Robinhood Review 2026 — What’s New, Pros & Cons

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Robinhood at a glance

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Who should choose Robinhood?

Robinhood is a great fit for a range of traders and investors, particularly those who value a modern, easy-to-use platform and low fees. Typical users include:

• Beginner investors who are just starting out and want a simple, intuitive way to buy stocks, ETFs and crypto without getting overwhelmed.
• Hands-off investors who want automated portfolio management with competitive fees and human oversight.
• Active traders looking for a sleek interface and advaned tools, including Robinhod Legend and advanced mobile charts, to manage trades efficiently.
• Cost-conscious investors who want to minimize fees while still benefiting from ongoing platform innovations and features like IRA contribution matching.

What we like about Robinhood

Robinhood is one of the most accessible and beginner-friendly trading platforms on the market. It’s easy to get started, easy to use and mostly commission-free. Instant deposits, fractional share trading from just $1 and Robinhood’s 24/5 trading give you quick and broad access to the market. Robinhood’s 24 Hour Market lets you place limit orders to buy whole shares of over 900 stocks and ETFs, including names such as Tesla (TSLA), Amazon (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL).

Here’s what else we like.

Boost your retirement savings with an IRA match

Get a 3% match on IRA contributions when you subscribe to Gold, or 1% without Gold. For example, if you max out your 2026 IRA contribution at $7,500, Gold subscribers would receive $225. All IRA transfers and 401(k) rollovers earn 1%, with no limit on the total matching contributions. For instance, transferring an IRA with $10,000 to Robinhood would earn $100.

Unmatched user interface

Robinhood is simple and straightforward, with a clean interface that makes it ideal for beginners but enjoyable for traders and investors of all levels.

It’s incredibly easy to sign up and invest with Robinhood, and its intuitive design makes it easy to navigate and execute trades without feeling overwhelmed. Whether you’re placing your first trade or managing a diverse portfolio, Robinhood’s platform helps you stay in control.

Managed portfolios with Robinhood Strategies for hands-off investing

Robinhood Strategies offers tailored, expert-managed portfolios for 0.25% annually and a $250 yearly fee cap for Robinhood Gold members. Portfolios comprise stocks and ETFs, with the ability to restrict individual stocks. A Monte Carlo simulator is available to simulate future returns. Tax strategies help minimize taxable gains. And its human team provides timely market and portfolio insights to keep you informed about changes to your portfolio and what’s driving the market.

Robinhood Strategies is available for individual and retirement accounts, with support for joint accounts coming soon.

Robinhood’s expanding its financial ecosystem

Robinhood is steadily evolving from a trading app into a broader financial platform. In addition to commission-free trading and managed portfolios, it now offers:

• Robinhood Banking, which includes a 3.25% savings APY, debit card and premium perks like cash delivery access to exclusive events.
• Robinhood Gold Card, a credit card exclusive to Robinhood Gold subscribers, which offers 3% cash back on all purchases and 5% back on travel booked through the Robinhood Travel Portal.

These additions give users more ways to manage their money, invest strategically and access premium tools, all within the same app.

You have complete control and ownership over your crypto

Trade more than 40 cryptocurrencies with Robinhood, with no commissions, ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL) staking complete control over your assets. Send and receive crypto and sign up for the separate Robinhood Crypto app to access Robinhood’s self-custody wallet where you can store and manage your crypto on the Ethereum, Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Arbitrum, Polygon, Optimism and Base networks.

Plus, earn rewards by staking your ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL).

Where Robinhood falls short

Here’s where we think Robinhood could improve:

Limited investment options

Robinhood offers stocks, ETFs, options, index options, crypto, event contracts and futures, an expanding list of assets that makes it easier to tailor your portfolio to your goals, risk tolerance and market conditions. But it skips staples like mutual funds, bonds and forex, which bigger, traditional brokers offer.

Limited analysis and research tools for its standard account

While all Robinhood customers have access to the Robinhood Legend advanced trading platform and analyst ratings on select stocks, Morningstar research is reserved for Gold subscribers. What’s more, Robinhood lacks key company financials like basic income statements and balance sheets.

