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Personal Finance · head to head

Betterment vs Mint

Betterment logo

Betterment

Personal Finance

Your path to financial independence

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mint logo

Mint

Personal Finance

All your money in one app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mint has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Betterment digital automated investing charges $5 per month fee for accounts under $24,000 balance; Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
  • They diverge on capability: Betterment covers Automated investing, Mint covers Expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Betterment and Mint actually diverge.

Attributes where Betterment and Mint differ
AttributeBettermentMint
Starting price$5/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20082006

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Betterment

  • Automated investing
  • Retirement planning
  • Financial advisory
  • Goal tracking
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • IOS support

Only in Mint

  • Expense tracking
  • Budgets
  • Bill tracking
  • Credit score monitoring
  • Financial insights
  • Bank connections
  • Bank-level encryption
  • Verisign secured

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Betterment

  • Small investors starting with automated investing at no minimum balancenot Mint
  • Fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat feenot Mint
  • Premium advisory access for high-net-worth individuals with $100,000+ balancenot Mint

Mint

  • Legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connectionsnot Betterment
  • Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot Betterment

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Betterment

  • Digital automated investing charges $5 per month fee for accounts under $24,000 balance
  • Premium advisory service requires minimum balance of $100,000 in eligible investments
  • Foreign transaction fees apply to checking account (though reimbursed after the fact)
  • High-balance fee discounts only available above $1,000,000 account balance

Mint

  • Service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
  • Bank connections supported for only 17,000 financial institutions; many regional or international banks not supported

Pricing, plan by plan

Betterment

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Betterment review.

Mint

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Mint review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Betterment if

  • You need automated investing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement planning.
Betterment review

Choose Mint if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want budgets.
Mint review

Questions people ask

Is Betterment or Mint better?
Neither clearly leads. Betterment starts at $5/month and Mint at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Betterment or Mint?
Mint has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/month for Betterment and Free for Mint.
Does Betterment or Mint run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Mint for free?
Yes. Mint has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Betterment starts at $5/month.
What is Betterment best used for?
Betterment is most often used for small investors starting with automated investing at no minimum balance, fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat fee, premium advisory access for high-net-worth individuals with $100,000+ balance. Of those, small investors starting with automated investing at no minimum balance and fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat fee are not what Mint is typically brought in for.
What can Betterment do that Mint cannot?
Betterment covers Automated investing, Retirement planning, Financial advisory, Goal tracking. Mint covers Expense tracking, Budgets, Bill tracking, Credit score monitoring. Both handle Web support, Android support.
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