Best Investing Apps for Teens Under 18 Years Old (2026)

Are you looking for the best investing apps for teens? You came to the right place.

Investing isn’t just for adults. Your teens can get started building wealth early on.

So, whether you’re a teenager looking to grow your savings or a parent wanting to help your teen learn about investing, these are my Smile Money Picks for the best investing apps for teens under 18 years old.

What are Smile Money Picks? We do the work in researching, testing, and asking questions to determine what products in our marketplace stand out and worthy of your attention.

What to Look for in a Teen Investing App

There are many options available but they aren’t all suited for every case. My Smile Money Picks are based on the criteria below.

• Parental Controls: Apps that allow parents to oversee activity ensure a safe and educational experience.
• Low Fees: Teens often start with small amounts, so avoid apps with high fees that can eat into returns.
• Educational Resources: A good app should teach teens about investing basics, like risk, diversification, and compound interest.
• Ease of Use: User-friendly interfaces help teens navigate the investing world without frustration.
• Fractional Shares: This feature lets teens invest in big-name companies with as little as a few dollars.
• Family Plans: Many apps offer family plans that let you open up accounts for each child (some up to 5 kids) and add a coparent or guardian to help manage the accounts.

When selecting an investing app for teens or kids under 18 years old, it’s important to consider the factors above.

Why Start Investing as a Teen

I began researching teen investing platforms when my nieces asked me about how they could buy Roblox. They wanted to learn how they could own the company that made the game they played daily. So, I took that curiosity and shared how they could “own” these companies. And how they can become “rich” by investing even though they weren’t 18 year old adults.

But, I didn’t want to do the investing for them and they made it clear they wanted to invest themselves.

I tested investing apps that allowed me (or my siblings) the ability to guide the kids and give them experience in buying/selling stocks on their own.

Best Investing Apps for Teens in 2026

1. Stockpile: Best for Gifting Investments

If you want your kids to have hands-on experience, Stockpile makes it easy for them to invest in stocks and keep you in control. They also offer investments through stock gift cards. So, you could purchase stock gift cards as presents that is redeemable for stock within the app.

Key Features:

• Fractional shares for as little as $5.
• Educational tools to help teens understand their investments.
• Parents can set up custodial accounts.

Fees: $4.95/month for Family Base plan that includes up to 5 kids.

Why It’s Great for Teens: Stockpile is perfect for teens who want a low-pressure introduction to investing.

My Smile Money Take: This apps isn’t simply a custodial investing account. It gives kids access to easy to understand stock tools and offers them experience in making investment choices. The parent/guardian has full control and you can give the kids in your life their own (and limited) access to the app to manage their accounts.

Learn more about Stockpile.

2. Greenlight + Invest: Best Overall for Financial Education

Greenlight is a popular app designed specifically for kids and teens. Its an all-in-one banking app and debit card. Its investing feature, included in Greenlight Max, allows teens to explore investing under parental supervision.

Key Features:

• Kids research stocks.
• Parents approve every trade.
• Fractional shares available.
• Built-in educational content about saving, spending, and investing.

Fees: Starts at $9.98/month for the Max plan that includes investing for kids.

Why It’s Great for Teens: Greenlight combines financial education with real-world experience, making it ideal for beginners.

My Smile Money Take: The app is best for parents who want an all-in-one app that helps them monitor savings, debit card use, and investing. Greenlight started as a debit card for teens and investing is an added feature. The main benefit is using one financial app but it can also be a drawback if your desired focus is to teach investing.

Learn more about Greenlight.

3. Fidelity Youth Account: Best for Independent Teen Investors

The Fidelity Youth Account is a teen-focused brokerage account that offers a real-world investing experience while giving parents access to monitor activity.

Key Features:

• Commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds.
• No monthly fees or minimum account balance.
• Teens can access financial literacy resources via the app.

Why It’s Great for Teens: It’s a hands-on way to learn about investing with the support of a trusted brokerage firm.

My Smile Money Take: Fidelity Youth Accounts are quite stellar. It offers robust platform and is easy to set up. Parent/guardian needs to have a Fidelity account and can open the teen-owned investing account for kids between 13-17 years old. However, this account is not a custodial account. The kids have control and the parent/guardian is considered a “trusted contact” for some account maintenance.

4. Goalsetter: Best for Combining Saving and Investing

Goalsetter focuses on financial education while combining saving and investing features, making it ideal for families looking to teach financial literacy.

Key Features:

• Offers investment options alongside savings tools.
• Fun, interactive financial literacy quizzes.
• Allows parents to monitor and manage teen accounts.

Fees: Plans start at $5/month (Pricing is not easily visible on the website).

Why It’s Great for Teens: Goalsetter emphasizes both saving and investing, helping teens understand the connection between short-term goals and long-term growth.

My Smile Money Take: Goalsetter began as a debit card app with financial literacy as it’s core function. It’s a great app for parents who want to teach their kids about money management and investing. You will have to subscribe to the Goldsetter Gold plan to access investing features that allow kids to research and trade stocks with final parental approval before the trade is executed.

Learn more about Goalsetter.

5. Acorns Early: Best for Parents Saving for Teens

Acorns Early is a custodial investment account aimed at helping parents invest for their children’s future. While it’s controlled by parents, teens can watch their investments grow and learn alongside.

Key Features:

• Automated, low-risk investing.
• Educational tools for parents to teach teens.
• Low-cost plans starting at $5/month (includes access to other Acorns products).

Why It’s Great for Teens: It introduces investing in a stress-free, automated way, perfect for long-term goals.

My Smile Money Take: This is great for parents who want full control over investing and using Acorns ETFs to do so. Parents can show how the investments are growing with their kids but it doesn’t give your child the hands-on experience. Acorns Early is good option if you’re looking to help your kids manage their spending and savings while having the ability to invest for their future.

Learn more about Acorns Early.

By starting early, your kids and teens can build a strong financial foundation that pays off for years to come. Take the time to explore these platforms and choose the one that fits your family’s needs.

Investing isn’t just about money; it’s about building knowledge and habits that last a lifetime.

Do you want to find more financial apps for kids? Discover Kids & Teen Accounts in the financial marketplace.

How Teens Can Start Investing Safely

1. Learn the Basics: Understand concepts like stocks, ETFs, and compound interest. Read the investing guide for beginners.
2. Start Small: Begin with fractional shares or small deposits to minimize risk.
3. Diversify: Invest in a mix of stocks, ETFs, or index funds to reduce risk.
4. Set Goals: Whether saving for college or a first car, having a clear goal makes investing more meaningful.
5. Ask Questions: Encourage teens to discuss their investments and goals with parents or mentors.

My Final Thoughts

The best investing apps for teens provide a blend of education, ease of use, and parental guidance. Stockpile and Greenlight is great for younger teens under parental supervision, while Fidelity’s Youth Account empowers older teens to take more control.

For automated investing, consider Acorns Early. And if you’re truly looking for a hands-on learning experience, stick with Stockpile or Greenlight as they are excellent options.

Discover more investing apps for teens in the marketplace.