Endowus vs Syfe vs StashAway: Which Should You Choose?

Robo-advisors have become one of the most popular ways for Singapore investors to build wealth — automated, algorithm-driven portfolios that handle fund selection, rebalancing and dividend reinvestment for a fraction of the cost of a traditional adviser.

Three platforms dominate the conversation: Endowus, Syfe and StashAway. Each is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), each is globally diversified, and each suits a different kind of investor. The right choice usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: Do you want to invest CPF or SRS money? How much are you starting with? Do you want passive funds or actively managed allocation? And are you after growth, income, or somewhere to park cash?

This guide compares Endowus, Syfe and StashAway across portfolios, 2025 performance, fees, minimums, safety and CPF/SRS support — and answers the three pairwise questions investors actually search for: Syfe vs Endowus, Endowus vs StashAway and Syfe vs StashAway. By the end you'll know which platform fits your situation, and where a private-credit option like Kilde can complement any of them.

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Endowus vs Syfe vs StashAway at a glance

If you only read one section, read this. The table below summarises who each platform is built for, before we get into the detail.

The single biggest dividing line is CPF — Endowus is the only one of the three that lets you invest your CPF Ordinary Account and Special Account.

Syfe and StashAway are cash and SRS only. After that, it's a question of investment style (passive funds vs active ERAA® vs factor-tilted ETFs), product range and cost.

Introduction to Endowus, Syfe and StashAway

When it comes to choosing a robo-advisor in Singapore, these three names lead the market. Here's a short profile of each.

Endowus. Founded in 2017, Endowus is a MAS-licensed digital wealth platform and the only one in Singapore that lets you invest CPF, SRS and cash in one place. Its lineup covers Flagship (Core), Income, Factor/Satellite, Cash Smart, Fund Smart (a curated menu of 400+ funds), CPF and SRS portfolios, plus Private Markets for accredited investors. Endowus invests mainly in institutional-quality unit trusts — including Dimensional and PIMCO funds — rather than ETFs, and rebates 100% of trailer fees back to clients. In October 2025 it raised a US$70 million round led by UBS, underlining its scale.

Syfe. Founded in 2019, Syfe manages over S$2 billion for more than 100,000 Singapore investors and is one of the fastest-growing robo-advisors in the region. Its products include Core (Defensive, Balanced, Growth and Equity100), Income+ (a multi-asset income portfolio targeting 4–6% p.a. paid monthly), REIT+ (diversified exposure to 20+ S-REITs), Cash+ Flexi (cash management), and Select (thematic and custom portfolios built from ETFs). Syfe uses a risk- and goal-based approach with factor (Smart Beta) tilts in its Core portfolios, and — like Endowus — now rebates 100% of trailer fees. Syfe supports cash and SRS funding but does not support CPF.

StashAway. Founded in 2016, StashAway is the longest-running of the three. Its range is the broadest: General Investing (powered by its own ERAA® framework or by BlackRock), Responsible Investing (ESG), Thematic, Income Investing (powered by J.P. Morgan Asset Management), Singapore Investing, Flexible Portfolios, the ETF Explorer (80+ asset classes from US$1), and Simple / Simple Plus cash portfolios. For accredited investors, StashAway Reserve adds private markets — private credit, private equity, infrastructure, venture capital and crypto. StashAway invests through ETFs, supports cash and SRS, and does not support CPF.

What changed in 2025–2026

• Syfe lowered the bar to entry further: there is now no minimum investment on any portfolio, including Income+ and REIT+, which previously required S$5,000.
• Syfe added SRS investing and began rebating 100% of trailer fees — narrowing two long-standing gaps with Endowus. Its managed-portfolio fee floor moved up slightly to 0.35%.
• StashAway Reserve opened private-market portfolios (private credit, private equity, infrastructure and crypto) to accredited investors, putting it in more direct competition with dedicated private-credit platforms.
• Endowus cut its Cash Smart access fee on the Secure tier to 0.05% p.a. (Enhanced and Ultra remain 0.15%), making it one of the cheapest cash-management options in Singapore.
• 2025 was a strong year for diversified portfolios after a turbulent first half, with an "everything rally" lifting equities, bonds and gold. We cover the numbers below.

