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Personal Finance · head to head

Personal Capital vs Betterment

Personal Capital logo

Personal Capital

Personal Finance

Invest wisely, retire confidently

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Betterment logo

Betterment

Personal Finance

Your path to financial independence

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Personal Capital has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Personal Capital wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client; Betterment digital automated investing charges $5 per month fee for accounts under $24,000 balance
  • They diverge on capability: Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Betterment covers Automated investing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Personal Capital and Betterment actually diverge.

Attributes where Personal Capital and Betterment differ
AttributePersonal CapitalBetterment
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20102008

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 Personal Capital

  • Investment tracking
  • Retirement calculator
  • Fee analyzer
  • Net worth tracking
  • Real estate

Only in Betterment

  • Automated investing
  • Retirement planning
  • Financial advisory
  • Goal tracking

Both cover

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

What people use each for

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

Personal Capital

  • Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Betterment
  • Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Betterment
  • Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Betterment

Betterment

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

Where each one falls short

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

Personal Capital

  • Wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
  • The annual advisory fee is charged as a percentage of assets under management on a tiered structure rather than a flat subscription
  • Assets are custodied at Pershing Advisor Solutions rather than by the provider itself

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Personal Capital

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Account tracking
    • Net worth monitoring
    • Investment analysis
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Financial advisor access
    • Personalized advice

Betterment

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Betterment review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Personal Capital if

  • You need investment tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement calculator.
Personal Capital review

Choose Betterment if

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

Questions people ask

Is Personal Capital or Betterment better?
Neither clearly leads. Personal Capital starts at Free and Betterment at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Personal Capital or Betterment?
Personal Capital has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Personal Capital and $5/month for Betterment.
Does Personal Capital or Betterment run on more platforms?
Personal Capital runs on Web, IOS, Android. Betterment runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Personal Capital for free?
Yes. Personal Capital has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Betterment starts at $5/month.
What is Personal Capital best used for?
Personal Capital is most often used for tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard, managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors, retirement planning projections across linked accounts. Of those, tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard and managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors are not what Betterment is typically brought in for.
What can Personal Capital do that Betterment cannot?
Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Betterment covers Automated investing, Retirement planning, Financial advisory, Goal tracking. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, Web support, IOS support.
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