European Alternatives to Betterment
Looking for a European alternative to Betterment? Betterment Holdings Inc. is based at 450 West 33rd Street in New York, and advisory services come from Betterment LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, so your contract is with US entities. Its pricing page lists $5 per month or 0.25% a year, and a Premium tier at 0.65% a year with a $100,000 minimum.
The European robo-advisors below are regulated in Germany, Spain and the UK, publish their fees in euros or pounds, and cover managed ETF portfolios, savings plans and local tax wrappers such as ISAs.
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10 European Alternatives to Betterment
Scalable Capital
Munich broker with savings plans and own ETFs
quirion
Berlin robo-advisor with managed ETF portfolios
Indexa Capital
Madrid index-fund robo-advisor with pension plans
InvestEngine
UK ETF platform with free DIY and managed portfolios
Moneyfarm
London managed portfolios with a DIY option
Moneybox
UK app for ISAs, pensions and investing
Wealthify
Welsh managed investing with ISA and pension
Ginmon
Frankfurt robo-advisor with ETF strategy and cash product
LIQID
Berlin wealth manager with portfolios from EUR 100,000
OSKAR
Karlsruhe ETF savings plan managed by Scalable Capital
Key takeaways
- Betterment is run by Betterment Holdings Inc. in New York, with advisory services from Betterment LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser.
- Betterment lists $5 a month or 0.25% a year, and a Premium tier at 0.65% a year with a $100,000 minimum.
- quirion in Berlin states 0.48% a year with no monthly fees, and Indexa Capital in Madrid states an average total cost of 0.527% a year.
- InvestEngine in the UK charges 0.25% a year on Managed Portfolios, the same percentage as Betterment's base tier, and DIY investing is free.
- LIQID in Berlin is the closest European match for Betterment Premium, with a EUR 100,000 minimum for new customers on SAVE and CORE.
Why people leave Betterment
Betterment is an American robo-advisor: an automated service that picks a diversified portfolio, rebalances it and charges a percentage of the assets each year. The group behind it is Betterment Holdings Inc., at 450 West 33rd Street in New York. Its customers are savers in the United States.
The part that matters for a European reader sits in the legal pages. Advice and portfolio management come from Betterment LLC, which describes itself as an investment adviser registered with the SEC. When you open an account, your contract is therefore with US entities, under US securities rules, and in dollars.
People in Europe who look beyond Betterment rarely complain about the idea. They want the same hands-off model with a regulator they can write to in their own language, fees in euros or pounds, and the savings wrappers of their own country, such as ISAs in the UK or savings plans in Germany.
- Your contract sits with a New York group and a US adviser Betterment Holdings Inc. is the parent, and Betterment LLC is the SEC-registered adviser that manages the money. For someone living in Germany, Spain or the UK, that means disputes, disclosures and investor protection follow US law. The European services on this page are supervised by BaFin, the CNMV or the FCA, which is the regulator your own country already deals with.
- The published prices are in dollars Betterment lists $5 a month or 0.25% a year, with a Premium tier at 0.65% a year and a $100,000 minimum. A European saver pays in a different currency than the one the portfolio is sold in. The tools below publish euro or pound prices, and several of them quote a single all-in percentage instead of a choice between a flat and a percentage fee.
- The tax wrappers belong to another country A robo-advisor is only as useful as the account it sits in. A UK saver wants a Stocks and Shares ISA, a Junior ISA or a SIPP. A Spanish saver wants an indexed pension plan. A German saver wants a savings plan that starts at a few euros a month. Betterment is a US service, so UK and Spanish wrappers are what you gain by moving.
- There is no European tier for small or very large balances Betterment Premium needs $100,000. In Europe the same slot is filled by LIQID from Berlin, with a EUR 100,000 minimum, and Ginmon, which adds a personal advisor from EUR 50,000. At the other end, savings plans from EUR 1 at Scalable Capital or EUR 25 at quirion fit people who are only starting out.
What you have to replace, not just match
A robo-advisor is a short list of jobs, and each one has to be rebuilt in the new account. You must pick a risk level, set up a recurring deposit from a bank account, choose whether you want rebalancing handled for you, and decide which tax wrapper holds the money. None of this carries over automatically from Betterment, so write down your current allocation and your monthly deposit before you start.
The second question is the model. Betterment manages the portfolio for you. In Europe, quirion, Indexa Capital, Moneyfarm, Wealthify, Ginmon and OSKAR work that way, while Scalable Capital and InvestEngine lean towards a broker with savings plans or optional managed portfolios. Moneybox is an app that holds ISAs and a pension next to investing. Choose the model first, and compare fees after that.
