Investing Brokerages & Advisors

Best Micro-Investing Apps [2025]: You Only Need Spare Change To Start

These micro-investing apps make it easy to build a portfolio with as little as $1, helping you turn spare change into long-term wealth with minimal fees and hassle.

Updated Sept. 22, 2025
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Acorns

4.6
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  • Easily invest with your spare change
  • Bonus $20 after your first investment
  • No surprise fees
  • Protected by bank level security

Get Up to $1,000 in Stock

SoFi® Active Invest

4.3
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  • Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new account with at least $50.1
  • Trade stocks and ETFs with $0 commissions2
  • Invest in IPOs before they trade on the public market3
  • Fractional shares let you buy a piece of your favorite companies4
  • Get a diversified portfolio automatically managed for you

Stash

4.6
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  • Invest in 1,000's of stocks and ETFs with full or fractional shares, no add-on commission fees5
  • Registered Financial Advisor - get access to a professionally managed, diversified portfolio
  • Real time portfolio risk scoring and stock recommendations

Micro-investing is a great way to start investing as a beginner, especially if you only have a little money to spare. With apps for small investments, you can often buy low-minimum or fractional shares of assets to get your foot in the (otherwise heavy) stock market door.

Many of the best micro-investing apps have little to no fees and zero commissions, so you can use them without spending much. What makes these even better suited to beginners than other brokerages and investing platforms, though, is the fact that many micro-investment apps will go so far as to help you find money to invest. By automatically moving your spare change with roundups and offering perks like free stocks, they make it possible to start smaller than you may otherwise be able to.

Let's look at six of the best micro-investing apps available and how they differ in terms of their costs, features, asset options, and ease of use.

How we evaluate products

Best micro-investing apps compared

Micro-investing app Best for Account minimum Account fees
Acorns

Acorns

Spare change roundups6 $0 to open, $5 to invest
  • $3 per month for Acorns Bronze
  • $6 per month for Silver
  • $12 per month for Gold
Robinhood

Robinhood

Commission-free trading7 $0
  • $0 for a standard Robinhood account
  • $5 per month for Robinhood Gold
SoFi® Active Invest

SoFi Active Invest8

IPO investing $0 to open $0
Stash

Stash

Beginners with little money $1
  • $3 per month for Stash Growth
  • $9 per month for Stash+9
Webull

Webull

Trading practice $0 $0
Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers

Access to global markets $0 $0

Acorns

Great for spare change roundups

Product details

  • Offers three plans priced at $3, $6, or $12 per month
  • No commissions or transaction fees
  • No account minimum requirement, though the minimum investment is $5
  • Automatically invests spare change through roundups
  • Earn bonus investments from partnering brands

Acorns is a micro-investing and spare change app that caters to beginner investors who want to grow their money without picking individual stocks.10 Once you sign up, you can set up automatic daily, weekly, or monthly transfers from a checking or savings account to Acorns. You can also have credit or debit card transactions automatically rounded up so the extra change goes into your Acorns account for investing.6

For example, if you used your debit card to buy something for $3.50, the actual charge would be $4, with $0.50 going into your investment account. Roundups are invested once they reach $5.

You choose your risk tolerance level when you first sign up with Acorns, and the platform recommends ETF portfolios that can help you meet your financial goals. Acorns also offers Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) portfolios if you want to put your money behind sustainable, environmentally friendly companies. Plus, the app offers automatic portfolio rebalancing and dividend reinvestment.

You can pick from three different monthly subscription options: Acorns Bronze for $3, Acorns Silver for $6, and Acorns Gold for $12. The Acorn Bronze level offers everything you need to get started investing. The benefits of upgrading to the Silver or Gold level include a 25% to 50% match for bonus investments, a 1% to 3% match on IRA contributions, and a high annual percentage yield (APY) on checking and emergency fund accounts. Acorns Gold also offers free access to Acorns Early, which provides kids' debit cards and budgeting tools.

