What Is Personal FinanceA robo-advisor builds and manages a diversified portfolio for you based on your goals and risk tolerance, for a fraction of the cost of a traditional human financial advisor. Here's how five of the best-known providers compare.
| Provider | Fee | Min. deposit | Portfolio style | Visit site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betterment | $5/month (under $24k) or 0.25%/year (over $24k or $200+/mo deposits) | $0 | Diversified ETF portfolios based on your goals and risk tolerance | Visit site |
| Wealthfront | 0.25%/year | $500 | Diversified ETF portfolios with automatic tax-loss harvesting | Visit site |
| Schwab Intelligent Portfolios | 0% advisory fee | $5,000 | Diversified ETF portfolios, no advisory fee but holds a larger cash allocation | Visit site |
| Fidelity Go | $0 under $25,000, then 0.35%/year | $10 to start investing | Fidelity Flex mutual funds with no underlying fund fees | Visit site |
| SoFi Automated Investing | 0.25%/year | $0 | Diversified ETF portfolios based on your goals and risk tolerance | Visit site |
How to read this table
- A 0% fee isn't the same as free. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios charges no advisory fee, but holds a larger share of your money in cash than a typical robo-advisor, which earns Schwab money in a different way and drags on returns when markets rise.
- The fee matters more on larger balances. On a small account, a flat monthly fee like Betterment's under-$24k tier costs more, in percentage terms, than a provider charging a flat annual percentage. Do the math for your own balance.
- Minimum deposit rules some providers out early. If you're starting with a small amount, Fidelity Go's $10 minimum or SoFi's $0 minimum remove that constraint entirely.
A data note worth flagging
Several of these fees came from a search-indexed snippet of the provider's own site rather than a direct page fetch, since some pricing pages load their numbers dynamically or blocked automated access. Rates and minimums for Schwab Intelligent Portfolios and Wealthfront's minimum deposit fall into this category. Treat those as accurate as of this check, not guaranteed current.
Nothing here recommends a specific provider. None of these links are affiliate links. They go straight to each provider's own site.