Stash vs. Robinhood: Which Is Right for You? | The Motley Fool (2024)

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.

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 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.

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 debit 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.

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 bank account, while Robinhood offers more in-depth trading and research tools on its platform than Stash does.