Free stock offers compared

Updated October 16, 2026 · Offer data last verified 2026-10-16 · Not financial or tax advice.

"Free stock" promotions pay your bonus in shares, not cash. Some use a single random stock from a lottery, some use a fixed number of fractional shares of a named company, and some pay a dollar value in the broker's own stock. Below is how to value them and what's live in our data now.

Live offers that pay in shares

Offer	Max bonus	Min deposit	Hold	Best yield	Ends	Source
Moomoo	$1,000	$500	180d	36.50%	2026-10-31	official terms ↗
Interactive Brokers	$1,000	$300,000	365d	0.33%	No end date listed	official terms ↗

Moomoo: Paid in NVDA fractional shares; ACH/wire only (no ACATS). First deposit must settle by 10/31/26. Stacks with 8.1% APY sweep promo.
Interactive Brokers: $1 in IBKR shares per $300 deposited, up to $1,000; referral required.

We only list offers we can check against an official page. Many apps run short referral "free stock" promos that change daily and that we don't track, so this list is short on purpose.

Cash vs. stock: how to compare

Value the shares at today's price, then discount for risk. A bonus of "$1,000 in shares" can be worth more or less than $1,000 by the time you can sell. If you're required to hold the shares, or the account, for months, you're taking on that company's price risk. A cash bonus has none.

Check whether you can sell immediately. Some offers let you sell the shares right away and only require the deposit to stay. Others restrict withdrawal of the bonus value until the hold ends. That difference matters a lot.

Lottery-style offers are a range, not a number. When the stock is drawn at random, the expected value is usually near the bottom of the advertised range. Use the minimum when comparing.

Taxes on stock bonuses

The market value on the day you receive the shares is generally taxable income and becomes your cost basis. If you sell later for more or less, that's a capital gain or loss. See tax basics.

Annualized comparison

Our "best yield" column treats the share value at grant as the bonus amount, then annualizes it over the hold. This is the same formula as for cash offers, so you can compare directly. For the full method, see how to calculate real return.

Cash alternatives with similar deposits

If you'd rather not take stock risk, these cash-paying brokerage offers have similar or lower minimums:

Offer	Max bonus	Min deposit	Hold	Best yield	Source
E*TRADE	$10,000	$1,000	365d	5.00%	official terms ↗
Betterment	$2,000	$1,000	1095d	3.33%	official terms ↗
CIT Bank / First Citizens Self-Directed Investing	$750	$1,000	60d	15.21%	official terms ↗
tastytrade	$2,000	$2,500	365d	2.00%	official terms ↗
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing	$1,000	$5,000	90d	4.06%	official terms ↗

Practical tips

Read whether ACATS transfers count. Some share-based deposit promos only count ACH or wire.
Watch fractional share handling if you might transfer the account later. Fractions often can't move by ACATS and may be sold.
Screenshot the share price and quantity on the day the bonus posts, for your tax records.

FAQ

Is free stock from a broker really free?

You usually have to open and fund an account, and sometimes keep it funded for months. The shares are typically taxable income at their market value when received.

Can I sell free stock right away?

It depends on the offer. Some allow immediate sale, others restrict withdrawing the bonus value until a holding period ends. Check the official terms.

How do I compare a stock bonus with a cash bonus?

Value the shares at the current price, discount for the price risk during any required hold, and then compare annualized returns.

Why does Bonusfolio list so few free stock offers?

We only list offers we can verify against an official page, and many short-lived app referral promos can't be reliably tracked.