Magnifi Alternatives in 2026: What to Use If You Want AI That Acts
Magnifi made AI investing conversational: ask in plain English, discover funds and stocks, track your accounts in one place. The most common reason people look for alternatives is the same one reviewers cite: it stops short of acting. Here is the honest map of what to use instead, depending on what you actually want.
What Magnifi does well, and where it stops
Magnifi pioneered the plain-English investment search: ask a question, compare ETFs, stocks, and mutual funds, and track portfolios aggregated from your linked accounts. Reviewers consistently describe the same boundary: it is a discovery and tracking tool, not a trading tool. Recommendations end at the suggestion. The placing, sizing, and rebalancing remain your job, in each brokerage app, by hand.
That boundary is a flaw only if you wanted the tool to act. If you did, the list below is organized around exactly that gap.
The alternatives, by what you actually want
| If you want | Best alternative | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AI that researches AND executes through your own brokers | Tengu | Connects 25+ brokerages (Robinhood, Schwab, Fidelity, Interactive Brokers, Coinbase, Kraken) and executes the trades you approve through your own broker. Never custodial. Cited research, risk gates on every order, strategy marketplace. |
| Deeper advice and net-worth analytics, still no execution | PortfolioPilot | Strong read-only analysis from $20/mo; deliberately advice-only, no conflicts. |
| Hand-built automated strategies on dedicated capital | Composer | No-code builder + backtests, ~$24/mo; executes inside its own custodial brokerage. |
| Fully hands-off, move-your-money management | Wealthfront / Betterment | Mature robo-advisors, ~0.25% of assets per year; custodial ETF models, no conversation. |
| AI agents inside one broker you already use | Robinhood Agentic Trading | Free with Robinhood; MCP agents trade your Robinhood account only. |
The three tests for choosing an alternative
Cut through the marketing with three questions: (1) Multi-broker read: does it see all your accounts, or one? (2) Execution: can it place the trade after you approve, or does it stop at advice? (3) Custody: do your assets stay at your own broker, or must you move money? Magnifi passes the first, fails the second, and the third does not apply (read-only). PortfolioPilot: same profile. Composer: executes, but custodially. Robinhood's agents: execute, non-custodially, but single-broker. Tengu is, as of 2026, the alternative built to pass all three: multi-broker, executing, never custodial.
Magnifi vs Tengu, directly
| Magnifi | Tengu | |
|---|---|---|
| Plain-English research | Yes (discovery focus) | Yes, grounded in your live positions, with citations |
| Account aggregation | Yes (tracking) | Yes (read and trade, 25+ brokerages) |
| Executes trades | No | Yes, through your own broker, your approval required |
| Automated strategies | No | Yes: congressional tracking, 13F mirroring, AI strategies |
| Risk controls on orders | n/a | Position limits, leverage caps, drawdown breakers |
| Custody | None (read-only) | None: your brokers keep the assets |
Frequently asked
What is the best Magnifi alternative?
The best Magnifi alternative depends on the gap you are filling: Tengu for AI that executes through your own brokers, PortfolioPilot for deeper advice-only analytics, Composer for hand-built automation on dedicated capital, and a robo-advisor like Wealthfront or Betterment for fully hands-off management.
Is Tengu better than Magnifi?
They do different jobs. Magnifi is excellent at conversational discovery and tracking. Tengu is the AI for investing that also acts: it executes approved trades through your own broker across 25+ brokerages, runs automated strategies, and applies risk gates to every order.
Do any Magnifi alternatives avoid taking custody?
Yes. Tengu executes through the brokerage accounts you already have and never takes custody. Composer and the robo-advisors require moving money into their own custodial accounts.
What do these alternatives cost?
PortfolioPilot starts at $20/mo, Composer runs about $24/mo, and Wealthfront and Betterment charge roughly 0.25% of assets per year. Robinhood's agents are free with a Robinhood account. You can try Tengu free before paying anything.
Can I disconnect Tengu from my brokerage?
Yes, at any time, from inside Tengu or from your broker's own security settings. Because your assets never left your broker, disconnecting only removes Tengu's access. Your accounts, positions, and history stay exactly where they are.