Software · head to head
Robinhood vs Mint
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Robinhood robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial; Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
- They diverge on capability: Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Mint covers Expense tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Robinhood and Mint actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), 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
- IOS support
Only in Mint
- Expense tracking
- Budgets
- Bill tracking
- Credit score monitoring
- Financial insights
- Bank connections
- Bank-level encryption
- Verisign secured
Both cover
- Web 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 Mint
- Options and futures trading for retail investorsnot Mint
- Holding an IRA with a contribution matchnot Mint
Mint
- Legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connectionsnot Robinhood
- Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot 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
Mint
- Service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
- Bank connections supported for only 17,000 financial institutions; many regional or international banks not supported
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
Mint
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Mint review.
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 Mint if
- You need expense tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want budgets.
Questions people ask
- Is Robinhood or Mint better?
- Neither clearly leads. Robinhood starts at Free and Mint at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Robinhood or Mint?
- Robinhood starts at Free and Mint at Free.
- Does Robinhood or Mint run on more platforms?
- Robinhood runs on Web, IOS, Android. Mint runs on Web, 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 Mint is typically brought in for.
- What can Robinhood do that Mint cannot?
- Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Options trading, Crypto trading, Fractional shares. Mint covers Expense tracking, Budgets, Bill tracking, Credit score monitoring. Both handle Web support, Android support.