Personal Finance · head to head
Betterment vs EveryDollar
The short version
- Only EveryDollar 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; EveryDollar the free version has no bank connection, so every transaction is entered by hand
- They diverge on capability: Betterment covers Automated investing, EveryDollar covers Zero-based budgeting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Betterment and EveryDollar actually diverge.
| Attribute | Betterment | EveryDollar |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2008 | 2014 |
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
- Investment accounts
Only in EveryDollar
- Zero-based budgeting
- Transaction tracking
- Budget planning
- Financial insights
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.
Betterment
- Automated portfolio managementnot EveryDollar
- High-yield cash savingsnot EveryDollar
- Self-directed investingnot EveryDollar
EveryDollar
- Zero based monthly budgeting using the Ramsey methodnot Betterment
- Tracking bills and sinking funds by categorynot Betterment
- Automatically importing bank transactions into a budget on Premiumnot 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
EveryDollar
- The free version has no bank connection, so every transaction is entered by hand
- CSV export of budget data is Premium only
- Spending reports and historical comparisons are Premium only
- Premium costs $17.99 per month billed monthly, and the $6.67 headline rate requires paying $79.99 for a year up front
- The free trial lasts 14 days and is limited to new users
Pricing, plan by plan
Betterment
On request- Automated Investing$null/month
- AUM-based or flat monthly advisory fees
- Premium Service$0.4/percent of AUM
- Requires $100,000 minimum balance
- Self-Directed InvestingFree
- No wrap fee
- High-Yield Cash$4/APY promotional
- $10 minimum deposit
- New customer boost through 1/15/2027
EveryDollar
Free- EveryDollar FreeFree
- monthly budget creation
- unlimited custom categories
- manual transaction tracking
- EveryDollar Premium Annual$79.99/year
- automatic bank connectivity
- transaction imports
- custom reports
- EveryDollar Premium Monthly$17.99/month
- automatic bank connectivity
- transaction imports
- custom reports
Which should you pick?
Choose Betterment if
- You need automated investing.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want retirement planning.
Choose EveryDollar if
- You need zero-based budgeting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want transaction tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Betterment or EveryDollar better?
- Neither clearly leads. Betterment starts at On request and EveryDollar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Betterment or EveryDollar?
- EveryDollar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Betterment and Free for EveryDollar.
- Does Betterment or EveryDollar run on more platforms?
- Betterment runs on Web, iOS, Android. EveryDollar runs on Web, IOS, Android.
- Can I use EveryDollar for free?
- Yes. EveryDollar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Betterment starts at On request.
- What is Betterment best used for?
- Betterment is most often used for automated portfolio management, high-yield cash savings, self-directed investing. Of those, automated portfolio management and high-yield cash savings are not what EveryDollar is typically brought in for.
- What can Betterment do that EveryDollar cannot?
- Betterment covers Automated investing, Retirement planning, Financial advisory, Goal tracking. EveryDollar covers Zero-based budgeting, Transaction tracking, Budget planning, Financial insights. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Betterment: What is the minimum to start investing with Betterment?
Betterment requires only $10 to open an account and begin either automated or self-directed investing.
SourceEveryDollar: What is the cost of EveryDollar Premium?
EveryDollar Premium costs $79.99 per year when billed annually ($6.67/month) or $17.99 per month when billed monthly.
SourceBetterment: How much does Betterment's Premium Service cost?
Premium Service charges an additional 0.40% fee on your invested balances and requires a minimum account balance of $100,000.
SourceEveryDollar: Is there a free version of EveryDollar?
Yes. EveryDollar offers a free version with no time limit that includes monthly budget creation, unlimited custom categories, manual transaction tracking, and device access.
SourceBetterment: What APY does Betterment's High-Yield Cash offer?
High-Yield Cash offers 3.25% base APY plus a new customer boost of 0.75% APY (up to $1M) through January 15, 2027, totaling 4.00% promotional APY.
SourceEveryDollar: Can you cancel EveryDollar Premium anytime?
Yes. Premium subscribers can cancel anytime through account settings and downgrade to the free version instead of deleting the account.
SourceBetterment: Does Betterment charge a wrap fee on self-directed accounts?
No, Betterment waives its wrap fee for self-directed investing accounts, allowing customers to invest without advisory fees.
SourceRelated pages
More on EveryDollar
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