Bamboo vs Trove vs Risevest vs Hisa: best app for US stocks in Nigeria

On published fees, Hisa is the cheapest of the four at a flat 1% on a US stock trade, against Bamboo's 1.5% each way. Trove and Risevest don't publish a trading fee at all. And Chaka isn't on the list because Chaka became Hisa in June 2026.

This compares the four Nigerian apps people actually shortlist for US stocks, on what each one charges, what you end up owning, and what it costs to get your money back out. Every figure below came off each company's own pages on 10 September 2026. For the wider picture, how to invest in US stocks from Nigeria covers the mechanics.

What happened to Chaka, and what should you use now?

Chaka rebranded to Hisa in June 2026. Existing Chaka users keep their portfolios and account histories, and the app updates to Hisa rather than closing. So if you're comparing Chaka against Bamboo or Trove, the app you're comparing is now called Hisa.

Two details matter more than the name change:

• Chaka Technologies Limited still exists as the licensed entity. Hisa's own site says Nigerian equities trading is facilitated by Chaka Technologies Limited, the SEC-licensed digital sub-broker, through Citi Investment Capital Limited. The brand went, the licence stayed.
• Hisa and Risevest are connected. Hisa's Kenyan trading runs through RiseVest East Africa Limited, per Hisa's own disclosures. So two of the four names on this page sit in the same group, which is worth knowing if you were planning to spread money across both.

The rebrand was covered by Nairametrics and TheCable at the time, and Hisa now runs Nigerian, Kenyan and US markets in one app.

How much does each app charge for a US stock trade?

Hisa charges a flat 1% on every trade across every market. Bamboo charges 1.5% when you buy and 1.5% again when you sell, with a $1 minimum each time. Trove and Risevest publish no trading fee on their public pages, so the honest answer for those two is that you find out inside the app.

On a $500 US trade, Bamboo's 1.5% is $7.50 to buy and $7.50 again when you sell, so $15 on a round trip. Hisa's 1% is $5 each way, so $10. That $5 gap is small on one trade and becomes the whole difference if you trade often. Bamboo's own US stock fee page and Hisa's site carry both numbers.

What do you actually own on each app?

Bamboo, Trove and Hisa all put real shares in your name through a licensed broker, so what you hold is a share, or a fraction of one. Risevest is different: you're buying into a managed portfolio that Risevest picks and runs, and you can't choose individual stocks at all.

The practical differences that follow from that:

1. On Bamboo, Trove and Hisa you decide what to buy and when. Your gains and losses are yours, stock by stock.
2. On Risevest you decide how much to put in and which portfolio, and Risevest does the rest. Its own FAQ says plainly that users can't trade or pick securities themselves.
3. Dividends are handled differently. Bamboo pays dividends as cash and notes on its fee page that the US government takes 30% withholding tax on dividends paid to non-US investors.

None of that makes one model better. It makes them different products, and Risevest belongs on your shortlist only if you'd rather not pick stocks. If you would rather pick, Risevest is the wrong tool no matter what it costs.

What does it cost to get money in and out?

Bamboo is the only one of the four that publishes this in full. Funding a Bamboo wallet from a Nigerian bank costs a 100 naira processing fee, converting naira to dollars costs 0.5% with a $1 minimum and a $5 maximum, and withdrawing to a Nigerian bank costs 45 naira. Bamboo's minimum funding is $1.

Two things worth checking before you pick on trading fee alone:

• The conversion cost usually beats the trading fee. On a $500 deposit, Bamboo's 0.5% conversion is capped at $5, which is roughly what a whole Hisa trade costs. How the naira exchange rate works explains why the rate you get and the rate you see aren't the same number.
• Bamboo charges nothing to hold. Its charges page states there's no fee for holding stocks or leaving funds in the wallet, which matters if you buy and sit still.

Trove's public minimum to get started is $10 or 1,000 naira, per its FAQ. Risevest's FAQ says you can start from $1, withdraw as often as you like, and pay no early withdrawal penalty.

Which of these apps should you use?

Hisa is the cheapest to trade on published fees, Bamboo is the most transparent about total cost, Trove has the widest instrument range, and Risevest is the only one that manages the money for you. Which one wins depends entirely on how you plan to invest.

• Trading regularly and watching cost: Hisa. A flat 1% on every trade is the lowest published number here, and it covers Nigerian and Kenyan markets in the same app.
• Buying and holding, and you want to know the full bill up front: Bamboo. It costs more per trade, and it's the only one that publishes funding, conversion, withdrawal and holding costs where you can read them before you sign up.
• You want ETFs, bonds and a wider instrument list: Trove. Just budget for a trading fee you can't check until you're inside the app.
• You don't want to pick stocks: Risevest. It's a managed portfolio, not a trading app, and comparing its fee to a per-trade commission isn't comparing like with like.

Are these apps licensed in Nigeria?

All four operate through licensed brokers rather than holding your shares directly. Hisa runs Nigerian trades through Chaka Technologies Limited, an SEC-licensed digital sub-broker, and Citi Investment Capital Limited, an NGX dealing member. Trove uses Sigma Securities and ARM Securities, both SEC-registered.

On the US side, Trove names DriveWealth and Alpaca Securities, and Hisa names Alpaca Securities, all FINRA members. What that gives you is a chain of regulated intermediaries between you and the share, and it's worth reading each app's own disclosure rather than taking a comparison page's word for it, this one included.

Which of these apps don't publish their fees?

Trove and Risevest. Trove's FAQ and its terms and conditions both discuss fees without stating amounts, and Risevest's FAQ covers minimums and withdrawals without naming a management fee. Bamboo and Hisa both publish theirs.

Daya doesn't publish a fee for Daya Stocks either, so this isn't a complaint you should take from us and not apply to us. It's a real cost to you as a reader, though: a fee you can't check before signing up is a fee you can't compare, and two of the four biggest names in this category ask you to open an account to find out.

What about tokenised stocks?

Tokenised stocks are the newer model, and Daya Stocks is one of them. Instead of a broker holding a share for you, you hold a token that tracks the share's value, which is what makes round-the-clock trading possible where a real stock exchange is shut.

The trade-off is ownership. With Bamboo, Trove or Hisa you own a share, or a fraction of one, held by a licensed broker. With a tokenised product you own exposure to what that share does. On Daya Stocks specifically, tokens can't currently be moved to an external wallet, so the position stays inside the app. How to invest in US stocks from Nigeria sets out how tokenised equity and custody work in more detail, and Nigeria's money rules covers where tax lands on gains from US stocks.