If you are researching tactical asset allocation platforms, you have probably come across AllocateSmartly. It has been the go-to TAA platform for years, and for good reason. But BestFolio was built to address specific gaps we saw in the existing landscape. Here is an honest comparison of both platforms.
Platform Overview
AllocateSmartly launched around 2017 and is the established player in the TAA space. It tracks 60+ strategies, provides monthly signals, and offers portfolio blending tools. It has a solid track record and a loyal user base.
BestFolio is newer, built from the ground up with modern technology. It covers 86+ strategies with 119+ variants, adds features like walk-forward validation and regime analysis, and takes a more analytical approach to strategy evaluation.
Strategy Coverage
Both platforms cover the major TAA strategies from published research: GEM, Vigilant, GTAA, Adaptive Asset Allocation, and many others. There is significant overlap in the core strategy library.
Where BestFolio differs is in variant tracking. Many published strategies have multiple parameter sets or modifications. BestFolio tracks these as separate variants, letting you compare how different lookback periods or universe choices affect performance. For example, GEM is tracked with its original parameters, but also with alternative lookback windows.
Signal Delivery
Both platforms provide monthly signals at the start of each month. AllocateSmartly sends email notifications and shows signals on the dashboard. BestFolio does the same, but also provides a signal preview during the last days of the month so you can see what the upcoming allocation is likely to be before the month turns.
BestFolio also shows the current regime for each strategy (risk-on, risk-off, mixed), making it easier to understand at a glance what the strategy is doing and why.
Analytics and Validation
This is where the platforms diverge most. AllocateSmartly provides backtested performance metrics: CAGR, max drawdown, Sharpe ratio, and correlation matrices. These are useful and well-presented.
BestFolio goes further with walk-forward analysis: the backtest is split into in-sample (training) and out-of-sample (validation) periods to help you understand whether a strategy’s performance is likely due to genuine signal or overfitting. It also provides correlation analysis between strategies, helping you build blends that actually diversify rather than just combining correlated approaches.
Portfolio Blending
Both platforms let you combine multiple strategies into a blended portfolio with custom weights. AllocateSmartly shows the blended backtest performance. BestFolio does this too, and adds contribution analysis so you can see how much each strategy contributed to the blend’s returns over time, and where the diversification benefit actually comes from.
Pricing
AllocateSmartly charges approximately $299/year. BestFolio is priced at $29/month or $299/year, with a free tier that gives access to 4 strategies without payment.
The free tier is a meaningful difference: you can explore the platform, see how strategies work, and decide whether the Pro features justify the cost before committing.
User Experience
AllocateSmartly has a functional but somewhat dated interface. It works, but it was built in an earlier era of web design. Navigation can be confusing for new users.
BestFolio was designed from scratch with a modern, clean interface. Strategy pages are information-dense but organized. Charts are interactive. The signal dashboard gives you everything at a glance. The mobile experience is fully responsive.
What AllocateSmartly Does Better
Let us be fair about where AllocateSmartly has the edge:
- Track record: It has been operating for years. The live signal history is longer and more established.
- Community: A larger, more established user community and discussion forum.
- Documentation: Extensive blog posts and educational content built up over years.
- Battle-tested: The platform has been through multiple market cycles in production.
What BestFolio Does Better
- Walk-forward validation: Genuinely useful for separating signal from noise in backtests.
- Variant tracking: See how parameter choices affect strategy performance.
- Free tier: Try before you buy, no credit card required.
- Modern UX: Faster, cleaner, more intuitive interface.
- Signal previews: See upcoming signals before the month turns.
- Regime indicators: Instantly understand what a strategy is doing and why.
Which Should You Choose?
If you value a long track record and an established community, AllocateSmartly is a solid choice. It has been doing this well for years.
If you care about modern analytics (walk-forward analysis, variant comparison, regime signals), want a cleaner user experience, or appreciate a free tier to test before committing, BestFolio is worth trying.
Many serious TAA investors use both platforms. The signals should be nearly identical for the same strategies, but the analytical tools and presentation differ enough that having both perspectives can be valuable.