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It’s not uncommon for us to see headlines of people “getting rich” by trading hot stocks. What’s less noticed are the millions who do it quietly and deliberately. Take note of this second group, because their actions often start small and the effects compound with time.

In fact, many achieve their retirement goals by making the simple decision to invest small amounts of money early in life and continue doing so on a regular basis through retirement, Gen Z and Millennials included. The odds of reaching a financially secure retirement increase dramatically when you take a few easy steps as early as possible.

This article discusses the best micro-investing apps available to Millennials, Gen-Zers and any generation interested in learning how to invest small amounts of money steadily and consistently over time.

Best Micro-Investing Apps—Our Top Picks


Fun, Easy Stock Trading App for Beginners
Personal Finance-Focused Stock Trading App
Stock Trading App for Intermediate Investors
Primary Rating:
4.5
Primary Rating:
4.4
Primary Rating:
4.9
Get a free stock for signing up
No commissions on stock and ETF trades.
No commissions on stock and ETF trades.
Fun, Easy Stock Trading App for Beginners
Primary Rating:
4.5
Get a free stock for signing up
Personal Finance-Focused Stock Trading App
Primary Rating:
4.4
No commissions on stock and ETF trades.
Stock Trading App for Intermediate Investors
Primary Rating:
4.9
No commissions on stock and ETF trades.

Best Micro-Investing Apps

AppBest ForFeesPromotions
Robinhood logo thinRobinhood☆ 4.4 / 5
Basic stock, crypto and ETF investing
No-commission stock and ETF tradesBonus stock with sign up worth $5-$200
sofi logo transparent text thinSoFi Invest®☆ 4.8 / 5
Active trading and robo-investing
No-commission stock and ETF tradesBonus stock worth between $5-$1,000
betterment logo color text thinBetterment☆ 4.8 / 5
Investors looking to build a globally-diversified portfolio and leverage tax-loss harvesting
$4/mo., but changes to 0.25% annual AUM fee if you set up recurring monthly deposits totaling $250, or reach a balance of at least $20,000 across all Betterment accounts. Premium: 0.65% annual AUM feeNone
public logo transparent text thinPublic.com☆ 4.7 / 5
Free investment app with access to alternatives
No-commission stock and ETF tradesNone
acorns logo transparent text thinAcorns☆ 4.8 / 5
Automated investing in the background into diversified investments
$3/mo.-$12/mo.$20 bonus when you set up recurring investments and make your first successful recurring investment
Webull logo thinWebull☆ 4.7 / 5
Self-directed investors and intermediate traders
No-commission stock and ETF trades20 bonus stocks valued between $60-$60,000
m1 finance logo color thinM1 Finance☆ 4.3 / 5
Fee-free active trading and automated investing
No-commission stock and ETF trades, $3/mo. fee if account balance <$10,000None
greenlight logo thinGreenlight Max☆ 4.7 / 5
Teaching investing fundamentals with guidance from parents; allows individual and index fund investing
Max: $9.98/mo. Infinity: $14.98/mo.None

 

1. Robinhood (Best Simple Stock Trading App for Beginners)


robinhood signup new2

  • Available: Sign up here
  • Price: Zero-commission equity trades
  • Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Robinhood is a pioneer of low-cost trading, jumping into the investing public’s consciousness in 2013 when they rolled out commission-free trading. They remain a standout option for cost-minded investors thanks to their continued $0 commissions on stocks, ETFs, and options, as well as for its fractional trading, which allows people to invest with as little as $1.

More importantly, though, Robinhood has evolved from a bare-bones app appealing to mostly beginner investors to a fuller-featured account suitable for a wider range of experience levels. For instance, Robinhood now offers individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and Roth IRAs via Robinhood Retirement.

Sign up for a Robinhood brokerage account or Robinhood retirement account today.