Endowus vs Syfe vs StashAway: investment portfolios

Each platform offers a range of portfolios built around a different core philosophy. Here's how the line-ups compare.

Endowus is built on evidence-based investing: low-cost, globally diversified institutional funds held for the long term. It leans on index and factor strategies (notably Dimensional) to capture broad market returns while keeping costs down, and is the only platform here that lets Singaporeans put CPF and SRS money to work alongside cash — a meaningful advantage for CPF investing and retirement planning.

Syfe matches portfolios to your risk appetite and goals. Its Core portfolios use risk budgeting and Smart Beta factor tilts, while specialised products set it apart: REIT+ gives one-click exposure to Singapore's listed REITs, Income+ targets a steady 4–6% monthly distribution, and Cash+ Flexi handles short-term cash. The no-minimum policy makes it the easiest of the three to start with.

StashAway takes the most active approach. Its proprietary ERAA® framework reads the macro environment — growth, inflation, monetary policy — and shifts allocation between economic regimes to manage risk and capture returns. Investors who prefer BlackRock's house view can opt for the BlackRock-guided General Investing portfolios instead, and the platform's product range (thematic, ESG, income, Singapore, single-ETF) is the widest of the three.

Investment performance of Endowus, Syfe and StashAway

Past performance never guarantees future results, but it shows how each strategy behaved through a full market cycle. The table below tracks the flagship equity-oriented portfolios from 2020 to 2025.

_{¹ Endowus Flagship Cash/SRS 100% Equity, compounded from official quarterly returns (Q1 −2.9%, Q2 +5.1%, Q3 +9.5%, Q4 +3.0%), in SGD. ² Syfe Core Equity100, SGD, based on reported year-to-date returns through late 2025 (+15.8% to 30 Sep; +17.7% in early November). ³ StashAway General Investing returned 17.5% on average in USD terms (10.6% in SGD) across all risk levels; full-year returns ranged from 8.7% (lowest risk) to 23.4% (highest risk) in USD. Sources: Endowus, Syfe and StashAway 2025 performance reviews.}

How to read these numbers

Two cautions before drawing conclusions. First, the portfolios aren't strictly like-for-like: Endowus and Syfe figures are 100% equity, while the StashAway average blends every risk level from bond-heavy to all-equity (its most aggressive equity portfolio returned roughly +23% in USD). Second — and this matters most for Singapore investors — currency makes a large difference in 2025.

Because the US dollar weakened through the year, StashAway's USD-denominated General Investing portfolios returned about 7 percentage points less in SGD terms (+10.6% SGD) than their headline USD figure (+17.5% USD).

A globally diversified, SGD-aware portfolio absorbed that currency move better.

Performance commentary (2020–2025)

All three platforms tracked the same broad cycle: strong gains in 2020–2021, a sharp pullback in 2022, a powerful rebound in 2023–2024, and a choppy but ultimately positive 2025. The year began with trade-policy shocks and a "US exceptionalism" reversal that hit US-concentrated portfolios hardest, then ended with an "everything rally" lifting equities, bonds and gold together.

Endowus recovered from a weak Q1 (−2.9%) to post strong gains in Q3 (+9.5%), finishing the year around +15% on its Flagship 100% Equity portfolio. Its structural tilt to value and emerging-market equities helped through the rotation.

Syfe's Core Equity100 had the strongest 2025 of the three pure-equity portfolios, helped by global diversification and a sizeable gold allocation that rallied through the year. Its multi-asset Core portfolios returned roughly +13–16%.

StashAway's ERAA® framework did what it's designed to do — manage risk through a volatile first half and participate in the recovery — delivering steady returns across risk levels, with the currency caveat above for SGD investors.

The takeaway is the same one diversification always teaches: broad exposure across asset classes, geographies and currencies cushions the bad years and keeps you invested for the good ones.

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Fees comparison

Fees compound against you over time, so they're worth getting right. Here's how management and fund-level costs compare.

Endowus charges a tiered access fee on cash portfolios — 0.60% up to S$200k, 0.50% from S$200k–1M, 0.35% from S$1M–5M and 0.25% above — plus a flat 0.40% on CPF/SRS. Its 100% trailer-fee rebate means it keeps none of the commissions fund managers normally pay distributors, lowering your effective cost.

