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The 5 best apps for free stocks in 2026

Nicolas StrautBy Nicolas StrautLast updated 14 min read
Tweed is committed to editorial integritySome links on this page are referral or affiliate links, which means Tweed is paid when you open an account or sign up through them. That payment never changes what we write.

Payment never influences our evaluations: every fee, rate, and rule on this page comes from the provider's own terms, observed on the date shown under the headline, and our verdict would read the same without the link. Providers can change or end their offers without notice, and they do not review our pages before we publish.

Tweed is paid when you open an account with Robinhood, Public or SoFi Invest through the links on this page. Tweed earns nothing from Webull or Moomoo, which are included on their terms alone.

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. Tweed does not offer advisory or brokerage services, and does not recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

In this article

Referral codes at a glance

  • Robinhood

    Open referral link →Code nicolas1107

    $5 to $200 in a stock you pick for linking a bank; most people get $5

  • Public

    Open referral link →Code NICOLAS20143

    $100 in a stock or ETF you pick for a $1,000 deposit

  • SoFi Invest

    Open referral link →link only, no code

    $25 in stock for a $25 deposit

  • Webull

    Sign up on webull.com

    10 fractional shares worth $3 to $300 each for a $100 deposit; most people get $30

  • Moomoo

    Sign up on moomoo.com

    $30 to $1,000 in NVDA stock by deposit tier; $30 at the $500 tier

Key takeaways

  • Robinhood's own terms state that approximately 99% of new customers receive the $5 stock, not the $200 maximum its ads lead with.1
  • Four things decide which free stock app fits: the deposit you can leave untouched, the odds to qualify for each reward, the holding and withdrawal rules, and whether you'll keep the account after you receive the sign-up offer.
  • The best apps for free stocks are Robinhood for a reward with no deposit, Webull for the largest typical payout on a $100 deposit, and SoFi Invest for the best odds of beating the minimum.

Five apps give free stocks for signing up in 2026: Robinhood, Public, SoFi Invest, Webull, and Moomoo. Each app pays a range rather than a fixed amount. This guide compares those ranges with the published odds, deposit requirements, and holding rules, all taken from the vendors' own terms pages. You'll also learn which offer works with no deposit at all and what a $5 reward share is worth if you leave it invested.

Free stocks for signing up at a glance

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
AppRewardWhat most people getDeposit to qualifyReward locked for
Robinhood$5 to $200 in a stock you pick from 26$5 (about 99%)None; link a bank or debit cardSell after 3 trading days; cash withdrawable after 60 days
Public2$3 to $300 fractional share$3 (about 90%)$20Cash withdrawable after 90 days
SoFi Invest3$5 to $1,000 in a stock you pick$5 (85.49%)$50 settled within 45 daysNo holding period stated in the rules
Webull410 fractional shares, $3 to $300 each$3 per share, $30 total (98% per share)$100Deposit held 10 days, then claim within 30 days
Moomoo5$30 to $1,000 in NVDA fractional shares$30 at the $500 tier$500 to $100,000, tieredAverage assets maintained 60 to 180 days by tier

The table compares each app's own sign-up offer. The Public referral link on this page triggers Public's referral offer instead: $100 in a stock or ETF for a $1,000 deposit. The SoFi Invest link on this page triggers SoFi's referral offer: $25 in stock for a $25 deposit.

Which apps give free stocks for signing up in 2026?

The five apps below run from the lowest deposit floor to the highest. Each app's section opens with its referral code, then the terms that decide what you'll collect.

Best for no deposit: Robinhood ($5 to $200 stock for linking a bank)

Referral link: Open referral link →Code:nicolas1107

Through this link: $5 to $200 in a stock you pick for linking a bank; most people get $5. Sign up through the link, link a bank or debit card, and pick your stock within 60 days.

Terms checked October 6, 2026 on Robinhood's terms page.

