3 Benefits of Using Desktop Platforms for Active Trading

Mobile investment apps revolutionized investing by allowing users to trade from anywhere, not just from their computer screens. That said, while mobile investing is convenient, there are still advantages to trading on a more powerful desktop platform.

For this reason, Robinhood launched a browser-based platform in 2024 called Robinhood Legend to complement its mobile app. Here are the top three benefits active traders gain from using a desktop platform versus their smartphones.

1. More information on a personalized trading setup

On a desktop platform, you can view all your trading information simultaneously, including your portfolio balance, returns, recent orders, watchlists and market data.

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While that info can be found through a mobile app, it takes some scrolling. After all, even the largest smartphone screens cannot present as much as a computer monitor. Robinhood Legend has a sleek, intuitive design. Since it's browser-based, no download is required.

A desktop platform also allows you to customize the layout, as opposed to the standardized approach used on mobile apps. Robinhood Legend offers predesigned layouts tailored for various situations, including stock trading, options trading and market monitoring, all designed by investment experts. You pick the template you want and launch it within a second.

Alternatively, if you’re more DIY inclined, you can develop your own setup. You can reposition the layout and add whichever widgets you find most helpful, such as investment watchlists, charts and options tools. You are also able to resize and reposition everything until it feels just right. Robinhood’s layout engine is there to help you organize and design.

After you create a layout, you can save it and switch back and forth to others as needed. You can even expand the setup across multiple computer monitors to track even more information. On a desktop platform, you decide what layout best supports your trading.

2. Advanced charting tools and analysis

Charts show price trends and returns over time for different assets. While you can see basic charts on a mobile app, desktop platforms open far more capabilities.

Through Robinhood Legend, you can view up to eight different charts in a single window. This allows you to track multiple investments in real-time, rather than having to flip through them individually on your smartphone.

Desktop trading platforms go beyond simply showing the charts. You can utilize drawing tools to perform technical analyses, a method of analyzing chart trends to identify pricing patterns and discover trading opportunities.

Robinhood Legend lets you annotate charts with horizontal lines, trend channels, Fibonacci retracements and other drawing tools needed for technical analysis.

You can also add real-time indicators for deeper insights, such as moving averages, Bollinger bands, Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) and more. The platform allows you to save favorite configurations as indicator templates so they are readily available for future trade research.

And when you’re ready to execute you can submit buy and sell directly through your charts; no need to switch to a different screen.

3. Faster trades and real-time market information

For active investors, every second counts when entering and exiting positions. By design, a desktop platform facilitates quicker trading. It’s just easier to maneuver on a computer than on a smartphone. Robinhood’s platform also lets you execute one-click trades directly through your watchlists, positions, charts and option chains.

The desktop platform gives real-time data, updating at sub-second intervals. You’ll have your finger right on the pulse of the market as trends unfold by the day, hour, minute and second on your charts and widgets. That’s too much data for a smartphone, but it is easily presented on a desktop platform.

You’re also able to link your widgets together to create synced groups. For example, you could link a watchlist and a chart together. Clicking any asset on the watchlist will display that same asset on the chart. Information transfers seamlessly throughout your account and even across multiple monitors.

A powerful platform, for free

Robinhood Legend packs a powerful combination of benefits for active trading. And best of all, it’s available for free. Robinhood Legend is available for all users and does not require a Robinhood Gold subscription. If you have a Robinhood account, you can simply log into Robinhood Legend through your web browser on a desktop computer.

Desktop investors on Robinhood Legend enjoy the same highly competitive trading fees as those on Robinhood’s mobile app, including no equity options contract fees (other fees may apply), low margin rates and commission-free stock & ETF trading. Altogether, this works out to be one of the best deals for a desktop trading platform.

Mobile trading is not going anywhere. Users who enjoy managing their portfolios while on the move can still do so. However, the Robinhood Legend desktop platform provides investors with another option to research, track and execute their trades. All at no extra charge.

Learn more about how Robinhood Legend unlocks a new way to trade.