For most first-time investors, Fidelity is the best overall pick — $0 commissions, $0 account minimum, fractional shares, and the widest range of account types (including Roth and Traditional IRAs), with no subscription fee. If you want fully automated, hands-off investing instead, Betterment is the strongest robo-advisor at a 0.25%/year fee.
Nearly every major broker now offers commission-free stock and ETF trades, so the meaningful differences between them are account minimums, fractional-share support, available account types, and — for the automated options — how the fee is actually structured.
Fees and features verified July 24, 2026 against each provider's own pricing page and cross-checked against NerdWallet and StockBrokers.com. Fee structures for robo-advisors and subscription-based apps change periodically — confirm current terms before opening an account.
How the top investing apps compare
| Broker | Rating | Cost | Account minimum | Standout feature | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity PartnerBest for: first-time investors | ★★★★★4.9 | $0 commission | $0 | 7,000+ fractional shares, full range of account types, no subscription fee | Open account |
| Betterment PartnerBest for: fully automated portfolios | ★★★★★4.7 | 0.25%/yr (or $5/mo flat) | $0 ($10 to start investing) | Automatic rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, goal-based planning | Open account |
| WebullBest for: active, research-driven traders | ★★★★☆4.4 | $0 commission ($3.99/mo optional Premium tier) | $0 | Advanced charting, $0 options contract fees, paper trading | Visit site |
| AcornsBest for: hands-off, automatic savers | ★★★★☆4.2 | $3–$12/mo flat subscription | $0 | Automatic round-up investing, bundled IRA + checking | Visit site |
Acorns' flat monthly fee (not a % of assets) means it's relatively more expensive on small balances and cheaper than percentage-based robo-advisors once your balance grows — see the math in "two things that matter" below. Ratings are Wealthward's own — see methodology below.
Two things that matter more than a slick interface
- Flat fees vs. percentage fees on small balances. Acorns' cheapest tier is $3/month — $36/year. On a $1,000 balance, that's a 3.6% annual drag, far worse than a 0.25% robo-advisor fee. The math flips as your balance grows: at $14,400, Acorns' flat fee equals the 0.25% industry-standard rate, and it gets cheaper from there. Acorns makes the most sense once you're contributing regularly and your balance has some size to it — not as a place to park $50.
- How "free" trading actually makes money. Commission-free brokers like Fidelity and Webull generally earn revenue through payment for order flow — routing your trade orders to market makers who pay for that flow — plus interest on uninvested cash and premium subscription tiers. This can very slightly affect execution price; it's not usually a dealbreaker, but it's worth knowing the broker is still generating revenue from your account somehow.
Our pick for most people
If you want one simple answer: Fidelity's combination of $0 minimums, $0 subscription fee, fractional shares, and support for every common account type (including Roth/Traditional IRA) covers what most first-time investors actually need, without a monthly charge eating into a small balance. If you'd rather not choose your own investments at all, Betterment is the strongest fully-automated alternative.
Open a Fidelity accountNot sure how much to invest each month? Run the numbers in our investment growth calculator, or compare all reviews.
How we chose these brokers
We compared fees, account minimums, available account types, and fractional-share support using each provider's own pricing and disclosure pages, cross-checked against NerdWallet and StockBrokers.com as of July 24, 2026. We did not rank by commission size.
Frequently asked questions
No. Most major brokers now have no account minimum and support fractional shares, so you can start investing with as little as a few dollars. The habit of investing regularly matters far more than the size of your first deposit.
Reputable U.S. brokers are SIPC-insured, which protects up to $500,000 in securities (including $250,000 in cash) if the brokerage itself fails — though SIPC does not protect against investment losses from market movement. Confirm SIPC membership before funding an account.
A broker gives you a platform to buy and sell investments yourself. A robo-advisor builds and automatically rebalances a portfolio for you based on your goals and risk tolerance, usually for a small annual fee, and suits people who'd rather not pick individual funds.