Related: 8 Best Stock Picking Services, Sites, Advisors and Subscriptions

2. SoFi Invest®


sofi invest signup
SoFi Invest
  • Available: Sign up here
  • Price: Zero-commission equity trades, annual 0.25% AUM fee for robo-advisor
  • Available: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)

SoFi Invest is an app that allows you to track stocks and trade your money. The well-known brand in the personal finance space also has a presence in the investing world by offering no-commission trades on stocks, ETFs, options and more.

The service provides you the ability to trade actively or stand back and let its robo-investing tools take over. This micro investing app allows you to trade in fractional shares, called “stock bits” by SoFi. Fractional shares are tiny portions of a share of stock worth less than the full value of one share. This means you don’t need to save up a lot of money before buying some of your favorite tech companies like Alphabet (Google), Amazon or Facebook.

The app is a great choice for investing your spare change or adding more to the market at once by tapping into savings accounts to make larger deposits on a regular basis. Therefore, this app might make a good place to hold your investment accounts because you’ll have options of how to invest money.

The company wants to serve all customers who have an interest in improving their financial situation alongside participating in their other personal finance products like refinanced student loans, money management, credit cards and more.

Start by making a $5 deposit today and maintaining this low account minimum.

Related: 8 Best Fractional Share Brokerages to Buy Partial Stocks & ETFs

3. Betterment (Best for Automation and Tax-Loss Harvesting)


betterment signup
Betterment
  • Available: Click the “Get Started” button below
  • Price: Betterment: $4/mo. or 0.25%/yr. AUM fee*; Betterment Premium: 0.65%/yr. AUM fee**
  • Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Betterment is a robo-advisor platform that allows you to invest in pre-built portfolios—with different themes and goals—in taxable accounts as well as individual retirement plans.

Betterment’s primary offering is ETF-only portfolios that provide varying types of exposure depending on your risks and interest. For instance, Core is a stock-and-bond portfolio that keeps you invested in most domestic and international securities, in the ratio of stocks to bonds that’s most appropriate for you. Social Impact buys stocks and bonds of companies with “a demonstrated focus on supporting social equity and minority empowerment.”

There are no self-directed options, however. The portfolios buy fractional shares of ETF index funds tracking benchmarks like the S&P 500 to keep you invested in stocks and bonds. But the service does not allow you to invest in individual stocks or bonds. The app has added crypto portfolios holding digital currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, but again, you can’t buy them individually—only through pre-built portfolios held in separate crypto accounts.

One interesting perk that stands out: Betterment’s tax-loss harvesting feature.

If you invest in a taxable account, and you sell an investment for a gain, you’ll owe taxes on those gains. (What you owe differs depending on whether you’ve held that investment for more than a year.) However, if you sell an investment for a loss, you can use that to offset your capital gains, and thus the taxes you’d pay on them, or if your loss is more than your gains (or you don’t have any gains at all), you can even reduce taxes owed on your personal income, subject to a $3,000 annual cap.

It can be a complicated strategy, but Betterment’s Tax Loss Harvesting+ automates the process for you. It will regularly check your portfolio for tax-loss harvesting opportunities, then take the proceeds from selling those investments and reinvest them where it makes sense for you.

Just note that Betterment is different from many traditional brokers in that it’s a subscription-based product. Betterment charges $4 per month to start; however, if you set up recurring monthly deposits totaling $250, or reach a balance of at least $20,000 across all Betterment accounts, the fee changes to 0.25% of all assets under management. Betterment Premium provides unlimited financial guidance from a Certified Financial Planner™. Premium costs 0.65% annually, and upgrading requires having at least $100,000 in assets with Betterment.

 

4. Public.com (Best Investment App for Beginners With Alternative Investments)


Public.com signup
Public.com
  • Price: Zero-commission equity trades

Public.com is a commission-free micro investing app that targets Millennials and Gen-Zers who have attuned their senses to social media. While the company previously followed the lead of apps like Robinhood with monetizing Payment for Order Flow (PFOF), or receiving kickbacks from clearinghouses for routing trades to them, they’ve recently abandoned this practice.

