Key takeaways
- On-line brokers Robinhood and Webull each supply zero-commission buying and selling on inventory and ETFs.
- Neither dealer has an account minimal nor affords entry to mutual funds, bonds and foreign-exchange buying and selling.
- Webull might go well with buyers who need detailed charts and paper buying and selling. Robinhood is usually a good match for extra skilled buyers who need decrease choices prices and margin buying and selling.
Robinhood and Webull are two of the most well-liked investing apps, and thousands and thousands of customers have flocked to them for his or her means to rapidly commerce and observe shares, choices and cryptocurrency.
Robinhood is nice for no-cost buying and selling, a slick cell app and fractional shares, nevertheless it’s been dinged for its incapability to all the time hold its service operational.
Webull competes favorably with Robinhood in various key areas, if not beating its rival. Webull, too, has helpful charts and retirement accounts, affords fractional shares and nonetheless will get the buying and selling job completed with no commissions.
Our take
So is Robinhood or Webull a greater on-line brokerage choice for you? That relies upon not solely on what every dealer affords but in addition on what options you actually want. Right here’s how these apps examine on a number of the commonest options.
Dealer class | Robinhood | Webull |
---|---|---|
Shares and ETF commissions | $0 | $0 |
Choices commissions | $0 per contract | $0 per contract, with modest regulatory charges |
Account minimal | $0 | $0 |
Tradable securities | Shares, ETFs, choices, cryptocurrency | Shares, ETFs, choices, cryptocurrency, futures, Treasuries |
Account charges | $100 transfer-out charge | $75 transfer-out charge |
No-transaction-fee mutual funds | None | None |
Account sorts | Particular person taxable accounts, IRAs (conventional, Roth and rollover) | Particular person taxable accounts, IRAs (conventional, Roth and rollover) |
Cell app | Sure, Apple App Retailer and Google Play Retailer | Sure, Apple App Retailer and Google Play Retailer |
Fractional shares | For purchases and dividend reinvestment | For purchases and dividend reinvestment |
Buyer help | E-mail, cellphone and 24/7 chat with reside agent | Cellphone, electronic mail and in-app chat |
Charges
Edge: Webull, for decrease account prices plus the advantage of disclosure for crypto buying and selling. If choices are your factor, nonetheless, Robinhood could be the better option.
Robinhood was the investing app that kicked off the no-cost buying and selling frenzy for shares, ETFs and choices after which added cryptocurrency buying and selling to the combination, too. However an in a position competitor has emerged in Webull, which affords most of the similar no-cost buying and selling options.
Choices: Whereas most on-line brokers now permit zero-commission buying and selling of shares and ETFs, too, Robinhood and Webull supply that and no-cost buying and selling for choices, an actual differentiator. That compares to the business normal of $0.65 per contract, although some brokers supply reductions for high-volume merchants. Robinhood is a wee bit cheaper right here, because it absorbs regulatory charges that Webull passes on to shoppers, a complete of about 5 cents per contract.
Crypto: Each brokers supply cryptocurrency buying and selling with no out-of-pocket prices, although you’ll implicitly pay a ramification markup on any transactions, so it’s extra like the prices are hidden within the buying and selling worth. In fact, there’s nothing unusual on this pricing construction, because it’s typical in foreign-exchange (foreign exchange) markets.
Right here, Webull wins factors for publicly disclosing its unfold markup (100 foundation factors, or 1 % of the commerce worth). Robinhood doesn’t reveal how a lot you’ll pay by way of the unfold, nonetheless, solely how a lot it receives in rebates for each $100 in crypto that you just commerce: $0.85. So, buying and selling costs on Robinhood could also be affected kind of than on Webull. (Technically, Webull has moved its crypto operations to a separate app known as Webull Pay.)
Typically, each brokers are comparable by way of account prices, with no exercise charges or ongoing account charges. Each cost a transfer-out charge — $100 within the case of Robinhood and $75 for Webull — whereas no less than one large dealer, Constancy Investments, prices nothing. So that you received’t discover this charge till you’re prepared to go away both Robinhood or Webull and wish to maneuver securities out of your account.
Tradable securities
Edge: Even, Robinhood and Webull supply the identical slate of tradable securities.
Robinhood and Webull cater to the most well-liked buying and selling classes, which means that they don’t supply another securities which are normally supplied at different brokers (foreign exchange, bonds and mutual funds, for instance). As a substitute, these investing apps persist with shares, ETFs, choices and crypto.
That’s a transparent draw back for merchants seeking to become involved in a few of these different sectors of the market, however the overwhelming majority received’t want these sectors to amass a cushty nest egg. So, this narrowed choice will nonetheless work effectively for many buyers.
