Best Robo-Advisors of 2026: 6 Compared and Ranked
The short answer: Vanguard Digital Advisor is our top pick for most people, because it combines the lowest ongoing fee of the paid services (about 0.15% a year) with a $100 minimum and a clean regulatory record.34 Betterment is the best choice if you want goal-based planning and the option to upgrade to human financial planners, and Fidelity Go is free until your balance reaches $25,000.815
At a glance
| # | Service | Best for | Yearly fee | Minimum to start | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanguard Digital Advisor | Low-cost index investors | About 0.15% net3 | $1004 | 9.3 |
| 2 | Betterment | Goal-based planning with an optional human upgrade | 0.25%, or $5 a month on small balances8 | $09 | 8.5 |
| 3 | Fidelity Go | Beginners with under $25,000 | Free under $25,000, then 0.35%15 | $1015 | 8.1 |
| 4 | Wealthfront | Hands-off investors who never need a person | 0.25%18 | $50019 | 7.6 |
| 5 | Schwab Intelligent Portfolios | $5,000+ investors who want no advisory fee | No advisory fee; Premium $300 plus $30 a month26 | $5,00026 | 7.1 |
| 6 | SoFi Robo Investing | SoFi members who want one app | 0.25%29 | $5030 | 7.1 |
A robo-advisor invests your money for you. You answer questions about your goals and how much risk you can take, and the service builds a portfolio of low-cost index funds, rebalances it, and in most cases harvests tax losses in taxable accounts. The SEC’s investor bulletin on robo-advisers recommends checking exactly what you pay, how the portfolio is built and how much human help you get before you sign up, which is how we compared them below.1
Fees matter more than anything else here, because they come out every year whether markets rise or fall. On a $50,000 balance, a 0.25% fee costs $125 a year, and a 0.15% fee costs $75. The funds inside the portfolio charge their own small expense ratios on top.
The 6 robo-advisors, ranked
Vanguard Digital Advisor
Best for low-cost index investors
9.3/10
The cheapest of the paid robo-advisors, from the company that popularized index funds. Vanguard charges a 0.20% gross fee and credits back revenue it earns from its own funds, so most clients pay about 0.15% a year, or roughly $15 per $10,000.3
Betterment
Best for goal-based planning with an optional human upgrade
8.5/10
The original independent robo-advisor, with the most complete set of goal-planning tools. The Digital plan costs $5 a month and switches to 0.25% a year once you set up recurring deposits of at least $200 a month or reach a $24,000 balance.8
- Tax-loss harvesting is available in taxable accounts.10
- Offers Traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs, Solo 401(k)s, taxable accounts and a Cash Reserve.11
- Premium adds a team of Certified Financial Planners for 0.65% a year on the first $1 million, with a $100,000 minimum.1213
Pros
- No minimum to open
- The widest range of account types and planning tools
- Human planners available when you need them
Cons
- The $5 monthly fee is steep on a small balance: $60 a year is 3% of a $2,000 account (our arithmetic from the published fee)
- Premium’s 0.65% is expensive next to Vanguard’s human tier
Worth knowing: In April 2023 Betterment paid $9 million to settle SEC charges that it didn’t properly disclose changes to its tax-loss harvesting and that coding errors kept it from harvesting losses for some clients. It neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing.14
Fidelity Go
Best for beginners with under $25,000
8.1/10
Free until your balance reaches $25,000, and the funds inside cost nothing either: portfolios use Fidelity Flex funds, which have zero expense ratios.16 That makes it the cheapest way to start. Above $25,000 the 0.35% fee is the highest here.17
- From $25,000, you get unlimited 30-minute coaching calls with Fidelity advisors.16
- Tax-loss harvesting starts at $25,000 in taxable accounts and isn’t available in IRAs.16
- Unusually, it can manage a Health Savings Account as well as taxable accounts and IRAs.16
Pros
- Genuinely free on small balances, with zero-cost funds
- Coaching with a human at $25,000
Cons
- 0.35% above $25,000 is the highest fee in this comparison
- No tax-loss harvesting below $25,000
Wealthfront
Best for hands-off investors who never need a person
7.6/10
