Investing comparison
Betterment vs Chime
Updated
Before you compare: This compares features and fees from each company's own pages. It isn't investment advice, and investing involves risk, including loss of money.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Short answer
Betterment is an investing app and Chime is a banking app. Betterment's base price for investing accounts is $5/month, while Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026, and the official sources differ on 2 of the 14 rows in the table below.
Betterment vs Chime at a glance
Betterment is an investing app and Chime is a banking app. This page puts what each company's official pages and app store listings say side by side, with the date we checked every fact. The sources differ on 2 of the 14 rows in the table below.
Price and fees
Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one. We haven't verified this for Betterment yet, so check the official site for Betterment before you decide. We checked Chime on Oct 24, 2026.
Management or subscription fee
Betterment's base price for investing accounts is $5/month. It switches to 0.25% a year of your investing balance once you set up recurring monthly deposits of $200 or more or reach a $24,000 balance. Premium is 0.65% a year and needs $100,000 invested. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked Betterment on Oct 24, 2026.
APY or rate
Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. Chime says the rate is variable. Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits. We haven't verified this for Betterment yet, so check the official site for Betterment before you decide. We checked Chime on Oct 24, 2026.
Opening and balance minimums
Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement. We haven't verified this for Betterment yet, so check the official site for Betterment before you decide. We checked Chime on Oct 24, 2026.
Account minimum
Betterment says pricing for its investment portfolios begins at $5/month, with no minimum balance. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked Betterment on Oct 24, 2026.
Stock and ETF commissions
Betterment says you'll pay no trading commissions on stocks and ETFs, and its management fee doesn't apply to those trades. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked Betterment on Oct 24, 2026.
Account types
Betterment lists these account types: Taxable investing accounts, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, Solo 401(k) and HSA. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked Betterment on Oct 24, 2026.
Automatic investing
Betterment says it automates portfolio rebalancing, dividend reinvesting and taxes for you. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked Betterment on Oct 24, 2026.
Managed portfolios (robo)
Betterment says it builds a diversified portfolio and handles all trading, rebalancing and tax management for you. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked Betterment on Oct 24, 2026.
Protection
Betterment Securities is a member of SIPC, which protects securities of its members up to $500K (including $250K for claims for cash). Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
Features
Chime lists goals. We haven't verified the features for Betterment yet. We checked Chime on Oct 24, 2026.
App store rating
Betterment has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 66,106 ratings. Chime has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 1,629,130 ratings. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026. Store ratings are a dated snapshot from each listing, not our score.
What it costs
BettermentBetterment's base price for investing accounts is $5/month. It switches to 0.25% a year of your investing balance once you set up recurring monthly deposits of $200 or more or reach a $24,000 balance. Premium is 0.65% a year and needs $100,000 invested.
As of · betterment.com/pricing
- Chime
Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one.
Bars show only when every app here lists a yearly price, so these prices sit side by side without them. Prices are list prices from each app's own page, before tax and any offer. Investing fees appear as each company states them. A yearly advisory fee is a percent of your balance, not a monthly price, so it never gets a bar or a price tag.
At a glance
APY
- Betterment
- Not verified yet
- Chime
- 1.00% to 4.00% APY
Source
- Betterment: Not verified yet.
- Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. The rate is variable. Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits. help.chime.com/what-is-annual-percentage-yield-apy-dfafd381, as of Oct 24, 2026.
App Store rating
- Betterment
- 4.866,106 ratings
- Chime
- 4.81,629,130 ratings
Source
- Betterment has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 66,106 ratings. App Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Chime has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 1,629,130 ratings. App Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Platforms
- Betterment
- Not verified yet
- Chime
- Not verified yet
Source
- Betterment: Not verified yet.
- Chime: Not verified yet.
Minimums
- Betterment
- Not verified yet
- Chime
- Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement.
Source
- Betterment: Not verified yet.
- Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement. help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Account minimum
- Betterment
- Betterment says pricing for its investment portfolios begins at $5/month, with no minimum balance.
- Chime
- Not verified yet
Source
- Betterment says pricing for its investment portfolios begins at $5/month, with no minimum balance. betterment.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Chime: Not verified yet.