Pros
  • Hassle-free automated investing
  • Custodial accounts for kids
  • ESG portfolio options
  • Bonus investments through partner brands
Cons
  • Requires a paid plan
  • Limited to ETF investments

Visit Acorns | Learn more in our Acorns review

Robinhood

Great for commission-free trading

Product details
  • Offers a free standard account or Robinhood Gold for $5 per month
  • No commission fees
  • No account minimum requirement
  • Gives you a free stock for signing up
  • 24-hour market trading

Robinhood is a pioneer in providing access to investing and trading for all, regardless of their level of knowledge.7 With no account minimums or commission fees, it's easy to open an account and start buying stocks, ETFs, fractional shares ($1 minimum), and more.11 Plus, the platform gives you a free stock just for signing up.

When I signed up in 2020, Robinhood gave me a free share of AMC stock, which was valued at $2.79 at the time. That was, of course, before it became a popular meme stock and the value skyrocketed. I sold that share about a year later for over $27.

With Robinhood, you can also invest in cryptocurrencies and initial public offerings (IPOs), which aren't available with some other micro-investing apps. However, there are a number of assets that Robinhood doesn't support, such as mutual funds, bonds, and foreign stocks.

As a micro-investor, you can get what you need to start investing with the platform's free account. But if you want to get a 3% match on IRA contributions and earn a high APY on your uninvested cash, you can upgrade to Robinhood Gold for $5 per month.121314

Pros
  • No commission fees or account minimums
  • Free stock when you sign up
  • Crypto and IPO investing options
Cons
  • Doesn't support mutual funds, bonds, or foreign stocks
  • Limited research and educational tools
  • Robinhood Gold required for best features

Visit Robinhood Visit Robinhood | Learn more in our Robinhood review

SoFi Active Invest

Great for IPO investing

Product details
  • No management fees or commissions2
  • No account minimum requirement, but you need a minimum of $5 to start investing
  • Offers rewards for transferring investments or funding an active investing account
  • Access to financial planning help15

SoFi® provides a number of financial products, such as bank accounts, credit cards, and loans. It also offers investing through SoFi Active Invest, which lets you trade stocks and ETFs on your own or have the platform create a portfolio based on your risk tolerance and goals.16 There are no commissions, monthly fees, or account minimums.

SoFi Active Invest has several assets for you to choose from, including stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, alternative funds, and fractional shares ($5 minimum).4 However, it differs from many other micro-investing apps because it lets you invest in IPOs and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) before they start trading on the market exchanges.3

Another unique SoFi Active Invest feature is advice from certified financial planners who can help you create a budget, build an emergency fund, learn how to invest, and reach your financial goals. These planners are fiduciaries and legally obligated to put your needs first.

Pros
  • Self-directed portfolio options
  • Invest in IPOs before they are traded on an exchange
  • Advice from certified financial planners
  • Rewards for funding an active investing account or transferring investments
Cons
  • Fees for selling IPO stock within 120 days of public offering
  • No direct cryptocurrency investing

Visit SoFi | Learn more in our SoFi Active Invest review

Stash

Great for beginners with little money

Product details

  • Offers two plans priced at $3 or $9 per month (10% discount for annual plans)917
  • No management or commission fees
  • Low account minimum of $1
  • Includes a debit card that enables you to earn stock

Stash was one of the first investing platforms to promote micro-investing, and it's great for beginners because it will build a portfolio for you based on your risk tolerance and financial goals. Not only will Stash's robo-advisor select and automatically balance your portfolio, but it can also find money for you to invest with Auto-Stash features.18 Auto-Stash features include roundup transfers and Auto-Invest. With Stash Stock Round-Ups, qualifying transactions are rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the "extra" is automatically invested for you. This is similar to Acorns' roundups. Auto-Invest transfers are automated transfers you schedule into your Stash account for a specified amount and transfer frequency. Roundups are only offered by a few micro-investing apps, but scheduled transfers are very common.