A fully automated service that has charged the same 0.25% fee since it was founded and doesn’t discount it for larger accounts.1820 Tax-loss harvesting is included on every taxable account.21
- Offers taxable accounts, IRAs, a 529 college savings plan and a no-fee cash account.2223
- There are no human advisors, even for an extra fee; planning happens in its automated Path tool.24
Pros
- Tax-loss harvesting on every taxable account, at any balance
- Strong automated planning and a 529 option
Cons
- No human help at any price
- $500 to start
Worth knowing: In December 2018 the SEC found that Wealthfront made false statements about its tax-loss harvesting: it said it monitored for wash sales, but they occurred in at least 31% of enrolled accounts. It was censured and paid a $250,000 penalty without admitting or denying the findings.25
Schwab Intelligent Portfolios
Best for $5,000+ investors who want no advisory fee
7.1/10
Schwab charges no advisory fee and no commissions. The trade-off is that every portfolio must hold part of its money in cash at Schwab’s own bank, and the size of that cash allocation depends on the strategy.27 Cash typically earns less than invested money over time, so “free” still has a cost.
- Tax-loss harvesting is free but only switches on once a taxable account has $50,000 invested.27
- The Premium tier adds unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner for a one-time $300 plus $30 a month, with a $25,000 minimum.26
Pros
- No advisory fee
- Affordable flat-fee access to a CFP through Premium
Cons
- A required cash allocation you can’t opt out of
- $5,000 minimum, the highest here
Worth knowing: In June 2022 three Schwab subsidiaries paid $187 million to settle SEC charges that they didn’t disclose that the robo-advisor’s cash allocations would make clients less money in most market conditions.28
SoFi Robo Investing
Best for soFi members who want one app
7.1/10
A simple robo-advisor inside SoFi’s banking and lending app. It was free until November 2024, when SoFi introduced a 0.25% fee and raised the minimum from $1 to $50.2930
- Offers Traditional, Roth, SEP and rollover IRAs and taxable accounts.31
- Every SoFi member can book a free 30-minute session with a financial planner.30
Pros
- Low $50 minimum
- Convenient if you already bank with SoFi
How we ranked them
We rated each service from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on 5 criteria, weighted by how much each matters for financial wealth. The score is the weighted average, scaled to 10. Ratings come from each company’s own published prices and features and from the independent reviews in the sources list, checked on October 3, 2026.
- Cost (35%). The advisory fee you pay each year, including flat monthly fees on small balances and costs that are not called fees, such as a required cash allocation.
- Tax and account features (25%). Tax-loss harvesting and the balance needed to get it, plus the account types offered (taxable, IRAs, 529s, cash).
- Minimum to start (15%). How much you need to open an account and begin investing.
- Human help (10%). Whether you can talk to a financial planner, and what it costs.
- Regulatory record (15%). SEC actions against the service for how it ran or described its robo-advisor. A settled case lowers the rating; the size and nature of the case decide by how much.
| Service | Cost | Features | Minimum | Human help | Record | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Digital Advisor | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9.3 |
| Betterment | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 8.5 |
| Fidelity Go | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8.1 |
| Wealthfront | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Schwab Intelligent Portfolios | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 7.1 |
| SoFi Robo Investing | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7.1 |
Do you need a robo-advisor at all?
Not necessarily. A single target-date fund or a three-fund index portfolio held at a low-cost broker does most of what a robo-advisor does, for only the funds’ own expense ratios. What a robo-advisor adds is automation: rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting and investing every deposit without you having to log in. If you would otherwise leave money in cash or tinker with it, that automation is worth a fee of 0.25% or less. If you are already a disciplined index investor, it may not be.
