Stake is an Wall Street brokerage offering 6,000+ stocks on a mobile investing app. This multi-reglated broker has gained a strong reputation since its inception in 2017, with over 450,000 customers. The brand offers competitive fees, with just a $3 brokerage charge and 0.5% for FX conversion, making it popular with global traders.
Revolut has emerged as the most downloaded financial app in 11 countries with over 45 million users and more than $23 billion held in customer balances. It facilitates commission-free trading on over 2000 stocks and commodities, alongside 185 cryptos with a minimum investment of just $1. The mobile trading experience remains market-leading for casual investors seeking low, transparent fees.
Revolut operates across many global entities. The entity with whom a client receives services from depends on their country of residence. Each entity provides different products via different platforms, so clients will experience Revolut differently depending on their country of residence. Revolut Ltd (No. 08804411) is authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (Firm Reference 900562). Revolut's cryptocurrency service is not regulated by the FCA, other than for the purposes of money laundering. Revolut Ltd has been temporarily registered with the FCA as a cryptoasset business, pending determination of its application by the FCA. Cryptoassets are volatile and not regulated or protected by investor compensation schemes – value can go down or up. Trading may be subject to tax. Fees payable.
Pros
Strong regulatory oversight with licenses and memberships with FINRA, SIPC and the FCA
Excellent range of 6,000 US stocks and ETFs, plus a useful stock comparison tool
Free first 'mystery' stock when you sign up and fund your account within 24 hours
Competitive $3 brokerage charge and free fractional shares, plus no inactivity or account fees
Sleek and user-friendly mobile interface with price charts, a financial news stream and market data
Attractive 'Stake Black' membership for Australian and New Zealand clients, offering instant fund settlements and more
Educational content and market overviews are posted to help investors stay up to date with the US and Australian markets
Fractional trading and stock lending help Stake offer a complete investing package
Clients can take advantage of free trades on Wall Street stocks and ETFs
The app delivers a superb investing environment with a slick design and a packed ‘Discover’ section with daily top movers, collections like ‘Technology’ and ‘Utilities’ and popular stocks.
Revolut offers one of the smoothest fully digital sign-up processes we’ve seen, kickstarted through a QR code and taking less than 5 minutes.
Trade a growing roster of 2000+ stocks, 185+ cryptos and precious metals like gold, silver and platinum with fees starting from 0%.
Revolut uses cutting-edge security features with multiple layers, from PINs and passcodes to biometrics and one-time passwords, with $590M saved in fraudulent transactions.
Cons
Stake charges hefty deposit and withdrawal fees, and up to A$20 per month for its top account levels
To unlock market depth, company financial data and OTC stock trading, investors need to pay up to A$20 per month for Stake Black
UK investors are limited to bank transfers when making deposits and withdrawals
There is only one method for clients to contact the customer support team
The brokerage does not support trading using leverage or margin
There are limited technical analysis tools in the app
There is a narrow range of trading instruments
The Revolut app is an excellent starting point for casual investors but testing reveals its charting package falls short for advanced traders with just two charts (line and candlestick) and six timeframes (1D to 5Y).
While the range of shares, commodities and cryptocurrencies is growing, Revolut still lacks popular asset classes like ETFs and does not support margin trading, trailing alternatives like Trade Republic.
Some users may find Revolut’s pricing structure confusing; while basic accounts have zero monthly fees, you may need to pay for foreign exchange beyond the specified limit and ATM withdrawals.
Revolut has expanded its crypto offering, now featuring 185+ tokens. You can buy, sell and transfer cryptos on the iOS and Android app within a few taps. Revolut also stands out by allowing users to round up leftover cash from card transactions in crypto and use their crypto balance to make card payments, while recurring investments can be made for dollar cost averaging.
Revolut operates across many global entities. The entity with whom a client receives services from depends on their country of residence. Each entity provides different products via different platforms, so clients will experience Revolut differently depending on their country of residence. Revolut Ltd (No. 08804411) is authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (Firm Reference 900562). Revolut's cryptocurrency service is not regulated by the FCA, other than for the purposes of money laundering. Revolut Ltd has been temporarily registered with the FCA as a cryptoasset business, pending determination of its application by the FCA. Cryptoassets are volatile and not regulated or protected by investor compensation schemes – value can go down or up. Trading may be subject to tax. Fees payable.