Checked by hand in July 2026. The full detail is in the table below.
RBC spreads its investing offer across three platforms. Wealthsimple has one. Comparing them means knowing which RBC product you're talking about.
Checked by hand in July 2026. The full detail is in the table below.
Direct Investing for the self-directed, GoSmart for beginners, InvestEase for managed. Each matches a different side of Wealthsimple.
| Criterion | Wealthsimple | RBC |
|---|---|---|
| Commission on stocks | $0 | $9.95 at Direct Investing, $6.95 above 150 trades per quarter |
| Account maintenance fee | None | None, whatever the balance (RBC Direct Investing page, September 22, 2026) |
| Commission-free option | $0 permanently | GoSmart: 50 free trades a year, unlimited iShares ETFs |
| Automated managed account | 0.5% per year, 0.4% above $100,000, plus ETF fees | InvestEase: 0.5% per year, plus ETF fees of 0.11% to 0.30% |
| Minimum balance | None | None at GoSmart and InvestEase |
| Options and margin | Not offered | Offered at Direct Investing |
| ETF selection in managed portfolios | Diversified across multiple providers | Portfolios built with RBC iShares ETFs |
| Physical branches | None | Largest network in Canada |
| Mortgage and loans | No | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | No |
| Built-in tax filing | Yes, free | No |
| Client contest | Monthly Millionaire, weekly grand prize | No equivalent |
| Sign-up bonus | $25 with LOIO3A, plus $10 by Interac from us | Occasional promotions |
Line by line, with three cases computed over a year: RBC's fees in detail.
Manually verified in July 2026, account maintenance fee re-checked at the source on September 22, 2026. Bank fee schedules change without notice: confirm before opening.
RBC Direct Investing charges $9.95 a trade, which sits in the normal range for bank brokerages. The $25 a quarter under $15,000 the platform was known for is gone: as of September 22, 2026, the RBC Direct Investing page states there is no maintenance fee, whatever you invest or whichever account you hold.
What remains is the commission. Twenty-four trades in a year, one buy and one sell a month, come to $238.80. On a $5,000 account that is close to 5% of the portfolio gone before any return; on $50,000, under 0.5%. How heavy the schedule feels depends on account size and pace, not only on the posted rate.
Wealthsimple has no maintenance fee, no minimum balance and no commission. RBC, for its part, has GoSmart, with fifty free trades a year plus unlimited free iShares ETF purchases; beyond that, the Direct Investing schedule at $9.95 applies.
On automated managed accounts the two line up: 0.5% a year in management fees, plus the internal costs of the ETFs held. It's one of the rare places where a big Canadian bank genuinely matches an independent's pricing.
Two things separate them. Wealthsimple drops to 0.4% above $100,000 in assets, which InvestEase doesn't mirror in the same way. And InvestEase portfolios are built from RBC iShares ETFs, while Wealthsimple draws from several providers.
A client already at RBC who wants a managed portfolio doesn't gain much by switching institutions for that reason alone.
Small self-directed portfolio: Wealthsimple, no hesitation. At $9.95 a trade, every round trip costs close to $20 at Direct Investing, and GoSmart caps out at fifty free trades a year.
You want a managed portfolio and you're already an RBC client: InvestEase does the job at the same price. Switching makes sense mainly if you want crypto, free tax filing, or the lower fee tier above $100,000.
You use margin or options: Direct Investing, since Wealthsimple offers no alternative.
Large portfolio with complex needs, mortgage and estate planning in the mix: RBC covers the whole picture in a way no digital platform does today.
GoSmart is RBC's answer to permanent $0, and the three questions people ask about it have short answers.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| GoSmart fees | No quarterly administration fee, unlike the $25 Direct Investing charges below $15,000. 50 free trades a year, unlimited iShares ETFs. |
| Minimum investment | None. Not at GoSmart, not at InvestEase, not at Wealthsimple. |
| Good for beginners? | Yes, as long as you stay under 50 trades a year. Past that, the counter falls back to the Direct Investing grid at $9.95. |
| Against permanent $0 | Wealthsimple has no cap: the 51st trade of the year still costs $0. |
Schedules verified September 9, 2026. RBC revises its fees without notice: the official plan page governs.
The 50-trade cap is what decides it. For someone buying two or three times a month, it never shows up. For someone rebalancing often, or investing small amounts weekly, it lands before the fall and the cost goes back to $9.95 a trade.
No minimum, no maintenance fee. Code LOIO3A: a $25 bonus after a $100 deposit, plus $10 by Interac e-Transfer after the claim form, for $35 total.
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