Interested in effortless investing in the stock market? Robo advisors could be your solution. They're ideal for those short on time or preferring a hands-off investment approach. These automated platforms intelligently invest your money based on a brief survey of your goals and demographics, crafting a tailored portfolio managed automatically for you.
The world of investment is complex and risky, particularly for those not up-to-date with current trends like interest rate changes. But with robo advisors, the need for time-consuming, expensive meetings with financial advisors is eliminated. These platforms offer a cost-effective, flexible alternative.
Curious about the top-rated robo advisors this year? Let's dive in.
Best Robo Advisors for 2025
Betterment
- Account minimum: No account minimum requirement
- Management fees: There are two types of accounts: Betterment Digital with no required minimum needed and with a low management fee of 0.25%; Betterment Premium has a minimum of $100,000 with a management fee of 0.40%. The latter also lets you connect with a human adviser who caters to your needs.
Betterment has become known as the largest and one of the best robo advisors as it offers the latest tools and features, and affordable fund management services. It provides diversified portfolios of low-cost ETFs tailored to individual financial goals and risk tolerances, with features like tax-loss harvesting and automatic rebalancing to optimize returns.
- For those who need retirement plans, hands-off investors, and low-income workers
- All investors benefit from every cent they put in as Betterment allows the purchase of fractional shares. This way, you need not stand by for an opportunity to get full shares.
- Betterment also offers a year of free investment management when you invest a specific amount.
- Automated Investing: Offers low-cost ETF portfolios with automatic rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting.
- Low Fees: Charges 0.25% for Digital and 0.65% for Premium (min $100,000), with no Digital account minimums.
- Goal Planning: Tools to align investments with personal goals like retirement or big purchases.
- Cash Management: Fee-free high-yield savings and checking accounts integrated with investments.
Titan Invest
- Account minimum: Requires at least $500 to open an account
- Management fees: Titan Invest charges an annual advisory fee of 0.90% for balances under $25,000, 0.80% for $25,000–$99,999, and 0.70% for $100,000 or more. Automated stock and bond portfolios have no advisory fees.
Titan Invest is an investment platform offering actively managed portfolios and access to alternative assets like venture capital and private credit. Portfolio options include large-cap U.S. stocks, growth companies, international markets, and cryptocurrencies. It also offers a Smart Cash account for high-yield cash management.
- Titan is ideal for those seeking active management, diversification, and educational resources.
- While fees (0.7%-0.9%) are higher than passive robo-advisors, its transparency and unique offerings make it worth considering.
- A $500 minimum investment is required, which is higher than most robo advisors.
- Actively Managed Portfolios: Invest in U.S. stocks, growth companies, international markets, and crypto.
- Alternative Investments: Access venture capital and private credit typically for high-net-worth investors.
- Smart Cash Account: Earn interest by allocating unused cash to Treasury money market funds.
- Investor Education: Provides insights to help understand portfolios and market trends.
SoFi Automated Investing
- Account minimum: No minimum investment
- Management fees: No administration fees
SoFi Invest charges zero fees on management and provides affordable ETFs, or Exchange Traded Funds. Customers also get access to a team of financial advisors. It is arguably one of the best players in the industry, competing against top advisors when it comes to affordability.
- Best for new investors, low-income employees, and hands-off investors
- It supports non-retirement accounts, joint accounts, SEP, Roth, traditional and rollover IRAs.
- SoFi offers ten personalized strategies, risk levels, and various allocations to investors with accounts that are taxable and non-taxable
- Broad range of low-cost investments with free management
- Automatic rebalancing and no annual advisory fee
- Access to financial advisors at no additional cost
- You only need $1 to get started
Acorns
- Account minimum: Requires at least $5 to invest
- Management fees: Taxable investment accounts are $1/mo, investment accounts and IRAs are $2/mo, and investment, retirement, and checking accounts are $3/mo
Acorns will automatically invest your spare change from everyday purchases with round-ups. The platform revolves around a unique framework that gathers spare change from purchases through credit cards, debit cards, and bank accounts linked to your Acorns account. The money then goes towards a diversified smart portfolio, including thousands of stocks and bonds, built by experts and recommended for you.
