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Is Robinhood Gold Worth It? Is Robinhood Gold Safe to Use?

  • Robinhood Gold, a premium subscription by Robinhood, offering additional features beyond the free version.
  • Priced at $5 per month, it offers a higher interest rate (5.0-5.25% vs 1.5%) on uninvested cash, larger instant deposits, access to Morningstar research, Level II market data, and lower interest rates for margin investing.
  • Robinhood Gold is likely worth the cost, catering to users interested in earning interest, quick access to funds, detailed market data, and margin investing.

Robinhood is a mobile-first stock and ETF trading platform that’s made a name for itself as a straightforward yet surprisingly powerful investing tool. You, like millions of other users, may already be familiar with Robinhood’s free version, but you may not be aware that they offer a paid membership called Robinhood Gold. 

So what is Robinhood Gold, anyway? How much does it cost? And is it worth the hype? 

This article answers your most burning questions about Robinhood Gold.

How much does it cost?

Robinhood Gold is pretty cheap. At the moment it’s just $5 per month

They offer a 30 days free trial to see for yourself if it’s worth the investment. No commitments.

So you’ll pay at most $55 for the first year, then $60 for each year afterwards. 

For reference, $5 per month is the same it costs to subscribe to a number of different streaming services, including:

  • Apple TV+
  • Discovery+
  • Peacock
  • Indieflix

Pro Tip

If you don’t have an account, sign up for Robinhood using this link, you’ll get up to $200 in a free stock. And when you refer friends, you can earn up to $1,500 in free stock per year.

If you already have an account, Robinhood Gold is their premium subscription that costs just $5 per month but is totally worth it if you have more than $1,500 cash in the account. If you already have a Robinhood account, click here to upgrade and try it free for 30 days.

What do you get from Robinhood Gold?

Robinhood Gold comes with these major benefits:

  • 5.25% APY interest paid on uninvested brokerage cash for Robinhood Gold Members, but just 1.5% APY for non-Gold members
  • Bigger instant deposits
  • Professional research from Morningstar
  • Level II market data from Nasdaq 
  • Margin investing at an interest rate of 8% 
  • 3% match on eligible Robinhood IRA contributions

Since Robinhood Gold is only $60 per year, there’s a good chance that any one of those benefits (with the possible exception of bigger instant deposits) could provide more than enough value to cover the cost of a subscription. Let’s dig a little deeper into each benefit and see what they bring to the table. 

Earn up to 5.25% APY annual interest on Uninvested cash

When I start using Robinhood, the first step involves depositing funds into your account, typically used for purchasing stocks, options, ETFs, or cryptocurrencies with the aim of maximizing returns. 

If, for any reason, you opt not to invest immediately—perhaps after cashing out at a market peak or anticipating a prolonged market downturn—you have the choice to transfer the cash back to your bank account or leave it in your Robinhood account.

Opting for the latter and choosing to participate in Robinhood’s brokerage cash sweep program results in the uninvested cash being moved to one of Robinhood’s partner banks, where it functions as a standard insured deposit. Standard Robinhood members earn 1.5% annual interest on their uninvested cash, while Robinhood Gold members receive a higher 5.25% APY annual interest on their uninvested brokerage cash. While not exceeding inflation rates, this interest is more competitive than some high-yield savings accounts.

Is the Interest on Uninvested Cash Worth It? 

Given the bump from 1.5% to 5.25% APY that Gold gives you, the question you should be asking is how much cash do I have to have in my Robinhood Gold account to make it worth the $60 annual cost. That at extra 3.5% will earn you an extra $60 if you have at least $1,143 in cash in your account.

In other words, the extra interest makes Gold worth it on this metric alone if you plan to have at least $1,714 in cash throughout the year. 

$1,143 * 0.0525 = $60

It’s just math.

So if you plan to have at least $1,714 cash in your Robinhood account, it is absolutely worth it.

Pro Tip

Robinhood Gold is Robinhood’s premium subscription that costs just $5 per month, after a 30-day free trial. Plus, when you sign up for Robinhood using this link, you’ll get up to $200 to spend on stocks. And when you refer friends, you can earn up to $1,500 in free stock each year!

If you already have an account, Robinhood Gold is their premium subscription that costs just $5 per month but is totally worth it if you have more than $1,500 cash in the account. If you already have a Robinhood account, click here to upgrade and try it free for 30 days.

Enjoy Bigger Instant Deposits

Instant deposits allow you to bypass the usual waiting period for funds to transfer from your bank to your Robinhood account, enabling prompt investment. 

Without Robinhood Gold, your instant deposit is capped at a maximum of $1,000. In contrast, opting for Robinhood Gold significantly elevates this limit, potentially reaching up to $50,000, contingent on your portfolio’s existing value. 