That mentioned, a transparent unfavourable is that neither Robinhood nor Webull affords buying and selling in mutual funds, which is probably not a deal breaker in the event you’re solely selecting these brokers for short-term buying and selling. However buyers in search of mutual funds will wish to flip to a prime dealer with an providing in that space.
Account sorts
Edge: Even, Robinhood and Webull supply the identical restricted forms of accounts.
Robinhood and Webull each supply the identical restricted set of account sorts: particular person taxable accounts, IRAs (conventional, Roth, rollover) and joint accounts.
Robinhood and Webull additionally each supply an IRA match. Right here’s how they work.
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Robinhood: You will get a 1 % or 3 % match in your annual IRA contributions relying on you probably have Robinhood Gold or not. Robinhood Gold is a premium membership that prices $5 a month or $50 a 12 months. The match provides $70 with out Gold or $210 with Gold to your account in the event you’re below 50 and max out your contributions. You will get a 1 % match on IRA transfers, too.
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Webull: Buyers who don’t subscribe to Webull Premium get a 1 % match on IRA contributions. With Webull Premium, your contributions are matched at 3.5 % and IRA transfers are matched at 3 %. Webull Premium prices $3.99 a month or $40 a 12 months. Your contributions would earn $70 or $245.
In case your monetary wants broaden past these accounts, you’ll probably want one of many greater brokers that provides a extra complete set of accounts, equivalent to Charles Schwab.
Fractional shares
Edge: Robinhood, by a fractional share since you may get began for $1 and purchase smaller fractions of inventory.
Robinhood and Webull each supply fractional shares and permit you to reinvest dividends in inventory and make investments instantly in inventory with fractional possession. That mixture isn’t one thing that many giant brokerages, equivalent to E-Commerce or Merrill Edge supply, although these latter brokerages do allow dividend reinvestment.
Robinhood helps you to make investments with as little as $1, and it may well divide inventory into chunks as little as one-millionth (0.000001) of a share. Robinhood permits partial shares in all however the smallest shares and people buying and selling under $1 per share. So, Robinhood sits among the many greatest brokers for fractional shares.
Webull helps you to put money into fractional shares with as little as $5 and dividend reinvesting begins at $1 with shares damaged right down to one-hundred-thousandth (0.00001) of a share.
Buyer help
Edge: Even, Robinhood and Webull each present varied methods to get assist.
Webull and Robinhood are intently matched right here.
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At Robinhood, you’ll be capable of chat with a reside agent 24/7 or by cellphone from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, electronic mail buyer help or seek the advice of with its sometimes-useful FAQs.
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Webull buyer help is accessible by cellphone, electronic mail and in-app chat. It additionally has a web based assist middle for extra routine questions.
Neither investing app has any bodily branches for patrons who want in-person help.
Different elements
- Immediate account funding: Robinhood and Webull each supply instantaneous funding of accounts, permitting you to get an preliminary credit score of as much as $1,000 because the dealer waits to your financial institution switch to reach.
- Curiosity on uninvested money: Robinhood and Webull each pay a aggressive rate of interest on uninvested money — you probably have the premium membership.
- Analysis instruments: Whereas Webull affords solely restricted analysis, it supplies a pleasant suite of charting instruments and some dozen technical indicators. Even in the event you don’t use these instruments a lot or in any respect, it’s a powerful visible expertise. At Webull, you’ll be able to hone your buying and selling chops with a paper cash account that offers you $1 million in digital money and allows you to run wild on the buying and selling platform. However Robinhood has upped its chart recreation during the last 12 months, with key technical indicators, and likewise affords screens that will help you discover the shares hitting sure benchmarks.
- Margin accounts: Robinhood’s margin charges for normal clients are cheaper than Webull’s, beginning at 5.75 % vs. 8.74 % for the bottom quantities, respectively. Robinhood Gold and Webull Premium clients get a break on margin charges. With Robinhood Gold, the primary $1,000 of margin buying and selling is included together with your subscription, then the common drained charges kick in. With Webull Premium, the sliding charge scale begins at 5.95 %.
Backside line
Robinhood and Webull run a useless warmth in so many classes that it may be powerful to name a winner. Should you’re in search of an easy-to-use investing app, both will do properly. So your wants are prone to be the deciding issue through which is best. Should you want slick charting and a paper buying and selling account, Webull could also be your alternative. Should you want lower-cost margin or general decrease choices prices, you would possibly go for Robinhood. That mentioned, opening a number of brokerage accounts can have some key advantages too.
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