Tactfolio vs Autopilot: copy trading vs your own rules
Autopilot is an app that copies ready-made portfolios into your own brokerage account. Many of them follow the trades of politicians, famous investors, and hedge funds. Tactfolio is a builder where you write your own investing rules, test them on past prices, and run them in your own Alpaca account. Pick Autopilot if you want to follow someone else’s picks. Pick Tactfolio if you want rules you can read and test first.
Key points#
- Autopilot copies portfolios you choose from its marketplace. Tactfolio runs rules that you build or copy and can change.
- Autopilot has no backtests. Tactfolio shows every strategy’s backtest before you run it.
- Portfolios based on public filings can lag the real trade. Autopilot’s own filing warns about this.
- Autopilot works with brokers such as Robinhood, Schwab, and Public. Tactfolio works with Alpaca.
- Autopilot is a registered adviser. Tactfolio is software for research and automation, not an adviser.
Tactfolio vs Autopilot at a glance#
Autopilot facts were checked on October 16, 2026, in its SEC filings and its App Store listing. Links are in the sources at the end.
| Tactfolio | Autopilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Build, test, and run your own rules | Copy ready-made portfolios |
| Where ideas come from | You, an AI assistant, or 60+ classic strategies | Politicians, famous investors, hedge fund filings, and other managers |
| Backtests | Yes, on daily prices | None found |
| Can you change the rules? | Yes | You can leave out single stocks |
| Brokers | Alpaca | Robinhood, Schwab, Public, and others |
| Paper trading | Yes | None found |
| What it is legally | Software, not an adviser | An SEC-registered investment adviser |
| Price | Free, Plus $12 a month ($99 a year), Pro $29 a month ($249 a year). Everything is free until billing opens. See pricing | Basic free. Premium $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter per portfolio leader |
What is Autopilot?#
Autopilot is a phone app for copy investing. You link a broker account you already have. Then you pick portfolios to copy. Its marketplace has portfolios based on Nancy Pelosi, Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio, hedge fund filings, AI themes, and other managers. Autopilot calls the person or fund behind each portfolio a “Pilot.”
Autopilot Advisers, LLC has been registered with the SEC as an investment adviser since July 2024. Its filing says it managed about $892 million across 103,270 accounts at the end of 2025. Your money stays at your own broker.
What is Tactfolio?#
Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. You can build by hand in a visual builder or by asking an AI assistant.
A Tactfolio strategy is a set of rules. Here is one: “Hold the S&P 500 while it is above its 10-month average. Else, hold Treasury bills.” It is Faber’s timing model, one of the classics you can open, test, and copy.
Copying people vs following rules#
This is the main difference. On Autopilot, you trust a person or fund and copy what they hold. You don’t see a rule, and you can’t test how the portfolio would have done.
On Tactfolio, every strategy is a written rule. You can read it, change it, and see its backtest first. You can also copy a public strategy and run your own copy. A backtest is a test of rules on past prices. It shows how a rule would have done, not how it will do. Why past results mislead explains the limits.
The delay in copied trades#
Members of Congress and big funds report their trades after the fact. Autopilot’s filing warns that by the time a trade is reported and copied, it “may turn out to be far less advantageous.” Its portfolios also leave out short sales, options, and stocks you can’t buy in fractions. So a copied portfolio can differ from what the Pilot really holds.
Tactfolio has no such delay. Its rules use prices, not someone else’s reports. Stock and ETF strategies decide once a day, near the market close.
Brokers and trading#
Autopilot names Robinhood, Charles Schwab, and Public, “and more.” Its filing says that at some brokers it can’t trade for you, so you confirm each trade in the app. It also says Public pays Autopilot $50 to $5,000 for each referred account. The minimum is $500 per portfolio.
Tactfolio connects to Alpaca, paper or live, with your own API keys. Each strategy trades only the starting balance you give it, which can be as small as $1. You can also use a Tactfolio paper account with pretend money first.
Pricing#
Autopilot’s Basic tier is free. It buys a portfolio once and alerts you when it changes, but it doesn’t rebalance for you. Premium also keeps your copy up to date for you. Its filing lists Premium at $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter, or $99.99 to $699.99 a year, for each Pilot. Autopilot takes no yearly fee on your money today. Its filing says it plans to add one of 0.25% to 1% later. These are the terms in its March 2026 filing.
Tactfolio has three plans. Free costs $0. It includes unlimited building and backtests and 1 live strategy in your own Alpaca account. Plus costs $12 a month or $99 a year and runs 10 live strategies. Pro costs $29 a month or $249 a year and runs up to 100 at once. Paid plans are not open yet, so every feature is free until billing opens. See Tactfolio pricing.
Where Autopilot is the better pick#
- You want to follow a politician, famous investor, or fund without building anything.
- You already use Robinhood, Schwab, or Public.
- You want an app that a registered adviser runs.
- You don’t want to look at rules or backtests.
Where Tactfolio is the better pick#
- You want to know the exact rule behind every trade.
- You want to test a strategy on past prices before you put money in.
- You want to change the rules, or build your own from blocks.
- You want to start from published research, like dual momentum or the All Weather Portfolio.
- You use Alpaca, or want to try with pretend money first.
Who should pick which#
If you want someone else to choose and you follow along, Autopilot fits. If you want to understand and test your strategy, Tactfolio fits. The two can sit side by side, in different accounts.
Try it on Tactfolio#
Open the builder and look at the starter patterns and their backtests. No account is needed to look. Or browse 60+ classic strategies, each with its rules and sources.
Common questions#
Is Autopilot free?#
Autopilot’s Basic tier is free, but it doesn’t rebalance for you. Premium, which keeps your copy up to date, costs $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter per Pilot, as listed in its March 2026 SEC filing.
Is Autopilot safe and regulated?#
Autopilot Advisers, LLC is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, CRD 331749. Your money stays at your own broker. Being registered does not mean the SEC approves it. Copied portfolios can still lose money.
Does copying Nancy Pelosi’s trades work?#
No one can promise that. Members of Congress report their trades late. So a copy buys later, often at a different price. Autopilot’s own filing warns about this delay.
Can Tactfolio copy politicians’ trades?#
No. Tactfolio doesn’t copy people. Its strategies follow rules based on prices and economic data, which you can read and test.
Is there an Autopilot alternative where I can see the rules?#
Yes. Tactfolio is one. Every strategy shows its rules and its backtest, and you can run it in your own Alpaca account. It runs long-only strategies on US-listed stocks and ETFs.
Sources
- Autopilot Advisers Form ADV Part 2A brochure, March 2026, accessed October 16, 2026
- Autopilot Advisers Form ADV Part 1, accessed October 16, 2026
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure: Autopilot Advisers, LLC, accessed October 16, 2026
- Autopilot on the App Store, accessed October 16, 2026