No human financial advisors for personalized guidance

While Robinhood offers managed portfolios through Robinhood Strategies and banking features, it does not provide dedicated human financial advisors. Unlike traditional brokers such as Fidelity or Schwab, investors cannot get personalized, one-on-one guidance, which may be a drawback for those seeking professional advice for complex financial decisions.

9.4 Excellent

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Robinhood Gold

• Earn up to 3.25% APY on uninvested cash (subscription fees apply).
• Get up to a 3% match on all new IRA contributions.
• Access professional research from top-tier research provider, Morningstar.

Robinhood’s fees

Robinhood’s trading tools

Robinhood Legend and other trading tools

Robinhood’s new web-based desktop trading platform, Robinhood Legend, is a much-needed addition to Robinhood’s suite of products, offering Robinhood customers a dedicated advanced trading platform.

Robinhood Legend

• Trade on the chart
• Technical indicators
• Drawing tools
• Custom intervals
• Custom and preset layouts
• Compatible with multiple monitors

Robinhood Classic

• Watchlists
• Key statistics, such as market cap, P/E and average volume
• Buy, hold and sell ratings
• Recent earnings results and estimates
• News feed
• A chart with some advanced technical indicators, such as volume, moving averages and bollinger bands
• Trading Trends, which shows Robinhood customer, hedge fund and insider trading activity

Upgrading to Robinhood Gold for $5 per month gets you access to Morningstar research and Level 2 Nasdaq market data, though day traders might still find it lackluster. You can add the Level 2 Nasdaq market data, including a depth chart and book in the advanced chart of any given stock. We did notice that Morningstar research wasn’t available for every stock, though.

Robinhood Cortex Digests

Cortex Digests give you a quick, plain-language summary of what’s moving a stock or crypto. You’ll see them on a security’s detail page if you’re a Gold member. They’re not personalized advice, but they’re a handy way to get the gist of market activity without digging through charts or news.

Is Robinhood legit?

Yes, Robinhood is a legitimate broker that was founded in 2013. It’s registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Robinhood Crypto is registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as a money services business.

Robinhood’s platform is also considered safe and secure. Through its memberships of SEC, FINRA and SIPC, customers are protected up to $500,000 – including up to $250,000 in cash balances – in the event of Robinhood’s insolvency. In addition, customers enrolled in Robinhood’s cash sweep program are FDIC insured up to $2 million on uninvested cash through its partner banks.

Any crypto bought on Robinhood is stored in a mix of cold storage and hot storage. While crypto is not covered by either FDIC or SIPC insurance, Robinhood carries a crime insurance policy protecting crypto held by Robinhood against losses from theft and cybersecurity breaches.

Robinhood customer reviews and ratings

Robinhood’s online customer sentiment is mixed, with both positive and negative reviews from users across Reddit and the major review sites. Positive sentiment often revolves around the platform’s user-friendly interface, commission-free trading and accessibility for beginner investors. Users appreciate the simplicity of the app and the ability to start investing with small amounts of money.

However, negative sentiment typically stems from concerns about platform outages during periods of high market volatility and controversies surrounding issues such as payment for order flow and the handling of customer funds.

Overall, while many users find Robinhood’s platform convenient and easy to use, others have raised concerns about reliability and transparency.

Compare Robinhood to other platforms

Compare similar platforms by available asset types, trade fees and minimum deposit requirements. Select Go to site to sign up for an account.

Robinhood

9.4 Excellent

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Available asset types

Stocks, Options, ETFs, Cryptocurrency, Futures, Event contracts, High-yield cash account

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Minimum deposit

$0

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Signup bonus

Get a free stock

SoFi Active Invest

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Stocks, Options, Mutual funds, ETFs, Alternatives

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eToro

8.2 Great

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Available asset types

Stocks, Options, ETFs, Cryptocurrency, Investments

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Minimum deposit

$0

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Signup bonus

N/A

Finder Scores: What they mean

If you want peace of mind, this rating will give it to you. These products offer the best value and outcomes considering various product features, terms, conditions and price.

Well-balanced products that provide what you need, offering a healthy mix of competitive features at a good price. However, they're not quite the best in class.

Bottom line: You can find better, but these products still offer reasonable value and have the basics sorted.

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