Brandwave

Betterment vs Charles Schwab:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Charles Schwab had more branded searches than Betterment among investment apps worldwide. Charles Schwab had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Betterment had 110,000. Charles Schwab made up 55.4% of all investment app searches we track, and Betterment accounted for 1.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about investment apps, Charles Schwab appeared in three of the five answers and Betterment in two. Charles Schwab was mentioned before Betterment in two out of three answers that named either.

Among investment apps worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Charles Schwab, about 30 searches for every 1 for Betterment

Charles Schwab 3.4M searchesBetterment 110K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Charles Schwab, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Betterment in 2

Charles Schwab in 3 of 5Betterment in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Charles Schwab, named ahead of Betterment in 2 of 3 answers

Charles Schwab first in 2Betterment first in 1

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Top investment apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Charles Schwab was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Betterment was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Charles Schwab was listed before Betterment in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Fidelity1st
  2. Robinhood2nd
  3. Charles Schwab3rd
  4. Acorns4th
  5. Betterment5th
  6. Webull6th
  7. Public7th
  8. Wealthfront–
  9. Stash–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Robinhood5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Fidelity5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Charles Schwab3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Webull3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Acorns3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Betterment2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Public1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Wealthfront0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Stash0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about investment apps

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Betterment or Charles Schwab more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Betterment and Charles Schwab by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine investment apps we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Betterment and Charles Schwab among investment apps worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Charles Schwab, Betterment. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCharles SchwabRobinhoodFidelityWebullWealthfrontBettermentAcornsStashPublic
Oct 202551.7%29.3%8.7%6%2.1%1.7%0.23%0.15%0.07%
Nov 202548.2%33.2%9.9%4.6%1.9%1.6%0.21%0.16%0.07%
Dec 202550.9%28.9%10.5%4.9%2.5%1.7%0.27%0.2%0.08%
Jan 202653.2%25.1%11.2%5.1%2.6%2.1%0.35%0.22%0.07%
Feb 202654.9%25.9%9.5%4.3%2.7%2.2%0.24%0.16%0.08%
Mar 202654.7%26.1%9.4%4.3%2.7%2.2%0.24%0.18%0.08%
Apr 202653.7%25.4%11.2%4.3%2.6%2.2%0.24%0.18%0.1%
May 202658.2%23.1%10%4.6%1.9%1.6%0.21%0.19%0.09%
Jun 202655.4%26.8%9.7%4.4%1.8%1.5%0.2%0.15%0.08%
Jul 202653.6%26.3%11.4%4.3%2.2%1.8%0.24%0.18%0.08%
Aug 202651.2%29.8%10.7%4.1%2.1%1.7%0.23%0.17%0.07%
Sep 202655.4%26.3%9.3%4.4%2.2%1.8%0.3%0.19%0.08%

How has the Betterment and Charles Schwab comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Charles Schwab was ahead of Betterment in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Betterment’s share of searches among investment apps worldwide moved from 1.7% to 1.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 110K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Charles Schwab’s share of searches among investment apps worldwide moved from 51.7% to 55.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.1M to 3.4M.

How did search popularity change for investment apps worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Charles Schwab gained share of searches among investment apps worldwide, from 51.2% to 55.4%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Betterment worldwide fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 110K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Betterment’s and Charles Schwab’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Betterment

1 branded search term

  • betterment

Charles Schwab

1 branded search term

  • schwab app

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among investment apps

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