Software · head to head
Robinhood vs Expense Manager
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Robinhood robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial; Expense Manager the Internet Archive's capture from 23 January 2022 shows expensemanagerapp.com already redirecting to a Dan.com 'domain name is for sale' listing rather than a product page, confirming the app's original domain has been abandoned and offered for resale.
- They diverge on capability: Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Expense Manager covers Expense tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Robinhood and Expense Manager actually diverge.
| Attribute | Robinhood | Expense Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android | IOS, Android |
| Founded | 2013 | 2011 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Bank accounts
- Crypto wallets
- Web support
Only in Expense Manager
- Expense tracking
- Shared expenses
- Bill splitting
- Budgeting
- Cloud backup
Both cover
- IOS support
- Android 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 Expense Manager
- Options and futures trading for retail investorsnot Expense Manager
- Holding an IRA with a contribution matchnot Expense Manager
Expense Manager
- Budget Managementnot Robinhood
- Expense Trackingnot Robinhood
- Investment Trackingnot 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
Expense Manager
- The Internet Archive's capture from 23 January 2022 shows expensemanagerapp.com already redirecting to a Dan.com 'domain name is for sale' listing rather than a product page, confirming the app's original domain has been abandoned and offered for resale.
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
Expense Manager
Free- FreeFree
- Expense tracking
- Shared expenses
- Pro$2.99/month
- Budget tracking
- Analytics
- CSV export
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.
Choose Expense Manager if
- You need expense tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on IOS, Android.
- You also want shared expenses.
Questions people ask
- Is Robinhood or Expense Manager better?
- Neither clearly leads. Robinhood starts at Free and Expense Manager at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Robinhood or Expense Manager?
- Robinhood starts at Free and Expense Manager at Free.
- Does Robinhood or Expense Manager run on more platforms?
- Robinhood runs on Web, IOS, Android. Expense Manager runs on IOS, Android.
- 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 Expense Manager is typically brought in for.
- What can Robinhood do that Expense Manager cannot?
- Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Options trading, Crypto trading, Fractional shares. Expense Manager covers Expense tracking, Shared expenses, Bill splitting, Budgeting. Both handle IOS support, Android support.