With the global push to advance artificial intelligence (AI), it’s no surprise that robo-advisors are also growing in popularity.
They’re straightforward, affordable and take much of the legwork out of investing — building, monitoring and rebalancing your portfolio over time, all on your behalf.
And they’re expected to reach upwards of $1.8 trillion in assets under management (AUM) in 2024.(1)
You’re about to see some the best robo-advisors on the market. We used an unbiased rating system to determine these picks, considering everything from costs and fees to account minimums to portfolio mix and more.
With that, it’s time to reveal our picks of the best robo-advisors of July 2024.
10+ robo-advisors reviewed and rated by our team of experts
Evaluated under our unbiased rating system covering seven categories
20+ years of combined experience covering financial topics
We're big on editorial independence. That means our content, reviews and ratings are fair, accurate and trustworthy. We don't let advertisers or partners sway our opinions. Our financial experts put in the hard work, spending hours researching and analyzing hundreds of products based on data-driven methodologies to find the best accounts and providers for you. Explore our editorial guidelines to see how we work.
Why it's the best overall: For its diverse portfolio mix, portfolio customization, low account fees, tax-loss harvesting, automatic dividend reinvestment and access to individual securities trading.
This well-equipped robo-advisor is outfitted with everything you need to set it and forget it with peace of mind: automated index investing across 17 global asset classes, including crypto, automatic portfolio rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting, all across a range of account types. In fact, Wealthfront is one of the only robo-advisors we review that offers automated college savings accounts. Wealthfront offers more than 240 ETFs for its investing accounts and a separate account with access to trade individual stocks commission-free and for as little as $1 should you want more control.
Betterment introduced the world to robo-advisors when it first launched onto the scene in 2010 with its automated portfolios of stocks and bonds, and it's been at the top of the robo-advisory service pack ever since. Today, Betterment's refined automated investing platform includes numerous curated portfolio options, a high-yield cash account and access to a human advisor, which has helped it rack up over 800,000 customers and more than $40 billion in assets under management. It's also one of the only crypto robo-advisors we review. Invest in curated selections of cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, Ethereum and more, with direct ownership
Pros
Wide range of account options
Automatic portfolio rebalancing
Automatic dividend reinvestments
Tax-loss harvesting
Automated crypto investing with direct ownership
Cons
0.25% annual management fee
$100,000 minimum balance to access its premium service tier and personalized financial planning
Available asset types
ETFs, Cryptocurrency
Account types
Brokerage, IRA
Annual fee
0.25% on balances up to $99,999 0.4% on balances of $100,000+
As if SoFi wasn't versatile enough, add a no-advisory-fee robo-advisor with automatic rebalancing and top it off with unlimited, no-cost access to SoFi's team of certified financial planners and you can see why SoFi's robo-advisor is one the best on the market. Start investing automatically with as little as $1, get all your financial goals in order with the help of credentialed fiduciary financial advisors. Just a stone's throw away is the rest of SoFi's many financial products if you're so inclined to keep all your finances under one roof.
Pros
No-cost robo-advisor
Auto rebalancing and recurring deposits
Access to financial advisors at no additional cost
Beginner-friendly but no less effective at automating your investments, Acorns differs from the other percentage-based robo-advisors on our list. As a subscription-based robo-advisor, Acorns stands out for its predictable, flat-rate fees and no minimum deposit requirements. Meanwhile, its Round-Ups feature lets you automatically invest with spare change. Subscribe to Acorns Premium and unlock custom portfolios, which let you add individual stocks and ETFs to your portfolio.
Pros
Round up your spare change into investments
Automatic portfolio rebalancing
Automatic dividend reinvestment
Cons
No tax-loss harvesting
Flat fees can be more expensive for smaller portfolios
While managed portfolios are a mainstay of Titan's offerings, its no-cost robo-advisor is nothing to glance over. Titan's automated investing options include two portfolios: Automated Bonds and Automated Stocks, both of which are made up of a mix of ETFs. These advisory-fee-free portfolios include automatic rebalancing and eight different ETFs to give you balanced exposure to global markets. Did we mention there's no advisory fee?
Schwab Intelligent Portfolios — a robo-advisor with 24/7 live support, a wide assortment of ETFs and no commissions or advisory fees. With up to 80 tailored portfolio variations, three investment strategies and six risk profiles, Schwab offers an impressive level of diversification. Throw in automatic rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting and a range of different accounts to choose from, and you've got a robo-advisor that means business. Upgrade to Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium, and you'll gain access to unlimited one-on-one guidance from Schwab's team of certified financial planners.
