Deciding between Stash vs. Robinhood? Robinhood provides access to a wider variety of different assets to invest in, but Stash offers some unique features including its Stock-Back program, which allows you to earn free stock when you shop with your debit card.
Take a look at the key differences between Stash vs. Robinhood to find out which investing app is right for you.
Stash vs. Robinhood: At a glance
Offer | Robinhood | Stash |
---|---|---|
Rating | Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars. 4.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. |
Commissions | $0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold | None |
Account Minimum | $0 | $0 |
Next Steps | Open Account for Robinhood Read Full Review | Open Account for Stash Read Full Review |
Stash vs. Robinhood: Commissions & fees
Robinhood and Stash work very differently in terms of pricing.
Stash charges $3 for its Stash Growth plan and $9 per month for its Stash+ plan. Robinhood doesn't charge any monthly fees (unless you opt for Robinhood Gold at $5 per month). However, Stash offers services Robinhood doesn't, which may make this fee worth paying for some investors.
Some of Stash's key features that justify its monthly fee include access to personalized portfolio recommendations, life insurance, and the Stock-Back Rewards® card, a debit card that allows you to earn stock rewards with purchases.
Robinhood has traditionally required investors to be more hands-on than Stash, both with moving money into their investment accounts and with selecting their investment mix. However, the Robinhood app provides personalized portfolio recommendations for investors who haven’t yet made their first trade. This feature may help cement Robinhood's place as one of the best online brokers for beginners, and may make it more attractive to those who need more hand-holding when it comes to building their portfolio.
The good news is, neither Robinhood nor Stash charge commission fees for buying stocks so you won't pay for your trades with either platform.
Stash | Robinhood | |
---|---|---|
Stock & ETF commissions | $0 | $0 |
Options commissions | N/A | $0 |
Crypto commissions | N/A | 0% |
Mutual fund commissions | N/A | N/A (Robinhood doesn't allow trading of mutual funds) |
Account transfer fee | $75 for Automated Customer Account Transfers | $100 |
Account maintenance fee | $3- $9 per month | $0, or $5 per month for Robinhood Gold |
Data sources: Stash and Robinhood.
Stash vs. Robinhood: Investments available
Stash allows you to invest in thousands of different stocks and ETFs. You also have the option to select personalized portfolios or set up automated investing so the app will buy assets for you.
You have the option to buy fractional shares on Stash with as little as $5, and can gain exposure to different asset classes, such as bonds, through Stash's extensive ETF offerings. If you're looking for the best robo-advisors, Stash may also be worth considering given its investment options. It's unique in that it offers some automated investing opportunities and pre-built portfolios while also allowing you to select individual investments. With many robo-advisors, you must give up the option to control your own portfolio entirely, but Stash doesn't require that.
Robinhood, on the other hand, doesn't provide as much investing help as Stash does. But, like Stash, it also offers stocks, ETFs, and fractional share investing. It also offers cryptocurrency investing, which Stash doesn't. If you want to try your hand at investing in virtual coins, Robinhood Crypto could be the solution. And if you're looking for the best options trading platforms, Robinhood is also worth a look as the brokerage firm doesn't charge an options contract fee as many competitors do.
Stash | Robinhood | |
---|---|---|
Stocks and ETFs | Yes | Yes |
Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
Options | No | Yes |
Mutual funds | No | No |
CDs | No | No |
Bonds | No | No |
Futures | No | No |
Crypto | No | Yes |
Currencies | No | No |
Data sources: Stash and Robinhood.
Alternatives to Consider
We recommend comparing brokerage options to ensure the account you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of our best trading platforms of 2024.
Account | Fees | Account Minimum | |
---|---|---|---|
Featured Offer Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold | $0 | Open Account for Robinhood |
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts | $0 | Open Account for SoFi Active Investing |
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars. 5.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETF trades. No fees to buy fractional shares. | $0, ($1 minimum per fractional share transaction) | Read Review |
Stash vs. Robinhood: Account types available
Robinhood and Stash's account offerings differ a bit.
