Autopilot and the 13F research sites: what the whole category is, and what to compare

I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. There are a dozen sites that publish 13F filings and people ask us which one is best. I'm not going to rank them. What I can do is explain the category, because it splits cleanly in two and most people are in the wrong half.

One thing first, because we're an SEC-registered investment adviser and I have to say it. Autopilot is the app. The actual investment advice comes from Autopilot Advisers, LLC. If you want the full legal version of anything in here, it's on our disclaimer page.

What it is

The research half is a set of sites that parse SEC filings and present them: 13F holdings, changes quarter over quarter, insider transactions, and in some cases backtests. Different sites cover different filers and go into different depth. Many of them cost nothing to use. If your goal is to read and study filings, that half of the category is mature and good.

What Autopilot is

Autopilot is an app where you follow a Portfolio inside the brokerage account you already have. Autopilot Advisers, LLC is the registered investment adviser that manages the Portfolios. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to send orders to the account you already have. When the Portfolio changes, we send them and your broker fills them. The money stays put.

We publish a limited set of tracker Portfolios built on public filings, alongside Portfolios from independent Pilots and Portfolios driven by AI models.

Where they actually differ

Here's the split, and it's worth being honest about which side you're on.

If you'll genuinely read the filing each quarter, work out your own proportions, place the trades, and do it again three months later, the research sites are all you need and you should not pay anybody for this. That's a real answer and I'd rather give it than sell you something.

Most people don't do that. They read a table once, feel informed, and never act. If that's you, the value isn't in better information, it's in the acting part happening without you.

What neither half changes is the delay. A 13F can be filed 45 or more days after the quarter closes, and it shows no shorts, no cash, no prices, and nothing outside US-listed stock. What the form actually contains is in How to read a 13F filing.

What to compare

Four questions sort this whole category.

One. Can you hold it, or only look at it? A table on a website is research. Positions in your own account is following.

Two. Where does your money live? An app that custodies your assets is a different structure with different risks from one that sends orders to the brokerage account you already have.

Three. What's the stated source, and is it written down? A filings tracker, a commentary tracker and a model-driven Portfolio have different failure modes.

Four. What does it cost at your balance? A flat subscription and a percentage of assets cross over somewhere, and where they cross is arithmetic you can do in two minutes with What Autopilot's fee actually means at your balance.

What it costs

A flat cash subscription, not a percentage of your balance. Per our Form CRS dated February 2026, Basic Tier has no Base Advisory and Licensing Fee, and Premium Tier is $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter or $99.99 to $699.99 a year. Pilot subscriptions are separate and add on if you follow more than one Portfolio. Because it's a flat dollar amount, it's a bigger share of a small account than a big one, so do the math at your balance.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best 13F tracker?

Depends on which half of the category you need. For reading and studying filings, a research site. For holding disclosed positions in your own account without placing the trades yourself, a Portfolio.

best 13F tracker

I won't rank the research sites; several cover the filings well and cost nothing. The question worth answering is whether you'll actually act on what you read.

Which 13F tracking site should I use?

Pick on coverage of the filers you care about and how readable you find it. If you want the positions held for you instead, that's a different product.

Is there a 13F tracker that invests for me?

That's what a tracker Portfolio does. It's built from public filings by Autopilot Advisers and held in the brokerage account you already have, updating when a new filing posts.

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Since Autopilot Advisers is an SEC-registered investment adviser, we have to put disclaimers on stuff like this. They're below, and the full version is on our disclaimer page.

Disclosures

© Autopilot Holdings Corporation 2026 — All rights reserved. “Autopilot” refers to Autopilot Holdings Corporation and its wholly-owned, and separately managed subsidiaries, including Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. All investing is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested, and past performance is not indicative of future results. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important information at joinautopilot.com/disclaimer.

This information is provided by Autopilot for educational and illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation, an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy any security. Autopilot relies on information from various sources believed to be reliable, including information from Clients, Pilots and other third parties, but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information. Autopilot does not provide tax or legal advice and you are encouraged to consult with professionals before making investment decisions.

Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by the companies listed, described, or featured on its site. Company logos or trademarks used do not imply endorsement and are the property of their respective owners.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon before investing through Autopilot.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Autopilot is available in our Form ADV Part 2A, available at adviserinfo.sec.gov or joinautopilot.com/adv.

Autopilot provides limited investment advisory services focused on Portfolio selection and suitability assessment. Our services are not intended to replace comprehensive financial planning. We recommend consulting with a qualified financial advisor regarding your complete financial situation.

This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. You should consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult with qualified tax and legal professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not hold client assets. All investments are held at the brokerage firm you select and connect to Autopilot. Your brokerage firm is responsible for trade execution, custody, and reporting. Autopilot is not responsible for your broker-dealer’s services, fees, or execution quality.

Autopilot’s services depend on technology systems, third-party APIs, and internet connectivity. System outages, API disruptions, or connectivity issues may temporarily affect service availability or trade execution timing.

Client account holdings are designed to track the Portfolio you’ve selected, but your actual holdings and performance may differ from the Portfolio due to execution timing, market conditions, brokerage capacity constraints, fractional share availability, and other factors outside Autopilot’s control.

For Portfolios inspired by publicly disclosed trading activity, there may be a delay between when a Pilot executes a trade and when that trade becomes publicly available and is incorporated into the Portfolio. This timing delay may affect the suitability or performance of trades when executed in client accounts.

Third-party services described are not affiliated with Autopilot and have not endorsed it. Descriptions are based on those services' own public descriptions as of September 16, 2026 and may change. Nothing here is a claim that any product is best. Autopilot's tracker Portfolios are created and managed by Autopilot Advisers, LLC from public Form 13F filings. Fee amounts are quoted from Form CRS dated February 2026 and may change.