Best AI Trading Apps in 2026: 7 Options Compared

Public is where we would send most newcomers. Brokerage services come from Public Investing, Inc., a registered broker-dealer and FINRA and SIPC member, and the site says securities are protected by SIPC up to $500,000. NerdWallet's review reports a $0 account minimum, $0 commissions on exchange-listed stocks and ETFs, and rebates on options trades.

The AI side includes a research assistant that answers questions about a stock, and Generated Assets, which turn a prompt into an investable index backtested against the S&P 500. NerdWallet reports a 0.49% annual management fee on generated assets. Public describes Alpha as experimental and says it may produce inaccurate responses and is not investment research or a recommendation. Treat it as a way to learn, not as a signal to buy.

Robinhood's AI feature is Cortex, a conversational assistant in the app. Per Robinhood's support article, it is only for Gold members, and Gold is a $5 monthly subscription. Cortex can answer portfolio questions, help with research and stock discovery (including building screeners), and prepare simple market, stop and limit orders.

The limits are clear in the same article. Cortex cannot give buy or sell recommendations or predict prices, it can create an order but you must review and submit it, and its output is informational and educational. The disclosure we read also describes it as offered through the iOS app. Brokerage services come from Robinhood Financial LLC, a registered broker-dealer and SIPC member, and the site notes that other fees can apply to a brokerage account.

Webull is aimed at people who trade often and want data. Its site describes stocks, ETFs and options as commission-free for self-directed accounts, with regulatory and exchange fees possible and a $0.50 per contract fee on certain index options. Webull Financial LLC is a FINRA and SIPC member.

Vega is Webull's AI assistant. Its page lists real-time stock analysis, watchlist analysis, options analysis, Portfolio X-Ray, and Vega Analyst reports with citations to filings and earnings calls. The page makes no performance claims, and Webull states nothing on the site is a recommendation. It also does not say whether Vega requires a paid plan, so check the app. This is a lot of tooling for a first-time investor, so beginners may prefer Public.

Composer lets you design strategies visually, backtest them and then trade them automatically. Securities are offered through Composer Securities LLC, an SEC-registered broker-dealer and FINRA and SIPC member, with accounts carried and cleared by Alpaca Securities and Apex Clearing. The Starter plan is $0 and allows one automated strategy. Advanced is $10 per month for up to 5 strategies, and Pro is $32 per month for up to 500.

"Trade with AI" is included for exploring ideas, with more usage on paid plans. The page does not explain how the AI builds strategies, and it lists no commission figures, so read the fee schedule. Composer also warns that capital is at risk and options are not suitable for everyone. A backtest is a record of the past, and automation will keep executing a bad rule until you turn it off.

Trade Ideas has been running since 2002 and describes itself as a publisher, not a broker. Standard costs $127 per month ($89 per month billed yearly), and Premium costs $254 per month ($178 per month billed yearly). A free account gives limited-time live access, and the site does not describe a paid trial.

Holly AI is included in Premium. It looks for large movers and issues buy signals with an entry point and a stop, usually about 3% from entry, and the site warns that gaps can make losses larger than the stop implies. Trade Ideas says Holly signals are selected examples and results are not typical. You place trades through a partner broker, and TradeStation orders can be sent from the app.

TrendSpider is a technical analysis platform. A StockBrokers.com comparison describes an AI Sidekick that helps with chart setup, alerts and strategy ideas, and an AI Strategy Lab that trains and backtests models. Every plan includes 25 Sidekick messages a month, and paid Sidekick add-ons raise that limit. The same review says the Standard plan allows five bots and the Advanced plan up to 100.

Prices are the awkward part. We could not read the pricing page directly, and third-party sources list base plans from about $82 to $321 per month with frequent sales, so we say See website. The StockBrokers review says there is no free version or free trial, only a discounted paid trial. It is a research tool, not a brokerage, so you still need a broker to place trades.

Alpaca is a developer-first brokerage API for US stocks, ETFs and options. Alpaca Clearing is a FINRA-regulated broker-dealer and SIPC member. Its Trading API can make stock and options trades commission-free for individual self-directed accounts, and its Paper Trading API lets you test strategies without real money.

Alpaca also launched an MCP server so you can trade with natural language. That is powerful and risky: a mistaken prompt or buggy script can place real orders. Alpaca's own site warns about margin risk, options risk and risks specific to automated trading, and recommends continuous monitoring. Start in paper trading and stay there until you understand how your code behaves.