Ellevest vs Range: Which Is Better in 2026?
Last updated November 2026
Short answer
Ellevest is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing); Range is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing). Best for women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals: Ellevest (1.25%/yr down to 0.35%/yr by balance, $500,000 minimum (Oct 2026)). Best for high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership: Range ($3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026)). Best for a keep, trim or exit read on the stocks you already own, with the trades you approve placed for you: Walnut, an AI investing app (free; Walnut Plus $9.99/mo on the web; no fee on assets).
Both Ellevest and Range get grouped under “AI investing tools,” which is why people compare them. Below is what each one does, whether it reads the brokerage you already use, how each is priced, and who each fits, checked in October 2026. Walnut, which publishes this page, is an AI investing app and is noted where it fits.
Ellevest vs Range at a glance
| Ellevest | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Hands-off automated investing (robo-advisors) | Hands-off automated investing (robo-advisors) |
| What the AI does | No automated investing since April 2025 | Software layer over human advice |
| Connects your broker | No (holds your money at Ellevest) | Aggregates accounts for the advice picture |
| Read vs trade | Managed by advisers | Advisor-managed where applicable |
| Cost | 1.25%/yr down to 0.35%/yr by balance, $500,000 minimum (Oct 2026) | $3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026) |
| Best for | Women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals | High earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership |
| One limitation | Ellevest ended its automated investing service in April 2025, so the low-balance robo-advisor many reviews describe is gone; what remains is wealth management from $500,000. | Aimed at high household income, so the membership is poor value for a simpler situation. |
Prices checked October 2026. A price marked (Oct 2026) was read on the vendor's own pricing page; others are described without a number because we could not verify one.
What is Ellevest?
A wealth manager focused on women that ran an automated investing service until April 2025 and now offers wealth management from $500,000 and planning only.
How it works: Ellevest built goal-based portfolios with planning assumptions that differ by gender, such as earnings curves and life expectancy. Since April 10, 2025 it no longer offers automated investing; it serves clients through wealth management from $500,000, plus a planning-only option.
In practice, Ellevest’s AI no automated investing since April 2025. It is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing), best suited to women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals. On connecting an account: no (holds your money at Ellevest). On execution: managed by advisers. Cost: 1.25%/yr down to 0.35%/yr by balance, $500,000 minimum (Oct 2026).
One real limitation: Ellevest ended its automated investing service in April 2025, so the low-balance robo-advisor many reviews describe is gone; what remains is wealth management from $500,000.
What is Range?
A flat-fee wealth management membership aimed at high-earning professionals, with equity compensation and tax planning at the centre.
How it works: You pay a flat annual membership and get advisors plus software covering equity compensation, tax planning, retirement projections and estate coordination, with accounts aggregated for a whole picture. The design assumes a high income and complexity from RSUs or options, even without a large accumulated balance.
In practice, Range’s AI software layer over human advice. It is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing), best suited to high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership. On connecting an account: aggregates accounts for the advice picture. On execution: advisor-managed where applicable. Cost: $3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026).
One real limitation: Aimed at high household income, so the membership is poor value for a simpler situation.
Ellevest vs Range: how they actually differ
Category comes first. Ellevest focuses on women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals (no automated investing since April 2025), and Range on high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership (software layer over human advice). On broker connection they differ too: Ellevest is “No (holds your money at Ellevest)” versus Range at “Aggregates accounts for the advice picture”. That shapes everything downstream: how personal the answers are, where trades settle, and how much control you keep over individual positions.
Ellevest vs Range: strengths and trade-offs
Every tool gives something up for what it does well. Below is the give-and-take on each, so you can weigh the specific strengths against the limitations that come with them, beyond the headline category.
Ellevest
Where it is strong
- Planning assumptions reflect that career earnings and life expectancy differ, which most models ignore
- Goal-based structure makes the purpose of each pot explicit
What to watch out for
- The automated, low-balance service ended in April 2025, so most older reviews describe a product that is gone
- Wealth management starts at $500,000 and costs up to 1.25% a year
Range
Where it is strong
- Equity compensation is treated as a core problem
- Flat membership means the fee does not scale with a balance that may be growing quickly
- Aggregation across accounts, including ones it does not manage
What to watch out for
- Priced for high earners; a straightforward situation does not need this
- Value depends on using the planning, not just holding the membership
The key divider: does it read your real holdings?
For AI investing tools, the distinction that matters most is whether the tool works from your actual, connected positions or reasons from something else: a separate account it manages for you, or the tickers and numbers you feed it. It decides how personal the answers can be, and where your money physically lives.
- Ellevest: manages a separate account it holds. Ellevest does not read the brokerage you already use. It opens and holds a new account, then invests the money you move into it, so its view is limited to what sits inside Ellevest.
- Range: reads your real connected holdings. Range connects your real brokerage (Aggregates accounts for the advice picture) and works from your actual positions, so its answers reflect what you actually own.
This is where they diverge most. One works from your real, connected account while the other does not, so if you want an assistant grounded in the exact positions you already hold, that gap is the thing to weigh first. This holdings-aware angle is the one Walnut is built around: it connects the brokerage you already use and reasons from your live positions, read-only by default, with any trades left for you to approve.
Ellevest vs Range: which should you choose?
Each one wins a different job, so the answer depends on which job you need done.
