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Personal Finance · head to head

E*TRADE vs Wealthfront

E*TRADE logo

E*TRADE

Personal Finance

Express your investing style

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wealthfront logo

Wealthfront

Personal Finance

Automated investing for your money

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: E*TRADE stock and ETF trades were $0 commission but options carried a $0.65 per-contract fee, broker-assisted trades added a $25 surcharge, and margin interest rates ranged from 12.70% to 13.20% depending on balance tier (Internet Archive capture, 3 January 2023); Wealthfront the Automated Investing Account carries a 0.25% annual advisory fee on top of the underlying fund expenses
  • They diverge on capability: E*TRADE covers Advanced trading tools, Wealthfront covers Automated portfolio management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which E*TRADE and Wealthfront actually diverge.

Attributes where E*TRADE and Wealthfront differ
AttributeE*TRADEWealthfront
Founded19562011

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (transaction), free tier (No), 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 E*TRADE

  • Advanced trading tools
  • Options and futures
  • Research tools
  • Mobile trading
  • Wire transfers

Only in Wealthfront

  • Automated portfolio management
  • Tax-loss harvesting
  • Financial planning
  • Index fund investing
  • Investment accounts

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

E*TRADE

  • Budget Managementnot Wealthfront
  • Expense Trackingnot Wealthfront
  • Investment Trackingnot Wealthfront

Wealthfront

  • Automated index fund investing with periodic rebalancingnot E*TRADE
  • Tax loss harvesting in a taxable brokerage accountnot E*TRADE
  • Buying fractional shares of individual stocks with no commissionnot E*TRADE

Where each one falls short

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

E*TRADE

  • Stock and ETF trades were $0 commission but options carried a $0.65 per-contract fee, broker-assisted trades added a $25 surcharge, and margin interest rates ranged from 12.70% to 13.20% depending on balance tier (Internet Archive capture, 3 January 2023)

Wealthfront

  • The Automated Investing Account carries a 0.25% annual advisory fee on top of the underlying fund expenses
  • Tax-Loss Harvesting and automated rebalancing apply to the Automated Investing Account, not the self-directed Stock Investing Account
  • It is a US brokerage product and is not offered to investors outside the United States

Pricing, plan by plan

E*TRADE

On request
  • Stock & ETF TradingFree
    • Commission-free trades
    • Real-time quotes
  • Advanced Trading$undefined/month
    • All Stock & ETF features
    • Options, futures
    • Advanced tools

Wealthfront

On request
  • BasicFree
    • Automated investing
    • Tax-loss harvesting
    • Rebalancing
  • Premium Plus$50/month
    • All Basic features
    • Financial planning
    • Human advisor access

Which should you pick?

Choose E*TRADE if

  • You need advanced trading tools.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want options and futures.
E*TRADE review

Choose Wealthfront if

  • You need automated portfolio management.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want tax-loss harvesting.
Wealthfront review

Questions people ask

Is E*TRADE or Wealthfront better?
Neither clearly leads. E*TRADE starts at On request and Wealthfront at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, E*TRADE or Wealthfront?
E*TRADE starts at On request and Wealthfront at On request.
Does E*TRADE or Wealthfront run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is E*TRADE best used for?
E*TRADE is most often used for budget management, expense tracking, investment tracking. Of those, budget management and expense tracking are not what Wealthfront is typically brought in for.
What can E*TRADE do that Wealthfront cannot?
E*TRADE covers Advanced trading tools, Options and futures, Research tools, Mobile trading. Wealthfront covers Automated portfolio management, Tax-loss harvesting, Financial planning, Index fund investing. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Wealthfront: What fees does Wealthfront charge?

Wealthfront offers zero account fees on cash accounts and zero commissions on stock trades. The site indicates 'no minimum' requirement to get started with certain products.

Source
Wealthfront: Is the 3.30% APY rate guaranteed or promotional?

The 3.30% base APY is provided by program banks and subject to change. An APY Boost up to 4.20% is available for balances up to $150,000 through two easy methods.

Source
Wealthfront: What account types and features are included?

Wealthfront supports taxable accounts, retirement accounts (Traditional/Roth IRA, SEP), 529 education accounts, and joint accounts. Features include free 24/7 instant withdrawals and up to $8M FDIC insurance.

Source
Wealthfront: What support resources are available?

Customers can access a help center at support.wealthfront.com, methodology whitepapers, and investor relations information. The platform emphasizes 24/7 access to account management.

Source
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