The right way to Purchase Shares on Robinhood: A Step-by-Step Information

Shopping for a inventory on Robinhood is a handful of steps as soon as your account is funded. The half folks get caught on is every little thing round these faucets: {dollars} or shares, market or restrict, and what occurs should you purchase after the market closes. I walked via the purchase display in my very own Robinhood account to indicate you every step.

For those who’ve by no means positioned a commerce earlier than, the SEC’s investor website has a brief information to the sorts of orders you’ll see on the purchase display. Learn it earlier than your first order.

About that present inventory: Robinhood provides new prospects inventory value wherever from $5 to $200, and about 99% of shoppers get $5 (as of October 26, 2026). You get it when you’re permitted and hyperlink a checking account or debit card.

Open and Fund Your Robinhood Account, Then Choose Your Present Inventory

Before you purchase: open and fund your account

You’ll be able to’t purchase something till there’s cash within the account. Right here’s the order of issues:

1. Open a person brokerage account. The present inventory solely applies to your first taxable, self-directed particular person account.
2. Get permitted. Robinhood opinions the appliance earlier than you possibly can commerce.
3. Hyperlink a checking account or debit card. That’s what unlocks the present inventory.
4. Deposit cash. Your shopping for energy is what you possibly can spend on the purchase display.

The present inventory comes from a listing of 26 massive corporations Robinhood picks. You’ll be able to promote it 3 buying and selling days after you declare it, however the money worth has to remain in your account for 60 days earlier than you possibly can withdraw it.

The right way to purchase shares on Robinhood, step-by-step

These are Robinhood’s personal steps for the app. The net model is identical concept with a Purchase panel on the fitting.

1. Seek for the inventory and open its element web page.
2. Faucet Commerce, then Purchase. For those who don’t personal any but, you’ll simply see Purchase.
3. Enter an quantity. Robinhood asks for {dollars} by default. Faucet {Dollars} to change to Shares or one other order kind.
4. Evaluation the order. Test the quantity, the order kind and the estimated amount. Faucet Edit if something’s off.
5. Swipe as much as submit. On the internet, you choose Purchase as a substitute.

Right here’s what the Purchase panel appeared like in my account. Order kind was set to a market purchase, Purchase in was set to {Dollars}, and there was an Quantity field and an Estimated amount line above the Evaluation order button. It exhibits $0.00 shopping for energy as a result of I haven’t funded this account. Yours will present your deposit.

{Dollars} or shares?

You should buy by greenback quantity or by variety of shares. Shopping for in {dollars} is the way you get a fraction of a share, which helps when one share prices greater than you need to put in.

• The minimal for a fractional order is $1
• Robinhood’s personal instance: put $10 right into a inventory that prices $100 a share and also you get 0.1 shares
• Fractional shares work on shares listed on exchanges just like the Nasdaq and NYSE, not on over-the-counter (OTC) shares

Market order or restrict order?

A market order buys on the present market worth. A restrict order solely fills on the worth you set or higher, and it isn’t assured to fill in any respect. Robinhood picks the default for you primarily based on the time of day:

One factor to know: the last-traded worth on the display received’t essentially be the value you pay. Costs transfer between the second you look and the second your order fills. If the precise worth issues to you, use a restrict order.

Learn the inventory web page before you purchase

Every inventory’s element web page has greater than the chart. Scroll down and also you’ll discover key statistics like market cap, price-earnings ratio, dividend yield and the 52-week excessive and low, plus a information feed and associated lists.

None of that tells you what to purchase. It tells you what you’re .

Fund Your Robinhood Account and Place Your First Commerce

Different methods to purchase on Robinhood

As soon as the fundamentals click on, Robinhood has just a few different methods in:

• Robinhood Legend is its desktop buying and selling platform, with charts, indicators and watchlists on one display.
• IPO Entry presents shares in some IPOs on the IPO worth, per Robinhood’s IPO Entry web page.
• Robinhood Methods is its managed portfolio service, run by an SEC-registered funding advisor, should you’d somewhat not decide shares your self.

Dangers to know earlier than your first commerce

• You’ll be able to lose cash. Shares purchased via Robinhood aren’t FDIC insured and might lose worth, together with what you set in.
• Prolonged-hours buying and selling is riskier. Robinhood warns of extra worth swings and decrease buying and selling quantity exterior common hours.
• Restrict orders can miss. If the value by no means reaches your restrict, nothing will get purchased.
• Market orders can fill at a special worth than the one in your display.
• The present inventory has strings. You’ll be able to’t withdraw its money worth for 60 days.

What I like, and what to look at

What I like

• The purchase display asks for {dollars} first, which is less complicated for a primary commerce
• Fractional shares from $1
• The order kind is chosen for you primarily based on the time of day
• Each inventory web page has key statistics and information in a single place

What to look at

• The default order kind adjustments with the clock, so verify it earlier than you submit
• Fractional shares don’t work on OTC shares
• The present inventory is $5 for about 99% of recent prospects

For those who’re able to make your first commerce, open and fund your Robinhood account, then comply with the steps above.

Open and Fund a Robinhood Account to Purchase Your First Inventory