Acorns is designed for individuals who are having trouble saving, so it basically applies to housewives, students, and regular employees. Through the client’s own preference, he or she can select investment automation that rounds up change from purchases to $1 and transfers the amount to an investment portfolio. Account-holders may also choose to do this manually in order to have the option of selecting purchases after going through them.
Start investing effortlessly with Acorns! Turn your spare change into investments, making it simple for anyone to build wealth over time. Set up automatic contributions, sit back, and watch your money grow. Plus, get a $20 bonus when you open a new account and start recurring investments.
Wealthfront
- Account minimum: $500
- Management fees: 0.25 percent
Wealthfront is known for having one of the lowest management fees in the industry, investors can expect to fork over only 0.25%. Expense ratios go up to 0.11% for those with the Wealthfront Risk Parity Fund included in their investment portfolios. You can put your spare $500 to work since there are a variety of account options for you.
- The platform offers cash accounts that are high-yielding, and this is for cash accounts that do not require management fees.
- Clients who can provide the minimum investment amount can open personal and joint savings accounts. Investors can also choose a 529 college savings plan for students or parents. Account-holders with $100,000 are entitled to tax-loss harvesting and direct indexing.
- Free goal-based tools and free personalized financial planning are also offered to clients
Charles Schwab Intelligent Portfolios
- Account minimum: Requires at least $5,000 for the standard account and $25,000 for the premium account
- Management fees: No fees for the management of your basic account; $30 per month for the premium one
Charles Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is known for charging zero in basic portfolio management, Charles Schwab makes up large account balances and above average in cash allocation. It offers customizable investment portfolios and automatic rebalancing.
- For beginners who want to start investing big, for those who need access to financial coaches, and for IRA investors
- Supports non-retirement accounts, trusts, IRA, Roth, and traditional accounts
- Has 53 ETFs with 20 asset classes. It offers unlimited access to financial planners with the premium account
Empower
- Account minimums: The Financial Dashboard is for free; the Wealth Management area requires a minimum of $100,000 or $200,000 to access services offered by financial advisors
- Management fees: Fees vary according to the amount of the investment and become lower the higher the amount under management. Annual advisory fees can reach up to 0.89% for investments up to $1 million. First $3 million charges 0.79%, $2 million requires 0.69%, $5 million gets 0.59%, and $10 million can reach up to 0.49%.
Empower has two versions, one is the free Financial Dashboard where you can manage all of your accounts like savings, checking, investments, credit and debit cards, and even company-sponsored retirement plans. The other version is Wealth Management which allows portfolio creation through financial data and risk tolerance. The seed money is then allocated to six different asset classes.
- For new and veteran investors, students, and employees who want to manage their financial accounts as well as invest.
- Offers account protection of $250,000 and $500,000 in cash and securities.
Empower makes achieving financial freedom easy with retirement plans, investment management, and personalized tools. Get started with their free Personal Dashboard, which provides valuable insights into your financial health and access to powerful tools. For those looking for more, Empower also offers expert investment management services to help you grow your wealth. Open a free account today and take control of your financial future.
Should You Use a Robo Advisor?
A Robo advisor assesses your risk tolerance, financial capabilities, and investment goals. They work by using an algorithm to provide the best investment plan for your needs. If this sounds good to you, then you should look into investing using robo advisors.
Behind these companies are a team of specialists who select the best options for you. Utilizing robo advisors still requires human assistance to oversee what the clients already know and need to know. However, it is much more hands off compared to other types of investing apps.
What are the Features of Robo Advisors?
Robo advisors offer investment portfolios that cater to your financial capabilities and risk tolerance. They are programmed to ask questions so that they can properly assess your financial profile and current personalized services. They also offer goal-based planning, account or portfolio management, customer service, and security features. Some also allow access to human financial coaches depending on the investment.
In Conclusion
The list given above is simply for the best robo advisors, and it is just the first step. Your next move is to figure out what will serve your financial goals. There are plenty of advisors, but not everyone is transparent or provides the support that you’ll need. Those with the backing of human experts are still considered the best for every investor level.
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