My two biggest takeaways from our Advice Tech Reviews report:

1. Perception of value for money drives asset growth for platforms
2. Tech adoption is set to slow

Our latest report details user reviews of the tech powering financial advice and is based on views from over 900 financial advice professionals.

Advisers put more assets on platforms they see as good value.

Value for money has the strongest correlation to asset growth of any review measure; stronger than service, integration or willingness to recommend. Integrations may be a source of frustration, but perceptions of value are more likely to influence asset flows.

We’ve been collecting user reviews of advice tech for seven years. We compared user reviews with year-on-year asset growth for the past three years and found a positive correlation between reviews and asset growth. Looking at individual criteria, ‘integration with other tech’, ‘support provided’ and ‘integrations with other tech’ had a moderate positive correlation. ‘Value for money’ had a strong positive correlation emphasising the importance of perceived value in driving asset growth for platforms.

Tech adoption is set to slow

My second biggest key takeaway is that tech adoption is set to slow with only 13% of financial advice professionals saying that their firm will add a new technology partner in the next 12 months. This is down from 34% in both 2024 and 2025.

Our analysis confirms that tech adoption rises in response to external factors. The Covid-19 pandemic, regulatory change and the rise of generative AI have been recent key drivers. Small firms are most likely to be sitting on the sidelines while larger firms are still experimenting with new tech. As one sole trader we spoke to put it: “I’d rather let bigger firms make the mistakes and I’ll just follow.”

Download the sample report here: Advice Tech Stack: Advice Tech Reviews Report 2026.

Heather Hopkins, CEO & Founder, NextWealth

FAQs

1. How does value for money influence platform asset growth?
Value for money has the strongest positive correlation with asset growth among the platform review measures analysed. Advisers who perceive a platform as offering good value for money are more likely to place assets on it.

2. What factors influence asset growth for financial advice platforms?
Factors including value for money, integration with other technology and the support provided are associated with platform asset growth. Of these, value for money showed the strongest positive correlation in the analysis.

3. Is technology adoption slowing in financial advice firms?
Yes. The research found that 13% of financial advice professionals expect their firm to add a new technology partner in the next 12 months, down from 34% in both 2024 and 2025.

4. What is driving technology adoption in financial advice?
Technology adoption has increased in response to external factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, regulatory change and the rise of generative AI. The research suggests larger firms continue to experiment with new technology, while smaller firms are more likely to wait before adopting new solutions.