ThynkRise A 0.25% fee sounds like nothing. On a portfolio that grows for 20 years, it can add up to thousands of dollars, partly in fees and partly in growth those fees never got to earn. This calculator shows what the same money costs you at the main US robo-advisors versus doing it yourself with index funds, using each provider’s actual pricing rules, not a flat guess.
Robo-advisor fee calculator
Same money, same returns, different fees. See what each option costs over time.
Edit fees and assumptions (prices last checked )
Prices change. If a provider’s pricing page shows something different, type the new number here and the results update.
What the ETFs/index funds themselves charge. Example value; check your portfolio.
Charged until your balance or monthly deposits reach the thresholds below.
Gross fee. Vanguard credits back some fund revenue, so your net fee may be lower.
Schwab charges no advisory fee but keeps part of your portfolio in cash. Example value; check your portfolio.
Example value; Schwab publishes the current rate.
| Option | Ending balance | Total cost* |
|---|
*Total cost = what you’d have with zero fees minus what you end up with. It includes the fees plus the growth those fees would have earned. Assumes a steady return, fees charged monthly on your balance, and deposits at the start of each month. Taxes, tax-loss harvesting benefits and trading costs aren’t included. For education, not financial advice.
How robo-advisor fees actually work
There are up to three layers of cost, and most comparisons only show the first one.
- The advisory fee. A yearly percentage of your balance, usually charged monthly. 0.25% of $100,000 is $250 a year. Some providers charge a flat monthly fee on small balances instead.
- Fund expense ratios. The ETFs or index funds inside your portfolio charge their own fees. You pay these whether you use a robo-advisor or invest yourself, so the calculator applies the same rate to every option.
- Cash drag. Some “free” robo-advisors keep part of your portfolio in cash and earn money on it. If that cash earns less than the market would, the gap is a real cost, even though no fee appears on your statement.
Because fees come out of your balance every month, they also shrink what compounds next month. That’s why the “total cost” column is bigger than the “fees paid” column.
What each provider charges
Checked against each provider’s own pricing page on September 24, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the provider’s site before you open an account. You can also update any fee in the calculator’s settings panel.
| Provider | Advisory fee | Minimum | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wealthfront | 0.25%/yr | $500 | Pricing page |
| Betterment Digital | $5/month, or 0.25%/yr once you reach a $24,000 balance or set up $200+/month in recurring deposits | None | Pricing page |
| Betterment Premium | 0.65%/yr on the first $1M, adds access to CFP professionals | $100,000 | Pricing page |
| Vanguard Digital Advisor | 0.20%/yr gross for index portfolios, reduced by a credit for fund revenue Vanguard keeps | $100 | Product page |
| Fidelity Go | None under $25,000, then 0.35%/yr | None | Product page |
| Schwab Intelligent Portfolios | No advisory fee; Schwab earns revenue on the portfolio’s cash allocation | $5,000 | Product page |
Betterment also discounts balances above $1 million (0.15% on the portion between $1M and $2M, 0.10% above $2M), which the calculator includes for Betterment Digital.
When a robo-advisor is worth the fee
The fee buys automation: rebalancing, reinvested dividends, and on taxable accounts, tax-loss harvesting that can offset part of the cost. It’s also a guardrail. If a hands-off setup keeps you investing through a downturn instead of selling, that behavior is worth far more than 0.25%.
Doing it yourself wins when you’ll actually rebalance once or twice a year and leave the money alone. A simple two- or three-fund index portfolio is enough for most people. See index funds vs ETFs for how to choose the funds.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 0.25% robo-advisor fee worth it?
For many beginners, yes, if it keeps you invested and automated. Run your own numbers above: on smaller balances the dollar cost is low, and it grows as your balance does.
Which robo-advisor has the lowest fees?
On advisory fees alone, Fidelity Go (under $25,000) and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios charge none. Schwab’s cost shows up as cash drag instead, so compare total cost in the calculator, not just the headline fee.
Do robo-advisors charge fund fees on top?
Yes. The ETFs inside the portfolio have their own expense ratios, charged in addition to the advisory fee. They’re usually small, but they apply every year.
Why does the calculator show a bigger “total cost” than “fees paid”?
Every dollar taken as a fee stops compounding. Total cost includes that lost growth, which is the real price of a fee over many years.
Deeper reviews: Is Wealthfront worth it? · Can you lose money with Wealthfront? · Betterment review · Savings interest calculator · The ThynkRise Toolkit
This calculator is for education, not financial advice. ThynkRise may earn a commission from some providers we review; it never changes the math above.