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Personal Finance · head to head

Robinhood vs Apple Pay

Robinhood logo

Robinhood

Personal Finance

Investing for everyone

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apple Pay logo

Apple Pay

Personal Finance

The easier way to pay and send money

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Robinhood robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial; Apple Pay apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
  • They diverge on capability: Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Apple Pay covers Digital wallet.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Robinhood and Apple Pay actually diverge.

Attributes where Robinhood and Apple Pay differ
AttributeRobinhoodApple Pay
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidIOS, WatchOS, MacOS
Founded20132014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Robinhood

  • Commission-free trading
  • Options trading
  • Crypto trading
  • Fractional shares
  • Crypto wallets
  • Web support
  • Android support

Only in Apple Pay

  • Digital wallet
  • Secure payments
  • Contactless transactions
  • P2P money transfers
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • WatchOS support
  • MacOS support

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • IOS support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Robinhood

  • Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFs from a phonenot Apple Pay
  • Options and futures trading for retail investorsnot Apple Pay
  • Holding an IRA with a contribution matchnot Apple Pay

Apple Pay

  • Contactless in store payment from iPhone and Apple Watchnot Robinhood
  • Paying in apps and on the web without entering card detailsnot Robinhood
  • Sending money between Apple users with Apple Cash and Tap to Cashnot Robinhood

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Robinhood

  • Robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial
  • The 3.35 percent APY on brokerage cash is available only to Gold subscribers
  • The 3 percent IRA contribution match requires keeping the Gold subscription for one year and leaving the assets in the IRA for five years, and is capped at 225 USD against 2026 contribution maximums
  • Reduced contract fees of 0.50 USD per futures contract and 0.35 USD per index option apply only to Gold subscribers
  • Management fees are waived only above 100K USD in expert managed portfolios

Apple Pay

  • Apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
  • Apple Cash is available only in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
  • Apple Cash Family accounts and Tap to Cash transactions are each capped at 2000 USD within a rolling seven day period
  • Mac support requires a Touch ID equipped model
  • A card works only if the issuing bank supports Apple Pay, and banks may charge their own overseas usage fees

Pricing, plan by plan

Robinhood

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Commission-free trading
    • Real-time data
    • Mobile app
  • Gold$4.99/month
    • All Free features
    • Extended hours trading
    • Premium research

Apple Pay

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Secure payments
    • P2P transfers
    • Transit passes

Which should you pick?

Choose Robinhood if

  • You need commission-free trading.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want options trading.
Robinhood review

Choose Apple Pay if

  • You need digital wallet.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
  • You also want secure payments.
Apple Pay review

Questions people ask

Is Robinhood or Apple Pay better?
Neither clearly leads. Robinhood starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Robinhood or Apple Pay?
Robinhood starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free.
Does Robinhood or Apple Pay run on more platforms?
Robinhood runs on Web, IOS, Android. Apple Pay runs on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
Can I use Robinhood for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Robinhood best used for?
Robinhood is most often used for commission free trading of us stocks and etfs from a phone, options and futures trading for retail investors, holding an ira with a contribution match. Of those, commission free trading of us stocks and etfs from a phone and options and futures trading for retail investors are not what Apple Pay is typically brought in for.
What can Robinhood do that Apple Pay cannot?
Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Options trading, Crypto trading, Fractional shares. Apple Pay covers Digital wallet, Secure payments, Contactless transactions, P2P money transfers. Both handle Bank accounts, IOS support.
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