Quick Summary
- Fidelity Go charges 0% for balances under $25,000 β one of the lowest fees in robo-advising
- Portfolios are built with Fidelity Flex mutual funds, which carry no underlying expense ratios
- Accounts over $25,000 pay 0.35% annually and gain access to one-on-one financial coaching
- Best suited for Fidelity customers who want a hands-off, low-cost managed account
Bottom line: Fidelity Go is an excellent robo-advisor for cost-conscious investors β especially those already in the Fidelity ecosystem. The free tier for smaller accounts is genuinely unmatched.
Picture this: you open a brokerage account, transfer $5,000, and thenβ¦ nothing. The money just sits there in cash because picking investments feels overwhelming. Sound familiar? Fidelity Go was built for exactly that scenario β a robo-advisor that handles the investment decisions so you don’t have to.
But does it actually deliver? In this Fidelity Go review, we’ll break down fees, investment strategy, how it stacks up against competitors, and who it makes the most sense for in 2026.
What Is Fidelity Go?
Fidelity Go is the robo-advisor arm of Fidelity Investments, one of the largest financial services companies in the world. Launched in 2016, it offers automated portfolio management with no minimums, no trading commissions, and zero advisory fees for accounts under $25,000. It’s fully integrated into the Fidelity platform, meaning existing Fidelity customers can activate it without opening a new account elsewhere.
Fidelity Go Fees: What You’ll Actually Pay
This is where Fidelity Go genuinely stands out:
- Under $25,000: $0 advisory fee
- $25,000 and above: 0.35% annually
- Underlying fund expenses: $0 (Fidelity Flex funds have no expense ratio)
For comparison, Betterment charges 0.25% on all balances, and Wealthfront also charges 0.25%. Fidelity Go’s free tier for accounts below $25,000 is the most competitive offering in the robo-advisor space. A $10,000 account at Fidelity Go costs you nothing in management fees; the same account at Betterment costs $25/year.
Once your balance crosses $25,000, the 0.35% fee is slightly higher than competitors, but it comes with a benefit: access to human financial coaching.
Account Minimums
Fidelity Go has no minimum balance requirement to open an account β you can start with $1. However, your portfolio won’t be invested until you reach $10. This makes it accessible to beginners or people just getting started with investing.
Investment Strategy: How Fidelity Go Invests Your Money
When you sign up, Fidelity Go asks a series of questions about your timeline, risk tolerance, and financial goals. Based on your answers, it assigns you to one of several risk-based portfolios ranging from conservative (heavy bonds) to aggressive (heavy stocks).
Portfolios are built entirely from Fidelity Flex mutual funds β a proprietary fund family with zero expense ratios. This is a meaningful cost advantage. Most robo-advisors use ETFs with underlying expense ratios of 0.03β0.20%, which add up over time. Fidelity Go’s use of zero-cost funds means your total cost is just the advisory fee (or nothing for smaller accounts).
The portfolios include:
- Fidelity Flex U.S. Bond Index Fund
- Fidelity Flex International Index Fund
- Fidelity Flex 500 Index Fund (S&P 500 exposure)
- Fidelity Flex U.S. Extended Market Index Fund (small/mid-cap)
- Short-term bond and cash equivalents for conservative allocations
The strategy is passive and diversified β no stock picking, no market timing, just broad market exposure weighted to your risk profile. The portfolio automatically rebalances when allocations drift too far from their targets.
Performance: How Has Fidelity Go Done?
Like most robo-advisors, Fidelity Go doesn’t publish specific portfolio performance figures. The portfolios closely track their underlying indexes, so performance is largely determined by the stock and bond markets themselves rather than any active management decisions.
Aggressive portfolios (heavy equity) have performed well over the past several years given stock market returns. Conservative portfolios have been more volatile in the rising-rate environment of 2022β2023, though bond allocations have partially recovered since.
The key point: Fidelity Go’s performance is index-level performance, which beats the average actively managed fund over most 10-year periods. You’re not trying to beat the market β you’re trying to capture it efficiently. For that goal, the strategy is sound.
Features and Extras
Financial Coaching (Accounts $25,000+)
Balances above $25,000 unlock access to one-on-one sessions with Fidelity financial coaches β actual humans who can discuss your broader financial picture, not just your Fidelity Go portfolio. This is a meaningful differentiator from competitors like Betterment and Wealthfront, which offer human advisor access only at higher tiers or additional fees.
Fidelity Ecosystem Integration
Fidelity Go lives inside the Fidelity app alongside brokerage accounts, IRAs, 401(k)s, and the full suite of Fidelity products. If you’re already a Fidelity customer, this is a significant convenience β one login, one dashboard, one interface.
Tax-Loss Harvesting
Notably absent from Fidelity Go. Wealthfront and Betterment (above certain thresholds) both offer automated tax-loss harvesting, which can add 0.2β0.8% in after-tax returns annually for taxable accounts. Fidelity Go does not offer this feature, which is a real gap for high-income investors with large taxable accounts.
Account Types Available
- Individual taxable brokerage
- Traditional IRA
- Roth IRA
- Rollover IRA
No joint accounts, 529 plans, or trusts β another limitation compared to Wealthfront, which supports a broader range of account types.
Fidelity Go vs. Competitors
| Feature | Fidelity Go | Betterment | Wealthfront |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory Fee | 0% / 0.35% | 0.25% | 0.25% |
| Minimum Balance | $0 | $0 | $500 |
| Tax-Loss Harvesting | No | Yes | Yes |
| Human Advisor Access | Yes ($25K+) | Premium tier | No |
| Fund Expense Ratios | 0% | ~0.08% | ~0.06% |
Pros and Cons
β Pros:
- Free for balances under $25,000 β genuinely unmatched in the robo-advisor market
- Zero underlying fund expense ratios via Fidelity Flex funds
- Seamless integration with Fidelity’s broader ecosystem
- Human coaching access at the $25K tier
- No minimum to open
β Cons:
- No tax-loss harvesting (a real gap for taxable accounts over $100K)
- Limited account types (no joint accounts, 529, trusts)
- 0.35% fee above $25K is slightly higher than Betterment/Wealthfront
- Not ideal for more sophisticated investors who want customization
Who Should Use Fidelity Go?
Fidelity Go is an excellent choice for:
- Beginners who want to invest but don’t know where to start
- Existing Fidelity customers who want a managed option within their existing account structure
- IRAs under $25,000 β the zero-fee tier makes it the best-value managed IRA option available
- Set-and-forget investors who want diversification without any ongoing decisions
It’s less ideal for high-income investors with large taxable accounts (where tax-loss harvesting matters) or those who want a wider range of account types.
Final Verdict
The Fidelity Go review verdict: it’s a genuinely excellent robo-advisor β especially for the free tier. The combination of zero management fees on smaller accounts and zero underlying fund expenses makes it the most cost-efficient option for investors with portfolios under $25,000. The Fidelity ecosystem integration is a bonus for existing customers.
If you’re looking to put your investing on autopilot without paying unnecessary fees, Fidelity Go deserves serious consideration.
Get Started with Fidelity Go β
Want more investing insights?
Get weekly ETF picks, stock analysis, and market breakdowns.
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. All opinions are our own. See our Editorial Policy for details.
