Stash vs M1 Finance Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Stash and M1 Finance are two leading discount brokerages offering commission-free stock and ETF trading. Use this head-to-head comparison table to evaluate fees, features, trading tools, and account options to help you decide which broker is right for you in 2026.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Stash vs M1 Finance (2026)
Feature Stash M1 Finance
Website https://www.stash.com/ https://www.m1finance.com/
Broker Type Subscription-based digital brokerage Self-directed discount brokerage
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 trade commission; $12/month subscription plan $0 commission; $3/mo platform fee if assets <$10k (waived at $10k+ or with loan)
Fractional Shares? Yes Yes (to 1/100,000th of a share)
Percent Allocations? No Yes (M1 Pies with custom target % allocations)
Crypto Trading? No (crypto ETFs only) Yes (Bakkt Crypto Account; BTC, ETH, LTC; US 18+)
Crypto Fees Not applicable Bakkt 1% (100 bps) on buys/sells (in exec. price); M1 $0 commission
Options Trading? No No
Options Fee Not applicable N/A
Bond Trading Available? No No
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes Yes (receives PFOF ~$0.002/share)
Interface: Web trading? Yes Yes (web m1.com and iOS/Android apps)
Desktop trading? No No
API Trading? No No
Mutual Funds: Offered? No No
Total Mutual Funds None None
NTF Mutual Funds None None
Non-NTF Fund Fee Not applicable N/A
Early Redemption Fee? Not applicable N/A
Redemption Hold (Days) Not applicable N/A
Early Redemption Fee Not applicable N/A
Accounts: Margin Accounts? No Yes; Individual/Joint brokerage accounts include M1 Margin Loan by default ($2,000 min equity). Not for IRAs.
IRAs Offered? Yes; Traditional and Roth Yes; Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs available ($500 minimum).
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes; Apex FDIC-insured sweep Yes; High-Yield Cash Account has FDIC bank sweep. Invest-account cash does not auto-sweep (transfer required).
CDs Offered? No No
Robo-Advisor: Offered Yes No (self-directed Pies/auto-invest; optional non-discretionary M1 Advisory)
Robo-Advisor Service Smart Portfolio M1 Pies (self-directed); M1 Advisory / M1 Advisor (AI, non-discretionary)
Robo-Advisor Fees $12/month plan; 0.25% of managed balance quarterly (>= $1,000) $3/mo platform fee if <$10k assets (waived at $10k+ or Personal Loan); advisory currently 0% (up to 0.20%)
Basics: Headquarters New York, NY Chicago, IL
Year Founded 2015 2015
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing M1 Finance LLC (self-clearing Individual/Joint); Apex Clearing (IRA/Trust/Custodial)
Local Branches? No No
New Account Minimum $100 (individual/joint taxable); $500 (IRAs)

Once you’ve chosen a broker, find high-performing, investable model portfolios at RecipeInvesting.com


Picked a Broker? Now Build Your Perfect Portfolio

Find high-performing, investable model portfolios (Tactical, Strategic, and Managed) at RecipeInvesting.com.

Get FREE Access
Recipe Investing Logo

Compare Stash to All Brokers