The retail investors, including large fractions, have continually moved out of conventional desktop computing platforms and into highly advanced mobile application platforms, turning smartphones into powerful devices to create wealth.
These platforms have enabled further democratization of the equities trade, algorithmic management of assets, and digital currencies.
North America remains the most dominant region in the investment apps market, capturing approximately 34% of total global users in 2024.
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The United States alone has over 100 million investment app accounts, up from 70 million in 2021. Daily trades from mobile apps average around $4 billion, with over 40% of U.S. retail investors now trading exclusively via apps.
The market for investment apps was estimated to be worth $10.58 million in 2025 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.27% from 2025 to 2033, reaching $23.13 million.
Top 7 Powerhouses
The characteristics that make these applications unique are in the combination of moderate-cost pricing, user-friendly applications design principles, and incorporation of highly innovative features.
| App | Key Strength | App Store Rating | Standout Feature |
| SoFi Active Invest | Beginners | 4.8/5 | Free financial planning |
| Robinhood | Active trading | 4.7/5 | 24/7 trading, crypto wallet |
| Fidelity | All-in-one | 4.9/5 | Zero-expense ETFs |
| Vanguard | Retirement | 4.8/5 | Ultra-low 0.03% fees |
| Acorns | Micro-investing | 4.7/5 | Spare-change roundups |
| Betterment | Robo-advising | 4.8/5 | Tax-loss harvesting |
| Wealthfront | Automation | 4.7/5 | Daily rebalancing |
SoFi Active Invest
SoFi Active Invest is aimed at relative beginners, providing commission free trading in equities and ETFs without a minimum account balance other than an opening deposit of $5 and included services like career coaching.
SoFi added a record 905,000 members in the third quarter of 2025, bringing total members over 12.6 million, up 35% from 9.4 million at the end of the same prior year period and a rating of 4.8/5 in the App Store with 4.1 million downloads, thanks to an AI-driven financial planning engine, which automates the budgeting and investment decisions, which is a strong offer to young professionals looking to accumulate wealth with ease.
Robinhood
Robinhood stays competitive in active trading markets with no commissions on trades, as well as 24/7 online access in the market with a simplified digital asset wallet. Robinhood reported $539 million in transaction-based revenue for the second quarter, a 65% increase over the same period last year. Equities rose 65%, while options increased 46%.
Revenue from cryptocurrency almost doubled. In June, the company acquired Bitstamp for $200 million, expanding its cryptocurrency presence and increasing earnings.
Piper Sandler analysts stated:
“Retail engagement remains strong on the platform,”
Fidelity
Fidelity is a provider of full investment offerings, which include zero- expense-ratio ETFs, innovative research capabilities, and retirement planning services including equities, fixed income, and cryptocurrency.
Having a $17.5 trillion asset under administration and a user-satisfaction rating of 4.9 / 5, with 4.4 million daily average trades users are enjoying advanced charting and trading fraction of shares giving Fidelity empirical evidence in outperforming their peer platforms by long-term returns ensuring their place as a valuable tool in building a diversified portfolio.
Vanguard
Vanguard focuses on the low-cost retirement investment in the form of index funds and ETFs with an average cost ratio of 0.03%.
Vanguard’s robo-advisors, Vanguard Digital Advisor and Vanguard Personal Advisor, manage some $333 billion for approximately 804,000 clients.
Digital Advisor caters to the everyday investor with a $100 minimum deposit, although that’s higher than other competitive robo-advisors. Vanguard has 215 U.S. funds and 225 foreign funds available as of March 31, 2025.
The company claims to have over 50 million investors. Additionally, it offers the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund (VBTLX), one of the biggest bond funds globally.
This will probably appeal to risk-averse investors, more interested in cost reduction than in risk-taking.
Acorns
Acorns was among the first to create the micro-investing model through transaction rounding and channeled leftover cash into diversified portfolios. The platform boasts 4.7/5 user-rating, millions of casual savers.
For additional accounts and features, including investment accounts for children, you’ll have to pay $5 to $10 per month. If you have an Acorns Gold membership, you earn up to a 3% match on IRA contributions and a 1% match on contributions to an Early account, enabling people to transform their regular spending into compound capital growth.
Betterment
Betterment is one of the original robo-advisors. It launched in 2008 and its robo-advisor services now manage $46 billion in assets. It boasts 1.1 million clients thanks to low fees, relatively strong returns, and a strong brand.
It shows that it is also far better in its tax efficiency and would attract investors looking to use the service as a hands-off way of managing a portfolio.
Wealthfront
Wealthfront is a portfolio optimization automation strategy with daily rebalancing, risk-parity commitment, and with high-net-worth-oriented direct errors, although its operational expenses remain comparatively low.
Although Wealthfront’s 0.25% management fee is comparable to Betterment’s, the minimum deposit required for a Wealthfront robo-advisor account is $500.
Therefore, it is desirable by technologically skilled individuals who would prefer precision but not constant monitoring.
Future Outlook
Robo Advisory Services Market size is estimated at $14.29 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach $54.73 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 30.80% during the forecast period (2025-2030).
Rapid artificial-intelligence improvements, pro-digital regulatory updates, and the ongoing global wealth transfer from Baby Boomers to younger, tech-native cohorts power growth and blockchain authentication might prevent the risk of fraud.
Smart investors who combine analysis tools like Fidelity with trading engines like SoFi will have a chance to thrive, and a small cash matter will turn into a big portfolio asset.
The chosen strategic incorporation of complementary services is still necessary to cope with the changing environment of digital assets.