For instance, if your portfolio is valued at least at $50,000, your instant deposit limit under Robinhood Gold is set at $50,000. The same principle applies for lower portfolio values, allowing proportional increases in the instant deposit limit.

Are the Bigger Instant Deposits Worth It?

Sure, if you absolutely need to deposit money in your account right now for fear of missing a lucrative opportunity. Otherwise this is more of an ancillary benefit than a real selling point.

Professional Research from Morningstar

Morningstar is well known around investing circles. Their research is thorough, timely, and generally top-notch, and many folks subscribe to Morningstar for well over $60 per year for the research alone. (Read our Morningstar Investor review.) Robinhood’s free version doesn’t have the best research and analysis features included, so getting access to Morningstar research can be a big help.

A subscription to Robinhood Gold gets you access to in-depth research reports on around 1,700 different stocks, including up-to-date information about important events, fundamentals, data, and future prospects. There’s a reason people pay Morningstar big bucks for these things.  

Is the Professional Research Worth It?

This really depends on the kind of trader you are. If you’re the kind of trader who does more trend following and technical analysis/prognostication than fundamental investing, you probably won’t get too much out of this feature. 

If you’re the kind of person who likes poring over dry reports and drilling down into the fundamental factors behind stocks, their prices, and their prospects, you’ll get a lot out of Morningstar research. 

From a pure dollar value perspective, $60 a year is a great deal for getting access to the product of Morningstar’s stable of professional traders and analysts.

Level II Data from Nasdaq 

This is kind of a weird feature. Level II data is all the real-time information from the Nasdaq’s order book, which basically means you’ll get a much more in-depth look at the transactions driving changes in stock prices. 

You’re already familiar with Level I data. It’s just the bid and ask prices, both of which are available on most platforms. Level II data goes a bit deeper. It shows you what’s driving those bid and ask prices, essentially showing you the supply and demand behind stock price levels. It’s great for getting a super granular look at what’s driving stock prices, but that’s about it. 

Is the Market Data Worth It? 

This is a tricky one. Most people won’t ever want or need to dive into the Level II weeds. All that intraday data is only useful to people who are actively trading day in and day out, and that just isn’t most people’s bag. 

On the other hand, you’ll probably get a lot of value from this feature if you’re one of those day traders looking for really detailed price information. 

Access to Margin Investing at 8% Interest 

If you wish to invest in stocks, ETFs, options, or crypto but lack immediate funds, Robinhood offers the option to borrow money on margin. 

The concept involves borrowing at a fixed interest rate, investing the borrowed amount, and generating returns sufficient to repay the principal along with interest, ideally leaving a profit. 

It’s essential to note that the interest rate, currently set at 12% for standard Robinhood margin, plays a significant role in determining the feasibility of reaching a profitable outcome.

If you sign up for Robinhood Gold, though, your first $1,000 in margin is interest-free, then at 8% for any amounts above $1,000. That’s 4% less than with the free version, which is a lot more than it sounds like. 

Is the Margin Investing Worth It?

Again, it depends. If you’re a savvy trader who’s already comfortable using margin then yes, it probably will be worth it to you. 

This feature probably won’t be too valuable to you if you aren’t the kind of person who likes to play with borrowed money. Why? Simple: you won’t use it.

The Verdict: Is Robinhood Gold Worth It?

Robinhood Gold costs $5 a month. For that price you get a small but diverse set of features that can very well pay for themselves. 

Opting for Robinhood Gold is beneficial if you aim to earn interest on uninvested cash, require immediate availability of deposited funds, seek insightful research from Morningstar as a value investor, engage in day trading for more detailed price data, or intend to invest on margin. 

In essence, Robinhood Gold is likely a valuable addition to your investment strategy. For more details on Robinhood’s features, our comprehensive research covers everything from their standard brokerage account and beyond.

Pro Tip

Robinhood Gold is Robinhood’s premium subscription that costs just $5 per month, after a 30-day free trial. Plus, when you sign up for Robinhood using this link, you’ll get up to $200 in free stock just for opening an account. And when you refer friends, you can earn up to $1,500 in free stock each year!

If you already have an account, Robinhood Gold is their premium subscription that costs just $5 per month but is totally worth it if you have more than $1,500 cash in the account. If you already have a Robinhood account, click here to upgrade and try it free for 30 days.

If you’d like more information on the other features Robinhood offers, you’re in the right place. We’ve done plenty of in-depth research on Robinhood’s offerings, on everything from their regular brokerage accounts to their trustworthiness as a company. Read our articles on the Robinhood Crypto Wallet and Robinhood IRA Review.