Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Stock Master vs thinkorswim

Stock Master 4.6★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner thinkorswim
thinkorswim 4.7★ · Free to download 75

For serious traders needing a robust, full-featured platform, thinkorswim is the better choice, despite its recent compatibility issues, while Stock Master is suitable for casual users who can tolerate intrusive ads.

Full reviews: Stock Master · thinkorswim

Stock Master offers good information and ease of use, but its free version is plagued by excessive, intrusive, and often freezing ads, with a high subscription cost. thinkorswim provides a powerful, full-featured trading platform, though recent mandatory updates have caused significant compatibility problems for users with older devices.

Head to head

Features and Information edge: thinkorswimR1R2R8R11
Stock Master Stock Master is praised for being informative, providing quick, accurate data, excellent charts with many indicators, and acting as a good starting point for research R2R8R11. However, users note a lack of sector/industry identification, missing IPO data, and some inaccuracies in corporate investing percentages R1R12. Some features, like the news feed and CPI charts, have also stopped working intermittently .
thinkorswim thinkorswim is lauded as a full-featured, powerful trading platform, often compared favorably to its desktop version . It offers good charts, streaming CNBC, and advanced options trading capabilities . Users appreciate its free indicators, but some find the interface dated compared to competitors like Trading View and note missing fundamental indicators or custom script support on mobile .
Ease of Use and Interface edge: Stock MasterR2R4R30R35
Stock Master Stock Master is generally considered easy to use and intuitive R2R35. However, recent updates have made the overview screen hard to customize, forcing users into a block view instead of a list R4. Some users also report charts not displaying correctly on iPad after updates R30.
thinkorswim thinkorswim is described as intuitive and user-friendly, especially for beginners . However, some users find its interface confusing for those who are not sophisticated or full-time users . There are also reports of random white space, charts not fitting dates, and the price axis overlapping charts .
Reliability and Performance tieR5R6R7R14
Stock Master Stock Master users frequently report freezing issues, especially due to full-screen ads that prevent exiting the app without rebooting R5R6R7R14. The app is also described as slow to refresh and buggy at times, with quotes and charts occasionally not working for hours .
thinkorswim thinkorswim has significant reliability issues, particularly with recent updates causing the app to be very slow, laggy, and frequently re-establishing connections . Users report the app crashing often, especially when navigating news . Many users also experience login problems and the app becoming unusable due to mandatory iOS updates that their devices cannot support R61R65.
Price and Value edge: thinkorswimR1R3R5R6
Stock Master Stock Master is a free app with in-app purchases, but the free version is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of intrusive, loud, and long pop-up ads that often freeze the app R1R3R5R6. Some users report ads persisting even after a paid subscription R1. The subscription price is considered steep at $200 a year, and users desire a one-time payment option instead of a subscription R12.
thinkorswim thinkorswim is free to download and offers a full-featured trading platform, which users highly value . However, some users find the commissions for trading to be high . There are also complaints about slow fund settlement times compared to other brokers .
Support and Updates tieR4R12R46R61
Stock Master Stock Master users have reported issues with updates changing the interface without an option to revert R4. There are also reports of a 'lifetime deal' not being honored, leading to limited access and ads R46. Users have emailed about missing features like IPOs and stock summaries, indicating a lack of responsiveness R12.
thinkorswim thinkorswim is heavily criticized for mandatory updates that render the app incompatible with older iPhones and iPads, forcing users to buy new devices or lose access R61R65. Users feel these updates are pointless and have caused more bugs since Schwab took over . There are also reports of glitches in lot trading methods and issues with custom option orders .
Pick Stock Master if

You are a casual investor or just need a starting point for stock information and research, and you are willing to tolerate frequent, intrusive ads in the free version R2R8R11R35.

Pick thinkorswim if

You are a serious trader who needs a full-featured, powerful platform for tracking the market, monitoring portfolios, and making trade adjustments, and you have a newer device compatible with the latest iOS requirements .

Evidence note: Recent reviews for Stock Master are heavily skewed negative due to ad issues, while thinkorswim's recent negativity stems from mandatory iOS updates. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is significant for Stock Master, where most complaints are about the free tier's ad experience.

