FinanzaX Which investing app should you actually start with?
Take our 6-question quiz to find out, or compare Acorns, Robinhood, Webull and Betterment side by side. All four say they are built for beginners; the fine print is what actually decides who each one fits.
6-question quiz
Find your match
Side-by-side comparison
Compare any two or three
Pick the platforms you are actually deciding between. Every figure comes
straight from data.js, the same file the quiz reads, so the two can never disagree.
Regulatory record
FINRA registration and fines
Every US broker-dealer has a public record at FINRA BrokerCheck. Here is what each of the four has on file, plus SIPC coverage in case a firm ever failed.
Regulatory fines shown below are historical, resolved matters, not active or ongoing violations, included for transparency about each firm's compliance record.
Source: FINRA BrokerCheck (opens in a new tab), verified . SIPC protects against brokerage failure, not against investment losses.
Compound growth calculator
What your contributions actually grow into
Put in a starting amount, a monthly contribution and a time horizon. Each platform's real fees, not an average, come out of the projection month by month.
This calculator assumes a constant annual return with no volatility, and does not account for taxes. It is a projection to compare fee structures, not investment advice or a forecast of what will actually happen to your money.
Methodology
How the quiz actually decides
Six questions, each scored against verified facts about the four platforms, never against which one pays us a commission (see the FAQ for why that matters here). The risk-tolerance question carries the most weight because it is asked first and drives the biggest real differences in what these platforms are built for. Account type can remove a platform entirely, since Betterment does not offer custodial or minor accounts, confirmed on its own site, so it is excluded rather than scored down when that is what you need.
Ties break in a fixed order: first by points on the risk question, then by points on the starting-amount question, and if that still ties, by whichever platform has fewer finalized FINRA regulatory events (the same count shown in the regulatory record table), or a smaller total dollar amount across those events if two platforms tie on count. That last rule is deliberate, because it is a real, verified, objective number, not an editorial guess, and it can never point toward whichever platform would pay us more, since that has nothing to do with commission at all.
The radar chart scores work differently. Those are FinanzaX Decide's own editorial judgment, on a scale of 1 to 10, anchored to the verified data on this page (fees, account types, regulatory history). They are a judgment call, not a measurement, and reasonable people could weigh the same facts differently.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is this financial advice?
No. See the full disclaimer. This tool points you toward a platform based on general patterns in six answers, not a complete financial picture, and does not replace a conversation with a licensed financial advisor.
Do you get paid for recommending one of these apps?
Not right now. None of the four platforms compared here is an active affiliate partner of ours today, which is exactly why the scoring logic could not favor one for commission even if we wanted it to. If that changes, this page and the disclaimer will say so.
What does "finalized FINRA event" mean?
A regulatory action (typically a fine) that FINRA or the SEC has already concluded, on record at FINRA BrokerCheck. It is a closed, historical matter, not an open investigation or an accusation still being decided.
Why is Webull's inactivity fee shown differently from other numbers?
Because we could not confirm it the same way. Most figures on this page come from a direct read of each platform's official page. Webull's reported $5/month inactivity fee is corroborated by a cached copy of its official page, but not by a direct render after two attempts, so we say that explicitly instead of treating it as equally certain.
Can I use these apps if I do not live in the United States?
That depends entirely on the platform, not on us. Acorns, Robinhood, Webull and Betterment are all U.S.-based broker-dealers built primarily for U.S. residents. Some accept certain non-U.S. applicants and some do not; account eligibility is decided solely by each platform, so check directly with them before assuming any of the four will work for you.
Verification history
What changed, and when
We re-verify quarterly. Every change gets logged here, including when a platform got worse, not just when it got cheaper.