Betterment vs. Vanguard: 2025 Comparison

One question facing robo-advisors like Betterment: If these services are simply building portfolios out of index funds and exchange-traded funds — primarily from Vanguard — why wouldn’t investors just go straight to the source?

Vanguard has heard that question, of course. That may be one reason why it has its own offerings, including online financial advisor Vanguard Personal Advisor and a digital, lower-cost robo-advisor, Vanguard Digital Advisor.

The below comparison focuses on how Betterment stacks up to Vanguard Personal Advisor. But if you're interested in Vanguard's robo-advisor, we have a full review of that here.

» Read our full review of Betterment

» Read our full review of Vanguard Personal Advisor

» Want to check out other providers?