brokerages.html Skip to content
Capital Allocation

Where your money goes to work.

Six platforms, matched to how you invest. Every app below is commission-free and used by everyone from first-timers to full-time traders — the real question is fit. Sort by how you actually invest, then open an account on the platform’s own site.

Sort by style

Robinhood

All-around

Simple enough for one tap, deep enough for futures and a desktop terminal.

  • Commission-free stocks, ETFs, options, futures & crypto
  • Robinhood Legend desktop platform for active traders
  • Traditional & Roth IRAs with a contribution match
  • Fractional shares and 24/5 trading, no minimum
Open Robinhood account

Public

Multi-asset

Stocks, bonds, Treasuries, and crypto in one deliberately serious app.

  • Stocks, ETFs, options, bonds, Treasuries & crypto
  • Bond Account plus a high-yield cash option
  • Fractional shares, plus rebates when you trade options
  • Built for long-term investors who want it all in one place
Open Public account

Acorns

Automated

Puts saving on autopilot by investing your spare change.

  • Round-Ups invest spare change automatically
  • Expert-built ETF portfolios with recurring investing
  • Retirement (Later) and kids’ accounts (Early)
  • Bronze, Silver, and Gold subscription tiers
Open Acorns account

Webull

Active traders

Advanced charts, extended hours, and a paper-trading simulator.

  • Commission-free stocks, ETFs, and options
  • Advanced charts, screeners, and keyboard hotkeys
  • Full extended-hours trading and a paper-trading mode
  • Traditional, Roth, and rollover IRAs
Open Webull account

M1 Finance

Portfolio automation

Design a portfolio as a ‘Pie’ and let it rebalance itself.

  • Custom ‘Pies’ with automatic rebalancing
  • Invest, borrow, and spend in one app
  • Taxable, Roth, Traditional & SEP IRAs, plus high-yield cash
  • No management fee; a small platform fee at lower balances
Open M1 Finance account

SoFi

All-in-one

Invest, bank, and borrow under one login — with free financial planners.

  • Active investing plus an automated (robo) option
  • Fractional shares and early access to IPOs
  • Access to certified financial planners with SoFi Plus
  • Pairs with SoFi banking, loans, and credit
Open SoFi account

How this page works

These platforms are ordered by how broadly they fit, and every button links straight to the platform’s own site. A platform is here because it is a legitimate, widely-used broker worth showing a real person — the same list I’d give a friend who asked where to start.

There are no affiliate links on this page today. If partnerships are added later, any commission comes at no cost to you, and it will not change what is recommended or the order it appears.

Before you sign up

Rewards, promotions, and account minimums change often and vary by state. Confirm the current offer and terms on the platform’s own site before you deposit.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. This page is a starting point for your own research.