VaultRubric
Betterment vs Wealthfront
Betterment and Wealthfront are both popular brokerages. Here are the sourced facts side by side, then VaultRubric's equal-weight score with the math shown. Every value links to its source with an as-of date; anything we couldn't verify says not found.
Rates change often — verify on the bank's or broker's site before opening an account. Every value shows its as-of date; ⚑ marks figures from third-party sites. Not financial advice.
Run your own comparison →Opens the tool with these platforms filled in, so you can change the weights.
Key facts compared
| Fact | Betterment | Wealthfront |
|---|---|---|
| Stock/ETF commission | $0 src · 2026-10-10 | $0 src · 2026-10-10 |
| Options (per contract) | not found | not found |
| Account minimum | $0; $5/mo under $24K or 0.25%/yr with $200+/mo deposits or $24K+ src · 2026-10-10 | $1 (stock account); 0.25% advisory fee for Automated Investing src · 2026-10-10 |
| IRA types | Traditional, Roth, SEP, Rollover src · 2026-10-10 | Traditional, Roth, SEP, Rollover src · 2026-10-10 |
| IRA match | None advertised src · 2026-10-10 | none found |
| Transfer-out fee | $75 src · 2026-10-10 | $0 ⚑ third-party source src · 2026-10-10 |
| SIPC member | Yes src · 2026-10-10 | Yes src · 2026-10-10 |
| FINRA CRD | CRD 47788 src · 2026-10-10 | CRD 153407 src · 2026-10-10 |
| Regulatory actions (5 yrs) | 2023-04-18 SEC: $9M tax-loss harvesting src | none found in last 5 yrs src · 2026-10-10 |
VaultRubric verdict
VaultRubric pick: Wealthfront
⚠ Betterment: Regulatory: SEC: $9M tax-loss harvesting (2023-04-18)
| Criterion (weight) | Wealthfront | Betterment |
|---|---|---|
| Trading costs (17%) | 10.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Account minimum (17%) | 8.0/10 | 8.0/10 |
| IRA options (17%) | 7.0/10 | 7.0/10 |
| Transfer-out fee (17%) | 10.0/10 | 7.0/10 |
| Protection (SIPC) (17%) | 8.0/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Regulatory record (17%) | 10.0/10 | 9.0/10 |
| Overall | 88.4% coverage 100% | 81.7% coverage 100% |
Show math: Wealthfront
0.167×10.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×7.0 + 0.167×10.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×10.0 = 8.84; ÷ covered weight 1.000 = 8.84/10 → 88.4%Show math: Betterment
0.167×10.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×7.0 + 0.167×7.0 + 0.167×8.0 + 0.167×9.0 = 8.17; ÷ covered weight 1.000 = 8.17/10 → 81.7%Opens the tool with these platforms filled in, so you can change the weights.
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FAQ
Is Betterment or Wealthfront better?
On VaultRubric's equal-weight rubric, Wealthfront scores higher (81.7% for Betterment, 88.4% for Wealthfront). Change the weights in the tool to match your priorities.
Which is cheaper for options, Betterment or Wealthfront?
Per-contract options fee in our data: Betterment None, Wealthfront None. Stock/ETF commissions: 0 vs 0.
Has Betterment faced regulatory action recently?
Our data lists: 2023-04-18 SEC: $9M tax-loss harvesting.
How does VaultRubric score these?
Only from our curated dataset (official pages, regulators, and flagged third-party sites), with fixed formulas shown in “Show math”. No AI or live scraping, so the same comparison always gives the same result. Not financial advice.