Betterment vs. Fidelity Go: Which Is Right for You?

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Innovation has sparked the rapid rise of the digital investment management space and led to fierce competition in the industry. Betterment launched in 2008 as one of the early industry challengers and expanded into crypto with the acquisition of Makara in 2022. Fidelity was founded in 1946 and is one of the top brokerage institutions, leveraging vast resources to start its digital investment advisory service, Fidelity Go, in 2016. 

The companies have very different origins, and their robo-advisors are quite different. With both companies’ robo-advisors, investors can get started easily due to the $0 minimum account balance requirement. Beyond that, the companies have very different offerings to investors within the robo-investing space. Betterment focuses on portfolio customization and goal planning, while Fidelity Go emphasizes no costs for accounts under $25,000 and low costs thereafter—but offers investors very limited investment selection and customization. We’ll explore the nuances of both offerings so you can decide which platform is the best for your financial journey.

Open an Account

• Account Minimum: $0, $10 minimum to start investing. $50 minimum for rebalancing.
• Fees: 0.25% (annual) for investing plan accounts with at least $20,000 or at least $250 per month in recurring account deposits. Otherwise, the fee is $4/month. 0.65% (annual) fee on accounts with at least $100,000 in assets for Betterment Premium account holders with unlimited access to certified financial planners. There are no management fees for Betterment Checking or Cash Reserve. Balances over $1 million automatically receive progressive fee discounts.

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Open an Account

Open an Account

• Account Minimum: $0 to open an account, $10 to be invested
• Fee: $0 for accounts under $25,000, 0.35% annual fee for balances over $25,000

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Open an Account

Account Setup

Betterment

Betterment’s sign-up process is user-friendly and focused on a streamlined onboarding experience. You’ll be prompted to enter personal information and walk through a questionnaire, sharing information regarding your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. The investment strategy generally follows a passive approach based on modern portfolio theory (MPT) that is invested through exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Investors looking for further guidance have access to a human financial planner via separately purchased packages or included at the premium tier once $100,000 is invested.

Fidelity Go

Fidelity Go also has a straightforward onboarding journey. The experience is designed to assess your background based on your timeline, risk tolerance, and personal data so a portfolio can be assigned. You can adjust the suggested portfolio’s risk level as well if desired. The investment strategy also follows modern portfolio theory. Underlying assets are invested in an assortment of no-cost Fidelity Flex mutual funds, which are comprised of domestic stocks, foreign stocks, bonds, or short-term investments. You can view estimates on your ability to reach your goals based on the provided data, current balance, and ongoing contributions. Additional guidance relies on educational content, but human financial advisors are available for free once your account balance exceeds $25,000.

Account Setup Verdict: Tie

The account setup at both Betterment and Fidelity Go is fast, straightforward, and entirely online. Moreover, neither service has an account minimum that would serve as a barrier to newer investors with a low balance. As such, this aspect is a relative tie between the two companies. 

Account Types

Fidelity Go and Betterment each support the most popular account types across taxable and retirement accounts. However, Betterment provides a wider variety of account types by offering support for other options such as simplified employee pensions (SEPs), individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and trust accounts.

Betterment account types are:

• Individual taxable

• Joint taxable

• Traditional IRA 

• Roth IRA 

• SEP IRA (for the self-employed and small businesses)

• Rollover IRA

• Trust

• High-interest Cash Reserve account

• Checking account

• 529 college savings plan (only available through an employer)

Fidelity Go account types are:

• Individual taxable

• Joint taxable

• Traditional IRA

• Roth IRA

• Rollover IRA

• Health savings account (HSA)

Account Types Verdict: Betterment

While both institutions offer a variety of accounts, Betterment stands out as the clear winner by providing a more extensive range, including a high-interest cash reserve account, a checking account, and trust accounts.    

Cash Reserve offered by Betterment LLC and requires a Betterment Securities brokerage account. Betterment is not a bank. Learn More.

Account Services

Cash Management

Betterment

Betterment offers a checking account and a Cash Reserve account as a part of its cash management offerings. This gives you valuable tools to help further manage your money. It’s worth noting that Betterment won our Best for Cash Management award. The Cash Reserve account is a high-yield cash account, currently offering 3.50% APY. When you're a new Betterment customer, you also receive an even higher bonus APY of up to 0.65% through January 15, 2026, with a qualifying deposit (terms apply). The checking account includes a Visa debit card and ATM fee reimbursement in the U.S. and internationally. Additionally, there are no minimum balance requirements or overdraft fees. Betterment also provides automatic sweeps into an FDIC-insured bank sweep account. Subject to certain conditions.

