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Autopilot vs Dub for copy trading in 2026

Nicolas StrautBy Nicolas StrautPublished 8 min read
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Key takeaways

  • Autopilot's Premium tier costs a fixed $99.99 to $699.99 a year, with an asset-based fee it plans to add, and Dub charges a required membership plus, for each Premium portfolio, either a subscription of $25 to $500 or a management fee of 0% to 2.50% a year.1
  • When choosing between Autopilot and Dub, start with where you want your money held, because Autopilot trades in a brokerage account you already have and Dub requires opening a Dub brokerage account.
  • Autopilot is the stronger fit for an investor who'll keep money at Robinhood or Schwab and allocate enough that a fixed fee stays small, and Dub for an investor who wants the brokerage account and the copying in one app to follow creators trading live.
In this article

Autopilot and Dub both copy other investors' portfolios automatically, but Autopilot places the trades in a brokerage account you already own and Dub holds your money in its own brokerage.2 Both copy politicians' trades only after they're disclosed. This guide compares Autopilot and Dub on custody, trade timing, fees, and leaving.

Autopilot vs Dub at a glance

At a glance, Autopilot vs Dub comes down to where your money sits, how fast trades arrive, who you can copy, and how each app charges. Every figure below comes from each company's own pages and filings, read in October 2026.

Scroll horizontally to see more columns.
AutopilotDub
Best forInvestors keeping money at their current broker and allocating enough that a fixed fee stays smallInvestors who want one app for the account and the copying, to follow creators trading live
Trade timingCopies a filing as soon as it's published; the filing itself lags the original tradeCreators trading on Dub copied in real time; politician portfolios lag because politicians can file up to 45 days after a trade
Where your money is heldYour existing brokerage account; Autopilot doesn't hold your fundsA Dub account at dub Financial, with Apex Clearing as custodian
Who you can copyPoliticians, hedge fund filings, AI-built portfolios, third-party advisers, and creatorsLive creators, politician and fund trackers, and 20+ Premium investors managed by dub Advisors
PricingBasic free (starting holdings only); Premium $99.99 to $699.99 a year; asset-based fee 0.00% now, plannedRequired membership, priced at checkout; each Premium portfolio adds a $25 to $500 subscription or a 0% to 2.50% yearly management fee
Minimum$500 account and $500 per portfolio$100 deposit
Trading authorityDiscretionary; may trade on margin if your account allows itCopies the portfolio you pick, with a check-in every three months; Premium portfolios are discretionary
Moving stocks in or outNothing to move; positions stay at your brokerNo stock transfers in; whole shares can transfer out, fractional shares are sold for cash
SEC-registered adviserAutopilot Advisers, LLC, since July 30, 2024dub Advisors (filed as DASTA Investments LLC), since November 23, 2021

What is Autopilot?

Autopilot is an app that copies portfolios based on politicians' disclosed trades, hedge fund filings, and other investors' strategies into a brokerage account you already own, such as Robinhood or Schwab. Its free Basic tier copies only a portfolio's starting holdings. Premium copies every later trade for a fixed $99.99 to $699.99 a year.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC has been an SEC-registered investment adviser since July 30, 2024, under CRD number 331749.

What is Dub?

Dub is a copy-trading app with its own brokerage, where you open a Dub account, fund it, and copy creators, politician trackers, or Premium portfolios managed by dub Advisors. You need a paid membership to use the app, billed monthly or annually, and Dub shows the price at checkout. The $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year quoted in many places belongs to Dub's Founder's Access plan, which Dub says is no longer available to new users.

DASTA Inc. owns the app, dub Financial is the broker-dealer, and Apex Clearing holds the account. dub Advisors is registered with the SEC as DASTA Investments LLC (CRD 315589).

Autopilot vs Dub features compared

Autopilot vs Dub features split on six things: where your money sits, trade timing, who you can copy, what each app can do in your account, minimums, and leaving.

Where your money is held

On where your money is held, Autopilot wins if you want to keep your current broker, because it trades inside the account you already have and says your money stays there and it doesn't hold your funds.3 Dub requires a new account at dub Financial, with Apex Clearing as custodian, and it doesn't accept stock transfers from another broker, so you'll fund it with cash.