Finally, replace the fee, not just the feature. Betterment states 0.25% a year at its base tier. The European options range from 0.25% at InvestEngine to 1.0% at OSKAR on small balances, and several add fund costs, platform fees or a monthly subscription on top. Compare the all-in figure on your own balance.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Scalable Capital | Munich, Germany | FREE Broker and PRIME+ at EUR 4.99 per month; savings plan executions EUR 0; trades under EUR 250 cost EUR 0.99 | EU (Germany) |
| #2 | quirion | Berlin, Germany | One asset management fee of 0.48% a year and no monthly charge; a savings plan begins at EUR 25 a month | EU (Germany) |
| #3 | Indexa Capital | Madrid, Spain | Fund portfolios average 0.527% a year in total cost, with a EUR 1,000 entry level; pension plans and EPSV start at EUR 50 | EU (Spain) |
| #4 | InvestEngine | United Kingdom (city not stated on the pages we read), United Kingdom | Self-directed investing costs nothing; Managed Portfolios charge 0.25% of the portfolio value yearly; ISAs, SIPPs and GIAs carry no account fee | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #5 | Moneyfarm | London, United Kingdom | Wealth accounts: a 0.45% yearly management fee and a 0.25% yearly platform fee, with instrument costs of up to 0.21% on top; DIY: GBP 3.95 for each share, ETF or fund trade | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #6 | Moneybox | United Kingdom (city not stated on the pages we read), United Kingdom | Yearly service fee of 0.15% on Moneybox Funds and 0.45% on other funds and US stocks; GBP 1 a month once the three free months end, subject to waivers | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #7 | Wealthify | Penarth, United Kingdom | Annual management fee of 0.6%, dropping to 0.3% for pension balances above GBP 100,000; fund and trading costs run to roughly 0.14% (Original) or 0.46% (Ethical) | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #8 | Ginmon | Frankfurt am Main, Germany | The vendor states no commissions and no hidden costs; the TopZins service fee is cut to 0.30% a year; the complete fee table was not on the pages we read | EU (Germany) |
| #9 | LIQID | Berlin, Germany | Fees are percentages that differ per product, for instance SAVE at 0.20 to 0.45% a year plus 0.21% product costs; new SAVE and CORE customers need EUR 100,000 | EU (Germany) |
| #10 | OSKAR | Karlsruhe, Germany | Yearly service fee of 1.0% under EUR 10,000 and 0.8% over it; ETF product costs of roughly 0.14% a year; savings plans start at EUR 25 a month | EU (Germany) |
How each alternative compares to Betterment
Scalable Capital
a Munich broker with savings plans, for people who want control over what they buy
Best for: German-speaking savers who want ETF savings plans and a broker in one app
Scalable Capital Bank GmbH in Munich is registered as HRB 217778 and points to BaFin as its supervisor. It has existed since 2014 and now runs as a bank. Set against Betterment, it works more like a broker: you choose from over 8,000 stocks and more than 2,700 ETFs, and savings plan executions are free in every broker model.
The price is a choice of two models. FREE Broker costs nothing per month, while PRIME+ is EUR 4.99 a month with trades from EUR 250 free on EIX. We did not find a robo-advisor fee on the pages we read, so we cannot give a managed-portfolio percentage to hold against Betterment's 0.25%.
What Scalable Capital does better than Betterment
- Savings plans from EUR 1, where Betterment lists $5 a month or a percentage
- A BaFin-supervised bank with a published commercial register number
- Cash accounts and fixed-term savings in the same app
- Euro prices and German tax features instead of a US account
Where Scalable Capital is a step down from Betterment
- The fee table has conditions on order size and exchange, so it is less simple than one percentage
- Product range and tax features are shaped by German rules
- No managed-portfolio fee found for a like-for-like comparison
Standout against Betterment. It gives you the widest choice of securities among the tools here, and it manages the OSKAR portfolios as well.
Best for: German savers who want a hands-off ETF portfolio with a fee they can read in one line
quirion AG in Berlin, register HRB 180800, is supervised by BaFin. It manages ETF portfolios across ten risk levels, and its homepage states that the portfolio rebalances to the target allocation at no cost. The pitch matches Betterment closely: pick a risk level, deposit, and leave it.
The fee page states 0.48% a year and no monthly fees. That is higher than Betterment's 0.25% base percentage, but it removes the question of a flat $5 against a percentage. A savings plan starts at EUR 25 a month, and the pages we read state no minimum for one-time investments.
