Updated August 20, 2026. Quick answer: Datalign and SmartAsset are both free advisor-matching services paid by the advisors, and on the question most comparisons lead with — how many advisors end up calling you — they no longer differ. Matches: the match-count difference has closed — SmartAsset introduces up to three advisors, and Datalign’s Form ADV Part 2A dated May 21, 2026 now states it introduces up to three firms too, each of which pays it a referral fee, adding that “the Consumer will be contacted by all three”. Standards: SmartAsset requires its advisers to be registered or chartered as fiduciaries; Datalign’s brochure requires SEC- or state-registered investment advisers and discloses that when several firms fit equally, the introduction goes to the firm that bids the highest referral fee.
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Datalign vs SmartAsset: side by side
| SmartAsset (SmartAdvisor) | Datalign Advisory | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to you | Free | Free |
| Matches | Up to 3 advisors to compare | Up to 3 advisory firms (Form ADV Part 2A, May 21, 2026) |
| Fiduciary requirement | Yes — advisers must be registered as fiduciaries | Brochure requires SEC- or state-registered investment advisers |
| Fee-only requirement | No | No |
| Stated minimum | None stated (typical referral averages $1.26M per advisor-facing materials) | Not stated |
| Who contacts you | Up to three advisors competing for your business | Up to three matched firms; the brochure says all three will contact you |
| How it’s paid | Compensation from referred advisers | Referral fees from firms; equal-fit ties resolved by referral-fee auction (disclosed) |
| Founded / scale claims | 50,000+ matches per month (its claim) | Founded 2022; 100,000+ users matched (its claim) |
The match-model difference has largely closed
Until May 2026 this was the whole story: SmartAsset produced a comparison set of up to three advisors, and Datalign produced a single decision. Datalign’s Form ADV Part 2A dated May 21, 2026 closed that gap — its Item 2 material-changes note records the amendment, and Items 4 and 5 now state that a consumer is introduced to up to three participating advisers, each of which pays Datalign a referral fee, and that “the Consumer will be contacted by all three”. Both services can therefore produce up to three parallel sales conversations, so the choice between them no longer turns on match count. Either way, build the comparison yourself — our advisor cost guide and fee calculator give you the fee benchmarks the quotes should be measured against.
The standards difference is documented, not marketing
SmartAsset states that participating advisers must be registered fiduciaries and pass its due-diligence criteria, while noting it does not review ongoing adviser performance (source). Datalign’s homepage describes a platform built around fiduciary alignment; its Form ADV Part 2A is the operative document, and it does state a standard — participating advisers must be SEC- or state-registered investment advisers, screened for registration status, disciplinary history and services offered, then interviewed about their expertise. What it does not state is a credential bar or a fee-only requirement, and its disclosures page calls the screening criteria “limited” and no substitute for your own due diligence. Datalign also markets that 86% of RIA firms on its platform appear on a major industry Top-100 list; treat that, like SmartAsset’s volume claims, as the company’s own unaudited marketing.
Prefer to start with one vetted introduction?
Disclosure: this button routes to an advertising partner and Clear Money Guide may earn a referral fee. Neither Datalign nor SmartAsset paid for this comparison. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
You have compared the two. Here is the third, and we are paid to refer you to it.
Said plainly because a comparison page next to a form deserves it: the matching service below is our partner, and neither of the two services this page compares. Use whichever you like. It is free to you, and it is not the only way to find an adviser.
Before you start, what actually happens. The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
The Kapitalwise form opens here — you stay on this page.
What happens when you press the button
It asks about nine questions — age, investable assets, location — then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
Both disclose the same underlying economics
Neither service charges consumers; both are paid by advisory firms for introductions. Datalign’s disclosures are unusually explicit about one mechanism: when more than one participating firm fits your profile equally, the introduction goes to whichever firm is willing to pay Datalign the highest referral fee, through an auction — and Datalign itself names this as a conflict of interest. SmartAsset discloses the compensation relationship without detailing how ties are resolved. Either way, the working assumption for any matching service should be the same: the match is shaped by who pays, so the verification below is your job, not theirs.
How to verify whichever match you get
- Look the firm up free on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site and read the fee section of its Form ADV Part 2 brochure.
- Confirm in writing whether the advisor is a fiduciary for you on every account, and whether they are fee-only or fee-based.
- Get the all-in first-year cost in dollars and run it through the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator and the Fee Drag Calculator.
- Ask our five questions to ask a financial advisor on the first call.
- Compare the quote against your state’s norms in our advisor statistics section, built from the same SEC records.
Methodology
This page was materially reviewed on July 23, 2026. Every fact is drawn from each company’s own public pages and legal disclosures as of that date, with sources linked inline; scale claims are the companies’ own unaudited statements. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.