Stock and ETF commissions
- Betterment
- Betterment says you'll pay no trading commissions on stocks and ETFs, and its management fee doesn't apply to those trades.
- Chime
- Not verified yet
Source
- Betterment says you'll pay no trading commissions on stocks and ETFs, and its management fee doesn't apply to those trades. betterment.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Chime: Not verified yet.
Protection
- Betterment
- Betterment Securities is a member of SIPC, which protects securities of its members up to $500K (including $250K for claims for cash).
- Chime
- Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met.
Source
- Betterment Securities is a member of SIPC, which protects securities of its members up to $500K (including $250K for claims for cash). betterment.com, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met. help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Features
| Feature | Betterment | Chime |
|---|---|---|
| Savings goals | Not verified yet | Listed by the source |
✓ means the official site lists it. ? means we haven't verified it yet, not that the app lacks it. Chime: help.chime.com/what-are-chime-savings-goals-4aef8222, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Screen by screen
Pick a task to see what each app shows for it. App Store and Google Play images are the apps' own marketing, so they can show sample data and staged layouts. Help center images come from the app's support articles. See every app's screens.
Home
Betterment
No official screen found yet
Chime
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "America's #1 Choice for Banking" showing an Available balance with Savings, Cash back, MyPay and Direct Deposit tiles.App Store listing, as of
Goals
Betterment
No official screen found yet
Chime
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with a savings APY headline showing a Savings screen with goals like Wedding and Emergency fund.App Store listing, as of
Card controls
Betterment
No official screen found yet
Chime
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Earn 5% cash back with Chime Card." showing a Your cards screen with an Add to Apple Wallet button.App Store listing, as of
Settings and security
Betterment
No official screen found yet
Chime
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Serious security and real-time alerts" showing a Security Center at 100% and a suspicious activity alert.App Store listing, as of
Other screens
Betterment
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 1 of 4 from the Betterment listing.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 2 of 4 from the Betterment listing.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 3 of 4 from the Betterment listing.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image 4 of 4 from the Betterment listing.App Store listing, as of
Chime
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Increase your credit score up to 70 pts" showing a credit score gauge at 720.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with the headline "Get up to $500 of your pay when you say" showing a MyPay screen with $275 available.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageApp Store image with a fee-free ATMs headline showing a map with ATM pins.App Store listing, as of
Betterment and Chime, side by side
Rows marked “Differs” are where the official sources say different things, and 2 rows do here.
Swipe the table sideways to see both apps.
| Field | BettermentInvesting appBetterment is an automated investing app with managed portfolios, IRAs and other retirement accounts, and commission-free stock and ETF trading.Visit Betterment's site | ChimeBanking appChime is a financial technology company, not a bank, that offers checking and savings accounts through partner banks.Visit Chime's site |
|---|---|---|
| Price and fees | Not verified yet. | Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c |
| Management or subscription fee | Betterment's base price for investing accounts is $5/month. It switches to 0.25% a year of your investing balance once you set up recurring monthly deposits of $200 or more or reach a $24,000 balance. Premium is 0.65% a year and needs $100,000 invested.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: betterment.com/pricing | Not verified yet. |
| APY or rate | Not verified yet. | Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. The rate is variable.Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-annual-percentage-yield-apy-dfafd381 |
| Opening and balance minimums | Not verified yet. | Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c |
| Account minimum | Betterment says pricing for its investment portfolios begins at $5/month, with no minimum balance.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: betterment.com/pricing | Not verified yet. |
| Stock and ETF commissions | Betterment says you'll pay no trading commissions on stocks and ETFs, and its management fee doesn't apply to those trades.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: betterment.com/pricing | Not verified yet. |
| Account types | Betterment lists these account types: Taxable investing accounts, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, Solo 401(k) and HSA.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: betterment.com/pricing | Not verified yet. |
| Fractional shares | Not verified yet. | Not verified yet. |
| Automatic investing | Betterment says it automates portfolio rebalancing, dividend reinvesting and taxes for you.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: betterment.com | Not verified yet. |
| Managed portfolios (robo) | Betterment says it builds a diversified portfolio and handles all trading, rebalancing and tax management for you.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: betterment.com | Not verified yet. |
| ProtectionDiffers | Betterment Securities is a member of SIPC, which protects securities of its members up to $500K (including $250K for claims for cash).As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: betterment.com | Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c |
| Platforms | Not verified yet. | Not verified yet. |
| Features | Not verified yet. |
|
| App store ratingDiffers | Betterment has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 66,106 ratings.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: App Store listing | Chime has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 1,629,130 ratings.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: App Store listing |
App store ratings are a dated snapshot from each store listing, not our score. “Not verified yet” means we don't have a current official source for that line. How we source and date this data. Spotted a change? Tell us if something changed.
