Best Wealth Management Apps in 2026: 9 Apps Compared

Betterment is our pick for most people who want automated investing at a low cost. You answer questions about goals, timeline, and risk tolerance, and Betterment builds and rebalances a diversified portfolio, with tax-loss harvesting available on eligible taxable accounts. Goal-based tools help you plan separately for retirement, a house deposit, or other targets, rather than treating all your money as one pot.

The main limit is human help. The base digital plan is automated, and access to human advisors comes through Premium, which costs 0.65% per year and requires a $100,000 balance in many listings. A $5 monthly fee can also apply to smaller accounts instead of the percentage fee. If you want a planner to call, Vanguard Personal Advisor or Facet may fit better, but for hands-off investing, Betterment is hard to beat on price.

Wealthfront is the closest rival to Betterment, and it wins for investors who care most about tax efficiency. The automated investing service charges 0.25% per year, rebalances automatically, and offers tax-loss harvesting on eligible accounts, with direct indexing available at higher balances. Its planning software is also genuinely useful for modelling retirement and other goals without booking a call.

The trade-off is human contact. Wealthfront does not offer a dedicated human advisor in the way Vanguard Personal Advisor does, so investors who want to talk through a complex decision may feel underserved. The $500 minimum for automated investing is modest, but it is higher than Betterment's low entry point.

Vanguard Personal Advisor is the best hybrid option for investors who want a person involved without paying a traditional 1% advisory fee. You get a financial plan and access to advisors, while Vanguard's low-cost funds keep underlying fund costs down. The advisory fee is about 0.30% per year, which is only slightly above the robo-advisors, for a service that adds human guidance.

The $50,000 minimum is the main barrier, and a dedicated planner, rather than advisor access when needed, requires the Select tier at $500,000 enrolled in many listings. Tax filing is not part of the published offering, so you will still need a separate tax preparer. If you meet the minimum and want human advice at a low fee, this is the first service to shortlist.

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is the cheapest headline option here, because the base service charges no advisory fee. You answer questions about goals and risk, Schwab builds a diversified ETF portfolio, and rebalancing is automatic. For existing Schwab customers, integration with brokerage and banking accounts is a real convenience, and the $5,000 minimum is accessible.

Free is not the same as costless. The portfolios hold a cash allocation, and Schwab earns from that cash, so the money sitting in cash is not invested in markets and may earn less over time. That opportunity cost can exceed a 0.25% fee for some investors, so compare total expected cost, not just the advisory fee line. Human advice comes through Premium, at $30 per month plus a $300 setup fee, with a $25,000 minimum.

Fidelity Go is the best starting point for a new investor who already uses, or plans to use, Fidelity. There is no advisory fee on balances under $25,000, no opening minimum, and about $10 is needed to begin investing, which removes almost every barrier to starting. Coaching calls become available at higher balances, and the service sits inside Fidelity's broader platform for retirement and brokerage accounts.

The fee rises to 0.35% per year at $25,000 and above, which is higher than Betterment or Wealthfront, so long-term cost should be compared once your balance grows. Tax-loss harvesting is available only for eligible taxable accounts at higher balances. For a beginner, though, the free start and the Fidelity ecosystem make Fidelity Go an easy first step.

SoFi Automated Investing suits SoFi customers who want investing beside banking, loans, and other accounts in one app. You answer questions about goals and risk, SoFi builds a diversified portfolio, and rebalancing is automatic, all for a 0.25% annual advisory fee in many listings.

The limit is human help and planning depth. SoFi does not offer a dedicated human advisor in the way Vanguard Personal Advisor does, and its planning tools are narrower than a hybrid service. If you already use SoFi for banking, the integration is a genuine convenience. If you want a planner to call, or you do not use SoFi elsewhere, Betterment or Wealthfront will give you a similar fee with a longer track record as a standalone investing service.

Facet suits high earners and people with complex planning needs who prefer a flat annual fee to a percentage of assets. You work with a planner team on retirement, tax, estate, and insurance questions, with investment management included, and published plans have listed annual prices in the low thousands of dollars. That model can be cheaper than a 1% fee once assets grow large, and it aligns the planner's pay with advice rather than asset gathering.

For a small balance, the flat fee is costly relative to a 0.25% robo-advisor, so Facet only makes sense when planning complexity justifies it. Published prices have also changed over time, so we list starting price as See website and recommend confirming the current annual price for the tier that matches your needs before you commit.

Merrill Guided Investing is a good fit for Bank of America customers who want investing tied to their banking. The guided service builds and manages a portfolio for a 0.45% annual fee, with an advisor-guided tier at a higher rate that adds access to a Merrill advisor. Integration with checking, savings, and credit accounts makes transfers and a full financial picture simpler than using a separate provider.

The fee is higher than Betterment, Wealthfront, or Vanguard Personal Advisor, and the portfolios are less customisable than a self-directed Merrill brokerage account. If you already bank with Bank of America and value one login and one relationship, that convenience may justify the premium. If cost is your main driver, the robo-advisors will be cheaper.

Ellevest is distinct in this list because its planning explicitly accounts for factors that affect many women's finances, such as longer lifespans and career breaks, rather than using a one-size-fits-all retirement model. Goal-based portfolios, career coaching, and financial planning tools sit beside investing, which suits people who want planning and investing in one place.

Pricing has changed several times, with monthly and percentage models both used in the past, so we list it as See website and recommend checking the current plan before you compare it on price. The feature range is also narrower than Betterment or Fidelity. For readers who value its planning approach, that focus is a strength; for readers who only want the lowest fee, a robo-advisor will be cheaper.