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Betterment vs Interactive Brokers

Betterment is a great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies. How does it compare to Interactive Brokers? Read our comparison chart below.

Betterment offers automatic investing starting at $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000. There is no fee to open an account and no minimum deposit required. All balances get automatic rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, and access to financial experts.

While Interactive Brokers offers trades starting at just 0.5 cents per share. It also offers a tiered pricing plan that awards high volume traders with even lower rates. There is a $10,000 opening account minimum ($3,000 for clients 25 and younger). There is a monthly activity fee unless required commission minimums are met.

Compare Betterment with Interactive Brokers, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

 

Betterment

Interactive Brokers

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Benefits and Features

Savings
Check
 
Stock Trading IBKR Lite: $0 per share (min $0 per order) IBKR Pro - Fixed: $0.0005 per share (min $1.00 per order, max 1.0% of trade value). IBKR Pro - Tiered: Starts at $0.0035 per share for less than 300,000 shares (min $0.35 per order, max 1% of trade value)
Options Trading $0.15-$0.65 per contract ($1 minimum per order)
Annual Fee
  • Digital: 0.25% annual fee for accounts with $20,000 or more or with monthly recurring deposits of $250 or more, $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000
  • Premium: 0.40% for accounts $100,000 or more
 
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Checking
No-Fee Checking
 
Mutual Fund Trading $0 for no-transaction-fee funds. For transaction-fee funds, 3% trade value OR $14.95, per transaction, whichever is less, for transaction-fee funds
Commission Free ETFs 
150+
Phone Support
Yes
 
Live Chat Support
No
 
Email Support
Yes
 
Human Advisors
Yes ($100k minimum)
 
Robo Advisor
Check
 
Assets Under Management
$40+ Billion
 
Tax Loss Harvesting
Yes
 
Goal Tracker
Yes
 
Automatic Deposits
Yes
 
Broker Assisted Trades 
$30
Inactivity Fee 
$0
Maintenance Fee 
$0
Online Platform
Yes
 
iPhone App
Yes
 
Android App
Yes
 
Banking 
No
Mobile App
Yes
Yes
Desktop App 
Yes
Forex Trading Available for qualified customers
Futures Trading 
Yes
Customer Service United States: Monday-Friday 8am - 10pm ET; Sunday 1pm - 7pm ET (24/7 Weekday service available in other countries)
Locations 
No
Online Community 
Yes
Seminars 
Yes
Virtual Trading 
Yes
Single Stock Diversification
No
 
Fractional Shares
Yes
 
Taxable Accounts
Yes
 
401k Plans
Yes
 
IRA Accounts
Yes
 
Roth IRA Accounts
Yes
 
SEP IRA Accounts
Yes
 
Trust Accounts
Yes
 
529 Plans
No
 
 

CreditDonkey® Reviews

Annual FeeStarStarStarStarHalf Star
Minimum DepositStarStarStarStarStar
Human AdvisorsStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Customer ServiceStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Stock TradingStarStarStarStarStar
Options TradingStarStarStarStarStar
Mutual Fund TradingStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Online PlatformStarStarStarStarStar
BankingStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Mobile AppStarStarStarStarStar
Commissions and FeesStarStarStarHalf StarEmpty Star
Ease of UseStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
ResearchStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Pros & ConsPros:
  • No minimum investment
  • Customized portfolios
  • Automatically invest extra funds
Cons:
  • Limited investment options
  • High fees for large investors
Pros:
  • Large number of investments, including options, futures, and forex
  • Customize trading platform
  • Tools and opportunities for research
Cons:
  • Platform can be too much for a beginner to understand
  • Complicated pricing structure
Bottom LineGreat robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... Read full reviewGood discount broker for experienced, high volume traders... Read full review

Referral Program - $200 Bonus

Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details.

Betterment: Pricing information from published website as of 04/04/2018

Interactive Brokers: Pricing information from published websites as of 10/17/2023.

Which is Better: Betterment or Interactive Brokers?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing Betterment or Robinhood.


Articles on Betterment

Betterment Review

Betterment offers low fees and good returns. But there are risks you should NOT ignore. Read this review to see if Betterment is better.

Betterment Fees

Betterment offers no minimum deposit and good returns. But are the fees worth it? Read on to learn about this robo-advisor's costs.

Is Betterment Safe

Betterment offers low fees, no minimum balance and good returns. But is it a good idea? Find out if it's safe to invest your money with this robo-advisor.

Is Betterment Worth The Fee

Betterment will manage your investments, but they charge a fee. Is Betterment worth the fee? Read on to answer all your questions.

Betterment Roth IRA

Is Betterment a good way to invest for retirement? What about the fees and withdrawals? Read on to learn how Betterment's Roth IRA account works.

Betterment vs Wealthfront

Betterment and Wealthfront are two of the oldest and most popular robo-advisors. Is there a difference? Which is better for you? Read on to find out.

Articles on Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers offers a robust trading platform that experienced traders favor due to its competitive fee structure and extensive range of trading options.

Which Do You Think is Best?





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