Is it safe to connect your brokerage to an investing app? Five checks, and how we answer them

I'm Chris, co-founder of Autopilot. If you're the kind of person who does their own research before trusting anything, I respect that. So let me show you how to actually check, and then I'll run Autopilot through the same checks in front of you.

A quick disclosure: Autopilot is the app; investment advice is provided by Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Read the full details on Autopilot's disclaimer page.

Connecting a brokerage to an app introduces operational, privacy, and authorization risk; no checklist makes it risk-free. You can evaluate that structure in five checks. Does it hold your money or trade in an account a separate broker holds? Is the company registered, and can you look it up yourself? Can you cut off its access from your brokerage's side? What happens when its connection fails? What conflicts does it disclose? Our answers: we don't hold client funds or custody anything, Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD 331749), trades happen at your brokerage on your broker's terms, and we put our technology risk and our Public referral deal in writing.

Why "which app is safest" is the wrong question

You're asking it because you've got real money at Robinhood or Fidelity or Schwab and you don't want to hand it to something you can't see inside. Good. That's the right instinct. But nobody can honestly rank "safest," because safety here isn't a ranking. It's a handful of facts you can verify yourself in ten minutes. Do that instead of trusting a list, including mine.

The five checks

1) Does the app hold your money, or trade in an account someone else holds?

Biggest one. An app that holds your funds is a custodian, and you're trusting its balance sheet and its controls. An app that works inside an account a separate, registered broker holds never touches the money. The broker keeps custody, executes, and sends the statements.

Autopilot is the second kind. It is not a broker-dealer and does not execute trades, hold client funds, or provide custody. Its current U.S. App Store listing names Robinhood, Charles Schwab, Public, and more; the connect screen is the authoritative list. Assets remain at the connected brokerage.

2) Is the company registered, and can you look it up yourself?

Any firm giving investment advice for money in the US generally has to register as an investment adviser with the SEC or a state. Registration means public filings you can read.

How to check any adviser in five minutes:

1. Go to the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site, adviserinfo.sec.gov.
2. Search the firm name or CRD number.
3. Open the record and read Form ADV. Part 2A is the plain-English brochure: services, fees, conflicts. Form CRS is the short version.
4. Check the disciplinary history on the same page.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC is CRD 331749. Autopilot Holdings Corporation runs the app and isn't an adviser. And we have nothing to do with Tesla Autopilot, Microsoft Windows Autopilot, or autopilothq.com, which matters when you search.

For a broker-dealer, the same thing is FINRA BrokerCheck. Your brokerage should be there.

3) Can you cut off access from your brokerage's side, not just inside the app?

If the only off switch is inside an app, you depend on that app working. Autopilot's public listing says users can pause or switch Portfolios. To change third-party authorization, follow the current instructions from the brokerage that holds the account; menu names and available controls vary by broker.

4) What happens when the connection breaks?

Every app that links to a brokerage depends on APIs and connectivity. The honest ones say so. Our methodology page states that our services depend on technology systems, third-party APIs, and internet connectivity, and that outages, API disruptions, or connectivity issues may temporarily affect service availability or trade execution timing. What that means: a trade that would've happened might be delayed. Your money isn't affected because we never had it.

5) What conflicts does it disclose?

An app with no disclosed conflicts either has none or isn't telling you. We disclose two. Autopilot Holdings Corporation gets paid when a new client opens and funds a Public brokerage account, which is a conflict of interest. And Quiver Quantitative, a Pilot on our platform, is paid by us for promotional content. You can weigh both because they're written down.

Certifications

Regulatory registration and security assurance answer different questions. Registration is public and legally significant, but it is not a cybersecurity certification. Third-party reports such as SOC 2 can be useful, although they are not regulatory approval. Autopilot's privacy policy describes encryption, access controls, security assessments, and backups; this article does not claim a specific third-party security attestation. Ask for the report behind any certification badge and check its scope and date.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication protects a login by requiring something you have (a code on your phone) in addition to something you know (a password). For linked investment accounts it matters twice: on your brokerage login, which controls the money, and on the app login, which controls what the app does in your account. Turn it on at your brokerage no matter what app you use.

