Ally Invest offers self-directed and automated trading with robust tools and features.
Consider Ally Invest if you want a well-rounded trading platform with diversified investment choices, advanced tools and features and optional automated investing. Look elsewhere if you want the option to trade fractional shares or have access to cryptocurrencies.
Best for: Beginner and intermediate traders and investors who want an easy-to-use trading platform with robust features.
finder.com's rating: 4.4 / 5.0
★★★★★
Ally Invest gives you access to a wide range of investments, plus helpful market research and analytic tools for your own use. But it doesn't offer fractional shares or futures contracts.
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Available asset types | Stocks, Bonds, Options, Mutual funds, ETFs |
| Account types | Brokerage, Retirement, Robo-Advisor |
| Government bond trade fee | $1 |
| Corporate bond trade fee | $1 |
| Mutual fund trade fee | $9.95 |
| Account transfer fee | $50 |
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Account types | Retirement, Robo-Advisor |
| Annual fee | 0% |
| Available asset types | ETFs |
| Fees | ★★★★★ | Commission-free stock and ETF trades, $0.50 per contract fee for options and competitive robo-advisory fees. |
| Available securities | ★★★★★ | Stocks, options, ETFs, mutual funds, fixed income and forex. |
| Customer support | ★★★★★ | Reach customer support quickly via phone, email or 24/7 live chat. |
| Mobile app | ★★★★★ | Its mobile app receives high marks from both Google and Apple users. |
| Research and tools | ★★★★★ | Advanced charts, analyst ratings and third-party research. |
| Reliability | ★★★★★ | No major outages have been reported. |
To learn how our star ratings are calculated, read our methodology at the bottom of the page.
Ally Invest is a solid option for beginners and intermediate traders and investors because it offers:
Take a self-directed approach to investing with ample tools at your disposal or hand the reins over to Ally and invest automatically using one of its robo portfolios.
As a leading digital financial services company, Ally Invest offers several big-broker features together with the streamlined trading experience you typically find with today’s mobile trading apps. Offering both self-directed and managed investing options — which not many brokers do — customers can trade stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) without commission, or diversify into low-cost options, mutual funds and a range of fixed income securities. Ally Invest also offers access to forex trading through a partnership with GAIN Capital. For those who prefer a hands-off approach to investing, Ally Invest provides two robo-advisors — a free version that invests 30% of funds in cash and a more aggressive market-focused portfolio for 0.30% in annual advisory fees. For customers committing at least $100,000, Ally Invest also offers personalized wealth management.
All this is made available on a user-friendly platform, accessible on both the web and mobile, and equipped with advanced charts and in-depth research and analysis tools to support various investment strategies.
Unlike many other brokers, Ally Invest doesn’t offer fractional share trading or direct access to cryptocurrencies, which could feel limiting to some. Ally Invest also doesn’t offer instant deposits, a feature that allows an investor to start trading immediately after depositing funds (up to a certain amount) instead of having to wait for the funds to clear and possibly missing out on a trading opportunity. We opened an account and made a deposit and it took several hours before the account reflected that there were funds available for trading.
| Minimum deposit | $0 |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Advisory fees | 0% for Cash-Enhanced Portfolio; 0.30% for Market-Focused Portfolio; 0.75–0.85% for Wealth Management |
| Stock and ETF trade fees | $0; $4.95 per trade plus one cent per share on the entire order for stocks and ETFs under $2 |
| Options trade and contract fees | $0 commissions + 50 cents per contract fee |
| Mutual funds trade fees | $0 for load funds; $9.95 for no-load funds |
| Bonds and Treasuries trade fees | $1 per bond |
| Minimum investment amounts | $100 per trade for OTCBB and pink sheet stocks; $10 minimum and $250 maximum required per bond or Treasury transaction; $100 to open a robo portfolio |
| Inactivity fee | $0 |
| Wire transfer (domestic) | $0 incoming; $30 outgoing |
| Returned check, ACH or stop wire transfer fees | $30 |
| Outgoing account transfer fee | $50 |
Yes. Ally Invest is a subsidiary of Ally Bank, a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Equal Housing Lender. Its securities products and services are offered through Ally Invest Securities, a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Its advisory products are offered through Ally Invest Advisors, a Securities and Exchange Commission-registered investment advisor.
The following trading and research tools are available on Ally Invest:
Ally Invest sits on the broader Ally app, along with banking, loans and any other accounts you have open with Ally. Within your investment account, toggle between an overview of your portfolio, a detailed view of your holdings, a tab for trading, one for research and a final tab with extra features like watchlists, transfers and settings. When performing research on a specific stock, tap the chart to customize with upper and lower indicators or compare multiple charts at once. For support, head back to the main Ally dashboard to connect and chat with a live agent.
The Ally Invest web platform is a more robust version, complete with research reports from Morningstar and CFRA (for certain securities), more comprehensive fundamentals and analysis and advanced charts with even greater customization. A live customer support chat feature is available on the Ally Invest web platform as well.
| Google Play app reviews | 3.8/5 stars based on over 25,000 reviews |
| Apple App Store app reviews | 4.7/5 stars based on over 51,000 reviews |
Contact Ally customer support in three ways:
Ally Invest is considered safe and secure. It employs two-step authentication and other security strategies to protect your account and personal information.
As an SIPC-member, customer accounts up to $500,000, including a up to $250,000 in cash, are protected in the event that Ally Invest fails.
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Stock trade fee
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Minimum deposit
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SoFi Invest®
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Tastytrade
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Available asset types
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★★★★★ 5/5 — Excellent
★★★★★ 4/5 — Good
★★★★★ 3/5 — Average
★★★★★ 2/5 — Subpar
★★★★★ 1/5 — Poor
We analyze top online trading platforms and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include fees, securities available for trade, customer support, customer feedback, platform resources and overall reliability.
For a complete breakdown of how we score each category, read the full methodology of how we rate trading platforms.
Matt Finder
Editor, Investments
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