Best Robo-Advisors for December 2025
Best Robo-Advisors for December 2025 View All Best Robo-Advisors for December 2025
- Top Picks
- Wealthfront
- Betterment
- Fidelity Go
- See More (5)
- SoFi Automated Investing
- M1 Finance
- Acorns
- E*TRADE Core Portfolios
- Merrill Guided Investing
- Why Trust Us
- How Do Robo-Advisors Work?
- Who Are Robo-Advisors Best For?
- Common Terms
- Pros & Cons
- Methodology
A robo-advisor is an automated investment service that applies algorithmic investing strategies to an investor’s portfolio. This automated approach takes the emotion out of investing. That prevents investors from committing self-inflicted errors such as overreacting during periods of high volatility in the market, like we are experiencing in 2025. The best robo-advisors make it easy to set up an investment plan, provide robust rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting features, offer a wide range of pre-built portfolios, and more to help investors reach their long-term goals.
After careful analysis, Investopedia’s in-house research and editorial staff determined that Wealthfront is the best overall robo-advisor thanks to key features that include stock investing, low-interest rate borrowing, and dynamic tax-loss harvesting. Investopedia researched 20 digital wealth management platforms and evaluated them on 59 criteria, including cost, account services, and goal-planning tools.
This report highlights the best robo-advisors. It aims to help you decide which one is the right fit for you and your investing approach.
Best Robo-Advisors for December 2025
- Best Overall, Best for Goal Planning, Best for Portfolio Construction, Best for Portfolio Management: Wealthfront
- Best for Beginners, Best for Cash Management, Best for Tax-Loss Harvesting: Betterment
- Best for Low Costs: Fidelity Go
- Best for Access to Licensed Financial Advisors: SoFi Automated Investing
- Best for Sophisticated Investors, Best for Cryptocurrency Portfolio Selection: M1 Finance
- Best for Those Who Struggle to Save: Acorns
- Best for Mobile: E*TRADE Core Portfolios
- Best for Education: Merrill Guided Investing
Best Overall, Best for Goal Planning, Best for Portfolio Construction, Best for Portfolio Management : Wealthfront
- Account Minimum: $500
- Fees: 0.25% for most accounts; no trading commission or fees for withdrawals, minimums, or transfers
Tip
For a limited time, when you open and fund a Wealthfront Cash Account as a first-time client, you can boost your 3.50% variable base APY, provided from program banks, to an even higher 4.15% for three months on up to a $150k balance. Get started today. Terms & Conditions apply.
Why We Chose It
Best Overall
Wealthfront is the best overall robo-advisor. It offers investment and money management products that meet the needs of any type of investor. The platform has low fees and a low required minimum investment of $500. It offers individual stock investing, high-yield cash, digital financial planning, automated tax-loss harvesting, and lending capabilities.
Best for Portfolio Management
Wealthfront makes it easy for investors to manage their portfolios, enabling them to link multiple investment accounts for an overview and analysis of their finances. The platform also offers a digital financial planner, known as Path, which can answer up to 10,000 questions and offer personalized recommendations for an account owner’s portfolio.
Best for Goal Planning
The platform’s digital financial planner, Path, can help investors plan for the future, answering questions like, “Can I live my current lifestyle in retirement?” and, “How much should I be saving today?” The tool can help investors set financial goals and offer guidance on achieving them, from retirement and homeownership to college planning.
Best for Portfolio Construction
Wealthfront portfolios cover 17 global asset classes—including stocks, bonds, and inflation assets—offering some of the best-constructed portfolios from a robo-advisor. They’re constructed based on investment management research, including modern portfolio theory (MPT), created by Harry Markowitz.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Core and ESG portfolios with many customization options
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Wide range of account types, including 529 plans for college savings
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Direct indexing with individual stocks for accounts over $100,000
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Low-fee S&P 500 Direct indexing with a minimum of $5,000
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Best-in-class Path digital financial planner
Cons
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No access to a human financial advisor
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No online chat option
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Phone access isn’t straightforward
Overview
Wealthfront was founded in 2008 by tech entrepreneurs Dan Carroll and Andy Rachleff and has since become one of the most innovative robo-advisor platforms, serving over 700,000 customers. The company has grown to include hundreds of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and an automated bond portfolio, beyond the Core and ESG robo-advisory portfolios. It gives investors access to automated investment portfolios spanning 17 global asset classes tailored to their unique goals, time horizons, and risk tolerance. Investors can view other portfolio options with greater or lesser risk levels, and then rebalance their portfolios with an asset mix that meets their needs.
New & Notable
On Oct. 7, 2025, Wealthfront announced the launch of the Nasdaq-100 Direct. For a 0.12% advisory fee, this first of its kind product allows its customers to access individual stocks in the Nasdaq 100 Index, while still offering Tax-Loss Harvesting to capture losses from daily price movements in those stocks even when the index is up.
Best for Beginners, Best for Cash Management, Best for Tax-Loss Harvesting : Betterment
- Account Minimum: $0, $10 minimum to start investing, $50 minimum for rebalancing
- Fees: 0.25% (annual) for investing plan accounts with at least $20,000 or at least $250 per month in recurring account deposits. Otherwise, the fee is $4/month. 0.65% (annual) fee on accounts with at least $100,000 in assets for Betterment Premium account holders with unlimited access to certified financial planners. There are no management fees for Betterment Checking or Cash Reserve. There are additional fee discounts for accounts above $1 million.
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Why We Chose It
Best for Beginners
Betterment allows individuals to start investing with just $10, enabling first-time investors to easily create goals and access a range of portfolio choices.
Best for Cash Management
Betterment stands out from competitors because of its automatic sweep functionality, access to a high-yield cash reserve and checking account through partner banks, and reimbursement for ATM fees. Betterment's cash reserve account has no minimum balance requirement and you can easily automate your saving and investing with the account tools.
Best for Tax-Loss Harvesting
Betterment seeks optimal after-tax returns by integrating client transactions, asset rebalancing, and tax-loss harvesting. The platform also maintains a list of comparable funds for each asset class to help investors diversify their portfolios and avoid the wash sale rule.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Easy setup and goal tracking
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Multiple portfolio choices, including smart beta, three socially responsible investing (SRI) options, target income, crypto, and more.
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$0 account minimum and $10 to begin investing
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Low-fee financial advice packages for digital customers
Cons
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No borrowing on a portfolio line of credit
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Premium plan requires $100,000
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No REIT exposure
Overview
Founded in 2008 by Eli Broverman and Jon Stein, Betterment now serves more than 900,000 customers, making it one of the largest standalone robo-advisors. The platform has users answer a brief questionnaire to help it determine their investment goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. Using customers’ questionnaire answers, Betterment recommends an investment portfolio to each user designed to meet their financial needs. Betterment users can choose from among 11 portfolios with a range of asset allocation choices—including a portfolio aimed at long-term investing with low costs and portfolios focused on high-growth tech companies and others on undervalued U.S. companies.
Betterment’s powerful cash management product goes a step beyond the competition by offering a tax strategy that reflects a customer’s circumstances and goals. Essentially, Betterment can place assets in a taxable, tax-deferred, or tax-exempt account according to its taxation risk while using the customer’s overall target asset allocation.
On Feb. 26, 2025, Betterment announced that it has acquired the automated investing business of Ellevest, a woman-focused wealth management firm and robo-advisory.
Cash Reserve is only available to clients of Betterment LLC—which is not a bank— and cash transfers to program banks are conducted through the clients’ brokerage accounts at Betterment Securities. For Cash Reserve (“CR”), Betterment LLC only receives compensation from our program banks; Betterment LLC and Betterment Securities do not charge fees on your CR balance.
Checking accounts and the Betterment Visa Debit Card provided and issued by nbkc bank, Member FDIC. Checking made available through Betterment Financial LLC. Neither Betterment Financial LLC, nor any of their affiliates, is a bank. Betterment Financial LLC reimburses ATM fees and the Visa® 1% foreign transaction fee worldwide, everywhere Visa is accepted.
Best for Low Costs : Fidelity Go
- Account Minimum: $0 to open an account, $10 to be invested
- Fee: $0 for accounts under $25,000, 0.35% annual fee for balances over $25,000
Why We Chose It
Fidelity Go is Investopedia’s choice for the best robo-advisor for low costs because the platform doesn’t charge any fees on accounts with balances of less than $25,000. In addition, when the 0.35% annual fee does kick in on accounts with balances above $25,000, customers get access to unlimited one-on-one coaching with an advisor, plus they benefit from Fidelity Flex funds that come with no management fees or expense ratios.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Quick and hassle-free account setup
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Low management fees, plus access to no-cost Fidelity Flex funds
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Ability to preview and tweak your portfolio’s risk level before committing funds
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Smooth integration for existing Fidelity customers managing multiple accounts
Cons
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Access to human financial advisors only available for accounts with balances over $25,000
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No tax-loss harvesting feature
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Investment choices limited to Fidelity’s own mutual funds
Overview
Fidelity Go, launched in 2016, makes investing feel pretty effortless—especially if you're a beginner, a hands-off investor, or someone already plugged into Fidelity's massive ecosystem. The platform keeps it simple, with a setup process that avoids the need to make potentially confusing decisions. The platform charges nothing on your first $25,000, and even the Flex funds it uses are free of ongoing management fees. For accounts with balances larger than $25,000, customers pay a competitive 0.35% annual fee. Fidelity Go also offers a financial wellness section that points customers to available tools and allows users with over $25,000 in assets to access unlimited one-on-one coaching with an advisor.
Best for Access to Licensed Financial Advisors : SoFi Automated Investing
- Account Minimum: $50
- Fee: 0.25% annual advisory fee
Why We Chose It
Investopedia chose SoFi Automated Investing as the best robo-advisor for access to licensed financial advisors. In an industry where access to human advice often comes with high barriers to entry, SoFi’s Automated Investing platform includes a complimentary 30-minute meeting with a financial planner.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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All clients have access to a complimentary one-time 30-minute video meeting with a financial planner
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$50 minimum to begin investing
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Access to Additional lending and cash management tools
Cons
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No tax-loss harvesting service available
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No portfolio customization options
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Fewer account types than other robo-advisors
Overview
SoFi® was founded in 2011 by four Stanford University business school students and, in 2012, was the first company to provide student loan refinancing. Since its inception, the company has become known for its many financial offerings, including banking, lending, credit card, insurance, and travel services. The company offers digital investment management with a 0.25% management fee and a complimentary one-time video meeting with a financial planner. Investors can also start investing using Sofi’s Automated Investing platform with just $50, making it a powerful option for investors looking for professional advice before getting started.
Best for Sophisticated Investors, Best for Cryptocurrency Portfolio Selection : M1 Finance
- Account Minimum: $100 ($500 for retirement accounts)
- Fees: $3 monthly platform fee for clients, except those with total account balances of $10,000
Why We Chose It
Best for Sophisticated Investors
M1 Finance is best for sophisticated investors who want to choose their own stocks and ETFs and access customized portfolios focused on themes that align with their goals. M1 Finance also offers high-yield cash accounts and borrowing.
Best for Cryptocurrency Portfolio Selection
M1 Finance is our pick for best cryptocurrency portfolio selection because it is one of the few digital wealth management platforms that allows you to go beyond ETFs. You have to open a separate crypto account, but then you can build what M1 Finance calls a crypto pie, or a pre-made portfolio designed by experts, and use M1 Finance’s auto-invest features to manage it.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Numerous customized expert pies or portfolios
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Thousands of ETFs and stocks for self-directed investors
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Fee-free plan
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High-yield cash account
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Low interest rate margin available
Cons
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No quiz to determine investors’ goals or risk tolerance
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No tax-loss harvesting
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No financial advisors
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Platform requires some level of investment knowledge
Overview
M1 Finance, founded in 2015 by Brian Barnes, gives users more control over their portfolio selection compared to many other digitial wealth management platforms—which is why it’s best suited for sophisticated investors. M1 Finance offers Pies, and allows users to rebalance their self-directed stock and ETF assets according to their preferred asset allocation. The Pies are designed based on themes, including general investing, retirement planning, responsible investing, and income-earning investments.
The $3 monthly fee—which applies to investors who do not meet the $10,000 account balance requirement—may not be worthwhile for investors with small balances. However, M1 Finance offers self-directed investors access to thousands of stocks and ETFs, cryptocurrency, as well as high-yield cash and lending.
M1 Finance combines self-directed brokerage features with pre-built portfolios and automated portfolio management capabilities. M1 Finance does not provide advisory services and, therefore, is not considered a traditional robo-advisor.
Best for Those Who Struggle to Save : Acorns
- Account Minimum: $0
- Fees: $3/month for Bronze, $6/month for Silver, $12/month for Gold
Why We Chose It
Acorns is a good fit for people who find it difficult to save money to put toward investments. The platform has a “round-up” feature that automatically invests spare change. When people use the debit and credit cards linked to Acorns, the platform automatically takes the difference between the purchase amount and the next whole dollar and invests it.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Helps customers to begin saving and investing
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The Multiplier feature enables faster investment growth
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Low-fee, diversified investment portfolio options
Cons
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Fees can be burdensome to small accounts
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The round-up feature may take a long time to build a meaningful investment amount unless users contribute additional savings
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Limited account types
Overview
Acorns was founded in 2012 and is a valuable tool for those who have trouble saving money to invest. The platform rounds up a person’s spending and diverts the difference into an investment account. To date, $3 billion has been invested through this round-up feature. Acorns recommends a diversified investment portfolio to users based on their answers to several questions about their goals. Investors can also use the platform’s Round-Ups Multiplier, which will double, triple, or multiply by 10 the amount of the round-up.
Note that if an investor only invests using the round-up tool, it can take a very long time to build a meaningful investment portfolio. In addition, because the rounded-up investment contributions are pulled from the user’s checking account, it’s important to monitor that account closely to avoid overdraft fees.
Best for Mobile : E*TRADE Core Portfolios
- Account Minimum: $500
- Fee: 0.30%
Why We Chose It
E*TRADE Core Portfolios was acquired by Morgan Stanley, and offers a robo-advisor with a user-friendly mobile app, making it easy to access the platform’s tools on the go.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Multiple investment strategies, including core, ESG, and smart beta
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Mobile app enables account opening and transfers, resembling the desktop
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Access to the broad Morgan Stanley lineup of investment and financial management services
Cons
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More expensive than competitive robo-advisors at lower cost
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No live chat
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Relatively limited goal setting in the portfolio creation process
Overview
E*TRADE was founded in 1982 and acquired by Morgan Stanley in 2020. It offers a wide range of investment services, beginning with a questionnaire to assess an investor’s goals, liquidity needs, time horizon, and risk tolerance. Based on their responses to the questionnaire, investors get a core investment portfolio that aims to fit their needs. The choices include a core portfolio, socially responsible portfolio, and smart beta portfolio.
The E*TRADE app is easy to navigate, allowing users to open an account and transfer money into or out of their portfolios while providing checking, bill payment, and cash management services.
Best for Education : Merrill Guided Investing
- Account Minimum: $1,000, or $20,000 with an advisor
- Fees: Annual 0.45% of assets under management, assessed monthly. With advisor — 0.85% (discounts available for Bank of America Preferred Rewards participants)
Why We Chose It
Merrill Guided Investing—which is integrated with Merrill Lynch and Bank of America resources—provides a vast library of educational content and a range of excellent calculators and tools that can be accessed without even having an account.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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24/7 customer service
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Superior educational resources, calculators, and tools for a range of investors
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Integration with Bank of America and Merrill Edge financial products, making it a one-stop shop financial portal
Cons
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Higher fees than other robo-advisor platforms
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No tax-loss harvesting
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$20,000 balance and an 0.85% annual fee required for financial advisor access
Overview
Merrill Lynch & Co. was founded in 1914 by Charles E. Merrill and was acquired by Bank of America in 2009, according to Reuters. While the company was once known for catering to the wealthiest Americans, Merrill Guided Investing now aims to offer a wide range of clients investment management expertise and educational tools.
The robo-advisor’s investment portfolios are designed to reflect each investor’s goals, timeline, and risk tolerance. Unlike standard passively managed robo-advisor offerings, Merrill Guided Investing’s portfolios are built and managed using strategic and tactical asset allocations. Merrill’s pitch here is that having the human element can add value in terms of investment selection and portfolio construction beyond what a solely rules-based system can achieve.
From an educational perspective, the platform offers webinars, investor education videos, and the Morningstar Investing Classroom, which includes free courses on investment topics ranging from stocks and bonds to mutual funds and ETFs.