apps, desktop versions (compatible with Windows and Mac download), and a web version. Additionally, users can benefit from a range of features.

• The Pro/Lite switch, which caters to a variety of experience levels
• An array of screeners, alerts and more
• Market news and data that streams in real-time

And, everything above comes to you free of charge.

TradeUP Securities, Inc. is a proud member of organizations like FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation), OCC (Option Clearing Corporation), NYSE (New York Stock Exchange), CBOE (Chicago Board Options Exchange), and DTCC (Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation), reflecting the platform’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards and adherence to industry regulations.

8. Best for Demo Accounts: eToro

eToros securities trading offered by eToro Securities, Inc, (“the BD”), member of FINRA and SIPC. Investing involves risk.

eToro is a platform well known for its crypto trading options along with forex trading. The platform also allows you to invest in stocks and ETFs and mix those assets with your current crypto holdings.

eToro’s platform makes it easy to invest by offering:

• Investing in full stocks and fractionals for as little as $10
• Engagement with real and experienced investors concerning strategies
• Detailed price charting and technical analysis

By investing with eToro, you can create a diverse portfolio that is easy to manage via the website or the mobile app. The amount of information available is powerful because you can see everything as soon as you visit the app. There is a list of movers that gives you an idea of where your best new opportunities are, and you can use the list of losers to determine if you should buy at the dip, sell or hold off until the stock bottoms out.

The colorful and modern design is engaging, easy to manage and simple to follow as you build your portfolio. Plus, you can use copy trading to align yourself with best practices if you want to get consistent results instead of making educated guesses every day.

9. Best for Active Traders: Moomoo

Moomoo is an intuitive investment and trading platform with a professional set of tools, data and insights. When you sign up with Moomoo and open a brokerage account with Moomoo Financial Inc., features include:

• Real-time Level 2 stock and options market data for funded accounts
• Advanced technical indicators and charting tools
• Advanced order types for all investors
• Full extended trading hours from 4 AM to 8 PM EST
• Multi-market quoting
• Low fees, including $0 commission on U.S. Stocks or ETFs and $0 equity options contract fees
• 5.1% APY in the Cash sweep program and a 3.0% APY boost for qualified users

You can review the FAQs in the Help Center if you need more information, or you can reach out to the customer support team via email or phone during the trading day.

There are educational tools and professional-grade research tools that complement a community that has 20M+ users worldwide.

10. Best for IPO Investing: SoFi Active Invest

SoFi Active Invest is a good option for passive investing with small amounts of capital. The account can be opened with no minimum and allows users to buy fractional shares. Free financial counseling is also provided by expert advisors. Sofi Active Invest offers automation features such as portfolio rebalancing, diversification, and recurring investments.

This is a really great resource for beginners and anyone interested in a more hands-off approach to investing that doesn’t require extensive research or fine-tuning a strategy. However, it is light on tradable assets as it lacks mutual funds and other assets that some investors might want, so make sure it offers the securities you’re interested in before you open an account.

Nonetheless, it is a great platform for accessing IPOs. With SoFi, you can invest in IPOs, hold them, and monitor their value. If you have a well-established portfolio elsewhere, but want IPO access without transferring all your assets, SoFi is a suitable choice.

11. Best for Fund Investing: Charles Schwab

Another trading app with a major bank behind it, Charles Schwab is the ideal app for a wide range of investors. It offers tons of educational resources, extensive fundamental and technical research tools, several account types, and several trading platforms, complete with real-time quotes, screeners, technical indicators, pattern analysis, and more.

However, not all tools and features are included in every platform. If you want to experiment with different investing styles, you'll find yourself jumping from platform to platform. This will be less of an issue for individuals who are dedicated to a single investment style. More passive, buy-and-hold investors will find almost everything they need on TradeSource, while aggressive day or swing traders will have access to the majority of the tools they want on StreetSmart Edge.

Remember, however, that Charles Schwab has always positioned itself as the nice, no-nonsense broker who makes your life as easy as possible. Schwab has sought safe ways to invest its clients' money since the 1980s, as seen by television advertising featuring Charles himself. This platform is ideal for fund investing since it exposes you to a diverse variety of funds that provide strong returns, security, and safety even in low markets.

12. Best for Short Selling Over $25K: Cobra Trading

With low commissions and DAS fee waivers for high volume traders, the Cobra Trading app is tailored to day traders and scalpers. The DAS (Direct Access Software) platform offers faster order execution and access to multiple exclusive data feeds. With Cobra Trading, you’re able to connect your brokerage account directly to your DAS platform to enjoy high level analysis and rapid-speed trading all at once.

Cobra Trading is best app developer, suited for high frequency, high volume provider, suited for high frequency, high volume traders due to its account minimum of $25,000 and fee waivers reserved for high volume trading. The DAS platform access, range of data packages, and short locate monitors make it a robust app for day trading or scalping, particularly for advanced high frequency traders.

Additionally, Cobra Trading offers flexibility for professional traders looking to engage in short selling purchases. It not only educates average consumers on how short selling works, but also provides a reliable platform for professional traders to achieve optimal results.

Frequently Asked Questions