Pros
No advisory fee
Up to 80 portfolio variations
Automatic rebalancing
Tax-loss harvesting
Cons
$5,000 minimum to get started
$50,000 in minimum invested assets for tax-loss harvesting
Started from a single mutual fund in 1929, Vanguard has packaged its time-tested strategy of low-cost index-fund investing and robust financial planning tools with digital technologies to create Vanguard Digital Advisor. Built from a blend of ETFs and mutual funds, Vanguard robo-advisor offers three investment strategies: an all-index investment option, an active/index investment option and an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) option for investors who want to prioritize their personal preferences.
Combine zero expense ratio mutual funds, straightforward pricing, no minimum deposit requirements and no advisory fees for balances under $25,000, and what do you get? Fidelity Go. Invest with as little as $10, with automatic portfolio rebalancing and a customer support team standing by 24/7 should you need help. Cross over the $25,000 balance mark and unlock one-on-one personalized planning and advice.
Pros
No advisory fee on balances under $25,000
Access to human advisors when your balance reaches $25,000
Designed with a healthy selection of account types and access to 24-hour customer support, E*TRADE Core Portfolios delivers an automated ETF investing strategy with automatic portfolio rebalancing to maximize your investments and meet your financial goals. Portfolio customization levels include adding smart beta ETFs to inject some active management into your portfolio and socially responsible ETFs if it's important to you to invest with companies known for their environmental, social and governance practices.
Paid non-client promotion. Finder does not invest money with providers on this page. If a brand is a referral partner, we're paid when you click or tap through to, open an account with or provide your contact information to the provider. Partnerships are not a recommendation for you to invest with any one company. Learn more about how we make money.
Finder is not an advisor or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.
Our methodology: How we choose the best robo-advisors
Finder’s investments experts review 13 robo-advisors available on the market to narrow down the best platforms for automated investing and portfolio management.
We analyze each platform based on 45 key metrics we collect directly from brokers and assess each provider’s performance based on seven different categories, weighing each metric based on the expertise and insights of Finder’s investment experts. We then score and rank each provider depending on how it performs in each category.
How we weigh the overall rating
Category
Weighting
Costs and fees
40%
Account minimum
7%
Account types
5%
Portfolio mix
20%
Customer support
5%
Mobile app ratings and security
2.5%
Features and amenities
18%
Cash management account
2.5%
We update our best picks as products change, disappear or emerge in the market. We also regularly review and revise our selections to ensure our best provider lists reflect the most competitive available.
What to look for when choosing the best robo-advisor
Finder’s picks for the best robo-advisors are meant to provide you with a starting point for finding the right option for your investing goals. That said, it’s important to consider your personal preference and individual investing goals too.
Consider the following factors when comparing your options:
Fees. From advisory fees to account transfer fees, it’s important to understand the cost to invest. Most robo-advisors don’t charge separate trading fees, but be mindful of any back-end fees for having account, such as wire transfer fees and account transfer fees.
Minimum deposit requirements. Many robo-advisors let you get started with as little as $1, while others require several thousand dollars.
Portfolio mix. Most robo-advisors build portfolios of ETFs, but which ETFs? Are you content with just US equity and fixed income exposure or do you also want exposure to crypto and international equities?
Account types. Consider your investment needs and whether you want to invest through a taxable brokerage account or individual retirement account (IRA), or both. If you’re only interested in investing through an IRA, tax-loss harvesting capabilities won’t matter — the strategy isn’t useful in retirement accounts because you can’t deduct the losses.(2)
Mobile app reviews. Mobile trading is more popular than ever, allowing you to trade and invest from anywhere. Check out what current or previous customers say about the platform’s functionality.
Cash management options.Robo-advisors that offer cash management accounts can let you earn interest on your uninvested cash.
Compare and find the broker that's right for you
Match your experience level with your trading and investing goals to find the right broker for you.
If you're a
And want to
Consider this
Beginner investor
Do most or all of your trading on your mobile device
Open a robo-advisor account in minutes with any broker that offers automated investing services. The application process is very similar to opening a self-directed investing account.
Can you lose money with a robo-advisor?
Yes, you can lose money with a robo-advisor. Most robo-advisors build portfolios of ETFs, which can lose value.
Which robo-advisor is best?
Betterment is the best robo-advisor according to Finder’s analysis because it offers numerous curated portfolio options, a high-yield cash account and access to a human advisor
Is investing with robo-advisor worth it?
Investing with a robo-advisor may be worth it if you want to outsource portfolio management at a lower cost than what you’d pay a traditional human advisor. Robo-advisors automate portfolio selection and rebalancing and can be an effective way to invest in low-cost ETFs passively.
What is the average rate of return for a robo-advisor?
There is no one average rate of return for a robo-advisor because each robo-advisor employs different investing approaches and strategies.
Do robo-advisors beat the S&P 500?
Robo-advisors that employ active investment strategies may potentially beat the S&P 500.
Matt Miczulski is an investments editor at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions.
Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University. See full bio
Matt's expertise
Matt has written 192 Finder guides across topics including:
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser Disclosure
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