Betterment makes moving money a seamless experience, as deposits and withdrawals can be set up by simply linking a bank account to the platform. These are transacted without a fee. Transfers of other investment accounts can be initiated as well.

Annual percentage yield (variable) is 3.50% as of 10/31/25, plus a 0.65% boost (“APY Boost”) for new clients with a qualifying deposit. $10 min deposit for base APY. Terms apply; if the base APY changes, the Boosted APY will change. Cash Reserve offered by Betterment LLC and requires a Betterment Securities brokerage account. Betterment is not a bank. Learn More.

The Betterment Visa Debit Card is issued by nbkc bank, Member FDIC. Betterment is not a bank. All ATM fees and the Visa 1% foreign transaction fee are reimbursed. Account is FDIC insured up to $250K through nbkc bank, Member FDIC. FDIC insurance only covers the failure of an insured bank.

Fidelity Go

Fidelity Go takes a more narrow approach to cash management by focusing on a sweep account. Newly deposited cash is swept into the Core Money Market Fund, which is the cash sweep vehicle for the Fidelity Go program. Assets are then invested to align with your designated asset allocation strategy.

Since Fidelity Go’s offering is designed to focus on the portfolio management solution, you won’t find loan, margin, spend, credit, and banking options. Fidelity does have all of these features in its larger financial universe, but they aren't within the robo-advisory itself.

Account Services Verdict: Betterment

Betterment is the winner here, because it offers customers a cash reserve account with a respectable APY of 3.50% and a Visa debit card. While Fidelity Go offers a cash management account. Its main use is a stopping point for newly deposited cash to be swept into your portfolio. Customers who need more flexibility with their cash deposited in their robo-advisor will prefer Betterment.  

Goal Planning

Betterment

Betterment provides a wide range of goal-setting choices that include retirement, education, major purchases, emergency funds, and general investing. These goals are paired with a strong selection of tools and calculators that let you better assess the likelihood of reaching your financial destination. An external account-syncing feature lets you get a more comprehensive view of your overall progress and make adjustments as needed. Furthermore, Betterment investors are able to set goals for cash and crypto accounts as well.

Fidelity Go

Every Fidelity Go account is associated with a single goal, but you have the option to open multiple accounts that each have separate goals and investment risk levels. Goal setting is limited to retirement or, more generally, “something else.” Tools are available to help calculate whether you’re on track and incorporate your balance, upcoming deposits, and a variety of market conditions. Fidelity will suggest ways to increase the probability of reaching your goals if you are off-course. Investors can now view all of their Fidelity Accounts and external accounts through the new Full View. Because this is new, any external accounts will need to be re-linked in order to update information.

Goal Planning Verdict: Betterment

When it comes to goal planning, both companies offer investors a comprehensive look at their financial situation with the capability to link external accounts. However, we give Betterment the edge over Fidelity Go for the ability it gives investors to choose multiple goals within a single account.

Portfolio Construction

Both platforms take care of the investment management so you don’t have to do it yourself, but there are some nuances to the underlying strategies and fund selections.

Betterment

Betterment uses ETFs exclusively to build portfolios, including:

Equities

• U.S. equities

• International developed market equities

• Emerging market equities

Bonds

• U.S. short-term treasury bonds

• U.S. inflation-protected bonds

• U.S. investment-grade bonds

• U.S. municipal bonds

• International developed market bonds

• Emerging market bonds

These ETFs are built around investing preferences, such as long-term growth, value, income, ESG, crypto, or cash.

Fidelity Go

Fidelity Go portfolios are built solely through the use of various no-fee Fidelity Flex mutual funds that can be combined to make up eight different risk levels. Investors utilizing this program can expect their money will be invested in approximately six to 12 Flex Funds.

The funds are diversified by including:

• Domestic stocks

• Foreign stocks

• Bonds

• Short-term investments 

While this approach keeps costs low, using only proprietary funds is a limiting factor even if the funds themselves perform as expected. Investors seeking socially responsible or crypto options will also need to look elsewhere.

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