Guideline vs. Betterment at Work

Compare the 401(k) providers and see why 60,000+1 businesses & 1,000,000+2 have trusted Guideline with their retirement.
  • Lower-cost plan options available3
  • Plans designed for businesses of all sizes
  • Direct, custom payroll integrations with 99% data sync accuracy4
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Chart comparing Guideline's 60,000+ plans signed vs Betterment's 4,200+ plans signed
Chart comparing Guideline's 60,000+ plans signed vs Betterment's 4,200+ plans signed
A modern 401(k) with a human touch
60K+
active businesses1
$15B+
invested for retirement5
93%
customer satisfaction score6
4 Hours
average response time7

Fees

Guideline logo
Betterment at Work
  • Standalone setup fee
    $0
    $500 for new plans, $1,000 for conversion plans8
  • Monthly plan fee

    $39 + $4 per participant (Starter)

    $89 + $8 per participant (Core)

    $149 + per participant fee (Enterprise)9

    $100 + $5 per participant (Essential)

    $150 + 6 per participant (Pro)

    Custom pricing (Flagship)8

  • Number of plan pricing tiers
    3
    3
  • Yearly asset-based fees
    0.15%-0.35% 10
    0.25%8
  • Transaction Fees
    No
    Yes
  • Fund/ETF menu expense ratios
    0.04% - 0.17%11
    0.02%-0.50%12

Services

Guideline logo
Betterment at Work
  • Online Setup
    Yes
    Yes
  • Direct Connection with ALL Integrated Payroll Providers
    Yes
    No, uses third-party for some payroll integrations13
  • Integration Data Sync Frequency
    Every 24 Hours
    Not Listed
  • 3(38) investment management fiduciary
    Yes
    Yes8
  • 3(16) plan administration fiduciary
    Yes
    Yes8
  • IRS filing prep & support for all pricing plans
    Yes
    Yes
  • Ongoing compliance testing for all standard 401(k) plans
    Yes
    Yes
  • Tax credit assistance for all pricing plans
    Yes14
    Yes

Investments

Guideline logo
Betterment at Work
  • Mutual funds
    Yes
    No
  • ESG funds15
    Yes
    Yes
  • Professionally managed portfolios
    Yes
    Yes
  • Flexibility to choose own investments
    Yes
    Yes
  • Automatic rebalancing
    Yes
    Yes

Hear what customers have to say about Guideline

Veronica S.

Goving & Associates

"We switched our 401(k) over to Guideline and I haven’t thought about 401(k) in five months. It’s HR nirvana."



Client of Guideline. Views may not be representative of other clients.

Melissa W.

Zipline

"We chose Guideline because we didn't want the overhead, management or complexity of traditional options. Guideline is practically a 1-click setup that integrates with our payroll system and is incredibly easy to manage."



Client of Guideline. Views may not be representative of other clients.

Ben C.

The Well Counseling Center

"Guideline consistently provides fast, easy-to-decipher customer support to me and our team."



Client of Guideline. Views may not be representative of other clients.

Carol P.

RedKnot Resource Group

"With Guideline, it feels like we've put 401(k) administration on auto-pilot. Guideline 401(k) enables us to give our employees a big benefit without our small business hiring in-house expertise."



Client of Guideline. Views may not be representative of other clients.

Cliff J.

North Valley Counseling

"Guideline 401(k) customer service is incredible. Clear, totally supportive, and an actual person on the phone whenever you need them."



