Lowest advisory fee
WealthfrontWealthfront charges $33 less over 1 year on your numbers.
SwitchWize decision guide
Wealthfront vs Betterment Calculator: Which Charges You Less Each Year?
A robo-advisor is a service that invests your money for you, for a yearly fee. Both companies charge the same 0.25% a year once your account is large enough. On a smaller account, Betterment charges a flat $5 a month instead. This calculator shows both fees in dollars for your balance.
What you can expect
- No login required
- No credit pull
- Assumptions shown
- Sources included
Quick answer
Below $24,000, with automatic deposits under $200 a month, Wealthfront charges less. Once you reach either one, both charge 0.25% a year. Then pick on fund costs and the tools you will use.
Wealthfront charges 0.25% of your balance a year. Betterment charges $5 a month until your balance reaches $24,000 or your automatic deposits reach $200 a month. Then it also charges 0.25%. With $10,000 and $100 a month added, Betterment costs $60 a year and Wealthfront about $27.
See how robo-advisors compareIf wealthfront
Charges less while your balance is under $24,000 and your automatic deposits are under $200 a month.
If betterment
Charges the same as Wealthfront once your balance reaches $24,000 or your automatic deposits reach $200 a month.
Key number to watch
Your balance stays below $24,000 for the whole 1 year.
Test your situation
See your result in dollars
Change any number below to match your situation. No login is required. Saved decisions stay on this device, and signed-in users can revisit them across devices.
$
The money you have, or plan to put in, at the start. At Betterment, count every investing account you hold there.
$
Money you set to move in every month on its own. Enter 0 if you will add money only now and then.
yrs
Each month the calculator adds your deposit. It adds no investment growth, so this shows the fee on your own money only.
$
Betterment adds up all your investing accounts there to check its $24,000 line. Enter 0 if you have none.
Your answer so far
Wealthfront costs about $33 less over 1 year: $27 against $60. Betterment charges $5 a month until your balance reaches $24,000 or your automatic deposits reach $200 a month.
See the full breakdownWealthfront costs about $33 less over 1 year: $27 against $60. Betterment charges $5 a month until your balance reaches $24,000 or your automatic deposits reach $200 a month.
Wealthfront
$27
advisory fee over 1 year
Betterment
$60
advisory fee over 1 year
-$33 vs. baseline
Try a scenario
What could change this
Your balance stays below $24,000 for the whole 1 year.
How certain: moderate
Raising your automatic deposits to $200 a month would end the $5 monthly fee.
How certain: moderate
What matters most
Fund costs, cash accounts and features
dependsThese are not part of this calculator. Check them on each company's own site.
Side-by-side comparison
Yearly fee on a smaller account
Smaller means under $24,000, with automatic deposits under $200 a month.
- Wealthfront
- 0.25% of the balance
- Betterment
- $5 a month, or $60 a year
Yearly fee from $24,000
- Wealthfront
- 0.25% of the balance
- Betterment
- 0.25% of the balance
With $200 a month of automatic deposits
- Wealthfront
- 0.25% of the balance
- Betterment
- 0.25% of the balance
What this calculator leaves out
- Wealthfront
- Fund costs, cash account, minimum to open, features
- Betterment
- Fund costs, cash account, minimum to open, features
What could go wrong
Wealthfront
- What needs to work
- You compare fund costs and tools too, since the fee is the same above $24,000.
- Common problem
- Choosing on the fee alone when both charge 0.25% on your balance.
- What it could cost
- A few dollars a year, unless fund costs differ.
- How to prepare
- You can move. In a regular investing account, moving usually means selling, which can create a tax bill.
Betterment
- What needs to work
- Your balance reaches $24,000, or your automatic deposits stay at $200 a month or more.
- Common problem
- Paying $5 a month on a small balance without noticing it.
- What it could cost
- On $2,000, $60 a year is 3% of the account.
- How to prepare
- Set up $200 a month of automatic deposits and the flat fee ends.
