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.
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Betterment | M1 Finance | |
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Get up to 1 Year Managed Free - | Commission Free Stock Trading - | |
Benefits and Features | ||
Savings | ![]() | |
Stock Trading | ||
Options Trading | ||
Annual Fee |
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Cryptocurrency Trading | ||
Minimum Deposit | ||
Checking | ||
Mutual Fund Trading | ||
Commission Free ETFs | All U.S. listed ETFs | |
Phone Support | Monday - Friday 9:30 am to 4 pm EST | |
Live Chat Support | ||
Email Support | ||
Human Advisors | ||
Robo Advisor | ![]() | Hybrid; You choose your own investments and M1 trades & manages your portfolio for you |
Assets Under Management | ||
Tax Loss Harvesting | No, but offers tax minimization features | |
Goal Tracker | ||
Automatic Deposits | ||
Broker Assisted Trades | ||
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 | ||
Online Platform | ||
iPhone App | ||
Android App | ||
Banking | All users can open a M1 Spend account with free debit card. No monthly service fees and no balance requirements. | |
Mobile App | ![]() | |
Two-Factor Authentication | ||
Locations | ||
Online Community | ||
Seminars | ||
Virtual Trading | ||
Single Stock Diversification | ||
Fractional Shares | ||
Taxable Accounts | ||
401k Plans | ||
IRA Accounts | ||
Roth IRA Accounts | ||
SEP IRA Accounts | ||
Trust Accounts | ||
529 Plans | ||
CreditDonkey® Reviews | ||
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Annual Fee | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Minimum Deposit | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Human Advisors | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Customer Service | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mobile App | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Ease of Use | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Research | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Pros & Cons | Pros:
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Bottom Line | Great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... | No-fee robo-advisor that allows you to choose your own investments... |
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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 |
Commission Free Stock Trading
M1 Finance allows investors the choice of ETFs and stocks. M1 charges no management fees or commission.
Get M1 Plus Free for First 3 Months
New M1 customers get M1 Plus for free on their first 3 months. M1 Plus is $125/year.
M1 Plus is a $125 annual subscription offering products and services from M1 Spend LLC and M1 Finance LLC, both wholly-owned, separate but affiliated subsidiaries of M1 Holdings Inc.
*Your free trial (a $31.25 value) begins the date you enroll in the M1 Plus subscription, and ends 90 days after ("Free Trial"). Upon expiry of the Free Trial, your account is automatically billed an annual subscription fee of $125 unless you cancel under your Membership details in the M1 Platform.
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 eToro.