Weighing a third option? Add up to two more apps to this table and compare up to four side by side.
Who it's for
Pick the tab that sounds like you. The questions come from app help centers, FAQ pages and user forums, and every answer comes from the app's own pages, with the date we checked it.
Just me
Budgeting on your own? These are the basics people ask about first.
Is it free?
Betterment
Not verified yet
Chime
Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one.
As of . Source: help.chime.com
Partners
Sharing money with a partner? Here's how each app handles a second person.
Can my partner use their own login details?
Betterment
Not verified yet
Chime
Yes. Your partner gets their own login.
In their words: “To open and keep a joint account, each co-owner must have their own active Chime Checking Account.”
As of . Source: help.chime.com
How many people can share one account?
Betterment
Not verified yet
Chime
Up to 2 people, including you.
In their words: “A joint account is a checking account owned and shared by two people to manage money together.”
As of . Source: help.chime.com
Can we keep shared and individual views?
Betterment
Not verified yet
Chime
Yes. You can keep shared and individual views.
In their words: “To open and keep a joint account, each co-owner must have their own active Chime Checking Account.”
As of . Source: help.chime.com
Family
Bringing in more of the household? Here's what each app says about families and kids. See apps with custodial accounts for kids.
How many people can share one account?
Betterment
Not verified yet
Chime
Up to 2 people, including you.
In their words: “A joint account is a checking account owned and shared by two people to manage money together.”
As of . Source: help.chime.com
Freelancer
Paid on an uneven schedule or running a side hustle? Here's what each app offers. See apps with a SEP IRA or Solo 401(k).
Can I mix business and personal expenses in this app?
Betterment
Not verified yet
Chime
No.
In their words: “We don't currently support business accounts.”
As of . Source: help.chime.com
Business
Running a small business? Here's what each app says about business money.
Can I mix business and personal expenses in this app?
Betterment
Not verified yet
Chime
No.
In their words: “We don't currently support business accounts.”
As of . Source: help.chime.com
“Not verified yet” means we haven't found a current official source that answers it, not that the app can't. We only say no when the app's own page does.
Which fits your Money Type?
There are four Money Types: Strategist, Spender, Saver and Scrambler. Each card matches one type to what the sources say about these two apps.
StrategistNeither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.
First fix: Save the Raise.
SpenderChime lists goals. A goal gives a Spender a reason to pause before buying, which is the Sleep on It fix.
First fix: Sleep on It.
SaverChime lists an APY on deposits. That fits a Saver, whose first fix is putting saved money to work.
First fix: Put It to Work.
ScramblerNeither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.
First fix: Bills First.
Not sure which one you are? Take the free Money Types quiz. It takes about two minutes.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Another option: Fifecta
If neither Betterment nor Chime feels right, here is one more option to look at. Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, and it starts from your Money Type, so the plan matches how you already handle money.
What real users say
These are other people's opinions, not Priceless Tay's. We quote public reviews and posts word for word, link each one and show its date, but we haven't checked the claims in them. A post counts toward a theme when it uses one of that theme's keywords, so a mention can be praise or a complaint.
What Chime users say
Based on 500 App Store reviews, 7 Reddit posts, 1 YouTube video and 2 Hacker News posts dated May 2026 to Oct 2026, read Oct 2026. We collected the Reddit and YouTube data with Apify, a scraping service, on Oct 24, 2026.
- Of the 510 reviews, posts and videos we read, 83 mention deposits, transfers or getting paid.
- Of the 510 reviews, posts and videos we read, 45 mention how easy or hard the app is to use.