Syfe charges 0.35%–0.65% on managed portfolios depending on your total balance (0.65% below S$20k, falling toward 0.35% at higher balances), with Cash+ Flexi at 0.05%–0.20%. Like Endowus, it now rebates trailer fees in full.

StashAway uses a tiered 0.20%–0.80% schedule on General Investing — the lowest floor of the three at scale, but the highest ceiling on small balances. Its Simple cash portfolio (0.15%) and Single-ETF Flexible Portfolio are among the cheapest ways to hold a specific allocation.

In practice: on small-to-mid balances Endowus and Syfe are usually a touch cheaper than StashAway's 0.80% top tier; on large balances StashAway's 0.20% floor edges ahead. For CPF/SRS money, Endowus has no direct competitor here. For pure cash management, all three offer low-cost options, with Endowus Cash Smart Secure (0.05%) the lowest headline fee.

The real cost over time: robo vs DIY

Platform fees look small, but they compound. On a S$100,000 portfolio growing at 7% a year for 20 years, the gap between a ~0.15% all-in DIY ETF cost and a ~0.5%–0.7% robo-advisor cost works out to roughly S$11,000–S$21,000 in foregone growth. That's the price of convenience — automatic rebalancing, no decisions, no admin — and for balances under ~S$100k, or for CPF/SRS money where DIY options are limited, it's usually worth paying. Above ~S$200k, committed DIY investors save meaningfully. It's a genuine trade-off, not a free lunch.

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Minimum deposits and withdrawals

The barrier to start, and how quickly you can get your money out, differ across the three.

None of the three charges a withdrawal fee, and all support PayNow/FAST funding. Syfe and StashAway have removed minimums entirely, which makes them the most accessible for first-time investors; Endowus keeps a modest S$1,000 initial deposit. All three are fully liquid — you can sell out of public-market portfolios at any time, unlike private-market investments.

Investing CPF and SRS through a robo-advisor

Because CPF is the one feature that genuinely separates these platforms, it's worth understanding the trade-off before moving any money. Only Endowus lets you invest CPF Ordinary Account (OA) and Special Account (SA) savings; Syfe and StashAway accept cash and SRS but not CPF.

The CPF OA hurdle

CPF OA already pays a government-guaranteed 2.5% p.a., risk-free. The moment you invest OA savings through the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS) — including via Endowus — you give that 2.5% up. So an invested OA portfolio has to clear a real hurdle before it beats simply leaving the money where it is: roughly the 2.5% floor, plus the 0.40% Endowus CPF/SRS access fee, plus the underlying fund expense ratio — around 3.1%–3.5% net per year just to break even against doing nothing.

CPF OA money is, by design, your safety net — so investing it only makes sense for long horizons (typically 10+ years) and a risk appetite that can sit through drawdowns.

Over a long horizon a globally diversified equity portfolio has historically cleared that hurdle comfortably, but it is never guaranteed. Investing SRS carries no such opportunity cost, since uninvested SRS earns just 0.05% — so the bar to "beat cash" is far lower.

The SRS tax angle

All three platforms accept SRS. Beyond investment returns, SRS contributions reduce your chargeable income in the year you contribute (up to S$15,300 for Singaporeans and PRs, S$35,700 for foreigners), and only 50% of withdrawals at statutory retirement age are taxable. That makes any of the three a reasonable home for SRS funds — Endowus or StashAway for a fully diversified allocation, Syfe for the same plus REIT+ or Income+ if you want Singapore income exposure.

Syfe vs Endowus: which is better?

This is the most common head-to-head, and the answer hinges on one question: do you want to invest CPF money? If yes, Endowus is effectively your only option of the two — Syfe doesn't support CPF. If you're investing cash or SRS, the decision opens up.

Choose Endowus if you want to invest CPF OA/SA, prefer institutional-quality unit trusts and a strictly evidence-based passive approach, or value the slightly lower fee at larger cash balances.

