You have probably heard about the Robinhood app and want to know if it is available in South Africa, right?
Robinhood is a modern, easy-to-use investment app from the US that popularised the concept of commission-free trading in financial products such as stocks and ETFs.
Want to know if the Robinhood app is available in South Africa, what its expansion plans are, and which alternatives are available locally? We have got you covered.
What is Robinhood?
Founded in 2013, Robinhood has played a major role in disrupting the brokerage industry by allowing US retail investors to trade with no commissions. Robinhood offers stocks, ETFs, options, futures (launched October 2025), and cryptocurrencies.
The results are clear: Robinhood counts over 27 million Funded Customers and approximately $324 billion in assets under custody. The company has been listed on NASDAQ under the ticker HOOD since July 2021 and joined the S&P 500 in 2025. In response to Robinhood’s rapid growth, several well-established US brokers moved to eliminate trading commissions in late 2019, including E*TRADE (subsequently acquired by Morgan Stanley in 2020) and Charles Schwab (which absorbed TD Ameritrade, whose brand has since been fully retired).
Is Robinhood available in South Africa?
Robinhood is not available in South Africa. Account opening requires a US Social Security number and a US residential address, so South African residents cannot register regardless of citizenship.
Robinhood has expanded internationally in recent years, but its focus has been on developed markets with established regulatory frameworks. It launched in the UK in early 2024 through Robinhood U.K. Ltd (FCA-regulated), rolled out across the EU in 2025 via Robinhood Europe UAB (supervised by the Bank of Lithuania), and in April 2026 received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore for a Major Payment Institution licence, following its June 2025 acquisition of the crypto exchange Bitstamp.
Africa has not featured in any publicly announced expansion plans, and there is no indication that a South African launch is being considered. For a local rollout, Robinhood would need authorisation from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and would have to work within South Africa’s exchange control regime, which places annual limits on how much residents can move offshore.
The good news is that South African investors are well served by local and international alternatives – several of them FSCA-regulated, offering commission-free or low-cost access to both JSE-listed and international markets, with rand-denominated funding.
Robinhood alternative in South Africa
To help us answer this question, we focused on reputable international brokers available in South Africa. Given that, here is our suggestion:
Interactive Brokers
Founded in 1978, IBKR is one of the world’s most trustworthy brokers. It offers an enormous range of financial products (stocks, ETFs, Options,…), and low currency conversion fees (FX fees).
💡 Interactive Brokers also launched IBKR GlobalTrader, a modern mobile trading app to trade Stocks, Options and ETFs, ideal for novice investors.
Interactive Brokers
Founded in 1978 and publicly listed in NASDAQ (ticker: IBKR), Interactive Brokers is a global online broker which surpassed major financial crises, showing resilience and a rigorous risk management process.
Interactive Brokers offers an advanced investment platform that includes a wide range of products (stocks, options, mutual funds, ETFs, futures, bonds, and currencies) from +150 markets, solid trade execution (IB SmartRouting), and a set of technical and fundamental tools to help you in your investment decisions.
Beginners and intermediate investors have educational tools to explore, but the learning curve will be steep. That´s why we mainly endorse it to more advanced traders. However, IBKR recently launched the IBKR GlobalTrader, a modern mobile trading app to trade Stocks, Options, and ETFs, ideal for novice investors. Besides, customer service gives crystal clear answers to your doubts, so there is no need to go back and forth.
On the downside, Interactive Brokers’ fee structure is quite complex, the registration process is lengthy (but fully online), and the broker doesn’t offer commission-free trading. However, when considering FX fees, narrower spreads, and the stock loan program, Interactive Brokers’ clients still get significant savings compared to most brokers.
Want to know more about Interactive Brokers? Check our Interactive Brokers Review.
How to choose an online broker?
Some factors you should know when choosing an online broker are the fees charged, if it is regulated by top-tier institutions such as the SEC in the US, the range of products it allows you to trade (not all platforms allow you to trade cryptocurrencies or companies listed in South Africa), among others.
The best online broker in your specific case will depend on your profile, preference, and objectives. Explore the website above and decide for yourself!
A reminder that the above should not be seen as investment advice and should be considered information only. Investors should do their own research and due diligence about the services and opportunities best suited for their risk, returns, and impact strategy.
If you need further guidance or have questions, feel free to reach out to us. We wish you the best in your investment journey, happy investments!
Other FAQs about Robinhood
How exactly does Robinhood make money?
The online broker earns money from interest earned on customers’ cash balances (money in your account not invested), by selling order information to third parties (high-frequency traders, for instance), and margin lending.
Regarding the selling of orders, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is still investigating Robinhood for not fully disclosing its practice of selling clients’ orders to high-speed trading firms.
Until October 2018, Robinhood would not clearly state that it was receiving payments for order flows. By law, any financial company must reveal all the material facts an investor would want to know before making any investment decision.
