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Betterment vs Wally

Betterment logo

Betterment

Software

Your path to financial independence

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
W

Wally

Software

Smart expense tracking for travel and daily life

From
Free
Rated
-
Full review

The short version

  • Only Wally 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; Wally the Internet Archive's capture of wally.me on 2 January 2019 stated the app is free ('Control your money seamlessly. And, it's free.'), and claimed rankings as the #1 finance app in 22 countries and top 10 in 52 countries at that time.
  • They diverge on capability: Betterment covers Automated investing, Wally covers Receipt OCR scanning.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Betterment and Wally actually diverge.

Attributes where Betterment and Wally differ
AttributeBettermentWally
Starting price$5/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidIOS, Android
Founded20082009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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
  • Web support

Only in Wally

  • Receipt OCR scanning
  • Expense tracking
  • Receipt storage
  • Category management
  • Cloud storage

Both cover

  • IOS 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 Wally
  • Fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat feenot Wally
  • Premium advisory access for high-net-worth individuals with $100,000+ balancenot Wally

Wally

  • Budget Managementnot Betterment
  • Expense Trackingnot Betterment
  • Investment Trackingnot 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

Wally

  • The Internet Archive's capture of wally.me on 2 January 2019 stated the app is free ('Control your money seamlessly. And, it's free.'), and claimed rankings as the #1 finance app in 22 countries and top 10 in 52 countries at that time.

Pricing, plan by plan

Betterment

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Betterment review.

Wally

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Receipt scanning
    • Expense tracking
    • Basic reports
  • Premium$9.99/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Unlimited storage
    • Cloud sync

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 Wally if

  • You need receipt ocr scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
Wally review

Questions people ask

Is Betterment or Wally better?
Neither clearly leads. Betterment starts at $5/month and Wally at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Betterment or Wally?
Wally has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/month for Betterment and Free for Wally.
Does Betterment or Wally run on more platforms?
Betterment runs on Web, iOS, Android. Wally runs on IOS, Android.
Can I use Wally for free?
Yes. Wally 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 Wally is typically brought in for.
What can Betterment do that Wally cannot?
Betterment covers Automated investing, Retirement planning, Financial advisory, Goal tracking. Wally covers Receipt OCR scanning, Expense tracking, Receipt storage, Category management. Both handle IOS support, Android support.
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