Best Trading Platforms for Beginners: Tested in 2026

Recognized as a Top 100 Money Expert by GoBankingRates + MoneyLion and selected again in 2025, Ryan shares insights based on his own investing journey to help others build wealth. And just like that, you are on your way to investing and building future wealth. You can also design your investment plan according to your specific needs — whether you want to focus on socially responsible funds or even venture into cryptocurrencies. What’s more (they introduced individual stock investing), allowing DIY investors to buy stocks, ETFs, and REITs, either individually or as part of curated collections.

• Starting to offer direct indexing is quite a significant accomplishment for Public; this method entails investing in every single stock listed in an index instead of an ETF that monitors it.
• Gains on investments held for one year or less are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates — while investments held for more than a year may qualify for lower long-term capital gains rates.
• An experienced media professional, John has a decade of editorial experience with a background that includes key leadership roles at global newsroom outlets.
• Although Interactive Investor’s flat fee structure may not be the most affordable option for smaller portfolios, it still provides good value and is beneficial for beginners to understand their monthly platform fees.
• For long-term investors, the ability to trade stocks and ETFs without commission is essentially all that is necessary for constructing a buy-and-hold portfolio.

Below, we’ve listed online brokerages whose mobile apps offer everything a new investor might need. And considering how easy they are to use, it makes sense that new investors are turning to mobile platforms to spy etf price get into the stock market. Advertiser disclosureThese five investing apps can help anyone get started no matter what their ultimate investing goals are. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. He is a long-time active investor and engages in research on emerging markets like cryptocurrency.

The two methods of investing described above are commonly referred to as investing for income, and investing for growth. For instance (if you purchased one share in Apple for $200), and its dividend yield was 2.5%, you would receive annual dividend payments of $5. Also (non-trading costs), such as platform fees or withdrawal fees, will vary between different brokers, so it’s worth taking these into consideration when choosing the best trading apps.

The 10 best stock trading apps reviewed

However, it lacks access to mutual funds outside of its IRA offering. That said (all the new offerings are undoubtedly a good thing), and likely offset the declining UX. As Webull has continued to add new offerings (retirement accounts (access to cryptocurrency), IRA matching, advanced trading features, etc.), it feels like the app is literally filling up. It’s a great tool for building confidence using these highly technical and often daunting platforms.

Best brokerage accounts for beginners

It’s a suitable choice for traders focused exclusively on US markets, but other platforms provide broader investment opportunities. However — it’s limited to US stocks, which may not suit those seeking global diversification. Education includes podcasts (webinars), and more and risk management features can be automated. There are over 23,500+ stocks available from global markets which is one of the highest numbers I have come across to date. The flat fee works out really well for larger investment pots and includes all the account types. One notable update is XTB’s expanded product range (now offering access to over 6,900 instruments), including 3,000+ stocks and 1,300 ETFs.

Moomoo — Best for free pro-grade research

If you want to try algorithmic trading, you’ll need a broker that offers an API that can support that. This includes lower margin rates and bulk discounts on options trades. Options are popular with day traders, given their short timeframes and wild price volatility, so an options trading platform with a “negative” cost may appeal to many day traders. I picked Public because a 1% IRA match and AI-automated investing made growing my portfolio effortless.

Many , but not all, brokerages charge a monthly fee if your account balance doesn’t exceed a minimum limit, while fees and currency conversion costs may apply if you trade foreign stocks and ETFs. Where this platform falls short compared to other online brokerages is its account fee (which can be $0 if conditions met), otherwise $100/year. While many other Big Bank brokerages have made our list of the best stock trading apps, the National Bank Direct Brokerage takes top spot. Qtrade is another top pick for the best online brokerages in Canada that offers commission-free trades on both Canadian and US stocks and ETFs. The Raisin marketplace gives you access to high-yield savings products with competitive interest rates, to help grow your idle funds.

A detailed examination of what each platform provides (including the benefits and drawbacks that beginners must weigh before selecting an investment option), is presented below. This guide features a compilation of 14 investment apps that excel in usability (features), and general accessibility. With ten years of editorial expertise, John is a seasoned media professional who has held significant leadership positions in international newsroom organizations. Today, find out if this app aligns with your portfolio needs.

M1 Finance not only provides individual brokerage accounts but also accommodates retirement accounts such as traditional and Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, and Trust accounts. Firstly, it is filled with features that are attractive to both novice and experienced traders. Even after utilizing the promotional offers, there remains much to appreciate about moomoo. Given that the typical savings account yields less than 1% annually, this promotion is undeniably valuable.

It’s easy enough to change this in your account settings after the fact — but it’s the fact that it was the default option that rubbed me the wrong way. Still — it adds to Public’s appeal as an excellent app for building diversification. Public lets users choose either pre-made portfolios or customize their own of up to 20 stocks (ETFs or cryptocurrencies), select allocations for each asset, and set regular contributions to this portfolio. It’s a fairly big achievement for Public to start offering direct indexing — a technique that involves investing in each individual stock listed in an index, rather than, say, an ETF that tracks the index.

Don’t forget margin, it’s not a fee, but it does represent the capital needed to hold a position. Some brokers offer bundled pricing that includes all fees in one number, while others break them out separately. Beyond futures, many brokers are now offering after hours or overnight trading on stocks and ETFs on alternative exchanges. I recommend bookmarking the CME’s trading calendar, which includes holiday schedules and contract-specific trading times. Interactive Brokers also offers powerful platforms like Trader Workstation, which may feel advanced at first but rewards beginners who want to grow into more sophisticated trading over time.

You can trade across 90+ markets with strong mobile and web tools, plus very low FX fees , about 0.03%, and fractional shares from $1. Its flat monthly pricing can work out cheaper than percentage-based fees once your portfolio grows (and it supports ISAs and SIPPs alongside shares), ETFs, funds, and bonds. I tested it with £1,000 up front, £100 a month for 10 years and 5% annual growth, and it returned £17,175.24. To qualify you’ll need to hold an open position, make at least one trade during the month, or hold a funded Smart Portfolio. Its annual platform fee is a flat £36 per year, which can be good value versus percentage-based platforms once your portfolio grows. What still sits behind the paid Standard and Plus tiers is lower FX fees and higher interest on cash, and the Basic plan’s 0.99% FX fee is higher than some competitors charge.

For beginners (it might seem like a lot), but if you’re serious about learning and growing your investments, Interactive Brokers is a solid choice. The platform offers a lot of tools to help you learn and make decisions — but it’s up to you to do your homework and understand what you’re investing in. While eToro is known for its social features and ease of use — it’s important to remember that investing always carries risk.