HelmFi vs Alinea Invest
These are different machines aimed at the same wish: “automate my investing.” Alinea is a custodial brokerage app — expert-curated stock/ETF baskets, crypto buying (added Feb 2026), and a friendly AI companion, built for first-time investors. HelmFi is non-custodial strategy automation on your own exchange — a validated index that manages you out of bear markets, with every failure published.
We list both honestly. If you're opening your first investment account, Alinea is probably the better fit. If you hold crypto on an exchange and want it managed — not just bought — read on.
At a glance
| HelmFi | Alinea | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Non-custodial strategy bots on your exchange | Custodial robo-brokerage app |
| Pricing | Free · $15 · $39 · $79 founding ($24 · $59 · $129 regular) /mo | $120/yr (~$10/mo) after trial |
| Who holds your money | You — funds stay on your exchange | Alinea's brokerage stack |
| Crypto approach | Managed strategy — exits to cash in bears | Buying & holding inside the app |
| What happens in a bear market | Regime gate moves the index to cash | Baskets ride it down |
| Verifiable performance | Yes — live public account + per-year numbers | None published |
| Failed strategies disclosed | Public graveyard | No |
| AI assistant | Amon — grounded in live dealer data, quotes its own hit rate | AI Allie — friendly general companion |
| Asset coverage | Crypto (Kraken spot) | Stocks, ETFs + crypto buying |
| Mobile app | Web / PWA | iOS, App-of-the-Day polish |
| User base | Private beta · small | 1M+ users, $10.4M Series A |
Where HelmFi wins
- There's an actual strategy. Alinea lets you buy crypto; nothing in it decides when to step aside. The Helm Index moved to cash through the 2022 bear — that behavior is the whole product, and it's validated in public.
- Proof you can check. A live public account you can watch without signing up, per-year numbers including the bad ones, and a graveyard of 18 failed strategies. Custodial robo apps publish no verifiable performance at all.
- Non-custodial by construction. Trade-only API keys; we cannot withdraw. Your coins never leave your exchange.
- An AI that can't hallucinate a price. Amon reads the same live numbers that draw the screen and volunteers its own miss rate. Companion bots explain concepts; Amon explains today.
Where Alinea wins
- Effortless onboarding. Two minutes from download to invested — no exchange account, no API keys. HelmFi's connect flow asks more of you.
- One app for everything. Stocks, ETFs and crypto in a single regulated experience with fractional shares. HelmFi is crypto-only.
- Mobile-first polish. A genuinely beautiful iOS app with 1M+ users. HelmFi is a web terminal.
- Built for first-timers. Curated baskets and a friendly companion are the right training wheels if this is your first investment account.
Pick Alinea if…
- You're opening your first investment account
- You want stocks + ETFs + a little crypto in one custodial app
- You want a polished iPhone app and zero setup friction
- You're comfortable that performance isn't published
Pick HelmFi if…
- You already hold crypto on an exchange and want it managed, not just bought
- You want your automation to step aside in bear markets
- You ask “prove it” before you trust a number
- Post-FTX, you refuse to hand custody to another app
Pricing and feature claims verified 2026-07-03. Alinea figures from their public site, App Store listing, and their February 2026 crypto launch announcement; HelmFi figures from this site. We update this page when their offering changes — file an issue if you spot a drift.