What quirion does better than Betterment
- One stated fee with no monthly charge
- Ten risk levels to choose from
- Rebalancing included at no extra cost
- Supervised by BaFin, with the register number published
Where quirion is a step down from Betterment
- 0.48% a year is above the 0.25% percentage Betterment lists
- No individual stock trading and not built for active trading
- No free plan or trial, and hosting location not stated
Standout against Betterment. Closest to the Betterment model in how it works, with a fee that fits in one sentence.
Best for: Residents of Spain who want index-fund portfolios and an indexed pension plan
Indexa Capital AV, SA is an agency registered with the CNMV under number 257, with its address on Calle Serrano in Madrid. It builds index-fund portfolios from a risk profile and rebalances them automatically, which is the same job Betterment does for a US saver.
The homepage breaks the average total cost of 0.527% a year into about 0.338% management, 0.093% custody and 0.096% fund costs. That detail helps when you compare against a base fee that leaves fund costs out. Fund portfolios need EUR 1,000, and pension plans start from EUR 50.
What Indexa Capital does better than Betterment
- A published cost breakdown that includes custody and fund costs
- Indexed pension plans from EUR 50, and EPSV plans for the Basque Country
- A CNMV-supervised agency with its NIF on the homepage
- Euro pricing and Spanish pension rules
Where Indexa Capital is a step down from Betterment
- A EUR 1,000 minimum for fund portfolios, with six months to reach it
- The product range is tied to Spanish rules, so it suits residents of Spain
- Average total cost of 0.527% is above Betterment's 0.25% base percentage
Standout against Betterment. It states its costs in parts, and it is the only tool here with Spanish pension and EPSV plans.
Best for: UK investors who want managed ETF portfolios or free DIY investing at low platform cost
InvestEngine (UK) Limited has company number 10438231 and FCA reference 801128. It offers Stocks and Shares ISAs, SIPPs and general investment accounts. Managed Portfolios cost 0.25% of portfolio value a year, which equals the base percentage on Betterment's pricing page, and cash is held without a management fee.
DIY investing on the same platform is free, with no account fees listed for ISAs, SIPPs and GIAs. The caveat is that ETF provider charges and spreads sit on top and are not quantified on the page. InvestEngine also states that it does not provide investment advice.
What InvestEngine does better than Betterment
- Free DIY investing next to the managed option
- ISA, SIPP and GIA wrappers that a US account does not have
- No monthly fee, where Betterment lists $5 a month as one option
- FSCS protection on cash up to GBP 85,000
Where InvestEngine is a step down from Betterment
- No investment advice, so ETF choice stays with you on DIY
- ETF charges and spreads are not quantified on the page
- Minimums and hosting are not stated on the pages we read
Standout against Betterment. The only tool here that equals Betterment's base percentage, and it removes the fee entirely for DIY users.
Best for: UK savers who want managed ISA or pension portfolios with human support
Moneyfarm is the trading name of MFM Investment Ltd, an FCA-authorised firm under reference 629539, registered at Pentonville Road in London. Its Wealth product runs managed portfolios inside an ISA, JISA, SIPP or GIA, and managed accounts come with a dedicated Qualified Wealth Manager.
The fee is built in layers: 0.45% management plus 0.25% platform, with instrument costs of up to 0.21% added. Moneyfarm's own example for a GBP 20,000 portfolio totals up to 0.91% a year, so it costs several times what Betterment's base tier lists. A separate DIY product charges GBP 3.95 per trade.
What Moneyfarm does better than Betterment
- A named Qualified Wealth Manager on managed accounts
- ISA, JISA, SIPP and GIA portfolios in one place
- No entry, exit, withdrawal or top-up fees on Wealth
- FCA authorisation with company number published
Where Moneyfarm is a step down from Betterment
- Total managed cost reaches up to 0.91% a year in its own example
- DIY trades carry flat fees, UK shares 0.50% stamp duty and currency conversion 0.70%
- Hosting and a free plan are not stated on the pages we read
Standout against Betterment. The one managed UK service here that puts a named person behind the portfolio.
Best for: UK residents who want savings accounts, a Lifetime ISA and a pension in a single app
Digital Moneybox Limited, FCA no. 712935, runs an app that holds Cash ISAs and Simple Saver accounts beside a Stocks and Shares ISA, a Lifetime ISA and a Personal Pension. Where Betterment is about the portfolio, Moneybox is about keeping your wrappers in one place on a phone.
The fees page states 0.15% a year on Moneybox Funds and 0.45% on other providers' funds and US stocks. Investing products are free for three months, then GBP 1 a month, waived below GBP 5 invested or above GBP 5,000. Fund costs are set by each provider and are not quantified on that page.
