Best Automated Investing Apps
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Automated investing apps can make it easier to build wealth without manually choosing investments or placing trades. Depending on the app, you can schedule recurring investments, have a portfolio built and managed for you, automatically rebalance your investments or use strategies such as tax-loss harvesting.
The best automated investing app for you depends on your goals, budget, account preferences and how much control you want over your portfolio.
- Best for tax conscious investors → Betterment
- Best for beginner investors → Fidelity GO
- Best for family investing → Future Money
- Best for alternative investments → SoFi Automated Investing
- Best for retirement planning → Vanguard Digital Advisor
- Best for portfolio customization → Wealthfront
- Automated investing apps can build and manage diversified portfolios, but automation doesn’t eliminate the possibility of investment losses.
- Weigh management fees, fund expenses and investment minimums against potential gains to ensure you’re getting a good deal.
- Choose an app based on your goals and the features you’ll actually use.
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Top automated investing apps compared
| Best for | Management fee | Key considerations | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Tax-conscious investors | $5/month or 0.25% (lower for eligible high balances), depending on balance/recurring deposits | Automated tax-loss harvesting available; multiple portfolio choices |
 | Beginner investors | $0 under $25,000; 0.35% at $25,000+ | No minimum to open; investments begin at $10 |
 | Family investing | Varies by plan and balance | Family-focused accounts and tools; pricing structure is more complex and takes into account household income |
 | Alternative investments | 0.25% | Offers robo portfolios with alternative-investment exposure; membership perks |
 | Retirement planning | Varies by portfolio, approximately $15 to $16 per $10,000 annually for an all-index portfolio; $0 for the first 90 days | Strong retirement focus; portfolio choices can be less flexible |
 | Portfolio customization | 0.25% | Extensive customization and automated tax features |
Best automated investing apps
Best for tax-conscious investors: Betterment
- Management fees: $5 per month for balances under $24,000 unless you make at least $200 in qualifying recurring deposits each month
- Investment minimum: No minimum balance for Digital
- Additional costs: Fund expense ratios; $75 outbound transfer fee per investing account; Premium costs 0.65% annually ($100,000 minimum); discounted rates for balances over $1,000,000
- Account types: Taxable individual and joint accounts; Roth, traditional, SEP and inherited IRAs; solo 401(k)s and trusts
PROS
- Automated tax-loss harvesting
- Offers professionally designed portfolios and custom allocations
- Automatically invests deposits, monitors allocations and rebalances portfolios
CONS
- Tax-loss harvesting can create complications when you or your spouse have investments at other brokerages
- A $5 monthly fee can be costly for small portfolios
- Requires $100,000 in eligible investments to access human advice
Company advantages:
Betterment stands out for investors who want to incorporate tax management into an automated portfolio. Its software regularly scans eligible taxable portfolios for tax-loss harvesting opportunities, potentially selling investments that have declined in value and replacing them with alternatives. Realized losses may offset taxable capital gains or some ordinary income.
Company limitations:
Tax-loss harvesting doesn’t guarantee tax savings. Its benefits depend on your tax situation, investments held elsewhere and future tax rates.
Betterment’s fees can be relatively high for small portfolios. Automated investing costs $5 per month for eligible balances under $24,000 unless you make at least $200 in qualifying recurring deposits each month. Premium access to human advice costs 0.65% annually for portfolios under $1,000,000 and requires $100,000 in eligible investments.
Best for beginner investors: Fidelity GO
- Management fees: $0 for balances below $25,000; 0.35% annually for balances of $25,000 or more
- Investment minimum: No minimum to open; Fidelity begins investing once the account reaches $10
- Additional costs: No trading, transaction or rebalancing fees; Fidelity Go generally uses Fidelity Flex funds with zero expense ratios
- Account types: Taxable individual and joint accounts; traditional, Roth, rollover and SEP IRAs; HSA
PROS
- Low barrier to entry (no account minimum, investing starts at $10)
- No advisory fee for balances under $25,000
- Automatic portfolio management, including ongoing rebalancing
CONS
- 0.35% annual fee for balances of $25,000+
- Limited portfolio customization
- Tax-loss harvesting only available for balances of $25,000+
Company advantages:
Fidelity Go offers an accessible entry point into robo-advising. There’s no advisory fee for balances under $25,000, no minimum to open an account, and Fidelity begins investing once you have $10.
After you answer questions about your financial goals, timeline and risk tolerance, Fidelity recommends an investment strategy and handles day-to-day investment decisions, automatically buying and selling investments to maintain your target allocation.
Company limitations:
Once your account reaches $25,000, the advisory fee is 0.35%, though that includes additional benefits: automated tax-loss harvesting and one-on-one financial coaching for eligible accounts.
While beginners can benefit from Fidelity Go’s approach, portfolio options are fairly limited. You typically only have access to Fidelity Flex mutual funds, so you may not be able to invest in what you want.
