The best robo-advisors of September 2026

You don't need a lot of time, money or knowledge to put your money to work for you in the stock market: Robo-advisors use algorithms to automatically invest on your behalf based on your investment goals, time horizon and risk tolerance.

They can be a great tool for both investors who are just starting out and veterans who want to go on autopilot. CNBC Select compared over 20 different robo-advisors to choose the best based on diversification, fees, experience level and more.

See our methodology for more information on how we made our selections.

• Best for low-cost investing: Fidelity Go
• Best for beginners: Betterment
• Best for building a diversified portfolio: Wealthfront
• Best for hands-off investing: Charles Schwab
• Best for long-term investors: Vanguard
• Best for sustainable investing: SoFi Invest®
• Best for combining saving and investing: Stash
• Best for starting small: Acorns

Who's this for? If you want to keep costs down, Fidelity Go doesn’t charge fees on accounts with balances under $25,000 and has its own no-fee index funds.

Standout benefits: There's no balance minimum to open an account and it's just $10 to start investing. The annual 0.35% fee on balances of $ 25,000+ includes access to one-on-one financial coaching.

Who's this for? Betterment remains the best for beginner investors, with tools like tax-loss harvesting and algorithms that automatically adjust and rebalance portfolios.

Standout benefits: Betterment has no minimum balance requirement. Its tax impact preview tool lets you see how much you might owe in taxes before withdrawing funds.

Who's this for? Wealthfront's automated portfolios are designed to diversify across asset classes and thousands of securities, while automated rebalancing and tax-efficient strategies help keep investments aligned with long-term goals. Investors can link multiple investment accounts for a bird's-eye overview of their finances.

Standout benefits: Rather than handing over the reins completely, you can adjust your risk level, add or remove investments, and modify the investment mix. Wealthfront also has its own 529 college savings plan, it's available to investors nationwide.

Who's this for? Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is a good match for set-it-and-forget-it investors. It can build a diversified ETF portfolio based on your goals, time horizon, and risk profile, then automatically monitor and rebalance it as needed. Eligible taxable accounts can also opt into automated tax-loss harvesting.

Standout benefits: You can get a diversified, customized portfolio and, while you'll still pay the operating expenses of the underlying ETFs, there's no advisory fee or trading commissions. Schwab also has more than 300 branches across the U.S. for in-person support.

Who's this for? Vanguard is a standout for long-term investors because the firm's approach is built around fundamentals that pay off over decades — low costs, broad diversification, discipline and staying invested. Its index funds and ETFs provide diversified market exposure at very low expense ratios, while Vanguard Digital Advisor adds automated investing, rebalancing and portfolio monitoring.

Standout benefits: You only need $100 to start setting up your automated portfolio and Vanguard typically waives the advisory fee for your first 90 days. The Digital Advisor tool can incorporate strategies for paying down debt faster.

Who's this for? Rather than treating them as separate strategies, Stash combines savings and investing in one app. You can keep cash in a Stash banking account, schedule recurring transfers and set up customizable goals, like an emergency fund, monthly bills, vacations and more.

Standout benefits: When you shop at publicly traded companies, Stash's Stock-Back® debit card rewards your eligible purchases with fractional stock shares, rather than a traditional cash-back benefit.

Who's this for? SoFi Invest's Sustainable portfolio is designed for investors who want their investments to support environmental, social, and good-governance (ESG) concerns. It still contains a broad mix of stock and bond funds, and has the same 0.25% annual advisory fee as SoFi's other robo-investing portfolios..

Standout benefits: SoFi Invest clients have access to a complimentary 30-minute session with a financial advisor. SoFi Plus members get unlimited financial-planning appointments as well as unlimited 1% rewards on recurring SoFi Invest deposits. The minimum to invest is $50, lower than many competitors.

Who's this for? Acorns' Round-Ups® feature invests spare change from everyday purchases, making it a great option for automatic investing. If you bought a $5.25 latte, 75 cents would automatically get invested.

Standout benefits: Acorns has automatic portfolio rebalancing and dividend reinvesting. Acorns' ETF portfolios ensure that your investments are diversified and low-cost. If you want more control, Acorns' Custom Portfolio option lets you add individual stocks and ETFs.

A robo-advisor is a software platform that uses algorithms to create an investment portfolio for you. The best robo-advisors maximize your return potential according to your risk tolerance and automatically rebalance your investments regularly.

When you open an account with a robo-advisor, you will start by answering general questions such as your age, investment goals, investment time horizon and overall risk tolerance, or how much risk you're willing to take on.

You'll then deposit some money, and the robo-advisor will invest it in diversified portfolios of stocks and bonds that match your risk tolerance. For example, investors with aggressive risk tolerance may see a greater percentage of stock ETFs in their portfolio, while those with more conservative risk tolerance are likely to see a greater percentage of bond ETFs in their portfolio.

To get the most out of your robo-advisor account, it's best to contribute every month. You may also want to consider a hybrid approach that mixes automated investing and real-life human advisors: You can count on streamlined portfolio management, as well as personalized investing guidance and advice along the way.

Keep in mind that robo-advisors on their own are generally as safe as human financial advisors. Robo-advisors are fiduciaries, which means they are legally obligated to put an investor's interests first.

The advisory fee for a robo-advisor can often range from 0.25% to 0.50% of your average annual account balance. A 0.25% management fee on a $10,000 annual balance would only be $25, for example.

When choosing a robo-advisor, you'll want to consider factors like minimum requirements to open an account, the selection of investments or portfolios the robo-advisor offers, any additional fees, whether or not it offers access to human financial advisors, the other investment vehicles it offers and any investor benefits or tax tools.

The main difference between a robo-advisor and a financial advisor is that the former is essentially a robot in that it's a software platform using algorithms to invest on your behalf whereas a real-life financial advisor is sitting down with you, offering a much more personalized service since it's a human on the other end. Because of this difference, robo-advisors are less expensive than financial advisors.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed financial decisions. Every investment review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of investing products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best robo-advisors.

To determine which robo-advisors offer the best services for investors, CNBC Select reviewed 22 different platforms. We then narrowed down our top picks by considering the following factors:

• Account minimums
• Account, advisory, trading and fund fees
• Selection of investments
• Other investment vehicles offered
• Tax tools
• Access to human financial advisors
• User perks
• Educational tools and resources
• Customer support

After reviewing the above features, we based our recommendations on platforms offering the lowest fees, the widest range of investment options, usability and any unique features like access to a human advisor. We also looked into each company's customer support structure and app reviews, and we considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.

We then sorted our top picks by best for beginners, for parents, for high-net-worth investors, for female investors, for extra perks and for automatic investing.

Your investment earnings through a robo-advisor are subject to fluctuations of the market. Your earnings also depend on any associated fees and the contributions you make to your account. There are no guarantees that you'll earn a certain rate of return or that current investment options will always be available. To determine the best approach for your specific investment goals, speaking with a reputable fiduciary investment advisor is recommended.

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