In this Stockpile review, we look at its app, the gift card feature, fractional stock investing, pricing, and whether it’s a smart choice for new or young investors.
Stockpile enables you to do just that. Stockpile is the brainchild of Avi Lele. He created the company after a frustrating ordeal when attempting to buy stocks for his nieces and nephews. As a result, he set to work on making it easy and inexpensive to give the gift of shares.
Stockpile is a good investment app that allows you to buy 1,000+ fractional shares of stocks and ETFs. It’s free to sign up, with no monthly fees or minimums. So, trades for high-priced stocks can be done in small dollar amounts. Meanwhile, the ability to fund an account with gift cards and the user-friendly platforms make trading so easy that even a child could do it.
What Is Stockpile? (2026 Review)
Founded in 2010, SP Inc. is a relatively young company in the investment world. Suppose you are using Stockpile for micro-investing and gifting. In that case, you will be doing business with Stockpile Gifts, Inc. and Stockpile Investments, Inc., wholly-owned subsidiaries of Stockpile, Inc.
You’ll also likely be using the Stockpile App. You can’t be a young company without a hip app.
Trading apps make it easy for beginners, kids, and millennials to learn stock trading, invest in stocks, or “gift” stocks.
The mobile app has all the functionality of the desktop platform. Stockpile offers the app for both Android and iOS devices. You may download it directly from the App Store or Google Play.
Our Stockpile review found that its simplicity, fractional shares, and gifting system make it ideal for beginners—even kids—although serious traders will find it too basic.
Pros & Cons
- Pros
- Highlight is the ability to purchase fractional shares
- Simple to use interface
- Competitive fees
- Custodial accounts for kids
- Cons
- Need to be a U.S. citizen.
- Customer service is available only by email
- Surprise membership and/or subscription fees to buy and gift gift cards.
Stockpile Pricing (2026 Fees & Costs)
- Cash Transfers: $0
- Family Base Monthly Fee: $4.95
- Family Base Annual Fee: $49.95
- Family Plus Monthly: $9.95
- Family Plus Annual: 83.40
- Incoming account transfers (from another brokerage): $0
- Escheatment Processing Fee: $75
- e-cards: $0
- Trading Fees: $0
You can visit Stockpile’s website for updated pricing here. (Updated 4/26).
It’s simple to set up an account with Stockpile. Sign up, link your bank account to move money back and forth, and redeem your gift card.
You can set up automatic recurring deposits from your bank account into your Stockpile brokerage account. Also, custodial accounts can be set up for children. There is no minimum balance requirement and no monthly or annual fees.
Rates are low, the fee structure is simple, and I saw no hidden fees. However, due to investing in fractional shares, there could be operational costs. Please keep in mind that you will need to be a US citizen to open an account. Moreover, since stock purchases are in fractional shares, you may be unable to transfer them to another broker.
Stockpile Investments, Inc. is a member of the SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation) and FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.). Also, to secure your information, Stockpile uses 256-bit encryption.
Stockpile Features and Trading Platform
Stockpile offers two stock trading platforms: desktop and mobile. Both are extremely easy to use and excellent for beginners. Consequently, they don’t have the tools, features, bells, and whistles of professional trading platforms. In short, think of Stockpile as training wheels for newbies, even children, entering the investing world.
Desktop – This browser-based platform is straightforward to use and is not like anything I’ve seen before. It lists your stocks by category, company logo, and symbol. Look for the iconic Nike checkmark logo if you want to trade Nike.
Gift Cards & Stock Redemption
To redeem the card, enter the code. Then, use the funds to purchase any of 1,000+ stocks or ETFs. Since the shares are fractionalized, you don’t have to pay for an entire share. You can invest a small amount without having to trade penny stocks. For example, you could buy $5 worth of Apple or Amazon.
You don’t need to know that the symbol is NKE. Then click the Buy Stock button, choose a logo, and a window opens to place a trade. After that, select the dollar amount you want to invest, and it will show your estimated fraction of the share.
Stockpile offers basic features such as customizable watchlists, news, and stats, like highs, lows, P/E ratio, and Div/Yield. But if you’re in the market for a platform that offers advanced tools and analytics, this is not it.
The platform also has a learning center for beginners, with a Quickstart Guide and Stock Market Basics sections. Use the Wish List feature if you want family or friends to gift you. Pick the stocks you wish, write a message, and share it on Facebook and Twitter.
Stockpile Alternatives
- Zoho Inventory
- Odoo
- NetSuite
- Sortly
- QuickBooks
- Fishbowl
Stockpile Customer Reviews
Stockpile has approximately 1,903 customer reviews on Trustpilot with a 3.3 TrustScore (Average as of March 2026).
Bottom Line: Is Stockpile Worth It?
While Stockpile isn’t for super active or professional traders, it’s a great way to introduce beginners to investing. It’s especially great for kids. For instance, I didn’t even think about investing in stocks until I was an adult. Nowadays, you can start young thanks to fractional shares and micro-investing with companies like Stockpile, Acorns, and Stash Invest, to name a few.
Our Stockpile review concludes that while it’s not built for active or institutional traders, Stockpile is a fun, low-cost way for beginners and families to invest together through gifts and fractional shares.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stockpile offers two versions of gift cards: e-cards and actual, tangible cards. You can purchase Stockpile gift cards online or at popular retailers, like Safeway, with cash, credit card, or PayPal. Select the amount you want: $10, $25, $50, or $100. Or purchase a custom amount, anywhere from $1 to $2,000. Then, gift the card, either through email or in person.