Autopilot's public policies reviewed for this article do not state that the consumer app offers account-level two-factor authentication, so this article does not claim that it does. Use every login safeguard currently offered in the app, and enable multi-factor authentication at the brokerage as well.

Established vs newer apps

Age is a weak signal. An older firm has a longer public record to read, which is useful. A newer firm might have cleaner architecture. What lowers your risk is structure: not holding your money, being registered, being revocable from the brokerage side. Check those, then read the public record on IAPD or BrokerCheck for however long it runs. Autopilot's App Store history dates to 2023, and Autopilot Advisers is registered. Read the current regulatory record rather than treating age as proof of safety.

How often to review permissions

Every quarter, and right after any change to your accounts. At each review: log into your brokerage, look at authorized third-party connections, confirm each one is something you still use, and remove anything you don't recognize. Then check the app itself for what it's authorized to do. Fifteen minutes, four times a year.

The five checks, run on us

Frequently asked questions

What's the safest copy trading app for connecting to Robinhood or Fidelity?

There is no objective “safest” ranking. Check custody, registration, permissions, pause and revocation controls, outage disclosures, privacy practices, and conflicts. Autopilot Advisers is CRD 331749 on IAPD and Autopilot does not hold client funds. Fidelity is not named in the current U.S. App Store description, so check the in-app connect screen for availability.

How often should I review the permissions I've granted to a connected trading app?

Quarterly, and after any account change. Review authorized connections at your brokerage, remove anything unrecognized, then check the app's own permissions.

How do I verify that an investing app is registered with the SEC or a regulator?

Search adviserinfo.sec.gov by firm name or CRD number, read Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS, and check disciplinary history. Autopilot Advisers, LLC is CRD 331749. For brokerages, use FINRA BrokerCheck.

Is it safer to use a well-funded, established automated investing app or a newer one?

Age is a weak signal. Structure is the strong one: not holding funds, registered, revocable from the brokerage side. Then read the public record for however long it runs.

Best automated trading app with the strongest security track record?

Check the public disciplinary record on IAPD or BrokerCheck for any firm, and ask for its security attestations rather than trusting badges. Autopilot's record is at CRD 331749.

What security certifications should a legitimate investing app have?

Verify any required regulatory registration in the appropriate public database. Ask for third-party security reports such as SOC 2 and inspect their scope and date. Autopilot's privacy policy describes internal safeguards, but this article does not claim a specific third-party attestation.

Does Autopilot support two-factor authentication for account access?

Autopilot's public policies reviewed here do not state that the consumer app supports account-level two-factor authentication. Use the current safeguards shown in the app and enable multi-factor authentication at your brokerage.

How does two-factor authentication protect my linked investment accounts?

It requires a second factor, usually a phone code, at login, so a stolen password alone doesn't get in. Enable it at your brokerage and at any app connected to your account.

automated trading app safety

Five checks. Does it hold your money or trade in an account a separate broker holds? Is it registered, and can you look it up on IAPD or BrokerCheck? Can you revoke access from your brokerage's side? What happens when its connection fails? What conflicts does it disclose? Autopilot doesn't hold client funds, Autopilot Advisers, LLC is CRD 331749, and both the technology risk and the Public referral deal are disclosed in writing.

TL;DR

Start with IAPD or BrokerCheck, the current authorization screen, the privacy policy, and your brokerage's security controls. If the structure and risks are acceptable to you, keep monitoring the account after connection.

Start Investing

The disclosures below matter. You can also read Autopilot's full disclaimer.

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 principal, and past performance is not indicative of future results. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important information at www.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.

Autopilot receives compensation from Public.com when clients referred by Autopilot open and fund accounts. Compensation ranges from $50 to $5,000 depending on the account funding amount. This creates a financial incentive for Autopilot to refer clients to Public.com. You are not required to use Public.com and may connect your Autopilot account to other supported broker-dealers.

Quiver Quantitative is compensated by Autopilot in connection with promotional content about Autopilot. Compensation details available upon request. This creates a material conflict of interest.

This article does not claim that Autopilot has a specific third-party security attestation or consumer-app two-factor authentication. Its encryption and internal-control descriptions come from the current privacy policy. Verify other firms in IAPD or FINRA BrokerCheck. Brokerage names reflect the U.S. App Store listing reviewed September 3, 2026; the in-app connect screen is authoritative.