For investors with an iPhone or iPad in their technology arsenal, a stock market app for iOS devices could be perfect for your needs.
Every brokerage and stock market app offers its own unique set of features, so if you’re on the hunt for a platform or are not happy with the one your brokerage offers today, you may want to consider any of these best stock market apps for iPhones and iPads. These apps make our list because they offer experiences with low or no monthly fees or account minimum requirements, and more.
Best Stock Market Apps for iPhones and iPads
- Best Overall: Schwab Mobile
- Best for Beginners and Best for No Fees: SoFi
- Best for Experts: thinkorswim
- Best for Free Trades: Webull
- Best for Robo Advising: Betterment
Best Overall : Schwab Mobile
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Our pick for the best overall stock market app for iPhone and iPad is Schwab Mobile from Charles Schwab. Schwab offers accounts with no minimum balance requirements, no recurring fees, and no commissions for stock or ETF trades. It offers just about any type of investment account you may want, including taxable and retirement accounts, as well as support for most common investments outside of the stock market. Schwab also offers a no-fee robo advisor, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios.
The mobile app allows you to do just about anything you would with the Schwab website. That includes viewing your accounts and positions, entering trades, researching new stocks, and more. One unique feature is Schwab Assistant, a voice-driven mobile assistant that can help you quickly make trades, get quotes, set new alerts, and get answers to questions about your investments. Schwab Mobile also earned high rankings in customer satisfaction for wealth management mobile apps in a 2020 J.D. Power study.
Overall, the wide range of features, supported account types, supported investments, and pricing make Charles Schwab and Schwab Mobile an excellent choice for investors on the go.
- App name: Schwab Mobile
- Devices supported: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch (requires iOS 13.0 or later)
- Account minimum: $0
- Fees: Commission-free stock and ETF trades, no recurring fees
- Tradable assets: Stocks, fractional shares, ETFs, mutual funds, fixed income, options, futures
Commission-free trades with no recurring fees
Support for most stocks and other popular assets
Manage most account needs on iOS devices and Apple Watch
Some expert traders may find active trading tools lacking some options-trading and advanced charting features
High costs for mutual fund trades off of no-transaction-fee (NTF) list and for broker-assisted trades
Best for Beginners and Best for No Fees : SoFi
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SoFi makes it easy to sign up for a new account, navigate through the markets, and pick your first stock. Both active stock market accounts and managed accounts (robo advisors) come with no fees. There are no commissions for stock or ETF trades. SoFi gives you access to riskier cryptocurrency trading but it doesn’t offer support for mutual funds.
The mobile app is built around an ecosystem of cash management, lending and investing, and managing your money. It doesn’t feature advanced charting or active trading features but gives you everything a beginner could need. That includes the ability to discover stocks by category and learn about investing without leaving the app.
- App name: SoFi
- Devices supported: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch (iOS 13.0 or later)
- Account minimum: $1
- Fees: Commission-free stock and ETF trades, no recurring fees
- Tradable assets: Stocks, fractional shares, ETFs, cryptocurrencies
Commission-free trades with no recurring fees
Simple and streamlined investments
Education resources easily accessible from invest section
No support for mutual funds or options
Few tools for active traders
Minimal investment research
Best for Experts : thinkorswim
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Courtesy of TD Ameritrade
Expert traders may want more advanced investment tools and resources, and TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim is one of the top platforms for stock market experts. More importantly, accounts come with no minimums, no recurring fees, and no commissions for stock or ETF trades.
The thinkorswim platform is available on the web, desktop, and mobile. While some brokerages may offer fewer features on mobile, thinkorswim gives you the same cutting edge experience on your iOS devices as you get on your laptop or desktop. Advanced features include trade profit-and-risk analysis, multi-touch charts, a live CNBC news stream, and chat-based support where you can connect with a thinkorswim expert to get live answers to questions about the app or trades. These features make the platform great for beginner to intermediate traders who are looking to improve their trading skills.
In late 2020, Charles Schwab acquired TD Ameritrade. As the firms continue to combine services, it's likely that TD Ameritrade platforms and Charles Schwab platforms will be combined into one.
- App name: thinkorswim
- Devices supported: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod Touch (requires iOS 13.0 or later)
- Account minimum: $0
- Fees: Commission-free stock and ETF trades, no recurring fees
- Tradable assets: Stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, fixed income, futures, forex
Commission-free trades with no recurring fees
Advanced charting and investment research features
Live CNBC news stream
Active trading tools may be overwhelming for newer investors
Recently acquired by Charles Schwab
Best for Free Trades : Webull
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If your biggest concern with a stock market app is avoiding fees, Webull could be right for your needs. Webull has accounts with no minimum balance requirements or account fees, and doesn’t charge commissions at all. Stock, ETF, and options trades are commission-free, including option per-contract fees that many other brokers charge for. There are fees for margin borrowing and advance market data but, in most cases, users won’t pay to invest.
