Betterment vs M1 Finance

Betterment is a great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies. How does it compare to M1 Finance? Read our comparison chart below.

Betterment offers automatic investing starting at an annual fee of 0.25% of your account balance. 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 M1 Finance offers free automated investing with no commissions or account fees. Unlike other robo-advisors, M1 lets you select your own investments and their automation will manage it for you. This is great for investors who want a say. The downside is that there are no human advisors. The minimum to start is just $100.

Compare Betterment with M1 Finance, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

	Betterment	M1 Finance


	SPECIAL OFFER Get up to 1 Year Managed Free - Learn More Read Betterment Review	SPECIAL OFFER New Customers: Deposit $1,000 and Get $30 - Learn More Read M1 Finance Review
	Benefits and Features
Stock Trading		$0
Options Trading		No
Annual Fee	0.25% for accounts under $100,000 0.40% for accounts $100,000+	None
Cryptocurrency Trading		No
Minimum Deposit	$0	$100
Mutual Fund Trading		No
Commission Free ETFs		All U.S. listed ETFs
Phone Support	Yes	Monday - Friday 9:30 am to 4 pm EST
Live Chat Support	No	No
Email Support	Yes	Yes
Human Advisors	Yes ($100k minimum)	No
Robo Advisor		Hybrid; You choose your own investments and M1 trades & manages your portfolio for you
Assets Under Management	$14 Billion	$4.5 Billion
Tax Loss Harvesting	Yes	Offers tax-efficient investing
Goal Tracker	Yes	No
Automatic Deposits	Yes	Yes
Broker Assisted Trades		Included
Good For		DIY investing with passive portfolio management
Inactivity Fee		$20 (for accounts with less than $20 and no activity for 90+ days)
Maintenance Fee		$0
Online Platform	Yes	Yes
iPhone App	Yes	Yes (4.6 stars, 33.3k ratings)
Android App	Yes	Yes (4.5 stars, 15.7k ratings)
Banking		All users can open a M1 Spend account with free debit card. No monthly service fees and no balance requirements.
Mobile App	Yes
Two-Factor Authentication		Yes
Locations		No
Online Community		No
Seminars		No
Virtual Trading		No
Single Stock Diversification	No
Fractional Shares	Yes	Yes
Taxable Accounts	Yes	Yes
401k Plans	Yes	No
IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Roth IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
SEP IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Trust Accounts	Yes	Yes
529 Plans	No	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews

Annual Fee
Minimum Deposit
Human Advisors
Customer Service
Mobile App
Ease of Use
Research
Pros & Cons	Pros: No minimum investment Many customized portfolios Automatically invest extra funds Cons: Limited investment options High fees for large investors	Pros: Choose your own investments Can invest in individual stocks No account fees Cons: No research No human advisors Can only trade once a day
Bottom Line	Great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... Read full review	No-fee robo-advisor that allows you to choose your own investments... Read full review

	Get up to 1 Year Managed Free Get 1 Month Managed Free Get 6 Months Managed Free	New Customers: Deposit $1,000 and Get $30 Transfer Your Account and Earn Up to $2,500 Commission Free Stock Trading
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 M1 Finance: Pricing information from published website as of 02/28/2020

Get up to 1 Year Managed Free

Get Started

New Betterment customers only. Accounts must be funded within 45 days of signup. Terms apply.

Get 1 Month Managed Free

View Terms

Deposit $15,000 - $99,999 within 45 days and get 1 month managed free

Get 6 Months Managed Free

View Terms

Deposit $100,000 - $249,999 within 45 days and get 6 months managed free

New Customers: Deposit $1,000 and Get $30

Start Investing

Expires 12/31/2021

Open a new M1 account.
Deposit $1,000 or more in your Invest account during your first 14 days.
Get a $30 bonus.

Transfer Your Account and Earn Up to $2,500

Initiate your transfer of another brokerage account within 60 days of signing up for M1 to receive a bonus.

Transfer	Bonus
$100,000 – $249,999.99	$250
$250,000 – $499,999.99	$500
$500,000 – $999,999.99	$1,000
$1,000,000+	$2,500

Payments for eligible transfers will be paid 90 days after the account transfer is received. Offer is valid for direct broker transfers received through the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS) only. Offer is not valid with ACH deposits, wire transfers or direct 401k rollovers.

Start Your Transfer

Commission Free Stock Trading

Start Investing

M1 Finance allows investors the choice of ETFs and stocks. M1 charges no management fees or commission.

Which is Better: Betterment or M1 Finance?

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

Articles on Betterment

Betterment Investing

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 Returns

Betterment has low fees and is good for beginners. But what about their returns? Let's take a look at this robo-advisor's performance.

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.