How to get free stocks: 9 ways to earn free shares
If you’re looking for free shares of stock, stock brokers or finance apps are the places to turn. Many brokers will give you stock just for opening an account with them. While some brokers offer thousands in cash bonuses, you have to bring a lot of cash to the account, but that’s not usually the case for those offering stock bonuses (or crypto bonuses).
Here’s how to get free shares of stock for opening a brokerage account and where to do it.
9 ways to earn free shares of stock
The brokers below offer free shares of stock or ETFs for opening an account, a process that may involve linking your bank account or depositing a nominal amount of cash. In many cases, the stock is low-priced, but in some cases you have a chance at getting a high-value share, too.
| Brokerage | Summary | What you can get |
|---|---|---|
| Webull | This investing app gets you free stock, options and crypto trades. See Bankrate’s full review. | Up to 12 free fractional shares of stock |
| Robinhood | This app gets you free trades, including on crypto, plus a special IRA bonus, too. See Bankrate’s full review. | Get a reward of $5 to $200 that can be used to buy one of 20 stocks. |
| Public.com | You’ll get free trades plus access to education, business leaders and other traders. See Bankrate’s full review. | Get a reward of $1 to $300 that can be used to buy stocks, ETFs or crypto. |
| moomoo | This newer broker provides access to U.S. stocks, ETFs and options as well as Chinese equities. See Bankrate’s full review. | Up to 15 free stocks, depending on how much you deposit. |
| SoFi | SoFi offers fee-free investing, banking, credit cards, loans and more. See Bankrate’s review of SoFi Automated Investing. | Stock valued up to $1,000 is available. |
| Stash | This financial app can manage an investment portfolio for you or you can buy stocks and funds yourself.See Bankrate’s full review. | Bonus stock given away every week |
| Bits of Stock | This app lets you earn stock and crypto at the companies you’re already buying from. | Earn stock in the brands you’re buying from. |
| Stockpile | This app can be used for gifting shares of stock, helping a child become interested in investing. See Bankrate’s full review. | Refer a friend and get a gift card for $10 in stock. |
| Acorns | This saving and micro-investing app has been among the most popular finance apps out there. See Bankrate’s full review. | Invest just $5 and Acorns will invest another $10. |
Bottom line
It can be easy to earn free shares of stock, but make sure that you follow each broker’s rules exactly so that you get what you’re signing up for. It could be worth paying attention to any rules on inactivity fees, too, so that you don’t accrue any of those fees while money is in the account.