If your money sits in a taxable account elsewhere, selling it to fund Dub can trigger capital gains tax, so start Dub with new cash.

How quickly trades are copied

On trade timing, Dub wins for creators who trade on Dub, which it copies in real time, and it's a tie for politician and fund trackers, which lag on both apps because the filings lag. Under House ethics rules, members of Congress have up to 45 days after a trade to report it, and Dub's own politician portfolio page says the same.

Autopilot says it picks up a filing as soon as it's published, and trades placed during market hours can take up to 15 minutes to go through.

Who you can copy

On who you can copy, Dub offers the wider range, because any member can publish a portfolio once they invest $1,000, and Dub lists 400+ free strategies and 20+ Premium investors managed by dub Advisors. Autopilot picks from a set list of politician, fund, AI-built, adviser, and creator portfolios.

On Dub, dub Advisors reviews Premium and Creator Program portfolios but doesn't supervise portfolios that members publish.

What each app can do in your account

On control, Dub comes out ahead for creator portfolios, because it copies only the portfolio you pick and checks in every three months to confirm you still want to copy it.4 If a creator liquidates a portfolio, Dub sells your copy too, and dub Advisors runs its Premium portfolios with full discretion.

Autopilot manages your copied money on a discretionary basis, may trade on margin if your account allows it, and can buy back a position you sell by hand. Before you connect Autopilot, turn off margin at your broker if you don't want margin trades.

Minimum to start

On minimums, Dub's $100 deposit is lower than Autopilot's $500 account minimum and $500 for each portfolio, though the membership weighs more on a balance that small. Autopilot's Basic tier is free with no time limit, but it copies only a portfolio's starting holdings.

Leaving each app

On leaving, Autopilot wins, because the positions are already in your own brokerage account and you stop by revoking its access. Dub lets you move whole shares to another broker through a standard account transfer, but fractional shares are sold and sent as cash.

To close a Dub account instead, you sell every position, withdraw the balance, and request closure, so check your capital gains before you sell.

Autopilot vs Dub fees

Autopilot vs Dub fees depend on whether you pay Autopilot's fixed Premium fee or Dub's membership plus, for each Premium portfolio, a $25 to $500 subscription or a 0% to 2.50% management fee. The tables below price three balances with one Premium portfolio at each app and annual billing, so each Dub subscription is one charge a year. They leave out Dub's membership, which Dub prices only at checkout, as well as trading costs and taxes.

With $2,000 in one portfolio

A copier with $2,000 in one portfolio pays Autopilot $99.99 to $699.99 a year for Premium, and pays Dub $25 to $500 for a Premium subscription or $0 to $50 in management fees, plus the membership.

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$2,000, one yearAutopilot PremiumDub Premium, subscriptionDub Premium, management fee
Fee$99.99 to $699.99$25 to $500$0 to $50
Share of $2,0005.0% to 35.0%1.25% to 25.0%0% to 2.50%
Dub membershipNot applicableAdded on topAdded on top

Paying Autopilot quarterly instead costs $119.96 to $799.96 a year.

With $10,000 in a Premium portfolio

A copier with $10,000 in a Dub Premium portfolio pays $25 to $500 on the subscription option or $0 to $250 on the management fee option, plus the membership, vs $99.99 to $699.99 for Autopilot Premium.

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$10,000, one yearAutopilot PremiumDub Premium, subscriptionDub Premium, management fee
Fee$99.99 to $699.99$25 to $500$0 to $250
Share of $10,0001.0% to 7.0%0.25% to 5.0%0% to 2.50%

Dub takes its management fee from your account after each quarter, and Autopilot charges Premium in advance by credit card.

With $25,000 or more

A copier with $25,000 or more pays less at Autopilot's top fee than at Dub's 2.50% management fee once the balance passes about $28,000, because Autopilot's top fee is fixed at $699.99 and the management fee grows with the balance. A Dub subscription portfolio stays at $25 to $500 at any balance, plus the membership.

