By Bo Starr, Co-CEO of Grifin. Last verified August 17, 2026.
Six apps let you invest small amounts into individual stocks rather than ETF portfolios: Robinhood, Public, Cash App Investing, Stash, Fennel, and Grifin. Full disclosure at the top: Grifin is ours, and it's the odd one out on this list because it's the only app where you don't choose the stocks at all.
Most micro-investing roundups treat this question as a footnote and steer you back toward ETFs. That's a fine default, but it isn't what you asked. If you specifically want to own companies, not funds, here's the honest map, including which app fits which kind of picker.
Why would anyone want single stocks instead of ETFs?
The textbook answer says you shouldn't: a broad ETF diversifies away single-company risk, and most beginners are told to stop there. The human answer is that ownership you can name behaves differently than ownership you can't. People check on companies they recognize, hold them longer, and talk about them at dinner. There's a real cost, since a portfolio of a few stocks swings harder than an index fund, and this whole category makes sense only for money you're investing steadily over years, not a lump sum you'll need soon. A reasonable rule of thumb: single names with money you'd otherwise spend, index funds with money you're counting on. But "I want to own Costco, not a fund containing Costco" is a legitimate preference, and these six apps serve it in very different ways.
Which apps are best if you already know what you want to buy?
Robinhood and Public. Both charge $0 commissions with fractional shares from $1, so $10 buys you a slice of nearly any listed company. Robinhood has the broader toolkit (options, crypto, 24-hour trading, an IRA with a contribution match) and the slicker execution. Public leans calmer: a cleaner buy-and-hold experience, bonds and treasuries alongside stocks, and a social layer where you can see reasoning rather than hype. Its Premium tier is optional at $10 a month. For a picker with a watchlist, either one does the job free, and the choice comes down to whether Robinhood's trading energy is a draw or a hazard for you.
What if you just want one stock inside an app you already have?
Cash App Investing. If you use Cash App to split dinner, the brokerage is already in your pocket: individual stocks and ETFs from $1, no commissions, no subscription, and no new account setup beyond identity verification. It's the shortest path in the category from "I've always wanted to own Nike" to owning it. Two caveats before you build anything serious there: the account is taxable-only with no IRA option, and if you ever transfer out, whole shares cost $75 to move and fractional shares can't be transferred at all, so fractions get sold instead. For one or two tickers held casually, it's fine. For a decade of accumulation, start elsewhere.
Which app suits the research-heavy, vote-your-shares type?
Fennel, the least known name here. It's an SEC-registered broker-dealer (FINRA and SIPC membership) built around the idea that small shareholders should act like owners: deep company data, governance and ESG information, and proxy-voting tools in a phone-sized package. It runs $4.99 a month as a membership. That's a real cost for a small account, and Fennel is the pick only if you'll actually use the research and vote your shares. Stash also belongs in this section as a hybrid: its $12-a-month plan includes self-directed single-stock investing alongside managed Smart Portfolios and its Stock-Back debit card, which suits someone who wants to pick a little without going fully solo.
What if you want individual stocks but can't face picking them?
That's the gap Grifin exists for, and remember who's writing. Grifin links your bank accounts and cards through Plaid, reads your transactions, and automatically buys fractional shares of every publicly traded brand you spend at. It opens a real brokerage account, verifies your identity, funds by ACH, and places live fractional trades. There's no stock picking. Your spending is the selection: shop at Target and Starbucks this week, own a little more of each. More than half of our members had never invested before joining, the average deposit is around $18, and active members average about 67 automatic deposits a year. The downsides, plainly: it costs a flat single-digit monthly subscription while Robinhood and Cash App are free, you can't add a company you don't shop at, and there are no IRAs or ETFs. If you want to choose, choose one of the apps above.
How should you pick from this list?
Sort yourself by who does the picking. You pick, free: Robinhood or Public. You pick, inside an app you already use: Cash App. You pick, with research and a shareholder ballot: Fennel. You pick a little, with a managed safety net: Stash. Your spending picks: Grifin. And if reading this list made you tired, that's useful information too; a boring index ETF at a free brokerage remains the strongest default in investing, and every app here is a supplement to that idea, not a replacement for it. Own companies because you want to, on top of a foundation that doesn't care whether you're paying attention. Prices above are each provider's published rate on our check date; subscriptions in this category change often, so confirm before you commit.
Facts about other apps checked against their own pricing pages on August 17, 2026.
