PortfolioPilot vs Range: Which Is Better in 2026?

Last updated November 2026

Short answer

PortfolioPilot is an AI investing app that connects the brokerage you already use; Range is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing). Best for a second opinion on an existing portfolio: PortfolioPilot (free; Gold $20, Platinum $49, Pro $99 a month billed yearly (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 PortfolioPilot 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.

PortfolioPilot vs Range at a glance

 PortfolioPilotRange
CategoryConnected AI investing appsHands-off automated investing (robo-advisors)
What the AI doesAnalyzes accounts and advisesSoftware layer over human advice
Connects your brokerYesAggregates accounts for the advice picture
Read vs tradeAdvice only; it cannot change your investmentsAdvisor-managed where applicable
CostFree; Gold $20, Platinum $49, Pro $99 a month billed yearly (Oct 2026)$3,950 to $12,500/yr flat membership, no AUM fee (Oct 2026)
Best forA second opinion on an existing portfolioHigh earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership
One limitationAdvice-and-analysis focused; it cannot change your investments, so every trade is placed by you at your broker.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 PortfolioPilot?

Connects your accounts and gives AI-generated portfolio recommendations and risk analysis. Best for a second opinion on an existing portfolio.

How it works: You link your investment accounts and PortfolioPilot analyzes the whole picture, scoring risk, fees, and diversification and generating specific, ranked recommendations, including held-away accounts and alternative assets. You review the advice and a projected impact, then place any trades yourself at your own broker. Higher tiers add more back-and-forth AI interaction.

In practice, PortfolioPilot’s AI analyzes accounts and advises. It is an AI investing app that connects the brokerage you already use, best suited to a second opinion on an existing portfolio. On connecting an account: yes. On execution: advice only; it cannot change your investments. Cost: free; Gold $20, Platinum $49, Pro $99 a month billed yearly (Oct 2026).

One real limitation: Advice-and-analysis focused; it cannot change your investments, so every trade is placed by you at your broker.

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.

PortfolioPilot vs Range: how they actually differ

Category comes first. PortfolioPilot focuses on a second opinion on an existing portfolio (analyzes accounts and advises), and Range on high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership (software layer over human advice). On broker connection they differ too: PortfolioPilot is “Yes” 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.

PortfolioPilot 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.

PortfolioPilot

Where it is strong

  • Whole-portfolio risk, fee, and diversification analysis across linked accounts
  • Specific, ranked recommendations
  • Covers held-away accounts and some alternative assets

What to watch out for

  • It advises but does not execute, so you still act at your broker separately
  • The most useful features sit behind paid tiers, from $20 a month billed yearly (October 2026)

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.

  • PortfolioPilot: reads your real connected holdings. PortfolioPilot connects your real brokerage (Yes) and works from your actual positions, so its answers reflect what you actually own.
  • 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.

On this specific question the two land on the same side, so the deciding factors between them are elsewhere: category, cost, and who each is built for. 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.

PortfolioPilot vs Range: which should you choose?

Each one wins a different job, so the answer depends on which job you need done.

  • Choose PortfolioPilot if you want a second opinion on an existing portfolio. Its AI analyzes accounts and advises, and it costs free; Gold $20, Platinum $49, Pro $99 a month billed yearly (Oct 2026). It is built for investors who want an AI second opinion and a risk check across everything they own. Keep in mind: advice-and-analysis focused; it cannot change your investments, so every trade is placed by you at your broker.
  • 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 they sit in different categories, this is not strictly either-or: some investors use one for a second opinion on an existing portfolio and the other for high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership, and watch for overlapping costs.

PortfolioPilot 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. PortfolioPilot: free; Gold $20, Platinum $49, Pro $99 a month billed yearly (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 PortfolioPilot 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 PortfolioPilot or Range better?

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PortfolioPilot is better for a second opinion on an existing portfolio (free; Gold $20, Platinum $49, Pro $99 a month billed yearly (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)). PortfolioPilot is an AI investing app that connects the brokerage you already use 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 PortfolioPilot and Range?

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PortfolioPilot is an AI investing app that connects the brokerage you already use: it analyzes accounts and advises. Range is a robo-advisor (hands-off automated investing): it software layer over human advice. PortfolioPilot suits a second opinion on an existing portfolio; Range suits high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership.

Is PortfolioPilot or Range better for beginners?

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Range is the more beginner-friendly of the two (high earners with equity compensation, on a flat membership). The other is better once you know what you want from it. Neither replaces understanding what you own.

Does PortfolioPilot connect to my brokerage?

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PortfolioPilot: yes (reads your real connected holdings). 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 PortfolioPilot see my real holdings?

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PortfolioPilot connects your real brokerage (Yes) and works from your actual positions, so its answers reflect what you actually own. 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.

PortfolioPilot vs Range: which is cheaper?

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PortfolioPilot: free; Gold $20, Platinum $49, Pro $99 a month billed yearly (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 PortfolioPilot and Range together?

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Often yes, because they do different things: one for a second opinion on an existing portfolio 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 PortfolioPilot best for, and who is Range best for?

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PortfolioPilot best fits investors who want an AI second opinion and a risk check across everything they own. 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 PortfolioPilot and Range?

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With PortfolioPilot, watch for this: it advises but does not execute, so you still act at your broker separately. 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 PortfolioPilot 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.