What Moneybox does better than Betterment
- A Lifetime ISA, a UK wrapper with no equivalent on the Betterment pricing page
- 0.15% a year on Moneybox Funds, below the 0.25% Betterment lists
- The subscription is waived at low and high balances
- Savings and investing in one app
Where Moneybox is a step down from Betterment
- 0.45% on other funds and US stocks is above Betterment's base percentage
- A GBP 1 monthly subscription from month four unless a waiver applies
- Mostly open to UK residents aged 18 or over
Standout against Betterment. The only tool here that combines a Lifetime ISA, a pension and cash savings in one app.
Best for: UK savers who want a hands-off ISA or pension and the option of an ethical theme
Wealthify Limited, FCA No. 662530, has its registered office in Penarth and the company number 09034828. Experts choose the funds, and customers pick a risk style from Cautious to Adventurous plus an Ethical or Original theme. Wrappers are a Stocks and Shares ISA, a Junior ISA and a Managed Personal Pension.
The simple annual management fee is 0.6% on Investment Plans, falling to 0.3% on the part of a pension above GBP 100,000. Fund and trading costs add about 0.14% a year on Original plans and 0.46% on Ethical plans. The fees page gives no exact platform fee in pounds.
What Wealthify does better than Betterment
- An Ethical theme alongside the Original one
- A Junior ISA capped at GBP 9,000 per child, a UK wrapper
- A reduced 0.3% fee on pension balances over GBP 100,000
- FCA registration with company number published
Where Wealthify is a step down from Betterment
- 0.6% a year plus fund costs is above Betterment's 0.25% base percentage
- Ethical plans carry about 0.46% a year in fund costs
- The savings account needs GBP 1,000
Standout against Betterment. It is the only tool here that sells an ethical theme as a plain choice at sign-up.
Best for: German savers who want ETF investing plus a variable-rate cash product in one app
Ginmon Vermoegensverwaltung GmbH in Frankfurt am Main is a securities institution licensed by BaFin, with register number HRB 107290. Ginmon Invest builds long-term wealth with low-cost ETFs and an automated strategy, and the homepage says changing strategy or payments is free.
TopZins, its cash product, pays a variable rate tied to EuroSTR with a service fee reduced to 0.30% a year. A personal advisor is available from EUR 50,000 invested. We did not reach the full fee schedule, so the all-in cost of Ginmon Invest cannot be set against Betterment's 0.25% here.
What Ginmon does better than Betterment
- A cash product next to the ETF strategy
- A personal advisor from EUR 50,000, a step below Betterment Premium's $100,000
- Free changes of strategy and payments, according to the homepage
- A BaFin licence with the register number published
Where Ginmon is a step down from Betterment
- The full fee schedule was not read, so the all-in cost is unknown
- Advertised returns are shown before management fees
- Hosting location is not stated on the pages we read
Standout against Betterment. It offers a cash product and an advisor tier inside the same German licence.
Best for: Investors with EUR 100,000 or more who want managed portfolios and private markets access
LIQID Asset Management GmbH in Berlin is supervised by BaFin and the Deutsche Bundesbank, with register entry HRB 177099 B. It offers four product lines: SAVE for cash with a horizon of up to three years, CORE for long-term multi-asset wealth, and NXT and PRO for private markets.
New customers need EUR 100,000 for SAVE and CORE, which is the size Betterment Premium asks in dollars. SAVE costs 0.20 to 0.45% a year plus 0.21% product costs, and CORE costs 0.25 to 0.90% plus 0.07 to 0.37%. NXT and PRO charge product costs only, from 1.80 to 2.49% and 0.59 to 1.18%.
What LIQID does better than Betterment
- Private markets portfolios in NXT and PRO, beyond a standard managed tier
- EU data centres stated in the privacy policy
- Third-country transfers only under adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses
- BaFin and Bundesbank supervision, with the register number published
Where LIQID is a step down from Betterment
- A EUR 100,000 minimum on SAVE and CORE excludes smaller savers
- Fees are given as ranges, not one rate
- Product costs on NXT and PRO reach 2.49% a year
Standout against Betterment. The only tool here that reaches private markets, and the only one that states EU data centres.
Best for: German savers who want one monthly ETF savings plan with five risk strategies
Oskar.de GmbH in Karlsruhe, register HRB 730224 at Mannheim, runs an ETF savings plan across 10 funds with five risk strategies. The homepage states that portfolios are managed by Scalable Capital, with depots and cash accounts at Baader Bank AG. The minimum is a savings rate of EUR 25 a month.
