Glider vs StashAway in 2026: Fees, Portfolios, and Who Each One Serves
StashAway is a licensed robo-advisor charging a percentage of the balance. Glider is a non-custodial platform running automated onchain portfolios for a fee on traded volume. Here is how they compare, numbers included.
Glider and StashAway both promise investing without the homework, but they are built on different rails. StashAway is a licensed robo-advisor that manages ETF portfolios for a percentage of the balance. Glider is a non-custodial platform that builds automated onchain portfolios of crypto, tokenized stocks, and gold, rebalancing on a cadence the user chooses, for a flat fee on traded volume. This comparison covers fees, portfolios, custody, regulation, and availability, with every figure verified as of August 2026.
Glider vs StashAway at a glance
| Glider | StashAway | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Automated onchain portfolios, non-custodial | Robo-advisor managing ETF portfolios |
| Assets | Crypto, tokenized stocks, tokenized gold | Global ETFs, thematic portfolios, cash management |
| Fee structure | 0.30% of automated trading volume; 0.50% of manual trading volume; gas and DEX aggregator fees covered by Glider | 0.2% to 0.8% per year of assets managed, tiered by balance, plus ETF expense ratios inside the funds |
| Minimum | None | None |
| Rebalancing | Automatic, on a cadence the user chooses | Automatic, on StashAway's schedule |
| Custody | Assets stay in the user's own wallet | Assets held by StashAway's custodian partners |
| Regulation | Onchain infrastructure; not a licensed fund manager | Licensed by MAS (Singapore), SC (Malaysia), and SFC (Hong Kong) |
| Availability | Global, except sanctioned countries | Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and select markets |
Who should choose Glider, and who should choose StashAway?
| If the priority is... | The better fit is |
|---|---|
| A regulated, traditional robo-advisor with a multi-year track record | StashAway |
| Investing in Singapore dollars through local bank transfer, including SRS funds | StashAway |
| Keeping assets in a personal wallet instead of a custodian | Glider |
| One automated portfolio spanning crypto, stocks, and gold | Glider |
| Investing from the Philippines, Thailand, Nigeria, or other markets StashAway does not serve | Glider |
| Choosing how often a portfolio rebalances | Glider |
What is StashAway?
StashAway is a robo-advisor that launched in Singapore in 2017. It builds portfolios from exchange-traded funds using an in-house framework called ERAA, which adjusts allocations based on economic conditions. The company holds licenses from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Securities Commission Malaysia, and the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, and it has expanded into a small number of additional markets. Alongside its core ETF portfolios, StashAway offers thematic portfolios and a cash management product.
The fee is a percentage of assets under management, charged annually on a tiered schedule: 0.8% per year on the first S$25,000, stepping down to 0.2% per year on balances above S$8 million. The expense ratios of the underlying ETFs are charged separately by the fund providers. There is no minimum deposit, and in Singapore the service supports SRS accounts and local bank funding.
What is Glider?
Glider builds automated portfolios onchain. A user picks a portfolio of crypto assets, tokenized stocks, and tokenized gold, and Glider executes the allocation and keeps it balanced on a cadence the user chooses. The assets stay in the user's own wallet rather than with a custodian. Glider is backed by a16z CSX, Coinbase Ventures, Uniswap Ventures, and Ondo.
Glider charges 0.30% of automated trading volume and 0.50% of manual trading volume, and covers gas and DEX aggregator fees for users. There is no management fee on the balance and no minimum. The service is available globally except in countries under international sanctions, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Syria. Tokenized stocks on Glider are available to non-US persons only.
How do the fees compare?
The two fee models differ in kind as well as size. StashAway charges on the balance, every year, whether or not anything trades. Glider charges only when assets trade: the initial allocation, each rebalance, and any manual trades. An investor's total Glider cost depends on trading volume; an investor's total StashAway cost depends on the balance and how long it stays invested.
| Fee component | Glider | StashAway |
|---|---|---|
| Annual management fee | None | 0.2% to 0.8% of balance per year, tiered |
| Fee on the first S$25,000 | None | 0.8% per year |
| Trading fee | 0.30% of automated volume; 0.50% of manual volume | None stated; costs sit inside the annual fee |
| Fund expense ratios | Not applicable; portfolios hold assets directly | Charged by ETF providers on top of the management fee |
| Network and routing fees | Covered by Glider | Not applicable |
A worked example with real numbers
Consider S$1,000 invested for twelve months. On StashAway, the management fee at the 0.8% tier comes to S$8.00 for the year, before ETF expense ratios. On Glider, the initial allocation costs S$3.00 at the 0.30% rate. If the portfolio rebalances quarterly and each rebalance trades 25% of the balance, that is four trades of S$250 at S$0.75 each, adding S$3.00. The Glider total for the year is S$6.00 under those assumptions, and it falls if the investor rebalances less often or if less volume trades.
The comparison cuts both ways. On a balance that stays invested for many years, StashAway's fee repeats every year while Glider's entry fee does not. On a portfolio that rebalances frequently, Glider's per-trade fees accumulate. The honest summary: StashAway pricing rewards large, long-held balances at the lower tiers, and Glider pricing rewards investors who want automation without an annual percentage of their balance.
What is inside the portfolios?
StashAway portfolios hold ETFs: diversified baskets of global stocks and bonds selected and weighted by the ERAA framework. The holdings are conventional and familiar to anyone who has read a robo-advisor factsheet.