Robinhood and Stash both offer traditional and Roth IRAs. Stash won't let you trade on margin, though, while Robinhood does.
Stash's banking offerings are also much more robust than Robinhood's and its Stock-Back® Card really sets it apart. This unique feature allows you to earn stock with purchases. You can acquire stock in companies you shop with. You can also choose a custom investment for your Stock-Back® rewards when you make local purchases at companies that don't have stock shares available to buy on Stash.
Stash | Robinhood | |
---|---|---|
Taxable brokerage | Yes | Yes |
Joint tenant | No | No |
Margin | No | Yes |
Robo-advisor | Yes | No |
Traditional IRA | Yes | Yes |
Roth IRA | Yes | Yes |
Other IRA | No | No |
Custodial | Yes (With Stash+ $9 monthly plan) | No |
Checking | Yes | No, but offers a spending account |
Savings | Yes | No, but has an interest-bearing cash sweep feature |
Credit card | Yes | No |
Data sources: Stash and Robinhood.
Stash vs. Robinhood: Mobile app and trading platforms
Both Stash and Robinhood are well-known for their user-friendly, well-reviewed apps. Robinhood's app received a 4.2 out of 5 stars rating on the iOS store, while Stash's app received 4.7 stars.
Both Stash's app and Robinhood's app allow you to easily research stocks and purchase investments. Stash also allows you to track your Stock-Back® rewards and manage your banking account, while Robinhood offers more in-depth trading and research tools on its platform than Stash does.
Final take
If you're interested in crypto investing or don't want to pay a monthly fee for your investment app, Robinhood is likely your better bet. But if you're intrigued by the idea of earning Stock-Back® rewards for purchases or you want an investment platform that's a cross between a robo-advisor and a traditional discount brokerage firm, Stash may be the ideal choice. Ultimately, you can't go wrong when deciding between Stash vs. Robinhood so you'll just need to think about which app best meets your needs.
Open Account for Stash
OnStash'sSecure Website.
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- Stash
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Ratings Methodology
Featured Offer
Our Rating:
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line
Read Full Review
Fees:
$0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold
Account Minimum:
$0
Special OfferEarn a 1% bonus with no cap when you transfer your brokerage account to Robinhood, now through June 28, 2024. Terms apply.
Earn an uncapped bonus
Open Account for Robinhood
OnRobinhood'sSecure Website.
Our Rating:
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars.
4.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line
Read Full Review
Fees:
None
Account Minimum:
$0
Open Account for Stash
OnStash'sSecure Website.
FAQs
The best investment app depends on your preferences. Robinhood tends to be better for those who aren't seeking personalized portfolio recommendations, along with those who want access to options trading and cryptocurrency. Stash is a better fit for those who want personalized investment and financial recommendations.
The Stash subscription fee may be worth paying if you're a new investor who wants access to customized portfolio recommendations and personal finance advice. It may also be worthwhile for people who make frequent debit card purchases and want to earn stock rewards.
Yes, but whether you actually make money depends on what investments you choose. With any investment platform, if you buy a stock or ETF and the price rises, you'll make money if you sell it at a profit. If the price drops and you sell, you'll lose money.
Our Brokerages Experts
By:Christy Bieber
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Christy Bieber is a full-time personal finance and legal writer with more than a decade of experience. She has a JD from UCLA as well as a degree in English, Media and Communications with a Certificate in Business Management from the University of Rochester. In addition to writing for The Ascent and The Motley Fool, her work has also been featured regularly on MSN Money, CNBC, and USA Today. She also ghost writes textbooks, serves as a subject matter expert for online course design, and is a former college instructor.
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Robin Hartill, CFP®, is a personal finance writer and editor whose work frequently appears in various national publications. She wrote the syndicated “Dear Penny” financial advice column for four years.
Fact CheckedEric McWhinnie
Eric McWhinnie has been writing and editing digital content since 2010. He specializes in personal finance and investing. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance.