9 Best Robo Advisors of 2026

Betterment takes the top spot because it pairs no minimum balance with a 0.25% annual fee that most savers can reach with a $200 monthly auto-deposit. Without that deposit and under $24,000, the fee is a flat $5 a month, so small idle accounts pay more in percentage terms. The fee covers expert-built ETF portfolios, automatic rebalancing and reinvesting, and tax-loss harvesting, and Betterment's pricing page says balances above $1 million get tiered discounts down to 0.10%. Investors who want people as well as software can move to Premium at 0.65% a year once they hold $100,000. Account types include traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs and a Solo 401(k), and a Cash Reserve account listed 3.50% variable APY as of September 21, 2026. Two costs to watch: the $5 floor on small balances and a $75 fee per account when you transfer out. We compared documented features and published prices, not live returns.

Wealthfront is the strongest pick for investors who care about after-tax returns. The advisory fee is one flat 0.25% a year, which Wealthfront shows as $3.18 a month on a $15,000 balance, and accounts open from $500. Its investing page describes tax-loss harvesting, which it says has covered its advisory fee more than 7 times over by its own estimates, and direct indexing for accounts above $100,000, which replaces the US stock ETF with individual stocks to find more harvesting opportunities. Unlike most robo advisors here, Wealthfront lets you change allocation weights and add, remove or swap ETFs from hundreds of funds while it keeps managing and harvesting the portfolio. The trade-offs are the $500 minimum, which is above Betterment's $0 and Vanguard's $100, and the absence of a human advisor tier on its pricing page. Tax savings figures are Wealthfront estimates, not guarantees. We compared documented features and published prices.

Fidelity Go is the cheapest way to start here because it charges no advisory fee while your balance is under $25,000, has no minimum to open and begins investing once you add $10. Fidelity's team builds the strategy from your goal, time horizon and comfort with risk, rebalances it and checks in once a year. The pricing changes at $25,000: the fee becomes 0.35% a year, which is above the 0.25% charged by Betterment and Wealthfront, but the same threshold unlocks unlimited 1-on-1 coaching sessions with Fidelity advisors and, in taxable accounts, tax-loss harvesting in Flex Funds that hold stocks. Account types include taxable individual and joint accounts and IRAs. Converting an existing eligible Fidelity account is free. For a beginner who will stay below $25,000 for a while, the service costs nothing beyond fund expenses. Larger accounts may pay less at Vanguard or Wealthfront.

Vanguard Digital Advisor offers the lowest gross fee of the paid services here: 0.20% a year for an index portfolio or 0.25% for an active one, and Vanguard says that gross fee is reduced by a credit of revenue it earns from the funds. Enrollment needs only $100 in a retail Vanguard Brokerage Account, or $5 for eligible 401(k) accounts, and the advisory fee is waived for the first billing period, generally 90 days. The service is goal based: it builds a retirement plan first and adjusts holdings when you add goals. It rebalances when the portfolio drifts more than 5% from its recommended allocation, and includes a debt calculator, goal optimizer, emergency fund tool and tax-loss harvesting at no extra cost. The limits are that it is fully digital with no advisor calls, it uses Vanguard funds only, and you need US residency. For a retirement saver who likes Vanguard's index approach, it is the cheapest managed option with a fee.

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios charges no advisory fee and no commissions at any balance, which makes it the cheapest service here for larger accounts on paper. You need $5,000 to open, and the robo advisor then builds a diversified portfolio of low-cost ETFs, monitors it daily and rebalances it automatically. Tax-loss harvesting is available for taxable portfolios of $50,000 or more with no added fee, and Schwab offers 24/7 live support from US-based service professionals. The catch is cash. Schwab explains that it does not charge an advisory fee in part because of revenue Schwab Bank earns on the portfolio's cash allocation, and it calls that allocation an indirect cost of the program, so part of every portfolio sits in an FDIC-insured deposit account instead of the market. Investors who are fine with a cash cushion get free management; investors who want every dollar invested may prefer a 0.20% to 0.25% fee elsewhere.

Ally Invest Robo Portfolios gives each portfolio two versions. The cash-enhanced version sets aside 30% of your money as an interest-earning cash buffer and charges no advisory fee, while the market-focused version invests about 98% of your money and charges 0.30% a year, which Ally puts at $3 for every $1,000 invested. Either way the minimum is $100, so this is the cheapest route to a no-fee robo portfolio on this list without Schwab's $5,000 entry point. Portfolios are built from diversified ETFs, with options that focus on environmental, social or governance qualities, and Ally readjusts what remains after a withdrawal to hold the same market-to-cash split. The downsides are clear: a 30% cash weight will lag in rising markets, the market-focused fee is above the 0.25% charged by Betterment and Wealthfront, and the robo portfolio page does not describe tax-loss harvesting. It suits cautious savers and Ally Bank customers more than growth-focused investors.

E*TRADE Core Portfolios is a straightforward managed ETF account for investors who already use E*TRADE or want a values-based portfolio. The annual advisory fee is 0.30%, which E*TRADE frames as $1.50 a year on the $500 minimum, and underlying fund expenses are charged separately. After you describe your goals, E*TRADE recommends a portfolio, and you can personalize it with socially responsible (SRI and ESG) or smart beta ETF strategies before you approve it. The service tracks investments daily, rebalances to stay on target and offers tax-loss harvesting. Compared with the leaders, the fee is 0.05 to 0.10 points higher than Betterment, Wealthfront and Vanguard's index option, and the $500 minimum matches Wealthfront but sits above Betterment and Fidelity Go. It earns a place here for its strategy menu, but cost-focused investors have cheaper choices above it.

Acorns is less a classic robo advisor than an app that automates the habit of investing. Every tier includes an expert-built, diversified portfolio and Round-Ups, which invest the spare change from purchases, and Acorns says customers have invested over $7.3 billion in spare change alone. Pricing is a flat subscription: Bronze at $4 a month, Silver at $8 and Gold at $12. Silver adds a 1% IRA match on new contributions in your first year, Gold raises that to 3% and adds Acorns Early Invest accounts for kids. A checking account with Real-Time Round-Ups and no overdraft fees is part of the bundle. The flat fee is the weakness: $48 a year on a $1,000 balance is 4.8%, far above the 0.25% charged by Betterment or Wealthfront, and it only becomes competitive once the balance is large. Acorns fits people who would otherwise not invest at all, not cost-focused savers.

Merrill Guided Investing costs the most of the percentage-fee services here at a 0.45% annual program fee, and the minimum is $1,000 for growth-focused strategies or $50,000 for income-focused ones. In return, strategies are actively managed: Merrill's portfolio managers monitor each account against its target allocation and rebalance as needed, rather than on a timed schedule. The program uses ETFs and mutual funds, and there is a step up, Merrill Guided Investing with an advisor, for one-on-one advice from $20,000. The main reason to choose it is the Bank of America relationship, since Merrill investing balances can count toward higher Bank of America Preferred Rewards tiers, which bring card bonuses and loan discounts. Merrill also listed a special offer of $0 program fees for 6 months when we checked. For a hands-off investor without that banking tie, Vanguard, Betterment and Wealthfront charge roughly half the fee.