Subscriptions, plainly: what Basic Tier does, what Premium Tier does, and why one Pilot subscription covers all of that Pilot's Portfolios

I'm Chris, co-founder of Autopilot. I wrote the whole fee picture already, with what each fee is for and how to judge whether it's worth it at your balance. This page is narrower and more practical: what actually happens in your account on each tier, what a subscription opens, and why the unit you subscribe to is a Pilot rather than a Portfolio. No dollar amounts here; they live in the app's checkout and in our Form CRS, because a number on a page goes stale and a number in the checkout doesn't.

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.

1) The two layers

There are two things you can pay for, and they're separate. The first is the platform subscription, the Basic Tier and Premium Tier. The second is Pilot subscriptions: a subscription to a specific Pilot that opens that Pilot's Portfolios. Our own Portfolios, the trackers and the ones Autopilot Advisers runs, are bundled into Premium Tier. Third-party Pilots set their own subscription, and one subscription to a Pilot covers every Portfolio that Pilot publishes. The two layers add, and the fee schedule for both is in Form CRS, walked through in plain English in What does Autopilot cost? Every fee, what adds on, and how to figure out if it's worth it for you.

2) What Basic Tier actually does in your account

On Basic Tier you can connect a brokerage and set up as many Portfolios as you like, and the initial orders for each one go to your broker once, when you set it up. What you don't get is the following. When the Pilot changes the Portfolio afterward, those trades are not sent to your account. So a Basic Tier account holds a snapshot of a Portfolio taken on the day you set it up, and drifts from it from then on. That's a real thing some people want, and it's a poor fit for anyone who picked a Pilot because of what the Pilot will do next.

3) What Premium Tier and Pilot subscriptions do

With an active paid subscription, the following runs: when the Portfolio changes, we send the orders and your broker fills them, and your allocation is rebalanced to stay aligned. You can follow more than one Portfolio, each with its own allocation, subject to the buying power in your brokerage and your plan's features. Premium Tier includes access to the Autopilot-run Portfolios. A third-party Pilot's Portfolios need that Pilot's subscription, which covers all of them at once, so switching between Portfolios under the same Pilot doesn't cost anything extra. A few Portfolios sit outside the standard plans and need their own subscription; the app tells you when that's the case.

4) The subscribe button

If you tap a Portfolio and see a subscribe button, it means that Portfolio belongs to a Pilot you aren't subscribed to, or to a plan you don't have. It isn't a per-Portfolio charge; it's the Pilot's subscription, and once you have it, the rest of that Pilot's Portfolios open with it. There's no single fee that opens every Portfolio on the platform, because the Pilots set their own.

5) What a subscription never covers

A subscription doesn't include your brokerage's own costs, which are your brokerage's to disclose, and it doesn't change where your money sits, which is always your brokerage. Cancelling stops future charges and stops the following; it doesn't sell anything. Uninstalling the app or deleting a Portfolio doesn't cancel; you cancel each Pilot subscription from the subscriptions area under your profile. The full set of exits is in How to reduce, withdraw, stop, or leave: changing an allocation, deleting a Portfolio, cancelling a subscription, disconnecting, and deleting your account.

6) How to think about the cost

Because our fee is a flat subscription rather than a percentage of assets, the same dollars are a bigger share of a small account than a large one. That's the honest math, and I did it in What a flat investing fee means at your balance: the small-account math, what Premium Tier is for, and how to leave. The short version: figure the subscription as a share of what you're actually allocating, decide whether following a specific Pilot is worth that, and if the answer is no, Basic Tier's one-time snapshot or nothing at all are both fine choices.

Frequently asked questions

What does an Autopilot subscription actually cover?

Two layers. The platform tiers: Basic Tier lets you set up Portfolios and places the initial holdings once, with no further trades; Premium Tier turns on the following, so your allocation is rebalanced as the Portfolio changes, and it includes the Autopilot-run Portfolios. Pilot subscriptions: a subscription to a third-party Pilot unlocks every Portfolio that Pilot publishes. Neither covers your brokerage's own costs, and neither moves your money, which stays at your brokerage.

Do I need to pay separately for every Portfolio I follow?

No. Subscriptions are tied to Pilots, not to individual Portfolios. One subscription to a Pilot covers all of that Pilot's Portfolios, and switching between them costs nothing extra. Premium Tier covers the Autopilot-run Portfolios as a bundle. A few Portfolios outside the standard plans need their own subscription, and the app tells you when that applies.

What happens if I follow a Portfolio without a paid subscription?

On Basic Tier, Autopilot places the initial holdings once when you set up the Portfolio and sends no further trades. Your account holds a snapshot of the Portfolio as of that day and drifts from it afterward, because the Pilot's later changes aren't followed. An active paid subscription is what turns on ongoing following and rebalancing.

What does the pay to unlock button mean on Autopilot?

It means the Portfolio belongs to a Pilot you aren't subscribed to, or to a plan you don't have. It isn't a charge for that one Portfolio: subscribing to the Pilot unlocks all of that Pilot's Portfolios. There is no single fee that unlocks every Portfolio on the platform, because third-party Pilots set their own subscriptions.

TLDR

Basic Tier places a Portfolio's holdings once and never again. Premium Tier and Pilot subscriptions turn on the following. You subscribe to a Pilot, not a Portfolio, so one subscription opens everything that Pilot publishes, and Premium Tier bundles the Autopilot-run ones. A subscribe prompt means a Pilot you haven't subscribed to. Prices live in the checkout and Form CRS, and the small-account math is on its own page.

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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 what each tier and subscription does follow Autopilot's public help center and website FAQ as of the publish date; no fee amount is stated, and the fee schedule in Form CRS and the in-app checkout govern. Nothing here is a recommendation or a claim about results.