Client of Guideline. Views may not be representative of other clients.
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  • 1
    As of April 2025
  • 2
    Total number of Savers, both active and non-active, that have participated in Guideline products from 2016-2024.
  • 3
    When considering Guideline’s Starter Plan cost vs Betterment’s Essential plan cost, plan setup fees, and yearly asset-based fees. See here for more information regarding Guideline’s fees or view our Form ADV 2A Brochure. See Betterment’s Pricing Page or their Form 2A Brochure for more information regarding fees.
  • 4
    Based on Guideline internal analytics as of May 2025
  • 5
    As of April 2025
  • 6
    Guideline’s average customer satisfaction score (CSAT) based on feedback received from 1/1/2024 to 12/31/2024
  • 7
    Based on internal statistics as of December 2023.
  • 8
    For additional details regarding Betterment’s fees and costs, you can visit Betterment’s 401(k) Pricing Page or their Form ADV 2A Brochure.
  • 9
    See here for more information regarding Guideline’s fees or view our Form ADV 2A Brochure.
  • 10
    Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) product (when 3(38) fiduciary services are appointed) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. An assumed annual account fee of 0.15% is applied to assets under management and is deducted on a monthly basis. It’s calculated at 1/12 of the annual stated rate (0.15%) based on the account balance on the last day of each month. Alternative account fee pricing is available, ranging from 0.15% to 0.35%. Contact Sales at hello@guideline.com to learn more about exclusive pricing options available in Enterprise tier. See the Form ADV 2A Brochure for more information regarding this fee.
  • 11
    Mutual fund expense ratios are charged by- and paid to- the fund manager that manages the mutual funds themselves and are subject to change without notice. Vanguard’s annual expense ratio is calculated by dividing the fund’s operational expenses by its average net assets. Expense ratios for custom portfolios will vary as the expense ratios of the 40 funds made available in our lineup range from 0.04%-0.17%. View our full fund lineup here.
  • 12
    The ETFs available in Betterments investment portfolios have expense ratios ranging from 0.02% to 0.50%. Expense ratio information provided is as of 5/31/2025. For more information please go to Betterment’s Investments Page.
  • 13
    Per Finch as of 5/31/2025.
  • 14
    Tax credit services provided by MainStreet. Guideline is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or compensated by MainStreet and their subsidiaries or its affiliates. Nor, does Guideline endorse or recommend any of the services or products marketed by MainStreet. Please contact a financial, tax, and/or legal advisor to determine if their applications and products are appropriate for your specific circumstance.
  • 15

    Both Guideline Investments, LLC and Betterment offer the Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund Admiral Shares Fund (Ticker: VFTAX) as an ESG option. Betterment Advisors offers TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond Fund (Ticker: TSIBX) as an additional ESG option. Please see Guideline Investments, LLC full fund lineup here. Please see Betterment’s full fund lineup Betterment’s Investments Page. Read the prospectus carefully for the fund's full investment objective. ESG funds are subject to ESG investment risk, which is the chance that the stocks or bonds screened by the index provider or advisor, as applicable, for ESG criteria generally will underperform the market as a whole or, in the aggregate, will trail returns of other funds screened for ESG criteria.

  • †
    This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as tax advice. Please consult a tax professional to determine what types of tax credits or deductions your company is eligible to claim.

Guideline.com is owned and operated by Guideline, Inc. This website contains content from Guideline, Inc. and its affiliates, each a separate entity with different regulatory marketing requirements and standards. References to "our" or "we" on this website refer solely to Guideline RK, LLC unless otherwise specifically stated.

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Guideline, Inc. is a technology company that provides an integrated platform to companies who seek to work with 1) Guideline RK, LLC ("Guideline") and/or 2) Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser ("RIA"), both of which are wholly owned by Guideline Holdings, LLC. Guideline Holdings, LLC is wholly owned by Guideline, Inc. Neither Guideline, Inc. nor Guideline Holdings, LLC or Guideline RK, LLC is involved in securities activities and is not registered with the SEC or FINRA. Neither Guideline, Inc., nor any of its affiliates, is a bank.

Investment advisory services for Guideline’s 401(k) (when 3(38) fiduciary services are selected) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline Investments, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. For more information regarding fees and services, see Guideline Investments, LLC’s ADV 2A Brochure and Form CRS. References throughout this website to investment advisory services including but not limited to: investments offered, portfolios, managed portfolios, investment philosophy, assets under management (AUM), annual account fees expressed as a percentage of AUM, suitability questionnaire, 3(38) investment advisory management fiduciary services, robo-advisory services, and investment advice, unless otherwise specifically stated, are services provided by Guideline Investments, LLC. Investing involves risk and may lose money, including loss of principal. Investing is not guaranteed and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. The investment options offered by Guideline Investments, LLC are not FDIC insured.

Recordkeeping services for Guideline’s 401(k) and SEP IRA/IRA products are offered by Guideline RK, LLC. 3(16) plan administration services are also offered by Guideline RK, LLC and only made available to clients who utilize an eligible payroll provider. For more information on Guideline’s pricing, see here. Guideline uses a third-party to provide custodial services. Custodial fees are paid by Guideline.

Any graphs, charts, and other visual aids (collectively referred to as "image(s)") are provided for information purposes only. None of these images can of themselves be used to make investment decisions. No representation is made that these will assist any person in making investment decisions and no image can capture all factors and variables required in making such decisions.

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