Choose Syfe if you're starting with a small amount, want one-click exposure to Singapore REITs (REIT+) or a monthly-income portfolio (Income+), or simply prefer an ETF-based platform with no minimum. Many investors use both: Endowus for CPF/SRS and core holdings, Syfe for S-REIT income.

Endowus vs StashAway: which is better?

Both are heavyweight platforms, but they sit at opposite ends of the active–passive spectrum. Endowus is built on passive, evidence-based funds; StashAway actively shifts allocation with its ERAA® framework. And again, only Endowus supports CPF.

Choose Endowus if you want CPF/SRS investing, a hands-off passive strategy, and institutional funds at a transparent, trailer-rebated cost.

Choose StashAway if you prefer an actively managed framework that adjusts to the macro environment, want the broadest menu of thematic and single-ETF options, or are an accredited investor exploring StashAway Reserve's private-market portfolios. Note the 2025 currency effect: StashAway's USD-denominated portfolios returned less in SGD terms than their headline figure.

Syfe vs StashAway: which is better?

These two are the closest competitors — both ETF-based, both cash-and-SRS (no CPF), both with no minimum, and both targeting the same broad audience of Singapore investors who want a hands-off portfolio. The difference is philosophy and product mix.

Choose Syfe if you want dedicated S-REIT exposure (REIT+), factor-tilted equity portfolios, or a monthly-income product, and you're investing a small-to-mid balance where its fee is competitive.

Choose StashAway if you want an actively managed, macro-adaptive framework, the widest product range, the lowest fee on large balances (0.20% floor), or single-ETF flexibility via ETF Explorer. In the 2025 rally Syfe's pure-equity portfolio outperformed on a SGD basis, while StashAway's multi-asset approach prioritises downside management across regimes.

General pros and cons

Endowus

Pros: Only platform supporting CPF OA/SA investing; institutional-quality unit trusts (Dimensional, PIMCO); 100% trailer-fee rebate; lower fee at large balances; Private Markets for accredited investors.

Cons: S$1,000 minimum; fewer thematic/single-asset options than StashAway; fund-based rather than ETF-based, which some investors prefer for transparency.

Syfe

Pros: No minimum; unique REIT+ for S-REIT exposure; Income+ for monthly income; now supports SRS and rebates trailer fees; strong 2025 equity performance.

Cons: No CPF support; managed-portfolio fee floor (0.35%) higher than StashAway's at scale; narrower product range than StashAway.

StashAway

Pros: Proprietary, actively managed ERAA® framework plus a BlackRock-guided option; widest product range (thematic, ESG, income, Singapore, single-ETF); lowest fee floor at large balances; Reserve unlocks private markets for accredited investors.

Cons: No CPF support; highest fee on small balances (0.80%); USD-denominated portfolios exposed SGD investors to currency drag in 2025; active allocation can lag in strong, broad equity rallies.

For investors looking to diversify beyond public-market robo-advisors, private credit is increasingly part of the mix — and notably, StashAway Reserve now offers it alongside dedicated platforms like Kilde. We compare that option below.

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Customer support

All three offer multi-channel support; advisory access scales with account tier.

• Endowus: Hotline, WhatsApp, email, live chat and scheduled calls with licensed advisers. Advisory hours are typically Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm (SGT).
• Syfe: 24/5 live chat, in-app Help Centre and email; phone/WhatsApp during business hours. Most routine issues are resolved within one business day.
• StashAway: In-app chat, email and Help Centre; client-engagement phone line and dedicated advisory for Reserve (accredited) clients.

How safe are Endowus, Syfe and StashAway?

All three are licensed and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and all three hold your assets in segregated custody — separate from the platform's own balance sheet. If a platform were to wind down, your holdings sit with the custodian and would be returned or transferred to you, not absorbed by the company's creditors.

Endowus custodises your assets in an account in your own name with UOB Kay Hian, one of Asia's largest brokers and MAS-licensed for custodial services, with client cash held in a segregated account at HSBC. Syfe holds client cash in a trust account at DBS and investments through Saxo Capital Markets; SGX-listed shares sit with the Central Depository (CDP), and US-listed securities with Alpaca Securities, an SIPC member that covers up to US$500,000 against broker failure (not market losses). StashAway holds client assets in individually segregated custodian accounts.