A simple backup plan
Check two numbers before you choose
The fee only differs on a smaller account. These steps show whether yours is one.
- 1Add up what you will hold at Betterment across all its investing accounts.
- 2If it is $24,000 or more, the two fees are the same.
- 3If not, check whether you will set up automatic deposits of $200 a month or more.
- 4If neither is true, Betterment costs $60 a year. Compare that with 0.25% of your balance at Wealthfront.
- 5Then compare fund costs and the tools you will use, which this calculator leaves out.
Educational illustration only. The right amount depends on your needs and timing.
What to do next
Question 1
Will you hold $24,000 or more at Betterment?
Yes: Both charge 0.25% a year. Choose on fund costs and tools.
No: Go to the next question.
Question 2
Will you set up automatic deposits of $200 a month or more?
Yes: Both charge 0.25% a year. Choose on fund costs and tools.
No: Wealthfront charges less. Betterment costs $60 a year.
Plain-text decision tree. Will you hold $24,000 or more at Betterment? If yes, Both charge 0.25% a year. Choose on fund costs and tools. If no, Go to the next question. Will you set up automatic deposits of $200 a month or more? If yes, Both charge 0.25% a year. Choose on fund costs and tools. If no, Wealthfront charges less. Betterment costs $60 a year.
When to check again
- Either company changes its fees.
- Your Betterment balance reaches $24,000.
- You start or stop automatic deposits.
Methodology
Each month the calculator adds your deposit to the balance. Then it works out that month's fee on the new balance. Wealthfront charges 0.25% a year, so one twelfth of that each month. Betterment charges $5 that month, unless the balance is $24,000 or more or your automatic deposits are $200 a month or more. Then it charges one twelfth of 0.25%. The monthly fees are added up for the years you chose.
The fees come from each company's pricing page, read on 2026-11-05. They expire 30 days later. After that the calculator shows no dollar amount until someone checks the pages again.
- • This compares the advisory fee only. It leaves out fund costs, which the funds take on top of the advisory fee.
- • Cash accounts, the minimum to open an account, and features are not part of the math.
- • The calculator adds no investment growth. Your balance grows only by your deposits.
- • The calculator does not take fees out of the balance. That keeps both companies on the same balance.
- • This is education, not investment advice.
Fees are checked against each company's pricing page every 30 days. Editorial conclusions do not depend on affiliate availability.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is Wealthfront or Betterment cheaper?
Wealthfront is cheaper on a smaller account. That means under $24,000, with automatic deposits under $200 a month. There, Betterment charges $5 a month, or $60 a year. Wealthfront charges 0.25% of your balance, such as $25 a year on $10,000. Above either number, both charge 0.25% a year.
At what balance do the two fees match?
At $24,000. That is where 0.25% a year comes to $60, the same as $5 a month. It is also the balance where Betterment switches to 0.25%. So from $24,000 up, both charge the same.
How do I avoid the Betterment $5 monthly fee?
Betterment says you switch to 0.25% a year when you reach $24,000 across its investing accounts. You also switch when you set up automatic deposits of $200 a month or more.
How much is $5 a month on a small account?
Divide $60 a year by your balance. On $3,000 it is 2% a year. On $10,000 it is 0.6% a year. Both are more than the 0.25% Wealthfront charges.
Does this include fund costs?
No. The funds inside each account charge their own small yearly cost, called an expense ratio. This calculator compares only the advisory fee, the fee each company charges to manage your account. Check each company's site for its fund costs.
Why does the calculator add no investment growth?
Growth would be the same guess for both companies, so it would not change which one charges less. Leaving it out keeps the fee easy to check. On a growing account, the 0.25% fee grows with the balance.
Is it worth moving my account to save on fees?
Often not. In a regular investing account, moving usually means selling your investments. That can create a tax bill. A few dollars a year rarely covers that. In an IRA, selling does not create a tax bill.