Before you hand money to any adviser, look it up for free on FINRA BrokerCheck, which shows registrations, disciplinary actions and complaints.2
How to choose
- Starting with under $25,000? Fidelity Go is free, and Vanguard costs about $15 a year per $10,000.
- Want help from a planner? Betterment Premium, Schwab Premium and Vanguard Personal Advisor all add humans; Schwab’s flat fee is cheapest on large balances.
- Investing in a taxable account? Wealthfront and Betterment harvest losses at any balance; Fidelity and Schwab need $25,000 and $50,000.
- Saving for a child’s education? Wealthfront offers a 529.
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Common questions
What is the best robo-advisor in 2026?
In our comparison, Vanguard Digital Advisor ranks first for most people because it charges about 0.15% a year, needs only $100 to start and has no SEC actions against it. Betterment ranks second for its planning tools and optional human planners.
How much does a robo-advisor cost?
Most charge 0.15% to 0.35% of your balance each year, which is $15 to $35 per $10,000 invested. Some charge a flat monthly fee on small balances, and some, like Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, charge no advisory fee but require part of your portfolio to sit in cash.
Is a robo-advisor worth it?
A robo-advisor is worth it if the automation keeps you investing steadily and the fee is 0.25% or less. If you already invest regularly in a low-cost index fund, a robo-advisor adds little beyond tax-loss harvesting.
Are robo-advisors safe?
Robo-advisors are registered investment advisers regulated by the SEC, and your investments are typically held at a brokerage that is a member of SIPC. Your investments can still lose value. You can check any adviser for free on FINRA BrokerCheck.
What is tax-loss harvesting?
Tax-loss harvesting sells investments that have fallen in value and buys similar ones, so the loss can offset taxable gains or up to $3,000 of ordinary income a year. It only helps in taxable accounts, not in IRAs or 401(k)s.
Sources
- Investor Bulletin: Robo-Advisers — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov
- About BrokerCheck — FINRA
- Vanguard Digital Advisor Review 2026 — NerdWallet
- Vanguard Expands Access to Advice By Reducing Asset Minimum for Robo Service Digital Advisor — Vanguard, 2024
- Robo-Advisor: Automated Investing Services — Vanguard
- Vanguard Digital Advisor and Vanguard Personal Advisor: Important Information — Vanguard
- Personal Advisor — Vanguard
- Betterment’s Pricing — Betterment
- Betterment Review — SmartAsset
- How do I turn on tax-loss harvesting? — Betterment
- What accounts can I open with Betterment? — Betterment
- Betterment Review 2026 — NerdWallet
- Robo-advisor Betterment settles tax charges with SEC for $9 million — CNBC, 2023
- Fidelity Go — Fidelity Investments
- Fidelity Go FAQs — Fidelity Investments
- Fidelity Go Review 2026 — NerdWallet
- Wealthfront’s Philosophy on Fees — Wealthfront
- You Can Now Start Investing with Just $500 — Wealthfront
- Why don’t you give a fee break for larger accounts? — Wealthfront
- Tax-Loss Harvesting — Wealthfront
- Wealthfront Review — CNBC Select
- Automate Your 529 College Savings Plan — Wealthfront
- Betterment vs. Wealthfront: 2026 Comparison — NerdWallet
- SEC Charges Two Robo-Advisers With False Disclosures (press release 2018-300) — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2018
- Schwab Intelligent Portfolios review — Bankrate
- About Schwab Intelligent Portfolios — Charles Schwab
- Charles Schwab Corporation Subsidiaries to Pay $187 Million (press release 2022-104) — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2022
- Are there advisory fees for SoFi Robo Invest accounts? — SoFi
- SoFi Robo Investing Review 2026 — NerdWallet
- What types of SoFi Invest accounts do you offer? — SoFi
This guide is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, medical, legal, or tax advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy any product. Prices and features change; confirm them with the provider before you sign up.
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