Instead, they now rely on other revenue streams as well as a “tipping” system. This places this beginner investment app firmly on the side of retail investors and not pledging allegiance to Wall Street clearinghouses.

Why is Public.com a Good Investment App for Beginners?

What Public.com is really about is making investing like an investing social network, where members can own fractional shares of stocks and ETFs, follow popular creators, and share ideas within a community of investors.

What Public.com aims to do above all else is make the stock market an inclusive and educational place, with social features that make it easy to collaborate as you build your confidence as an investor—for free.

For younger investors who want to align their investing with their social preferences, as well as keep good company to socialize and learn from others, Public.com might be the app for you.

For those interested in starting to trade on Public.com, the online broker platform for beginners offers a free signup bonus if you make an initial deposit.

Further, you can share your special link with others and gift them free stocks (fractional shares) as well.

If this sounds like an interesting investment app, open an account and make an initial deposit to see if the app meets your social and investing needs.

Read more in our Public.com investing app review.

Related: Best Free Investing Apps

5. Acorns (Best Micro-Investing App to Learn About Investing)


acorns signup

  • Available: Sign up here
  • Price: Personal: $3/mo. Personal Plus: $6/mo. Premium: $12/mo.
  • Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple IOS, Android)

Acorns is a micro investing app for minors and young adults who wish to start with a small amount of money in their investments. You can choose to invest your spare change through a linked debit card and make regular deposits to contribute to your investment portfolio.

With more time, these recurring contributions and rounded up deposits from your purchases could grow into a large portfolio over time. Hence the company’s name, Acorns: start small like an acorn but grow strong into a mighty oak tree. The service doesn’t charge money to make trades on your behalf, but it does charge an account fee depending on the services you select for your account.

When you set up an account, you answer questions related to your risk tolerance, financial goals and how much money you have to invest in stocks and bonds in your Acorns brokerage account. Consider these questions akin to what a financial advisor might ask when setting up an account to manage. Based on your answers, it makes recommendations for investment vehicles like stocks, bonds and real estate to create a diversified investment portfolio.

The service charges a monthly fee for users. Though, it doesn’t charge trading commissions when your money gets invested on your behalf in fractional shares of ETFs. Instead, it charges an account fee depending on the subscription plan you select for your account. These subscriptions provide various services that help young adults reach their goals, making it one of the best money apps for kids.

Their plans are as follows:

  • Acorns Personal ($3 per month): Includes an Acorns Invest investment account, as well as Acorns Later for tax-advantaged investment options such as Roth IRAs. Also includes Acorns Checking, a bank account that has no account fees, lets you withdraw fee-free from more than 55,000 ATMs nationwide, and Smart Deposit, which allows you to automatically invest a bit of each paycheck into your Acorns accounts.
  • Acorns Personal Plus ($6 per month): Everything in Acorns Personal (Acorns Invest, Later, and Checking), plus Premium Education, which are live onboarding sessions covering account setup, Round-Ups, setting up recurring investments, and more; Emergency Fund; and a 25% bonus on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month).
  • Acorns Premium ($12 per month): Everything in Personal Plus, plus Acorns Early, which allows you to open a custodial investment account for your child so you can begin investing for them while they’re a minor; custom portfolios that allow you to hold individual stocks; live Q&As with financial experts; a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month); $10,000 in life insurance; even the ability to set up a will for free.

Learn more in our Acorns review.

Related: Best Online Stock Brokers for Beginners

6. Webull (Best Stock Trading App for Beginners)


webull signup new 2024
Webull
  • Available: Sign up here
  • Price: Zero-commission equity trades
  • Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Webull came into the stock trading world in 2018 when it started challenging Robinhood for market share. This stock trading app offers free stock trading (no trading fees) as well as free trades on ETFs, options and cryptocurrencies.