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One year, before Dub's membershipAutopilot Premium, highDub subscription, highDub management fee at 2.50%
$25,000$699.99$500.00$625.00
$50,000$699.99$500.00$1,250.00

Dub's 2.50% fee alone passes $699.99 at $28,000, and the membership moves that point lower. Autopilot expects to add an asset-based fee, so re-check its Form CRS before you renew.

Should you choose Autopilot or Dub?

Three things decide whether Autopilot or Dub fits: where you want your money held, how much you'll allocate, and whether you want politicians and funds or creators who trade live. If you're deciding between copying one investor and owning a diversified portfolio, the best robo-advisors list and Betterment vs Wealthfront compare the robo option.

Choose Autopilot if

  • You want to keep your money at your current broker, such as Robinhood or Schwab
  • You'll allocate about $28,000 or more, where a fixed fee of up to $699.99 a year costs less than Dub's 2.50% management fee
  • You already hold stocks you don't want to sell to fund a new account
  • You'd like to start free on Basic and copy only a portfolio's starting holdings

Choose Dub if

  • You only need a taxable account, since Dub doesn't offer IRAs
  • You want to copy creators who trade on Dub, whose trades Dub copies in real time
  • You want the app to check in every three months before it keeps copying
  • You want the brokerage account and the copying in one app, and you'll fund it with cash

Divide the fee you'll pay at either app by the amount you'll allocate, then run the Tweed Retirement Calculator with your expected return lowered by that percentage to see what it costs by retirement. Then set that drag beside a robo-advisor's percentage fee.

Frequently asked questions about Autopilot vs Dub

What is the best app for hands-off investing?

The best app for hands-off investing depends on which decision you want handed off. A robo-advisor such as Betterment or Wealthfront builds and rebalances a diversified ETF portfolio for a percentage fee. Autopilot and Dub copy one named investor's portfolio instead, which is more concentrated, and their fixed fees weigh more on small balances.

Do Autopilot and Dub work on Android?

Autopilot and Dub both work on Android as well as iPhone, with listings on Google Play and the App Store. Check the software each needs before you pay: Autopilot's iPhone app requires iOS 17 or later, and Dub's requires iOS 15 or later.

Can you use Autopilot or Dub outside the US?

You can't use Autopilot or Dub outside the US today. Autopilot needs a US brokerage account and keeps international users on a waitlist. Dub's Brokerage Agreement says its services aren't offered to anyone outside the 50 states, including US citizens living abroad, and asks you to close the account if you move.

Who owns Autopilot and Dub?

Autopilot and Dub are owned by two separate private companies. Autopilot's adviser, Autopilot Advisers, LLC, belongs to Autopilot Holdings Corp., and the App Store lists Iris Social Stock App Inc. as the app's seller. Dub belongs to DASTA Inc., which both app stores list as the developer behind the Dub app.

Can you use Autopilot and Dub at the same time?

You can use Autopilot and Dub at the same time, because they don't share an account. Autopilot would trade in the brokerage account you already have, and Dub in a separate Dub account. You'd pay both fees, and if both copy the same politician, you'd hold the same stocks twice.

Do Autopilot and Dub charge fees if you lose money?

Autopilot and Dub charge their fees whether you make or lose money. Autopilot's Premium fee is fixed and paid in advance, so a falling portfolio doesn't lower it. Dub's membership and any Premium subscription are set prices, and a Premium management fee is a percentage of your balance, so only that part falls as your balance falls.

Can you get a refund from Autopilot or Dub?

You can get a refund from Dub only in narrow cases, and Autopilot rarely refunds. Dub refunds a membership within 14 days of the first purchase, and only if you haven't copied a portfolio. Autopilot's terms say prepaid fees are non-refundable unless it decides otherwise or the law requires it, so weigh that before paying for a year.

Sources

  1. https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/crs/crs_331749.pdf
  2. https://www.dubapp.com/faq
  3. https://www.joinautopilot.com/faq
  4. https://support.dubapp.com/hc/en-us/articles/35785614503067-How-to-Copy-Portfolios-on-dub-Complete-Guide
Nicolas Straut
Nicolas Straut

Personal finance writer, former Forbes contributor and This Week in Fintech writer. He isn't a financial advisor or a CPA.

nicstraut.com