Best Broker for Recurring Investments 2026
Which broker is the best home for your monthly stock or ETF recurring buys? M1 Finance, Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, SoFi and Public compared — fractional minimums, schedule controls, fees, and which ones support automatic dividend reinvestment.
What makes a broker great for recurring investments?
Choosing a broker for recurring buys is not about commission — almost every U.S. broker offers $0 trades. What matters is the automation layer around buys: How small can a fractional purchase be? Can you split a fixed dollar amount across multiple holdings (pie-style)? How granular is the schedule (weekly, biweekly, monthly, custom)? Does dividend reinvestment (DRIP) work on fractional shares? Are there hidden fees on small recurring buys?
For a comparison of general-purpose stock apps see Best Stock App 2026. This page focuses specifically on the recurring-investment workflow: who automates the most, who offers true pie-style allocation, and where small-dollar dollar-cost-averaging works without friction.
The 6 best brokers for recurring investments
The purpose-built recurring-investment broker. You build a "pie" with target weights (e.g. 40% VOO, 30% QQQ, 20% individual stocks, 10% bonds), set a recurring deposit, and M1 automatically rebalances every contribution into the underweight slices. Fractional from $1, free for accounts under $10K (M1 Plus at $3/mo unlocks crypto pies and second daily trade window).
- Pie-based allocation is best-in-class
- Automatic rebalancing on every deposit
- Fractional shares from $1
- DRIP works on fractional shares
- Free for under-$10K balances
- Only one trading window per day (Free)
- No options trading at all
- $100 brokerage account minimum
- $3/mo Plus needed for crypto pies
Recurring buys are first-class citizens in Robinhood. Fractional shares from $1, schedule daily / weekly / biweekly / monthly / quarterly, and you can run recurring on stocks, ETFs and crypto from the same flow. Robinhood Retirement (IRA) supports recurring contributions with a 1% match (3% with Gold). DRIP works on fractional shares.
- Most flexible schedule (5 frequencies)
- Stocks + ETFs + crypto in one flow
- IRA with up to 3% contribution match
- Best mobile UX for recurring buys
- No pie / target-allocation feature
- Each recurring buy is independent
- PFOF on stock execution
The long-term recurring-investment workhorse. Fractional shares from $1 (Stocks Slices), recurring buys on stocks, ETFs and mutual funds (including the zero-expense-ratio FZROX/FZILX). Best IRA platform — automatic contributions, automatic backdoor Roth conversions, low-fee target-date funds. Cash sweeps to SPAXX (~5%) by default; idle cash earns from day one.
- Zero-expense-ratio index funds
- Automatic 5% on idle cash
- Strongest IRA / 401(k) experience
- No PFOF on stock executions
- No pie-style allocation
- Crypto needs separate Fidelity Crypto app
- Mobile UX dense, not flashy
Schwab's Stock Slices let you buy fractional shares from $5 — but only of S&P 500 stocks. ETFs require full shares. Recurring works on mutual funds (auto-invest) and ETFs (Schwab Personalized Indexing for $25K+), but the fractional flow is more limited than Robinhood or Fidelity. Strongest for serious long-term investors who already use Schwab for IRAs.
- Largest U.S. retail broker
- Mutual fund auto-invest is best-in-class
- thinkorswim integration for power users
- Strong tax-lot management
- Fractional only on S&P 500 stocks
- No ETF fractional shares
- Default cash sweep pays only ~0.45%
- No crypto trading
An all-in-one app combining checking, savings, investing and loans. Recurring buys on stocks and ETFs from $5, fractional shares supported. Strong angle: tight integration with SoFi Money (high-yield savings, ~4% APY) — you can pre-fund a recurring investment from your high-yield account in one tap. Active investing only; no automated rebalancing.
- Banking + investing in one app
- SoFi Money integration (4% APY)
- IRA contribution match (1%)
- Modern, clean mobile UX
- No pie-style allocation
- $5 fractional minimum
- Crypto recurring removed in 2023
Recurring buys from $1 fractional, with the unique angle of Treasuries (T-Bills) in the same app. No payment for order flow on stocks. Recurring is monthly only — no biweekly or weekly options. Strong for investors who want to combine stocks, ETFs and short-term Treasuries in a single recurring strategy.
- No payment for order flow on stocks
- Treasuries in same app
- Fractional from $1
- Transparent social feed
- Recurring is monthly only
- No pie-style allocation
- Smaller crypto selection
Recurring-investment features head-to-head
All six brokers charge $0 commission on stock and ETF buys. The hidden costs are: PFOF spread (Robinhood, Schwab, SoFi) — execution may be marginally worse than at no-PFOF brokers (Fidelity, Public). For DCA holders this is meaningless; for traders it can matter.
Crypto recurring buys at Robinhood and Public include bid/ask spreads of 0.5–1% per trade. M1 Finance Plus charges 1% on crypto trades. None of these costs show up as "fees" — they are baked into the price.
Which broker for which recurring strategy?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best broker for recurring investments in 2026?
For pure automation: M1 Finance — pie-based, auto-rebalances, no other broker matches this. For mixed stock/ETF/crypto DCA with maximum flexibility: Robinhood. For retirement: Fidelity. There is no universal winner — pick based on whether you want automation (M1), flexibility (Robinhood) or institutional depth (Fidelity).
Can I run recurring buys at multiple brokers?
Yes — and it can be smart. Common setup: M1 Finance for pie-based long-term core, Robinhood for crypto DCA, Fidelity for IRA. Tax prep gets slightly more complex; a portfolio tracker consolidates everything.
Does DRIP work on fractional shares?
At M1, Robinhood, Fidelity, SoFi and Public: yes — your dividends buy fractional shares, never sit as cash. At Schwab: DRIP requires whole-share purchases, so small dividends accumulate as cash until they hit one share's price. Annoying for low-priced stocks.
What is "pie-style allocation" and why is it useful?
M1 Finance lets you define a portfolio as target percentages (e.g. 40% VOO, 30% QQQ, 20% AAPL, 10% BND). Every recurring deposit is automatically split to bring your portfolio closer to those targets — no manual rebalancing. No other major broker offers this. For long-term DCA investors, this saves hours per year and removes emotion from buy decisions.
How do I switch brokers without triggering taxes?
Use an ACATS transfer — your shares move in-kind with original cost basis intact. Tax-neutral. The receiving broker initiates; the old broker delivers. Selling and re-buying triggers capital gains on every position with appreciation — never do this if you can transfer instead.