4 Best Micro-Investing Apps for Beginners (2026)
Trying to make the most of micro investing apps beginners? You are in the right place. Below we break it down in plain English, with practical tips you can actually use.
Key Takeaways
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- From rounding up your spare change to investing in fractional shares of stock for just $1, The Ways To Wealth’s list of best micro-investing...
From rounding up your spare change to investing in fractional shares of stock for just $1, The Ways To Wealth’s list of best micro-investing apps can help you decide on the app that’s going to help you accomplish your financial goals.
Table of Contents
ToggleWhat Is Micro-Investing?
Micro-investing is investing small amounts of money (frequently automatically) into the stock market. This isn’t to be confused with micro-savings, which is the process of saving small amounts of money in short-term investments like a high-yield savings account.
A decade ago, investing $1 in the stock market was impossible because of high fees, which frequently ran between $5 and $10 per trade. But today, numerous companies offer commission-free trading, which makes it possible to invest very small amounts into the market.
There are numerous ways to make these micro-investments. Some apps help you round-up your purchases, investing your “spare change.” Others help you automatically deposit $1 a day.
Best Micro-Investing Apps
Best ForAppIRAFeesRound-ups:AcornsYes$3 to $12 per monthLong-term investors:BettermentYes$4 per month or 0.25%Socially-responsible investing:BettermentYes$4 per month or 0.25%Buying individual stocks:PublicNoNoneMicro-savings:QapitalNo$3 to $12 per monthBest Round-Ups App: Acorns
Acorns is a micro-investing app that lets you you get started with investing via two main features (as described below).
The most popular feature of Acorns is called Round-Ups. To use it, you simply link your debit and credit cards. When you make a purchase with those cards, Acorns automatically rounds up your spare change and invests it into an Acorns Smart Portfolio , a low-cost portfolio designed around your investment goals.
Acorns also has a feature called Acorns Earn, which offers a percentage back for shopping at participating stores. When you earn this cash-back, the funds are automatically added to your portfolio.
The company has partnered with hundreds of retailers for Acorns Earn, so you won’t have trouble finding brands you shop with. Percentages typically range from 2% to 10%, which is a nice bonus for buying items you were going to purchase anyway.
Both Round-Ups and Acorns Earn go into your investment portfolio. Acorns gives you an automated system to begin investing right away, regardless of your income or experience.
Pros: The Acorns app gives you the ability to adjust your investment portfolio to meet your specific financial goals. You can choose your acceptable level of risk, your investment, and a few other criteria.
Cons: The $3 per month minimum fee can eat away at your returns, especially for small accounts.
Fees: Acorns offers three plans with flat fees: Bronze ($3), Silver ($6), and Gold ($12). Bronze includes basic brokerage accounts, Silver adds an IRA and expert Q&As, and Gold is designed for you and your family, offering the full suite of saving and investing tools.
Minimums: There is no minimum to open an account, but $5 is required to start investing.
Learn about the latest Acorns promotional offers and sign up for Acorns.
Best For Long-Term Retirement Investing and Socially Responsible Investing: Betterment
Betterment is a robo-advisor that offers the ability to invest your money in a selection of curated portfolios , comprised of a mix of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and bonds , based on your investing goals.
You can get started with as little as $1.
Investing accounts cost $4 per month as a base cost. You can then eliminate the monthly fee, and instead pay 0.25% on your investment account balance, by either setting up recurring deposits totaling $250 or more, or by having a balance of $20,000 or more across all your Betterment accounts (including Cash Reserve, checking and crypto).
Getting started with Betterment is quick and exceptionally simple, even if you’re a beginning investor with zero knowledge of how markets work. Utilizing Betterment’s recommendations will have you invested in a professionally-designed and diversified portfolio within minutes, regardless of your initial investment amount.
And because the fee is based on a percentage of your portfolio (rather than a set monthly fee), you can grow on the platform without having to worry about account expenses eating up your returns.
Currently, there are four pre-configured portfolios, which are designed to meet specific personal finance goals.
- Safety Net: A conservative allocation that holds a high proportion of bonds. This portfolio is designed to grow faster than the rate of inflation and is built to weather market declines, but it will likely appreciate in value slower than a portfolio that utilizes a more aggressive approach.
- Smart Saver: A low-risk, high-yield investment account that’s designed to look and function like a savings account. Smart Saver has a 100% bond allocation split between 80% U.S. government bonds and 20% low-volatility corporate bonds, making it a relatively safe place to hold cash. Smart Saver also features an automated savings function that analyzes your spending habits and expenses and automatically moves funds from your checking account. This is the account I’d choose when focusing on goals like saving for a down payment on a house.
- General Investing: Betterment labels this goal as its “utility” portfolio, because it doesn’t have a specific age marker or withdrawal date baked into the allocation (as does the Retirement plan discussed below). Depending on your age, the portfolio starts out with a relatively high proportion of stocks that tapers off over time. This portfolio is designed to build wealth over the long-term, but not necessarily to produce a source of withdrawable income at a specific date in the future.
- Retirement: Betterment’s retirement portfolio takes your age into consideration when determining your asset allocation. For a 35-year-old, that allocation would start out at 9
Final Thoughts
Before you check out, double-check micro investing apps beginners against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.
Originally published at thewaystowealth.com.
R.J. Weiss
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