The service fee is 1.0% a year below EUR 10,000 and 0.8% above, with ETF product costs of about 0.14% included in the ETF prices. One section of the page gives a range of 0.7 to 1%, so check the fee before signing up. We found no BaFin reference for Oskar.de GmbH, and the depot bank holds the money.
What OSKAR does better than Betterment
- A savings plan from EUR 25 a month with five risk strategies
- Portfolios managed by Scalable Capital
- Depots held at a named bank, Baader Bank AG
- Euro pricing and a German savings-plan setup
Where OSKAR is a step down from Betterment
- A 1.0% service fee below EUR 10,000 is four times Betterment's 0.25% base percentage
- The page gives two different fee ranges
- No one-time investment shown, and no BaFin reference found
Standout against Betterment. It is the simplest monthly plan here, though the fee is the highest on the list.
What actually breaks when you switch
Moving a robo-advisor account is mostly a question of what you sell on the way. Ask Betterment how holdings leave the account, and check what the European provider accepts under its own rules. A sale can create a taxable gain in the country where you now pay tax, so ask a tax adviser before you press sell.
Plan the time out of the market as well. Deposits may take days to land, a new account needs identity checks, and savings plans need a fresh bank mandate. Keep the old account open until the new one has received its first deposit, and note your existing allocation so you can pick the nearest risk level.
Expect the fee comparison to shift once you add everything up. Betterment lists $5 a month or 0.25% a year, while European services add fund costs, platform fees or a monthly subscription. Moneyfarm's own example reaches 0.91%, so compare totals on your real balance and not the headline number.
Can I keep my Betterment account when I move to Europe?
That depends on Betterment's own rules for non-US residents, which we did not read, so check them with Betterment before you act. What we can say is that the terms are written for a US adviser, and a move abroad is the moment to compare what you pay and which wrappers you can no longer use.
If you decide to switch, ask Betterment how it transfers or sells holdings, and whether a sale creates a tax bill in the country you now live in. A European robo-advisor will want your tax residence in any case, because the savings wrapper depends on it.
Is a UK robo-advisor a European alternative to Betterment?
On this site, yes. EP counts the United Kingdom as European, so Moneyfarm, Wealthify, Moneybox and InvestEngine are listed. Each is a UK company regulated by the FCA, which gives you ISAs and pensions under UK rules instead of a US account.
If you live in the EU, check whether a UK firm accepts residents of your country at all. Moneybox, for one, states that most products are for UK residents aged 18 or over. German and Spanish options such as quirion, Ginmon and Indexa Capital serve their own markets first.
Which one to pick
If you want the Betterment model in Germany, quirion is the plainest replacement at 0.48% a year, with Ginmon as the option that adds a cash product. Choose Scalable Capital if you would rather pick your own ETFs and invest from EUR 1. In Spain, Indexa Capital covers both fund portfolios and indexed pensions.
In the UK, InvestEngine matches the 0.25% base percentage and makes DIY free, Moneybox fits people who want a Lifetime ISA and a pension in one app, and Moneyfarm and Wealthify add human support or an ethical theme at a higher fee. For balances near $100,000, LIQID is the European counterpart to Betterment Premium.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a managed ETF portfolio at one stated fee, quirion from Berlin charges 0.48% a year with no monthly fees, and Indexa Capital from Madrid states an average total cost of 0.527% a year. Scalable Capital in Munich suits savers who want a broker with plans from EUR 1. InvestEngine from the UK charges 0.25% a year on Managed Portfolios.
InvestEngine lists Managed Portfolios at 0.25% a year, the same percentage as Betterment's base tier, plus free DIY investing, though ETF charges and spreads come on top. Moneybox lists 0.15% on its own funds plus GBP 1 a month after three free months. quirion charges 0.48% and Wealthify 0.6%.
LIQID from Berlin is the nearest match, with a EUR 100,000 minimum for new customers on SAVE and CORE and percentage fees by product. Ginmon adds a personal advisor from EUR 50,000 invested, and Moneyfarm gives managed accounts access to a Qualified Wealth Manager. Betterment Premium lists 0.65% a year and a $100,000 minimum.
Betterment's legal page names Betterment LLC as an investment adviser registered with the SEC, and Betterment Holdings Inc. in New York as the group. No European regulator appears in the pages we read. The tools on this page are supervised by BaFin in Germany, the CNMV in Spain or the FCA in the United Kingdom.
Yes, in the UK. Moneyfarm offers managed ISA, JISA, SIPP and GIA portfolios, Wealthify offers an ISA, a Junior ISA and a Managed Personal Pension, and InvestEngine offers ISA, SIPP and GIA accounts. Indexa Capital in Spain offers indexed pension plans from EUR 50.
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