Robinhood runs this offer as "Open account, pick your stock." Open an individual taxable brokerage account, link a bank or debit card, and choose one of 26 stocks, the two largest S&P 500 companies in each of the top 13 sectors. Claim the stock within 60 days. You can sell it 3 trading days after the grant and withdraw the cash 60 days after the claim.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
Reward valueShare of customers
$5about 99%
$10about 0.9%
$200about 0.1%

Ideal for

If you want a free stock without depositing anything, or you were already leaning toward Robinhood for fractional shares and the IRA match.

Our take

Robinhood runs the only no-deposit offer here, so it's the easiest of the five to collect. Expect $5. Sign up if you wanted the brokerage account anyway, because $5 is not a reason to open one on its own. The Robinhood review covers the account, and the Robinhood referral code guide explains what happens to the sign-up stock when you use a friend's link.

Pros

  • No deposit required
  • You choose the stock
  • The shortest sell window of the five at 3 trading days

Cons

  • About 99% of customers get the $5 minimum
  • A 60-day cash lock
  • The milestone program pays the person who referred you, not you

Best for the lowest deposit: Public ($3 to $300 stock for $20)

Referral link: Open referral link →Code:NICOLAS20143

Through this link: $100 in a stock or ETF you pick for a $1,000 deposit. Sign up through the link, make a first deposit of $1,000 or more, and claim the stock within 30 days.

Terms checked October 6, 2026 on Public's terms page.

Open an approved Public brokerage account as a first-time customer, deposit at least $20, and claim the share within 60 days of approval. Public's separate member referral program pays $100 to both parties on a $1,000 deposit. The referral link above gets you that $100 offer, not the $20 one.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
Reward valueShare of participants
$3about 90%
$5about 9.7%
$300about 0.3%

Ideal for

If you want the lowest deposit floor and plan to hold Treasury bills or bonds alongside stocks.

Our take

Public offers the smallest expected reward on the list: $3 for nine in ten people. It also locks the cash longest, at 90 days. Sign up for Public if the bond and Treasury access is what you want, because the referral reward does not make the account worth opening on its own. The Public.com review and the Public.com referral code guide cover the account and the $100 member referral in full.

Pros

  • A $20 deposit
  • You pick the stock
  • Clear published odds

Cons

  • A 90-day withdrawal lock
  • About 90% of people get $3
  • The 60-day expiry runs from account approval, not from funding, and an expired share never comes back

Best odds of beating the minimum: SoFi Invest ($5 to $1,000 stock for $50)

Referral link: Open referral link →Code: link only, no code

Through this link: $25 in stock for a $25 deposit. Open a self-directed account through the link and deposit $25 or more.

Terms checked October 12, 2026 on SoFi Invest's terms page.

SoFi shows a dollar amount during account opening, in a feature it calls the claw. SoFi converts that amount into fractional shares of the stock you choose once $50 of settled funds reaches a new self-directed account within 45 days. Pick that stock within 45 days too, or SoFi grants no award. Shares arrive within 10 business days of funding. IRAs and automated accounts do not qualify. SoFi's referral link pays $25 in stock for a $25 deposit instead of the claw award below.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
AwardWith SoFi PlusOdds
$5$1085.49%
$10$209.50%
$25$503.32%
$100$2001.66%
$1,000$2,0000.028%

Ideal for

If you already bank with SoFi or hold SoFi Plus, since SoFi Plus doubles the award at the same odds.

Our take

SoFi gives you the best odds of beating the minimum on this list, with roughly 14.5% of people landing $10 or more for a $50 deposit. Open a SoFi Invest account if you want the brokerage, because about $8 of expected reward is not a reason to open one. The SoFi Active Investing review and the SoFi referral code guide cover the brokerage and SoFi's separate cash bonuses.

Pros

  • Published odds for every tier
  • SoFi Plus doubles every award
  • No stated sell lock
  • A $50 floor

Cons

  • Two 45-day deadlines, one for funding and one for picking the stock
  • Taxable accounts only

Best typical payout: Webull (10 shares worth $30 to $3,000 for $100)

Sign up: webull.com, no referral code needed.

