Home / Comparisons / Wealthfront vs Betterment
Wealthfront vs Betterment (2026)
Price, free plan, features and SEC status side by side, from each company's own pages and the SEC database (verified 2026-10-26).
Wealthfront
- Automated portfolio: 0.25%/yr advisory fee
- Brokerage account: No fees, $1 to start
Free plan: yes · Trial: Self-directed brokerage account has no advisory fee
Best for: Hands-off automated investing
Our take: Still one of the simplest ways to hand off investing. It's algorithmic automation more than chat AI, with a low 0.25% fee.
Try WealthfrontBetterment
- Digital: $5/mo, or 0.25%/yr with $24K+ balance or $200+/mo deposits
- Premium: 0.65%/yr (adds advisor access)
Free plan: no · Trial: Not stated
Best for: Goal-based investing with optional human help
Our take: A mature, trustworthy robo-advisor. Set up a recurring deposit to avoid the $5/mo fee, and pay for Premium only if you'll use the advisors.
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Feature by feature
| Wealthfront | Betterment | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | 0.25%/yr | $5/mo or 0.25%/yr |
| Free plan | yes | no |
| Free trial | Self-directed brokerage account has no advisory fee | Not stated |
| Budgeting | not listed | not listed |
| Planning | not listed | not listed |
| Portfolio analysis | yes | yes |
| Manages money | yes | yes |
| SEC-registered adviser | Yes, CRD 148456 | Yes, CRD 149117 |
| AI feature | Automated, software-managed portfolios and tax-loss harvesting (no AI-specific feature verified) | Automated investing and tax-loss harvesting (no AI-specific feature verified) |
| Last verified | 2026-10-26 | 2026-10-26 |
Which should you pick?
- Wealthfront is best for: Hands-off automated investing.
- Betterment is best for: Goal-based investing with optional human help.
These picks are our editorial opinion. The facts above link to their sources on each app's page.
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