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Autopilot app pros and cons, from a co-founder
Autopilot app pros and cons, from a co-founder.
I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. A pros and cons page written by the company is usually worthless, so I'm going to make the cons list the useful half and be specific enough that you can check every line.
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.
The cons, first
The fee is bad at a small balance. A flat subscription is a bigger share of a small account than a big one, and at a few hundred dollars it can be a large fraction of what you have invested. Run your own number in What Autopilot's fee actually means at your balance.
Hedge fund trackers are always behind. A 13F can be filed 45 or more days after the quarter closes, and no app changes that.
You inherit your broker's limits. If they require you to approve each trade, nothing is hands-off and approval lag moves your fill price. If they don't support fractional shares, a small allocation can't hold every name.
Most Portfolios have short records. We began listing independent Pilots a short time ago, and a brief record is a short record.
It's mobile only. And connecting any third party to a brokerage account is a real decision with real risk, covered in What Autopilot can see in your brokerage account, and what it can't.
The pros, stated without adjectives
Your money stays in the brokerage account you already have. There's no transfer, no new account, and your broker keeps custody.
The fee is a flat cash subscription rather than a percentage of assets, which means it doesn't grow as your balance does. That's an advantage at a large balance and a disadvantage at a small one, which is the same fact viewed from two ends.
The acting part happens. Most people who read a filing never place the trades and never redo it next quarter. That gap is the actual product.
And you can leave quickly. Lower an allocation, delete a Portfolio, or revoke the connection from your brokerage's own settings without involving us.
Who should not use this
If you'd genuinely read the filings yourself every quarter and place the trades, you don't need us and I'd rather say so.
If your balance is small enough that the subscription is a large share of it, wait.
If index funds are what you want, buy index funds. That's the right answer for a lot of people and it's not rocket science. No one's stopping you.
And if you can't hold a strategy through a drawdown, no app fixes that. Read the worst decline before the return, which is the point of How to read a Portfolio page in the app.
Who it's actually for
Somebody who has a brokerage account, wants somebody else making the stock decisions, doesn't want to move their money to do it, and has enough invested that a flat subscription is a small fraction of it. That's the whole profile. If that's not you, one of the cons above is probably why.
Frequently asked questions
Autopilot app pros and cons
Cons: a flat fee is expensive at a small balance, filing-based trackers always lag, you inherit your broker's limits, most Portfolios have short records, and it's mobile only. Pros: money stays at your own brokerage, the fee doesn't scale with your balance, the trades actually get placed, and leaving is quick.
What are the downsides of Autopilot?
The fee at a small balance is the big one. Then the 45-day filing delay on hedge fund trackers, broker-imposed limits like trade approval and fractional availability, and short records on newer Portfolios.
Is Autopilot a good investing app?
It depends on your balance and whether you'd otherwise place the trades yourself. If you'd read the filings and trade them every quarter on your own, you don't need it.
Who should not use Autopilot?
Anyone with a balance small enough that the subscription is a large share of it, anyone who wants index funds and nothing else, and anyone who would sell out of a strategy during its worst decline.
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.
This page reflects the views of Autopilot and is not a recommendation. Fee amounts are quoted from Form CRS dated February 2026 and may change. Filing delays, brokerage constraints and individual circumstances affect results. Past performance does not indicate future results.