- Of the 510 reviews, posts and videos we read, 40 mention customer service or support.
Positive
“It’s the best banking app out there in my opinion. You can get paid two days earlier than your paycheck...”
Critical
“Worst customer service and dispute resolution it takes over 3 months so they can tell you your dispute was denied...”
Mixed
“I've had chime for 3 years and for the most part it's been a great experience.”
Where these come from
- Chime reviews on the App Store, read Oct 24, 2026. The public feed returns the 500 most recent US reviews. We kept every one dated inside the window.
- Hacker News search for Chime, read Oct 24, 2026. Public search of comments and posts. 13 named the app; we kept 2 where the writer shares their own use of it.
- Reddit search for Chime, collected Oct 24, 2026. Collected with Apify (harshmaur/reddit-scraper) on Oct 24 2026: a keyword search for "Chime bank", posts and comments from after Oct 24 2025. It returned 61, most of them about something else. We kept 7 where the writer shares their own use of the app or a clear opinion of it. We left out moderators, bots, company accounts, referral posts and people promoting their own apps.
- YouTube search for Chime, collected Oct 24, 2026. Collected with Apify (streamers/youtube-scraper) on Oct 24 2026: a search for "Chime bank review" from the past year, up to 8 videos. It returned 8. We kept 1 and left out the app's own channel, sponsored videos, videos with affiliate or referral links and videos about a different product. We count themes from each video's title, description and captions, but we don't quote videos, because the captions we have carry no timestamps.
- u/Beautiful_Boat3144 in r/CashApp on Reddit, Oct 24, 2026.
- u/Dankdefender420 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 24, 2026.
- u/Sure-Resist-1415 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/LittleLotteRae in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/Extreme_Set485 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/Revolutionary_Ad1168 in r/Mercari on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/dnyte270 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 22, 2026.
- devchix on Hacker News, Oct 22, 2026.
- jimz on Hacker News, Jun 25, 2026.
- "Why I Will NEVER Use Chime Bank Again (Shocking Truth)" by Credit Card Blueprint on YouTube, May 17, 2026.
FAQ
How much does Betterment charge?
Betterment's base price for investing accounts is $5/month. It switches to 0.25% a year of your investing balance once you set up recurring monthly deposits of $200 or more or reach a $24,000 balance. Premium is 0.65% a year and needs $100,000 invested. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
How much does Chime cost?
Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
What is Betterment's app store rating?
Betterment has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 66,106 ratings. That's a snapshot from the store listing on Oct 24, 2026, not our score.
What APY does Chime list?
Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. Chime says the rate is variable. Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
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Keep comparing
- See Betterment alternatives, closest category first.
- See Chime alternatives, closest category first.
- Browse our guide to the low-cost brokerage accounts.
- Want the bigger picture? Compare more money apps.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Want a plan built on your Money Type?
Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, so you know where each dollar goes.
Sources and confidence
- Last checked
- Not verified yet
- 3 of 17 facts
Betterment8 of 10 verified, 2 not verified yet, last checked Oct 24, 2026
- Management or subscription feebetterment.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Account minimumbetterment.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Stock and ETF commissionsbetterment.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Account typesbetterment.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Fractional sharesNot verified yet
- Automatic investingbetterment.com, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Managed portfolios (robo)betterment.com, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Protectionbetterment.com, as of Oct 24, 2026
- PlatformsNot verified yet
- App store ratingApp Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026
Chime6 of 7 verified, 1 not verified yet, last checked Oct 24, 2026
- Price and feeshelp.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026
- APY or ratehelp.chime.com/what-is-annual-percentage-yield-apy-dfafd381, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Minimumshelp.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Protectionhelp.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026
- PlatformsNot verified yet
- Featureshelp.chime.com/what-are-chime-savings-goals-4aef8222, as of Oct 24, 2026
- App store ratingApp Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Reference: sipc.org/for-investors/what-sipc-protects, checked Oct 24, 2026.
Each fact links to the official page it came from, with the date we checked it. Once a fact is older than its app's window (8 days for apps whose rates change often, 35 days for the rest), it reads “Not verified yet” until we check it again. How we source, date and index this data.
This is education, not financial advice.