Segregation protects you if the platform fails — it does not protect against market losses. None of these portfolios is capital-guaranteed or SDIC-insured.

This distinction matters. SDIC deposit insurance (up to S$100,000) covers SGD bank deposits, not investment products — so unit trusts, ETFs and robo portfolios fall outside it on every platform. The protections that do apply here are asset segregation plus MAS's capital, conduct and business-continuity requirements, which all three meet. Your portfolio's value will still rise and fall with the market.

What to watch: risks and limitations

Segregated custody handles platform risk, but a robo-advisor still carries risks worth understanding before you commit — whichever one you pick.

• Market risk is entirely yours. None of these portfolios is capital-guaranteed. An equity-heavy allocation can fall 20–30% in a downturn; the platform rebalances, it doesn't prevent losses. Selling in a panic is where most investors actually lose money.
• Currency risk. Most underlying ETFs are USD-denominated. As 2025 showed, a weaker US dollar can shave several percentage points off your SGD returns even when the USD headline looks strong — a real consideration if you spend in SGD.
• Active-strategy risk. StashAway's ERAA® and factor-tilted approaches can underperform a simple buy-and-hold in strong, broad rallies. Active allocation cuts both ways, and no algorithm reliably beats the market over a full cycle.
• Fee drag at scale. As shown above, a 0.5%–0.8% all-in fee compounds into real money over decades. Beyond ~S$200k, DIY ETF investing is materially cheaper — the trade-off is your time and discipline.
• Hidden overlap. If you split across platforms, remember they share the same core ETFs (S&P 500, world equity). Two "30% equity" portfolios can leave you 60% in the same stocks — track your true allocation rather than assuming diversification.

This is also where an uncorrelated allocation earns its place. Private credit through Kilde behaves differently from listed equities and bonds, which is why some accredited investors use it to diversify a robo-advisor portfolio rather than replace it — accepting reduced liquidity in exchange for a higher, steadier income stream.

Where Kilde fits in

Endowus, Syfe and StashAway are robo-advisors investing primarily in public markets (Endowus also offers a private-markets sleeve, and StashAway Reserve now does too). Kilde takes a different angle: it connects accredited and institutional investors to private-credit deals — senior secured loans from well-capitalised lending companies in developed and emerging markets.

Where the three robo-advisors give you diversified, market-linked growth, Kilde's private bonds are a fixed-income alternative: target net yields of around 12% p.a. (up to ~15%), monthly coupons, terms of 3–36 months, and a track record of 0% defaults on a ~0.5% p.a. platform fee. Unlike most private-market investments, which lock capital for years, Kilde deals offer periodic early-redemption windows (typically every 3–6 months, deal-dependent).

Kilde isn't a substitute for a diversified robo-advisor portfolio — it's a complement.

Public-market platforms give you liquid, long-term growth exposure; private credit can add a higher-yielding, lower-volatility income stream that behaves differently from equities and bonds. For accredited investors weighing private credit, the practical comparison is less "Kilde vs robo-advisor" and more "Kilde vs StashAway Reserve vs other private-market platforms" — where deal selection, security, transparency and liquidity terms matter most.

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Who should choose which?

Endowus

Best for long-term Singapore investors who want to put CPF and SRS funds to work, prefer evidence-based passive investing with institutional funds, and value the 100% trailer-fee rebate.

Syfe

Best for investors starting small (no minimum), those wanting S-REIT exposure via REIT+ or monthly income via Income+, and cash/SRS investors who prefer an ETF-based platform.

StashAway

Best for investors who want an actively managed, macro-adaptive framework (ERAA®) or a BlackRock-guided option, the widest product range, and — for accredited investors — access to private markets via Reserve.

Kilde

Best for accredited and institutional investors seeking a high-yield, collateral-backed private-credit income stream (≈12% p.a.) with periodic liquidity, to complement a diversified robo-advisor portfolio.

Many Singapore investors don't pick just one. A common setup is Endowus for CPF/SRS, a robo-advisor like Syfe or StashAway for cash-based growth and income, and a private-credit allocation through Kilde for accredited investors who want yield beyond public markets.