Glider portfolios hold the assets themselves onchain: crypto assets such as bitcoin and ether, tokenized US stocks for non-US persons, and tokenized gold. One Glider portfolio can hold all three asset types in a single allocation, which no traditional robo-advisor offers. The trade-off is that onchain assets carry risks that ETF portfolios do not, including smart contract risk and the specific risks of tokenized instruments, covered in Glider's guide to tokenized stocks.
How does rebalancing work on each platform?
StashAway rebalances on its own schedule, driven by the ERAA framework's read of economic conditions and portfolio drift. The investor does not control the timing.
Glider rebalances automatically on a cadence the user chooses. The mechanics of why rebalancing matters and how often portfolios typically need it are covered in Glider's explainer on portfolio rebalancing. Control over cadence matters for investors who want predictable behavior rather than a manager's discretion.
Where is each platform available?
StashAway serves Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, along with a small number of other markets. An investor in Manila, Bangkok, or Lagos cannot open an account.
Glider is available everywhere except sanctioned countries. That makes it the only option of the two in the Philippines, Thailand, Nigeria, and most other underbanked markets, which is where the majority of Glider's user base sits.
Where StashAway is genuinely better
Two advantages belong to StashAway, and this comparison will not pretend otherwise.
Regulatory licensing. StashAway holds capital markets licenses in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, with client assets held by institutional custodians under those regimes. For an investor whose primary requirement is a licensed, supervised fund manager, StashAway offers something Glider does not.
Local rails in its home markets. Singapore dollar funding by bank transfer, SRS account support, and years of operation make StashAway the more convenient choice for a Singapore-based investor who wants conventional ETF investing with no crypto exposure at all.
Where Glider is genuinely better
Custody. Glider never holds user assets. The portfolio lives in the user's wallet, which removes custodian and platform-insolvency risk from the equation.
Asset breadth. Crypto, tokenized stocks, and tokenized gold in one automated portfolio is a combination StashAway does not offer.
Availability. Glider works in the markets where StashAway does not operate, with no minimum and no local bank relationship required.
Fee shape. No annual percentage of the balance. Fees attach to activity, not to assets parked on the platform.
How should an investor decide?
Three questions settle it for most people. First, location: an investor outside StashAway's licensed markets is choosing Glider by default. Second, custody preference: anyone who wants assets in a personal wallet chooses Glider; anyone who wants a licensed custodian chooses StashAway. Third, asset mix: anyone who wants crypto, stocks, and gold automated in one place chooses Glider; anyone who wants only conventional ETFs chooses StashAway. The two services are not mutually exclusive, and some investors use a robo-advisor for conventional savings and Glider for onchain assets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Glider cheaper than StashAway?
It depends on behavior. StashAway charges 0.2% to 0.8% of the balance every year plus ETF expense ratios. Glider charges 0.30% of automated trading volume with no annual fee. A S$1,000 balance costs S$8.00 per year on StashAway; on Glider the same balance costs S$3.00 to allocate plus 0.30% of whatever volume trades in rebalances.
Is Glider regulated like StashAway?
No. StashAway is a licensed fund manager regulated in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Glider is onchain infrastructure: it is non-custodial, meaning user assets stay in the user's own wallet rather than with a licensed custodian. Investors who require a licensed manager should weigh that difference directly.
Can investors in the Philippines or Nigeria use StashAway?
No. StashAway operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and a small number of other markets, and account opening requires residency in a supported market. Glider is available globally except in sanctioned countries, which includes both the Philippines and Nigeria.
Who holds the assets on each platform?
On StashAway, assets are held by institutional custodian partners under the robo-advisor's licenses. On Glider, assets remain in the user's own wallet at all times. Glider is non-custodial, so there is no platform balance to be frozen or lost in an insolvency.
Does Glider offer stocks like StashAway does?
Glider offers tokenized US stocks, which track the price of the underlying shares, alongside crypto and tokenized gold. Tokenized stocks on Glider are available to non-US persons only. StashAway offers stock exposure through conventional ETFs rather than individual tokenized shares.
Which platform is better for a beginner starting with S$50?
Neither platform has a minimum, so both accept S$50. The practical difference is market access: StashAway requires residency in a supported market, while Glider works almost anywhere. Fee impact at that size is small on both, at S$0.40 per year on StashAway's 0.8% tier or S$0.15 to allocate on Glider.
Do both platforms rebalance automatically?
Yes. StashAway rebalances on its own schedule, set by its ERAA framework. Glider rebalances on a cadence the user chooses. Both remove manual rebalancing from the investor's workload; the difference is who controls the timing.
Can an investor use both platforms?
Yes, and some do. A common split is a licensed robo-advisor for conventional, regulated savings and Glider for onchain assets such as crypto, tokenized stocks, and gold. The two models are different enough that they can complement rather than replace each other.
The bottom line
StashAway is the stronger choice for an investor in its licensed markets who wants a conventional, regulated ETF robo-advisor and is comfortable with custodian-held assets and an annual fee on the balance. Glider is the stronger choice for everyone else: investors in underbanked markets, investors who want self-custodied assets, and investors who want crypto, stocks, and gold automated in a single portfolio with fees tied to activity rather than assets. For the majority of the world's beginning investors, StashAway is not available, and Glider is.
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Fees and features verified against StashAway's published pricing and Glider's published terms as of August 2026. Fee schedules change; check both platforms before deciding. Nothing in this article is investment advice.