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. |
See it on your own portfolio: connect a broker and ask Tengu anything about your money.
Try Tengu freeThe 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 |