Micro-investing apps allow you to dip your toe into the stock market without breaking the bank. Their simple interfaces and low minimums let you start investing with just a few bucks. Many provide education to help first-timers learn the ropes. Here are our top picks of the best micro-investing apps:
- M1 Finance: Best overall, especially if you want custom portfolios with minimal effort. M1 creates and rebalances portfolios for you based on your goals.
- SoFi: Ideal if you’re looking for guidance. SoFi provides diversified, professionally managed portfolios and financial advising to help you reach your goals.
- Acorns: Perfect for turning your spare change into investments. Acorns round up your daily purchases and invest the difference in the stock market.
- Robinhood: Robinhood offers an easy-to-use mobile app to buy and sell U.S. stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies with zero account minimums or commission fees.
- Public.com: Great if you want to invest in companies that match your values. Public.com lets you invest in stocks and ETFs focused on social impact and sustainability.
M1 Finance
M1 Finance lets you build easy-to-manage, custom portfolios through its pie investing feature. With pie investing, you choose stocks and ETFs to create a portfolio tailored to your needs. M1 automates the investing process so your portfolio stays balanced.
M1 offers taxable investment accounts and traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, rollover IRA, trust, and custodial accounts. There are no management fees for basic accounts. M1 Finance has over $5 billion in assets under management and counting.
M1 builds expert pie templates for hands-free investing based on your financial goals. But for hands-on investors, you can create custom pies and customize allocations. M1 simplifies portfolio management through automatic rebalancing, dividend reinvesting, and tax optimization.
SoFi Invest
SoFi Invest’s auto-invest portfolios are ideal for beginners. With no management fees, you can start with just $5 and let SoFi create a personalized portfolio based on your financial goals. SoFi uses low-cost ETFs and automatically rebalances your investments to keep you on track.
SoFi’s Active Investing platform also offers commission-free stock and ETF trading for DIY investors. Though it lacks some tools for advanced traders, it’s a solid choice for new investors learning the ropes.
SoFi Invest is an excellent micro-investing app for new investors looking to dip their toes in the stock market with little risk or cost. The $5 minimum deposit means anyone can start building wealth through the power of the stock market, which will also get you access to the best stock chatrooms.
Acorns
Acorns is a simple investing app that lets you round up all your purchases and invest whatever is left over. The app does the rest.
You link your credit or debit card to Acorns to get started. Then, any time you make a purchase, it will be rounded up. So, if you buy something for $4.56, Acorns will round it up to $5.00.
Those who need extra help saving don’t want to be too involved in the process. Also, Acorns Family allows you to create investment accounts for children. As far as balances, investments are SIPC-insured up to $500,000. Acorns Spend balances are FDIC insured up to $500,000.
Robinhood
Robinhood is a popular free stock trading app that lets you buy and sell stocks without commissions or fees. You can start with just $1 and trade stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies — all commission-free.
The app provides news feeds, alerts, and research tools to help new investors learn the ropes. Robinhood also offers a premium subscription, Robinhood Gold, with advanced features like bigger instant deposits and margin trading.
New Robinhood customers get a free stock (valued between $2.50 and $200) just for signing up. Robinhood is worth a look if you’re looking for an easy, affordable way to start investing in the stock market. The free trades and simple interface are ideal for new investors ready to plunge into stocks, ETFs, or options trading. For the stocks, make sure you use reputable stock research websites.
Public.com
Public.com lets you invest as little as $5 in the stock market. This micro-investing app offers fractional shares of stocks and ETFs, crypto, and alternative assets investments at zero commission.
Public has two plans: a free basic plan and a Premium for $10/month. Join the waitlist for Premium. The free plan is great for new investors to learn the ropes. You’ll have access to educational resources to build an investment strategy and connect with other investors.
Public is ideal for small, regular contributions. It may not suit active traders, as it lacks options, futures, and margin trading. But for long-term, buy-and-hold investors, Public makes the stock market accessible.
Overview of The Best Micro Investing Apps
You now have a few of the best micro-investing apps at your fingertips that you can pair with some of the best net-worth trackers in the market. It’s never too early (or too late) to start investing in your future, even if you only have a few bucks to spare each week. So, download one of these apps, link your bank account, and get invested.
Start with just $5 or $10 if that’s all you can afford. The important thing is that you start. While $5 or $10 a week may not seem like a lot now, it can add up over time, thanks to the power of compounding returns.