The Webull mobile app works fine for passive investors but is made with active traders in mind. Active charting and investment research tools should meet the needs of most active investors, and they are regularly updated with new features. The app also includes useful features like voice prompts, so you don’t have to use the more in-depth tools if you just want to enter a quick trade order.
- App name: Webull
- Devices supported: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch (iOS 11.0 or later)
- Account minimum: $0
- Fees: No account fees, no commissions
- Tradable assets: Stocks, ETFs, options, ADRs
No commissions and no fees for typical account activity
Tools useful for both beginners and experienced active traders
Few asset types supported (like no mutual funds)
Interface may be overwhelming for some beginners
Best for Robo Advising : Betterment
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Investors who know they should invest but don’t want to deal with picking stocks don’t have to sit out of the markets. When you sign up for a new account at Betterment, you’ll answer questions about your age, investment goals, and risk tolerance. Based on your answers, Betterment will assign you to an expert-designed portfolio created by full-time investment professionals.
Betterment charges 0.25% for its standard account and 0.40% for a premium account that includes unlimited access to a financial advisor. Both accounts invest your money only in low-cost ETFs, which helps keep your costs down. ETFs are made up of stocks and bonds ideal for your personal investment goals and Betterment will keep your investments in balance as you continue to add to the account over time. In taxable investment accounts, Betterment uses tax-loss harvesting to minimize what you owe to the IRS.
- App name: Betterment
- Devices supported: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch (iOS 12.1 or later)
- Account minimum: $0
- Fees: 0.25% to 0.40% per year
- Tradable assets: ETFs
Automated investments so you don’t have to pick stocks or funds
Investments made up of low-fee ETFs
Account automatically rebalanced
Automated tax-loss harvesting on non-retirement accounts
Annual management fee
Extra fees and high minimum balance requirement to work with a human advisor
Compare Apps
Stock Market App | Why We Picked It | Monthly Fee | Account Minimum |
Schwab Mobile | Best Overall | None | $0 |
SoFi | Best for Beginners and Best for No Fees | None | $1 |
thinkorswim | Best for Experts | None | $0 |
Webull | Best for Free Trades | None | $0 |
Betterment | Best for Robo Advising | None | $0 |
FAQs
How Do I Use a Stock Trading App for iPhones or iPads?
Smartphones and tablets make it easy to manage your investments wherever you are—you can fund an investment account and invest in the stock market from that iPhone in your pocket or the iPad on your desk.
You can start investing with no minimum balance at most brokerages on this list. With fractional shares and no commissions, you can get going for without any minimum deposit requirements, in most cases.
To get started, download your favorite stock market app from the Apple App Store, fund your account, and make a trade. Just keep in mind that stock investments can lose value. Newer investors are best off starting small and not putting in more than they can afford to lose while using the brokerage’s educational materials to learn about trading.
iPhone vs. iPad Stock Market Apps
In many cases, investment companies release just one iOS app for iPhone and iPad devices. The best brokerages have specialized apps for each platform, and may even support Apple Watch as well.
The smaller screen of iPhones makes some research, charting, and advanced trading a little harder as you don’t have as much space to view details. Apps designed just for iPad tend to offer more robust features that are in line with laptop- and desktop-based apps than a smartphone. If you have both an iPhone and iPad, you might find that the user experience is better on an iPad simply because of the bigger screen. However, if you’re an active trader, your iPhone presents the advantage of being on you at all times for making trades at a moment’s notice.
Pros & Cons of Stock Market Trading Apps
Easy and fast stock trades anywhere with an internet connection
Never lose track of your portfolio balance and holdings
Learn about investing and upgrade your portfolio on the go
Smaller screen sizes can make it harder to trade with a phone than larger screen
Mobile apps may lack features found in web and desktop platforms
How Should I Choose a Stock Trading App for My iPhone or iPad?
To pick the best stock trading app for your iPhone or iPad, it’s important to focus on costs and features. Never sign up for an app that charges fees you are not comfortable with, as commissions and recurring fees can take a big bite out of your investment gains.
When considering features, think about your investing style and preferences. If you’re excited about Wall Street-style active trading, you may want an app that has features made for active traders. Others will do just fine with apps designed for long-term, passive investors.
How We Chose the Best Stock Market Apps for iPhones and iPads
To pick this list of the best stock market apps for iPhone and iPad, we looked at more than 20 trading apps and platforms to find the ones that offer the best pricing and features for the typical iPhone and iPad user. The main areas considered were pricing, types of accounts available, types of investments available, and mobile app features needed by the typical stock trader.