Frequently asked

Are there many ads in Stock Master?
Yes, Stock Master's free version is heavily criticized for having an overwhelming number of intrusive, loud, long, and often freezing pop-up ads that make the app unusable for many users R1R3R5R6.
Does thinkorswim work on older devices?
No, recent mandatory updates for thinkorswim have made the app incompatible with older iPhones and iPads that cannot run the latest iOS versions (e.g., iOS 18), preventing many long-time users from logging in or using the app R61R65R74R77.
How much does Stock Master's subscription cost?
Stock Master's subscription is considered steep by users, with one review citing a price of $200 a year R52.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Stock Master 2/5 · US Ads are very annoying!: I like most everything about the app except the ads and lack of sector and industry identification in summary section of individual stock profile. Even after a paid subscription, the ads still do not go away and that’s extremely disappointing.
  2. [R2] Stock Master 5/5 · US The best informative app: I have used multiple different apps for tracking the market and had subscription to paid apps as well but knowledge and ease of use with stock master is amazing
  3. [R8] Stock Master 4/5 · US Resource: Great financial source and search engine.
  4. [R11] Stock Master 5/5 · US Most informative: I rely on the app as a starting point for information, to do research on a stock and macro economy. It has helped me to make good decisions since 2018.
  5. [R4] Stock Master 1/5 · US Hard to edit: The overview screen changed and home page changed and can’t change back. Want overview to be a list, not blocks. Horrible can’t change back so looking at other apps
  6. [R30] Stock Master 3/5 · US Charts don’t show correctly for iPad after update.: Please check your monthly, ytd, and yearly max chart. Thx
  7. [R35] Stock Master 5/5 · US Easy: Love the quality of the app quick references
  8. [R5] Stock Master 4/5 · US Adds won’t close: Some ads that pop up will not close. Have to reboot to get rid of them.
  9. [R6] Stock Master 3/5 · US Freezing: Your advertising -full screens “Freeze” on my screen - meaning I can’t get out of the App unless I dump it, and download it again - THAT MEANS that I need to Load the App again and RE-enter all of my stock list… time wasting/ frustrating…
  10. [R7] Stock Master 1/5 · US Issue with latest update: Ads freezes app and advertisement is stuck
  11. [R14] Stock Master 4/5 · US Good app.: This is a great app, except for the ads. Several have locked up my screen to where I had to reboot. Some are just annoying, one is a pop up that says your device is infected and then the screen locks for about a minute as they hope you will hit the purchase button. Minus the annoying ads this is a great app, easy to use, accurate, easy to trac any stock, EFT, mutual funds.
  12. [R3] Stock Master 3/5 · US App: Way to many popups that last to long. I constantly turn my phone off to get rid of ads. The ads can come but for a shorter time…
  13. [R12] Stock Master 3/5 · US ipo and summary: i have email several times to ask to please add ipo's back and to make sure EVERY stock has a summary. we used to get the ipo's but they are no longer there. ALSO we want a one a done payment, NOT a subscription based app.
  14. [R46] Stock Master 1/5 · US Lifetime: I bought the app many years ago for a lifetime deal and they didn’t give me a lifetime . Now I am getting comercial and limited access to information and can’t port comments.
  15. [R61] thinkorswim 1/5 · US Forced mandatory updates: Think or swim have a bad habit of forced mandatory updates that will make your older iPhone and iPad not compatible. They should have an option where you can update to the latest compatible version instead of not being compatible at all and now you have to buy new devices. Or maybe that’s the point maybe they have some type of agreement with Apple I’m not sure but it’s no
  16. [R65] thinkorswim 5/5 · US Can’t use app anymore😤: My phone is not compatible for the latest iOS update and now I cannot use the app. This is not OK! Do something.
  17. [R74] thinkorswim 5/5 · US No Longer Compatible with My iPad Pro: I have used this app for many years on this iPad and and despite my iPad having the most recent updates the app does not complete the login process and prompts the user to update.
  18. [R77] thinkorswim 5/5 · US Version 226.1 requires iOS 18…why?: I use this app daily on a dedicated older iPad, which cannot run iOS 18. The backend now requires 226.1, which I cannot install. Thus I can no longer login with the previous version 225.1 anymore. Please reconsider the iOS 18 requirement on new versions. Thanks.
  19. [R52] Stock Master 2/5 · US Unusable without subscription: Less than 30 seconds after opening the app, you have to watch a video ad that goes on and on and doesn’t have a skip button. The subscription is $200 a year.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store