Best Investment Apps
in 2026

Trading 212 is the benchmark for commission-free investing in the UK and Europe. It covers over 12,000 stocks and ETFs across US, UK, and European markets, charges zero commission on trades, and offers a stocks-and-shares ISA with no platform fee. The app is clean and intuitive, fractional shares start from £1, and the cash interest rate on uninvested funds (currently around 5% AER) is a meaningful differentiator over competitors who pay nothing on idle cash. The 0.15% FX fee on non-GBP trades is the main cost to manage for investors buying US stocks.

Freetrade is the UK-focused alternative to Trading 212, with a strong ISA and SIPP offering. The trade-off is that ISA access requires a paid plan starting at £4.99/month, which makes the fee comparison more nuanced than it first appears. For investors who prioritise the ISA or pension wrapper above all else, Freetrade's implementation is excellent. The platform covers around 6,000 stocks and ETFs, is FCA regulated with FSCS protection, and has a clean app that works well for buy-and-hold investors. The absence of fractional shares is a notable gap versus Trading 212.

eToro sits in an unusual position: simultaneously a broker for active traders and an investment app for passive investors via its CopyTrader and Smart Portfolio features. For the investing audience specifically, CopyTrader — which lets you automatically replicate another investor's portfolio — is genuinely distinctive. No other app in this category does it as well. The 0.5%+ FX conversion fee on non-USD deposits is the main cost to watch, and the absence of an ISA limits its appeal for UK investors looking for tax efficiency.

Robinhood pioneered commission-free investing and remains the most recognisable investment app for US retail investors. No minimum deposit, fractional shares from $1, and a clean app make it genuinely accessible for first-time investors. The 2021 GameStop controversy raised questions about its payment-for-order-flow model and its decision to restrict trading during a volatile period reputational issues it has worked to move past. Robinhood Gold ($5/month) adds a 3% IRA match and 5% interest on uninvested cash, which meaningfully improves the value proposition for regular investors.

Revolut Invest makes the most sense if you already use Revolut as your main bank account having investments and spending in one app is genuinely convenient. The investing functionality has improved significantly and now covers stocks, ETFs, and crypto. The catch is that free plan users get a limited number of commission-free trades per month, with a 0.25% fee above that. No ISA is available, which is a significant gap for UK investors. As a standalone investment platform it is not the strongest choice, but as an add-on to an existing Revolut relationship it works well.

Acorns takes a different approach to all the other apps on this list: instead of letting you pick stocks, it rounds up your everyday purchases to the nearest dollar and invests the spare change automatically into a diversified ETF portfolio. It is designed for people who struggle to save consistently rather than investors who want to choose their own holdings. The $3/month plan fee is proportionally expensive for very small balances at $100 invested, that's a 36% annual fee. The product makes more sense once you're investing several hundred dollars regularly.