- Choose Ellevest if you want women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals. Its AI no automated investing since April 2025, and it costs 1.25%/yr down to 0.35%/yr by balance, $500,000 minimum (Oct 2026). It is built for a woman with at least $500,000 to invest who wants a wealth manager whose planning starts from her own circumstances. Keep in mind: ellevest ended its automated investing service in April 2025, so the low-balance robo-advisor many reviews describe is gone; what remains is wealth management from $500,000.
- Choose Range if you want high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership. Its AI software layer over human advice, and it costs $3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026). It is built for a high-earning professional with RSUs or options whose complexity comes from compensation more than from an accumulated portfolio. Keep in mind: aimed at high household income, so the membership is poor value for a simpler situation.
- Choose Walnut if you want a keep, trim or exit read on the stocks you already own, and placing the trades you approve. It is an AI investing app that connects the broker you already use, and it costs free; Walnut Plus $9.99/mo on the web; no fee on assets.
Because both sit in the same category, the choice comes down to the finer details above. Their basic approach is the same.
Ellevest vs Range: pricing and cost model
Cost is easy to misread when two tools charge in different shapes, so compare the model, not just the number. Ellevest: 1.25%/yr down to 0.35%/yr by balance, $500,000 minimum (Oct 2026). Range: $3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026). A percentage-of-assets fee scales with your balance, a flat subscription does not, and a “free” tier usually earns elsewhere (on cash, order flow, or premium upgrades), so the cheapest headline is not always the cheapest outcome for your situation.
Prices checked October 2026. Pricing and tiers change, so confirm the current numbers on each provider’s own site before you decide.
Where Walnut fits
Walnut is an AI investing app, and it is the pick for a keep, trim or exit read on the stocks you already own, and placing the trades you approve (free; Walnut Plus $9.99/mo on the web; no fee on assets). It connects the brokerage you already use, read-only by default, gives each holding a keep, trim or exit read against the S&P 500, flags any position above a quarter of the portfolio, and places the trades you approve. You use it through its own assistant, or inside Claude or ChatGPT. See Walnut vs Ellevest and Walnut vs Range.
Try Walnut on top of your broker
Free. Connect the broker you already use, and ask anything about what you own.
FAQ
Is Ellevest or Range better?
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Ellevest is better for women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals (1.25%/yr down to 0.35%/yr by balance, $500,000 minimum (Oct 2026)). Range is better for high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership ($3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026)). Ellevest is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing) and Range is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing), so the right pick is the one whose job you want done.
What is the difference between Ellevest and Range?
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Ellevest is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing): it no automated investing since April 2025. Range is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing): it software layer over human advice. Ellevest suits women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals; Range suits high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership.
Is Ellevest or Range better for beginners?
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Ellevest is the more beginner-friendly of the two (women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals). The other is better once you know what you want from it. Neither replaces understanding what you own.
Does Ellevest connect to my brokerage?
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Ellevest: no (holds your money at Ellevest) (manages a separate account it holds). Range: aggregates accounts for the advice picture (reads your real connected holdings). If keeping your current broker matters, that distinction is often the deciding factor.
Does Ellevest see my real holdings?
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Ellevest does not read the brokerage you already use. It opens and holds a new account, then invests the money you move into it, so its view is limited to what sits inside Ellevest. By contrast, Range reads your real connected holdings: Range connects your real brokerage (Aggregates accounts for the advice picture) and works from your actual positions, so its answers reflect what you actually own.
Ellevest vs Range: which is cheaper?
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Ellevest: 1.25%/yr down to 0.35%/yr by balance, $500,000 minimum (Oct 2026). Range: $3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026). A percentage of assets grows with your balance and a flat subscription does not, so compare in dollars at your balance. Prices marked (Oct 2026) were checked on the vendor's own site in October 2026.
Can I use Ellevest and Range together?
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Often yes, because they do different things: one for women with $500,000 or more who want wealth management built around their goals and the other for high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership. Watch for overlapping subscription costs, and remember that trades settle in whatever account actually holds your money.
Who is Ellevest best for, and who is Range best for?
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Ellevest best fits a woman with at least $500,000 to invest who wants a wealth manager whose planning starts from her own circumstances. Range best fits a high-earning professional with RSUs or options whose complexity comes from compensation more than from an accumulated portfolio. If you see yourself in one description more than the other, that is usually the clearer signal than any single feature or price.
What are the main trade-offs between Ellevest and Range?
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With Ellevest, watch for this: the automated, low-balance service ended in April 2025, so most older reviews describe a product that is gone. With Range: priced for high earners; a straightforward situation does not need this. Pick the trade-off you can live with given the job you want done.
Where does Walnut fit between Ellevest and Range?
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Walnut is an AI investing app, and it is the pick for a keep, trim or exit read on the stocks you already own, and placing the trades you approve (free; Walnut Plus $9.99/mo on the web; no fee on assets). It connects the brokerage you already use, read-only by default, gives each holding a keep, trim or exit read against the S&P 500, builds thematic baskets with target weights, and places the trades you approve. You use it through its own assistant, or inside Claude or ChatGPT.
Related comparisons
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Competitor features and pricing are point-in-time and change; verify the current details on each provider's site before deciding. Nothing here is a recommendation to use any particular product or security.