To use Stash, you must subscribe to one of two available plans. The Stash Growth plan is best suited for beginner investors, and it costs $3 per month ($32 per year). The upgraded Stash+ plan costs $9 per month ($97 per year) and is better if you're looking for more market insights or want to open custodial portfolios for your kids.

Both plans come with the Stock-Back Debit Card, which acts like a cash back card that lets you earn stock on your transactions.1920 You now need this card to activate roundups (although this wasn't always the case, and you used to be able to enable roundups from an external bank account).

Pros
  • Automated and self-directed portfolio options
  • Start investing with just $1
  • Debit card for earning stock on your transactions
  • Automatic portfolio rebalancing
Cons
  • Requires a monthly or annual subscription
  • Investments are limited to stocks, bonds, and ETFs
  • Roundup transfers can't be from an external bank account

Visit Stash | Learn more in our Stash review

Webull

Great for trading practice

Product details
  • No account fees or commissions
  • $0 minimum investment for basic accounts
  • Free fractional shares when you fund an account with $500 or more
  • Paper trading for investing practice

Webull is a trading platform that you can use for micro-investing without commissions or account fees.21 It's a bit more complex than some of the other apps available and is designed more for investors with some level of experience. However, if you're interested in practicing stock trading, you can use Webull's paper trading feature without spending a penny.

You won't need to make a minimum investment to open a basic Webull account. You can trade stocks, options, ETFs, futures, fractional shares ($5 minimum), and more within the app. Plus, when you deposit at least $500 into your account and maintain it for 30 days, you can earn free fractional shares.22

Pros
  • Commission-free trading
  • Extended trading hours
  • Paper trading for practicing trading without spending a dime
Cons
  • A little complex for beginner investors
  • Minimum required deposit of $500 to earn free fractional shares

Learn more in our Webull review

Interactive Brokers

Great for access to global markets

Product details
  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • Commission-free trading on U.S. stocks and ETFs with IBKR Lite
  • Variable or fixed commissions for other investments and IBKR Pro members
  • No minimum account requirement
  • Extensive market information and research

Interactive Brokers is an advanced trading platform for global markets. It offers two account levels without account minimums or monthly maintenance fees: IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro.

If you're a micro-investor with limited experience in trading and investing, IBKR Lite may be the better option because it offers unlimited commission-free trading on U.S. stocks and ETFs. However, if you're interested in investing in global markets, you'll have to upgrade to the IBKR Pro plan, which involves fixed or tiered commissions. Also, commission-free trading with the Lite plan is limited, so you'll have to pay to trade options, futures, bonds, or mutual funds.

Interactive Brokers' most significant advantage is its wealth of market information and research, but this is also a disadvantage if you're a novice who may have difficulty navigating all the information. Therefore, this platform is better suited for advanced investors.

Pros
  • Provides access to foreign markets
  • Large selection of tradable assets, including mutual funds and currencies
  • Offers individual, joint, and custodial accounts
Cons
  • Commission-free trades are limited
  • Charges commissions for fractional share trades
  • Doesn't usually allow IPO trading

What is a micro-investing app?

Micro-investing is a way to invest small amounts of money in stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and other financial products. This type of investing is typically done using a micro-investing app, a type of mobile app that lets you buy stock or fractional shares, automatically schedule monthly contributions, or invest the spare change rounded up from your everyday purchases. 

Micro-investing is best suited for beginner or novice investors who may have a limited amount of capital to invest upfront. It enables you to build a portfolio slowly that can add up over time. While you may not have enough money to invest in high-value stocks, you could buy fractional shares of those stocks with micro-investing.

For example, a large online retailer's share price of about $212 may be out of your price range. However, for just $1, you can buy a 0.00471 fractional share in that company.

While I have a traditional IRA, I've also been micro-investing using Acorns and Robinhood for the past couple of years. I use Acorns to round up the spare change from my purchases and add it to a portfolio of four ETFs. With Robinhood, I've bought shares and fractional shares in several stocks, as well as crypto, without paying the commissions that traditional investing platforms often charge.