The company also recently added the ability to trade fractional shares, making this a great app for micro investing.

Like most investment apps available, the company provides access to trade on your smartphone, tablet or desktop.

Further, it charges no commissions for the trades because Webull makes money on other actions you take, like Payment for Order Flow (PFOF), margin loans, interest on cash and service fees for their Nasdaq TotalView Level 2 Advances quotes subscription.

Webull also provides you access to several powerful tools you can use for in-depth trading analysis.

If these account features sound attractive, the best part might also come with knowing setting up a Webull account is free and comes with no account minimums you must meet or maintain.

Finally, to de-risk your sign up, Webull also runs frequent promotions that give free stocks.

Read more in our Webull review.

Related: Best Stock Trading Apps to Use as a Beginner

7. M1 (Best Complete Financial Solution Micro Investing Stock App)


m1 finance sign up

  • Available: Sign up here
  • Price: Zero-commission on equity trades, accounts <$10k pay $3/mo.
  • Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

M1 offers free stock trading but also provides automated investing according to your predetermined investment decisions as this site’s top robo-advisor pick.

What we like most about this app compared to other investment platforms is the ability to make recurring deposits that automatically get invested into your portfolio.

You can use fractional shares on M1 to break down your favorite investments into bite-sized additions to your brokerage account.

M1 acts as a single personal finance app to assist with building wealth through automating your investments into diversified portfolios, having a bank account and linked debit card that provide market-beating interest rates and have access to valuable personal finance literature.

Most importantly, investing with M1 can be as simple as depositing money, setting your stock and index fund selections and having the platform automate your investments on your behalf. I’ve said it before, but this truly automates your investments if you set up recurring deposits, allowing your wealth to build.

From there, M1 automatically rebalances your portfolio in line with your stated asset allocation targets. Doing this at regular intervals has been shown to improve overall portfolio performance. It does so by moving outperforming funds into underperforming ones, capturing a value effect over time as returns revert to the mean.

Consider opening an investment account with M1.

Read more in our M1 review.

Related: Best Debit Cards for Kids

8. Greenlight (Micro-Investing App for Minors)


greenlight sign up new

  • Available: Sign up here
  • Price: Greenlight Max: $9.98/mo. Greenlight Infinity: $14.98/mo.
  • Platforms: Mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)

Greenlight, through its Max and Infinity tiers, is an investment account for kids that comes paired with a debit card and bank account.

It’s easy to use and can double as a savings account and banking apps for teens. The app will teach the basics of investing, how to invest in stocks and ETFs, etc. Parents and guardians will need to approve trades made in the investment account.

The all-in-one plan teaches them important financial skills like money management and investing fundamentals — with real money, real stocks and real-life lessons.

You can use the investing feature to:

  • Start investing with as little as $1 in your account
  • Buy fractional shares of companies your kids admire
  • No trading commissions beyond the monthly subscription fee
  • Teens can only invest in stocks and ETFs with a market capitalization over $1 billion.
  • Parents must approve every trade directly in the app.

An app like Greenlight is one of the best investments for kids. Consider opening a Greenlight Max or Infinity account to start investing in a brokerage account for your kids today, or read more in our Greenlight Card review.

Related: Best Prepaid Debit Cards for Teens & Family [Reloadable]

What is Micro-Investing?


It’s hard to fight the math behind investing in small amounts consistently over time. If you can start investing as little as $100 per week (or 10% of your paycheck) by your early 30s and grow these contributions over time, you’re very likely to hit the millionaire mark by retirement. Yet, not enough people do.

Over 100 million adults in the United States don’t have an investment account, leading them toward an uncertain financial future. Many choose to deposit money into a savings account instead.

The interest earned in these accounts will not make a significant dent in your retirement preparation like investing can. Investing is more powerful than leaving cash in a savings account.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be in that number. With a simple approach you can easily get started by following these investing principles:

  • keep it simple
  • keep investing
  • keep portfolios diversified
  • commit to your financial health

What Are Micro-Investing Apps?


Investing scares many when it really shouldn’t. While it might be hard to get started investing, it is tougher to retire without any money.

In the last decade, many services work to make investing easy and affordable.

These micro investing sites simplify your investing experience and can put you in a great position for a secure retirement.

The right time to invest is now and it all starts with a simple download of a micro investing, robo-advisor app like Acorns. But don’t let that investing term scare you.

A robo-investing app takes your deposits and automatically invests them in a diversified portfolio.

This personalized solution simplifies investing and earns you far more than you would by leaving cash in a savings account.

By investing $100 per week over 40 years, you can grow your investments to $1.5 million by retirement.

Doing so requires consistent contributions into your micro stock trading robo-investor app and allowing compounding returns to do the heavy lifting.

For example, the average diversified portfolio earns 8% on average. That means the 8% you might earn this year will then have 8% earned on it the next year and the next, and so on.

While your actual returns will vary year to year, this should show why getting started as early as possible makes the biggest difference.

If you want to take the first step towards a secure retirement, that means taking action today.

Start by downloading a micro investing app, opening an account and setting up your recurring deposits.

What Are the Best Micro Investing Apps?


In truth, no one app serves every individual person’s needs the same. Some investors choose to follow a more active approach while others would rather a set-it-and-forget style.

While I espouse the latter more so on this site, I don’t necessarily think investing in individual stocks is a bad approach when using stock analysis and research to guide your decision-making.

In fact, stock picking services like the Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor and Epic have shown tremendous outperformance over the last two decades and really represent a significant value for investors looking to rely on others for making stock picks.

Some stock newsletters may even want to practice a more active form of trading and get vetted stock alerts sent directly to their phones to take advantage of market movements.

As long as you account for your risk preferences and level of commitment to following the market, your investment choices will depend on you.

No matter your investing style, when you want to get started investing, you want to look for micro investing apps that provide the functionality you want without feeling overwhelmed.

Therefore, the best stock trading app for you depends on your experience, investing goals, and desired level of educational support.

Beginners benefit from micro investing platforms that have the least amount of fees, low-cost investment options, educational resources and the ability to build a diversified portfolio in alignment with your financial goals.

They want all of this without getting lost in distraction if they can’t make sense of the information provided.

The adage of “keep it simple, stupid” usually applies, especially at the start.

Apps that provide a one stop shop for managing your personal finances often act as a great starting point. This means including your banking, spending and investing needs.

As you develop a better understanding of the market, you’ll want to extend your investing reach into new areas and see if other investing styles suit your needs. Your app should accommodate these growing needs.

With that in mind, this list of the best micro investing apps looks to offer simplified investing experiences at the start but ones which can still serve your needs as you grow your investing knowledge.

We try to highlight free apps where possible because investing your money shouldn’t come with charges unless the service provides other value-added products for managing your money.

About the Author

Riley Adams is the Founder and CEO of Young and the Invested. He is a licensed CPA who worked at Google as a Senior Financial Analyst overseeing advertising incentive programs for the company’s largest advertising partners and agencies. Previously, he worked as a utility regulatory strategy analyst at Entergy Corporation for six years in New Orleans.

His work has appeared in major publications like Kiplinger, MarketWatch, MSN, TurboTax, Nasdaq, Yahoo! Finance, The Globe and Mail, and CNBC’s Acorns. Riley currently holds areas of expertise in investing, taxes, real estate, cryptocurrencies and personal finance where he has been cited as an authoritative source in outlets like CNBC, Time, NBC News, APM’s Marketplace, HuffPost, Business Insider, Slate, NerdWallet, Investopedia, The Balance and Fast Company.

Riley holds a Masters of Science in Applied Economics and Demography from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance from Centenary College of Louisiana.