Offer: 10 fractional shares worth $3 to $300 each for a $100 deposit; most people get $30. Make an initial deposit of $100 or more and leave it in place for 10 days.

Webull grants 10 fractional shares, each drawn separately, to a customer who has never funded a Webull account and deposits $100 or more between July 22 and October 14, 2026. The reward sits in My Rewards as "Locked" for 10 calendar days, and the full deposit has to stay in the account for all 10 days. Claim within 30 days after that, and Webull credits the shares within 10 days.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
Value per shareOdds
$398.00%
$51.50%
$500.43%
$1000.04%
$2000.02%
$3000.01%

Ideal for

If you can park $100 for ten days and you want the highest typical payout with a charting-heavy app.

Our take

Webull gives you ten separate shares rather than one. Each share lands at $3 about 98% of the time, so most people finish with roughly $30. That is the largest typical reward here for a deposit under $500. Plan on $30, not the $3,000 the maximum implies.

Pros

  • Roughly $33 expected reward
  • A short 10-day hold
  • Shares claimable the day after the hold ends
  • A free month of Webull Premium

Cons

  • Any withdrawal during the hold forfeits everything
  • The offer ends October 14, 2026 unless Webull renews it
  • IRAs, joint, and advisory accounts do not qualify

Best for large deposits: Moomoo ($30 to $1,000 in NVDA for $500 or more)

Sign up: moomoo.com, no referral code needed.

Offer: $30 to $1,000 in NVDA stock by deposit tier; $30 at the $500 tier. Fund by ACH, wire, or instant transfer; account transfers do not count.

Moomoo pays fractional NVDA shares in tiers based on your net deposit. Moomoo releases each tier only after your average assets stay above that tier's threshold for a set period. New customers also earn a 4.5% APY booster over a 3.6% cash-sweep base for 60 days on the first $20,000. After those 60 days, the base rate falls to 0.03% without a Moomoo Engine membership. Ask support to substitute a comparable stock if you would rather not hold NVDA.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
Net depositNVDA stockAssets to maintainFor how long
$500$30$50060 days
$2,000$100$2,00060 days
$10,000$200$10,00060 days
$50,000$400$50,000 for the extra $200120 days
$100,000$1,000$100,000 for the final $400180 days

Ideal for

If you're moving a five-figure cash balance and don't mind holding it for two to six months.

Our take

Moomoo is the only offer here with fixed amounts instead of random draws, so the tier table tells you exactly what you'll get. The $500 floor and the 60-day asset test make Moomoo the wrong pick for a first-time investor with $50. Open a Moomoo account only if you were going to deposit that money there anyway.

Pros

  • Fixed amounts, no odds
  • Up to $1,000
  • Stock substitution on request

Cons

  • The highest deposit floor
  • 60- to 180-day asset tests
  • The 8.1% APY headline lasts 60 days and reverts to 0.03% without a paid membership

Methodology for choosing these free stock apps

One inclusion rule decides this list: a US brokerage has to publish its sign-up stock terms on its own site. We observed every set of terms on September 9, 2026, then re-checked all but Webull's on October 9, 2026, because Webull's terms page did not load its text. We checked the reward range, published odds, deposit floor, claim window, holding and withdrawal rules, account exclusions, and tax language on the terms page cited in each row. We excluded cash bonuses, crypto bonuses, and transfer matches because none of them hands you stock. We ranked the five by deposit floor from lowest to highest rather than by what they pay Tweed, and we dropped Stash and Acorns because neither publishes a current stock offer with terms. No vendor reviewed this page.

Can you get free stocks with no deposit?

Yes, you can get free stocks with no deposit, but among these five apps only Robinhood offers one. Robinhood grants its stock for linking a bank or debit card, with no deposit amount specified. At the other four apps, the reward waits on settled funds: $20 at Public, $50 at SoFi, $100 at Webull, and $500 at Moomoo.