Best for family investing: Future Money
- Management fees: Vary by plan, household income and account balance; advertised fees range from 0.20% to 0.25% annually or $0 to $120 annually
- Investment minimum: As little as $5 for automated investing
- Additional costs: Subscription or management fees can apply depending on the selected plan and balance
- Account types: Traditional and Roth IRAs; 529; taxable accounts
PROS
- Designed specifically for family investing
- Can invest in 529s for college savings and custodial IRAs
- Automated investing starts at $5
CONS
- Complicated pricing structure
- Costs more to access some tools and services
Company advantages:
Future Money stands out for its focus on parents seeking to build assets for future generations. It offers standard features like automated investing and personalized portfolios, along with family-oriented features like a parent support community and tools to help families plan for goals like saving for college with 529 accounts.
Company limitations:
Future Money’s pricing structure is relatively complicated. Management fees vary by plan, income and assets, making them hard to compare with competitors.
While Future Money’s specialized tools may appeal to families, you might prefer a conventional taxable robo-advisor if you want a simpler fee structure and more straightforward offerings.
Best for alternative investments: SoFi
- Management fees: 0.25% annually
- Investment minimum: $50
- Additional costs: $100 outbound transfer fee; underlying expense ratios
- Account types: Individual and joint taxable accounts; traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs
PROS
- Alternative assets available in automated portfolios
- Straightforward 0.25% annual fee
- Membership perks
CONS
- Some alternative assets and strategies can be complex, speculative or volatile
- Fund expenses may be higher than expected, especially on alternative assets
- Less appealing for investors seeking simple index portfolios
Company advantages:
SoFi Robo Invest provides diversification beyond a conventional portfolio by offering exposure to alternative assets. This distinguishes SoFi from other robo-advisors, which often limit access to assets beyond stocks and bonds.
SoFi membership perks include travel deals, access to financial planning services (including estate planning) and special rates for certain loans.
Company limitations:
Alternative assets may involve leverage, speculative strategies and greater volatility. Funds that include alternative assets often have higher expense ratios than more traditional stock and bond funds.
Best for retirement planning: Vanguard Digital Advisor
- Management fees: $0 advisory fee for the first 90 days; approximately $15 to $16 annually per $10,000 invested in an all-index portfolio
- Investment minimum: $100 in an eligible Vanguard Brokerage Account
- Additional costs: Underlying fund expense ratios; $25 per $10,000 annually for the active-index investing; $20 per $10,000 annually for ESG investing; higher advisory fees for a hybrid service that includes a human advisor
- Account types: Individual and joint taxable accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs, inherited and rollover IRAs, single-participant SEPs, certain Vanguard-administered 401(k)s
PROS
- Combines automated investing with retirement projection and planning tools
- Relatively low minimum investment of $100
- Goal optimization, emergency savings and debt-payoff tools
CONS
- No human advisor option with Vanguard Digital Advisor
- May need to sell some existing investments to enroll
Company advantages:
Vanguard Digital Advisor is designed around goals-based investing, with an emphasis on retirement. During enrollment, the service considers your goals, time horizon and risk tolerance to create an investment strategy that it maintains through regular automatic rebalancing.
Digital Advisor also offers more than 300 personalized glide paths and financial tools designed to help you meet other financial priorities while preparing for retirement. It can incorporate information from outside accounts into its projections.
Company limitations:
You’ll need to pay for a more expensive service tier if you want to speak with a human advisor. There could be tax consequences if you need to sell some investments to make your account eligible.
Best for portfolio customization: Wealthfront
- Management fees: 0.25% annually for an Automated Investing Account
- Investment minimum: $500
- Additional costs: Underlying fund expense ratios; additional 529 plan administration fees
- Account types: Taxable individual, joint and trust; traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs; rollover accounts; 529s
PROS
- Extensive portfolio customization, including hundreds of available funds
- Tax-loss harvesting available for eligible accounts
- Portfolios of $100,000+ can qualify for U.S. Direct Indexing without an additional advisory fee
CONS
- Relatively high $500 account minimum
- No dedicated human advisor
Company advantages:
Wealthfront combines the hands-off features investors expect from a robo-advisor (like automatic rebalancing) with more portfolio customization than some competitors. The service recommends a portfolio based on your risk profile and generally uses low-cost ETFs to provide exposure to diversified global asset classes. Wealthfront allows you to adjust these allocations with hundreds of available funds.
Company limitations:
Wealthfront requires a relatively high $500 minimum investment to open an account, and you aren’t paired with a dedicated human advisor to help you navigate your planning objectives.
How automated investing apps work
What are they?
Automated investing apps handle some or all of the investing process for you, from scheduling recurring investments to managing your portfolio. In some cases, automated investing may include artificial intelligence in portfolio management.
With a robo-advisor, you answer questions about your financial goals, timeline and risk tolerance. The service then recommends a portfolio, typically made up of diversified ETFs or mutual funds.
What happens after you put your money in?
Robo-advisors invest your money based on your target allocation and may automatically reinvest dividends, rebalance your portfolio and offer tax-loss harvesting.
Other apps offer simpler features, such as investing $50 every payday or rounding up purchases and investing the difference, without managing your entire portfolio.
How can they help?