How to get started with micro-investing apps

To get started, you should research the different micro-investing apps available and choose one that fits your financial goals and means. Factors to consider when selecting a micro-investing app include the fees, required account minimums, investment options (stocks, ETFs, bonds, crypto, etc.), ease of use, level of guidance, and other features.

Sign up for free trials

Because the cost of many micro-investing apps is usually minimal, you may want to play around with a couple of them to see which best meets your needs. For example, if you want more of a set-it-and-forget-it app, you may want to use Acorns to set up automatic weekly or monthly contributions or roundups from your purchases. But if you want to play around with picking stocks, an app like Robinhood may be a better choice. 

Many of these platforms are free to start using, and some also offer free trials on their paid plans.

Connect a bank account

You'll need to connect your checking or savings account to whichever micro-investing app you use, especially if it involves automated deposits or roundups.

Most apps let you start micro-investing with as little as $1, so you can start with whatever is comfortable for your financial resources and budget. For example, consider canceling one of your streaming services and allocating that $15 per month to automatically go into your investment account. Or, maybe take the extra cash you get at Christmas and invest it. With micro-investing, every little amount helps grow your investments over time.

Be prepared for fees

Remember that commission-free doesn't mean fee-free. If your micro-investing app charges fees, they could cut into your returns. Make sure you spend time reviewing your spare change app's fee structure so you know exactly what you might be charged for and when. 

Are micro-investing apps safe?

As with any investing, micro-investing can be risky, especially in a volatile market. You must be ready to navigate the ups and downs in the market without pulling money out at the first dip in value.

One way to reduce the risk of losing a significant amount of money is diversifying your portfolio with a mix of different assets. For example, rather than putting all your money into a single stock or investment, you might spread your investments across assets like stocks, bonds, and ETFs. That way, if one of your assets performs poorly, it doesn't destroy your whole portfolio.

FAQs

Are micro-investing apps worth it?

Micro-investing apps are worth using, especially if you're a beginner looking to invest with little money. Many of the best investment apps don't charge account fees or commissions or have minimum account balance requirements.

Can you make money by micro-investing?

You can make money by micro-investing, though it's a strategy that pays off over the long term rather than one that makes you rich quickly. By investing a small amount consistently over time, you can grow your money through the power of compound returns.

What are the drawbacks of using micro-investing apps?

Micro-investing apps are fun to play around with to earn money by investing over the long term, but they shouldn't be depended on for larger goals like retirement. Other drawbacks to using them include:

  • Fees: Subscription or management fees can cut into your returns.
  • Limited choice of assets: Some micro-investing apps may limit the type of assets you can invest in. For example, with Acorns, you can just invest in ETF portfolios, not individual stocks. This can limit the diversification of your investments.
  • Lack of guidance: Micro-investing apps often use robo-advisors and lack the personalized service and guidance you'd get with a human financial advisor. However, SoFi Active Invest does offer access to financial advisors.

Bottom line

Using a micro-investing app can be a smart money move and an excellent way to start building wealth, especially if you are a beginner or have limited funds. Platforms like Robinhood, Acorns, and SoFi Invest® make it easy to invest consistently without having to pay commissions or management fees. However, some do charge monthly fees and offer limited asset options.

While micro-investing is a useful tool for growing your money over time, it's not a shortcut to instant wealth. To maximize your returns, you have to focus on consistency, diversification, and long-term planning. With the low point of entry for most micro-investing apps, you may want to try out different ones and see which aligns best with your financial goals and investing style.

4.6
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Acorns Benefits
  • Invest on autopilot in expert-recommended portfolios
  • No surprise fees; plans start at just $3/mo
  • Ability to earn up to a 3.00% match on new contributions to your Acorns Later IRA
  • Bonus $20 after your first investment
Visit Acorns