Two kinds of "no deposit" offers don't hold up. Some are old offers that have since added a funding condition. Others are paper-trading simulators, which let you practice with fake money and never hand you a real share. A friend's Robinhood referral link does not raise the sign-up stock above the $5 to $200 range either. The Robinhood referral code guide explains what the referrer gets instead.

What is a free sign-up stock worth?

A free sign-up stock is worth $3 to $30 for most people, depending on the app. The $200, $300, and $1,000 figures in the ads are real, but the odds tables above show how rarely people get them.

A $5 position is a small starting investment. What a $5 position grows into depends on whether you leave it invested and reinvest the dividends. The Tweed dividend calculator shows that growth over 10 to 30 years. Enter the reward value the app displays and the stock's current yield.

See what your free stock grows into

Open the Tweed Dividend Calculator

How to choose a free stock app

Work through three questions in order. The reward amount itself decides none of them.

Step 1: Set the deposit you can leave alone

Start with the cash you will not touch for the full holding period, then read only the offers at or below it. Robinhood needs none, Public $20, SoFi $50, Webull $100, and Moomoo $500 and up. Webull forfeits the entire reward if you withdraw during its 10-day hold, Moomoo tests your average assets for 60 to 180 days, and Public locks the cash for 90 days after you claim.

Step 2: Compare expected values, not headline maximums

Next, ignore the maximum reward in the ad and read the odds table instead. Every randomized offer pays its minimum to between 85% and 99% of people. Expect $5 at Robinhood, $3 at Public, about $8 at SoFi, and about $33 at Webull. The ads for those same four say $200, $300, $1,000, and $3,000.

Step 3: Judge the account, not the stock

Finally, ask whether you would open this brokerage with no reward attached. The stock is worth $3 to $30, and you'll keep using the account long after the reward. If what you need is a retirement account, none of these five offers applies: start with what a Roth IRA is, decide between Roth vs traditional IRA, and use the best Roth IRA accounts shortlist.

Decide on the brokerage before the free stock

Pick the app whose deposit and holding rules you can live with, then sign up through the link or app above so the reward is credited. None of the five apps adds the reward afterward. If you choose Robinhood, read the Robinhood review for the fees, whether the Gold subscription is worth it to you, and the transfer-out cost before you open the account. Then run the reward value through the Tweed dividend calculator to see what it becomes if you leave it reinvested. If you need a retirement account, none of these five offers applies. Start with our best Roth IRA accounts shortlist.

Frequently asked questions about free stocks for signing up

Do you pay taxes on free sign-up stock?

Yes, free sign-up stock counts as income at its value on the grant date. The brokerages say they may report it as other income on a Form 1099-MISC, and SoFi files one at $600 or more. Selling the share later is a separate capital gain or loss measured from that grant-date value. Your account history records the grant-date value.

How long does it take to get free sign-up stock?

It takes anywhere from a day to six months, depending on the app. SoFi delivers within 10 business days of your deposit settling. Webull holds your deposit 10 days and then credits the shares within 10 days of your claim. Moomoo releases each tier only after your average assets stay above that tier's threshold for 60 to 180 days.

Can you claim free stock from more than one app?

Yes. Each offer asks only that you be new to that brokerage, so you can collect one reward from each of the five. Every offer still carries its own funding condition, claim deadline, and holding period, so opening five accounts in a week means tracking five sets of dates.

Sources

  1. https://robinhood.com/us/en/support/articles/open-account-pick-your-stock/
  2. https://public.com/disclosures/public-stock-offer
  3. https://www.sofi.com/invest/clawpromotion/rules/
  4. https://www.webull.com/offers-promotions/deposit
  5. https://www.moomoo.com/us/support/topic4_410
Nicolas Straut
Nicolas Straut

Personal finance writer, former Forbes contributor and This Week in Fintech writer. He isn't a financial advisor or a CPA.

nicstraut.com

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