Automation can help make investing more consistent because you don’t have to remember to transfer money, evaluate your asset allocation or make other investment decisions every month. However, automated apps don’t eliminate investment risk. The value of stocks, bonds, funds and other investments can fall, and an automated portfolio can lose money.
How to choose an automated investing app
The best automated investing app is the one that fits your goals, budget and preferred level of involvement. Here’s what to consider when deciding between apps:
- Start with your goal and account type. Someone investing for retirement may want an IRA, while a parent saving for college may prioritize a 529. Understand what account type you need to reach your goals.
- Decide how much help you want. A basic automatic investment app can schedule recurring purchases based on a portfolio you choose. But if you want more help managing your investments, look for features like automated rebalancing, financial planning tools and access to human advisors.
- Review the investment approach. Consider each app’s available asset classes, whether its portfolios rely primarily on index funds or actively managed investments and how much customization is available.
- Compare total costs and minimums. In addition to headline management or advisory fees, consider subscription charges, underlying fund expense ratios and other costs. Determine if you can afford the app’s investment minimum. Don’t assume flat fees are always cheaper. A flat $5 monthly fee, for example, represents 6% annually of a $1,000 balance before considering investment returns or expenses.
- Choose automation tools you will actually use. Features such as automatic rebalancing, recurring investments, tax-loss harvesting and goal tracking can add value, but only if they are relevant to your situation. Don’t pay extra for features you won’t use.
Are automated investing apps safe?
Automated investing apps can provide legitimate brokerage and investment-advisory services, but it’s important to distinguish platform safety from investment risk. Even with a registered financial firm and investor protections, your investments can still lose value.
You may lose money
Stocks, bonds and other assets aren’t guaranteed to increase in value, and you could lose your original investment due to company performance problems, market events or global financial influences.
Your rights and protections
Brokerage accounts may qualify for Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) protection if the brokerage is a SIPC member. If a member brokerage fails and customer assets are missing, SIPC protection generally covers securities and cash in a customer’s brokerage account up to $500,000, including a $250,000 limit for cash held for purchasing securities.
SIPC protection isn’t investment insurance. It doesn’t reimburse you because your portfolio loses value. If you invest $10,000 and the investments fall to $8,000 because of market performance, SIPC won’t cover the $2,000 loss.
The FDIC doesn’t insure nondeposit investments such as stocks, bonds or mutual funds. However, some investing apps offer cash accounts or cash-sweep features that may qualify for FDIC insurance through partner banks.
Steps to make automated investing safer
1. Check out the company behind the app. Investor.gov has an Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database that lets you verify the company’s registration status and review documents like Form ADV, which contains information about fees, business practices, conflicts of interest and disciplinary history. FINRA’s BrokerCheck provides similar background information about brokers and firms.
2. Protect your investment app account like you would an online bank account. Use a strong, unique password, turn on two-factor or multifactor authentication when available and be wary of emails, texts or calls asking you to provide login credentials or move money.
How we chose the best automated investing apps
We evaluated 12 popular robo-advisor apps based on their cost and accessibility, portfolio and investing features, planning and advice tools, user experience and support, and trust and transparency.
Our categories
The highest scores go to apps with low management fees, low investment minimums and few additional or recurring fees.
We awarded points if an app offered features such as diversified portfolios, automatic rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting and portfolio customization.
Investing apps earn points for tools that help investors set and track financial goals. We also awarded points for access to human financial advisors or other personalized guidance.
Apps that offer both mobile and web access, live customer support and easily viewable portfolio performance and details, received higher scores.
We evaluated providers’ regulatory registration, fee and investment disclosures and recent regulatory or disciplinary actions.
Our process
We gather data directly from automated investing app providers’ websites. Our editorial team applies the same scoring model and standards to every app. Apps cannot pay to influence our ratings. Read more about our editorial guidelines.
According to our systematic rating and review process, the best automated investing apps are Betterment, Fidelity GO, Future Money, SoFi, Vanguard Digital Advisor and Wealthfront.
Why trust LendingTree’s methodology?
Our writers and editors dig through the facts, contact lenders directly and even go through the application process ourselves if it helps better explain what you can expect. As a Certified Financial Education Instructor℠, I’m committed to breaking down complex financial details so people can make confident, informed decisions with their money.
Jessica’s experience in editing and financial education helps shape LendingTree articles that are clear, accurate and truly useful to readers. Her certification means our recommendations are built on a foundation of consumer-first financial knowledge — not just numbers.
Frequently asked questions
A robo-advisor is a type of automated investing service that generally builds and manages a portfolio based on your goals and risk tolerance. Automated investing apps are a broader category and can include apps that automate recurring investments or round up purchases and use the difference to invest.
Yes. Automation doesn’t protect you against investment losses. Stocks, bonds, ETFs and other securities can decline in value. An automatically managed portfolio can lose money. Diversification and strategic asset allocation can help manage investment risk, but they can’t eliminate it entirely.
It depends on your balance and the services you receive. Convert the monthly charge into an annual percentage of your balance when comparing it with percentage-based advisory fees. For example, a $5 monthly fee costs $60 per year, which equals 6% of a $1,000 portfolio, but 0.6% of a $10,000 portfolio.