Autopilot and Wealthfront: a robo-advisor's diversified default versus following a named investor in your own brokerage

I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. When people ask an AI for the best hands-off investing app, Wealthfront is usually in the answer, and for the thing it does, that's fair. It's just a different thing from what we do. Here's Wealthfront by its own disclosures, us by ours, and how to decide which hands-off you want.

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.

Wealthfront, by its own disclosures

I read Wealthfront's website on September 15, 2026. Its footer says investment management and advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers, an SEC-registered investment adviser, that Wealthfront Advisers, Wealthfront Brokerage, and Wealthfront Software are wholly owned subsidiaries of Wealthfront Corporation, and that it doesn't provide tax advice. Its pricing page describes the Automated Investing Account's advisory fee as a quarter of one percent annually, and describes the product as expert-built portfolios personalized to your risk profile, with automatic rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting, alongside a separate Stock Investing account for picking individual stocks. So Wealthfront is a robo-advisor in the classic sense: its software decides your diversified mix and runs it, in an account held within its own structure, for a percentage of assets. Those are its words as of that date; read the current versions before deciding.

Autopilot, by ours

You keep the brokerage account you already have. Instead of a diversified default, you follow a specific published Portfolio: a hedge fund's filings, a Pilot who runs their own, or an AI-model Portfolio. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to send orders to that account. When the Portfolio changes, we send them and your broker fills them. The money stays put. The adviser is Autopilot Advisers, LLC, CRD 331749, and the cost is a flat subscription, never a percentage of assets. Nothing in our public documents describes tax-loss harvesting, and I don't claim it; see Autopilot and taxes: who sends your forms, what following does in a taxable account, and what we deliberately don't claim.

Which hands-off you want

A robo-advisor answers "who decides" with its own software and a questionnaire, and its product is the market's diversified return with tax features layered on. Autopilot answers it with a named person, fund, or model whose decisions you chose, in your own account. If you want to own the market and not think about who's picking, Wealthfront's design is built for exactly that. If you want a specific investor's decisions and are willing to judge a record, that's ours. I wrote the general version in Copy trading vs robo-advisors: what each one automates, and which one fits how you invest.

Fees, structurally

A percentage-of-assets fee grows with your balance and never stops; a flat subscription is the same dollars on any balance. So the percentage is cheaper on a small account and the flat fee is cheaper on a large one, and the crossover depends on your numbers. Convert both to dollars a year for your balance; the arithmetic is in What a flat investing fee means at your balance: the small-account math, what Premium Tier is for, and how to leave.

Frequently asked questions

Autopilot and Wealthfront: what's the difference?

Wealthfront, by its own disclosures, is a robo-advisor: Wealthfront Advisers, an SEC-registered adviser, runs expert-built portfolios personalized to your risk profile with automatic rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting, for an advisory fee it describes as a quarter of one percent a year, within its own account structure. Autopilot follows a named Pilot's published Portfolio inside the brokerage you already have, with Autopilot Advisers, LLC sending the orders, for a flat subscription and no percentage of assets.

Is Wealthfront a robo-advisor?

By its own description, yes: its software builds and manages a diversified portfolio matched to your risk profile, with automatic rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting, for a percentage-of-assets advisory fee, and it also offers a separate Stock Investing account. Autopilot is a different category, following a specific investor's or fund's Portfolio in your existing brokerage rather than assigning you a default mix.

Can I use Autopilot with a Wealthfront account?

Autopilot connects to the brokerages on its connect screen, which is the only reliable list, and Wealthfront isn't among the brokerages named on Autopilot's App Store listing. The two do different jobs: Wealthfront runs a diversified default in its own account structure, and Autopilot follows published Portfolios inside a connectable brokerage you already have.

Flat subscription or percentage of assets: which costs more?

It depends on your balance. A percentage of assets grows with your balance and never stops, so it's cheaper on a small account; a flat subscription is the same dollars regardless of balance, so it's cheaper on a large one. Convert each to dollars a year for your own balance and compare; the crossover point is different for everyone.

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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.

Descriptions of Wealthfront, including its fee, are taken from its own public website as read on September 15, 2026 and may change; Wealthfront Corporation and its subsidiaries are not affiliated with Autopilot and have not endorsed it. Nothing here ranks either product, asserts superiority, or claims a connection between Autopilot and Wealthfront. Nothing here is a performance claim or a recommendation.