The barrier to investing has never been lower. In 2026, you can open a brokerage account, buy your first ETF, and start building wealth — all from your phone, in under 10 minutes, with as little as $1.
The challenge is choosing the right app. Here is an honest comparison of the best investing apps for beginners in 2026.
What to Look for in a Beginner Investing App
Before comparing options, understand what actually matters:
Zero commissions: Every reputable broker now offers commission-free trading. If an app charges per trade, look elsewhere.
Fractional shares: The ability to buy partial shares means you can invest in expensive stocks like Amazon or Google with $5. Essential for beginners with small amounts.
No account minimum: You should be able to start with whatever you have — $10, $50, $100.
Educational resources: The best apps for beginners teach you while you invest.
Clean interface: If the app is confusing, you will not use it consistently.
The Best Investing Apps for Beginners in 2026
1. Fidelity — Best Overall for Beginners
Fidelity is the gold standard for beginner investors in 2026. Zero commissions, zero account minimum, fractional shares starting at $1, and some of the best educational content available anywhere.
Standout feature: Fidelity's zero expense ratio index funds (FZROX, FZILX) are the cheapest funds on earth — literally 0% annual fee. No other broker offers this.
Which App Should You Choose?
You want the best platform long-term: Fidelity
You want maximum simplicity: Robinhood
The Investing Philosophy Behind the Apps
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle — The app is just the interface. What you buy inside it determines your returns. Bogle explains why low-cost index funds outperform almost everything else over time.
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel — Beginner investors make expensive behavioral mistakes. Housel's book teaches the mindset that separates investors who build wealth from those who trade their way to losses.
Prefer audiobooks? All of these are available on Audible — try it free for 30 days and get your first audiobook included.
Price: Free Minimum: $0 Best for: Serious beginners who want the best platform long-term
2. Charles Schwab — Best for Customer Service
Schwab combines zero commissions with exceptional customer service — including 24/7 phone support, which most online brokers have eliminated. Their educational resources are extensive and genuinely useful.
Standout feature: Schwab Starter Kit gives new investors $101 to invest across five stocks chosen by Schwab. Real money, no strings attached.
Price: Free Minimum: $0 Best for: Beginners who want human support available when needed
3. Robinhood — Best for Simplicity
Robinhood pioneered commission-free trading and its interface remains the cleanest and most intuitive in the industry. If you want the simplest possible experience with no complexity, Robinhood delivers.
Standout feature: Robinhood Gold at $5/month offers 5% APY on uninvested cash and access to professional research reports.
Price: Free (Gold at $5/month) Minimum: $0 Best for: Beginners who want maximum simplicity and a beautiful interface
The honest downside: Limited educational resources compared to Fidelity and Schwab. Better for people who already know what they want to buy.
4. Public — Best for Learning While Investing
Public combines investing with a social layer — you can see what other investors are buying and follow their reasoning. For beginners who learn by watching others, this is genuinely useful.
Standout feature: Audio explainers on every stock and ETF, recorded by financial experts, available directly in the app.
Price: Free (Premium at $10/month) Minimum: $0 Best for: Beginners who want to learn from a community while investing
5. Acorns — Best for Complete Autopilot
Acorns rounds up every purchase to the nearest dollar and invests the difference automatically. Spend $4.60 on coffee — Acorns invests $0.40. It also offers automatic recurring investments and a pre-built diversified portfolio.
Standout feature: Round-ups make investing invisible. Many users save $200-500/year without noticing.
Price: $3/month (Personal), $5/month (Family) Minimum: $0 Best for: People who struggle to save and want investing to happen automatically without any decisions
6. SoFi Invest — Best Ecosystem
SoFi offers investing alongside banking, loans, and insurance in one app. Zero commissions, fractional shares, and free access to certified financial planners for investment questions.
Standout feature: Free 1:1 sessions with a CFP — a service that costs $200-400/hour elsewhere.
Price: Free Minimum: $0 Best for: People who want banking and investing in one place
You want investing on complete autopilot: Acorns
You want to learn while investing: Public
You want everything in one app: SoFi
You want human support: Charles Schwab
The Most Important Thing
The app matters less than the habit. The best investing app is the one you will open consistently and contribute to every month.
Pick one from this list. Open an account today. Buy one index fund. Set up a monthly automatic investment of whatever amount you can manage.
Then forget about it for a year.
Originally published at ZarWealth.
