Defynance vs Wahed Invest
Defynance and Wahed Invest both offer investing. This page lines up 20 listed data points side by side, with 9 differences, so you can see exactly where they part ways before you request quotes.
Built from each provider's listed data · provider data last verified Nov 2026
At a glance
- Both are available in all 50 states.
- Defynance uses Closed-end private fund holding income share agreements (accredited investors only); Wahed Invest uses Robo-Advisor / Zero-debt single-family rental fund (100% equity).
- Shariah oversight: Defynance discloses No Public Review; Wahed Invest discloses Third-Party Certified.
- HalalWallet Index: Defynance holds a B-; Wahed Invest holds a A-.
- On measurable rows, Defynance has the better listed value on 0 and Wahed Invest on 2.
- They differ on 9 of the 20 data points we list for investing.
No editorial verdict has been written for this pair yet. The side-by-side below is the full data view; where we have written one, you'll find it under Compare.
Defynance vs Wahed Invest: the full side-by-side
20 data points from each provider's published materials, lined up row by row. They differ on 9.
Defynance
Pays us: No. Defynance pays HalalWallet nothing. It is listed and graded on the same terms as providers that do.
Wahed Invest
Pays us: No. Wahed Invest pays HalalWallet nothing. It is listed and graded on the same terms as providers that do.20 of 20 rows
States covered
SameDefynance: All 50 statesWahed Invest: All 50 states
Expense ratio
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: 0.65% (Wahed Dow Jones Islamic Wo…) · 0.50% (Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF)Management fee
Defynance: Sales charge on each subscription, recurring servicing fees, a management fee on assets under management, and carried interest on profit. Amounts are in the private placement memorandum, not published.Wahed Invest: 0.49% + $60/yr (<$100K); 0.49% ($100K+) (Wahed Invest Robo-Advisor) · 0.75% of AUM annually + 3% sourcing fee per property acquisition; no performance fees (Wahed Real Estate Fund)Minimum investment
Defynance: $25,000 for accredited investors; $100,000 for qualified purchasers (the manager can make exceptions)Wahed Invest: $100 (Wahed Invest Robo-Advisor) · $100 (10 shares); no accredited investor requirement; open to US residents 18+ with a US bank account (Wahed Real Estate Fund)
Structure
Defynance: Closed-end private fund holding income share agreements (accredited investors only)Wahed Invest: Robo-Advisor / Zero-debt single-family rental fund (100% equity)Shariah oversight
Defynance: No Public ReviewWahed Invest: Third-Party CertifiedShariah board / scholar
Defynance: No Public ReviewWahed Invest: third_party_certifiedPublished fatwa / certificate
SameDefynance: NoWahed Invest: NoScreening standard
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: AAOIFI standards (Wahed Invest Robo-Advisor) · Structural compliance rather than stock screening: zero-debt policy (100% equity acquisitions), income solely from residential rent and appreciation, SRB-certified with ongoing internal monitoring (Wahed Real Estate Fund) · Dow Jones Islamic World Index (Wahed Dow Jones Islamic Wo…) · FTSE Shariah Index (Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF)
Products listed
Defynance: Defynance FundWahed Invest: Wahed Invest Robo-Advisor, Wahed Real Estate Fund, Wahed Dow Jones Islamic World ETF, Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETFBest for
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: Hands-off investors who want automationProduct types
Defynance: Private FundWahed Invest: Investment Platform, Real Estate Fund, ETFTickers
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: UMMA, HLALHoldings
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: ~100 (Wahed Dow Jones Islamic Wo…) · ~200 (Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF)Account types
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: Individual, IRA, Roth IRAFocus
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: Automated Halal Portfolios (Wahed Invest Robo-Advisor) · Global Large Growth (Wahed Dow Jones Islamic Wo…) · US Large Growth (Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF)
HalalWallet Index grade
Defynance: B-Wahed Invest: A- EdgeFounded
Defynance: 2019Wahed Invest: 2015 EdgeGoogle rating
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: 4.5/5 (1,200 reviews)Assets under management
Defynance: Not listedWahed Invest: $298M (2026-11-13) (Wahed Dow Jones Islamic Wo…) · $946M (2026-11-13) (Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF)
Edge marks the side with the better listed number on measurable rows (lower fee, wider coverage, higher grade). It is not a verdict - a provider can win more rows and still be the wrong fit for you.
Strengths and trade-offs
Defynance
- Returns come from a share of borrowers' income, not from interest
- Investor capital pays off interest-bearing student debt
- Quarterly distributions after the first year
- Defynance reports low volatility and returns it describes as uncorrelated with markets
- No Shariah board, scholar, fatwa or purification guidance is published
- Accredited investors and qualified purchasers only, with a $25,000 minimum
- Fee amounts are disclosed only in the private placement memorandum
- Illiquid: one-year hold, and redemption options are not yet available
- Defynance lists its own startup status and the possibility of agreements defaulting among the risks
Wahed Invest
- Fully automated halal portfolios matched to your goals
- Certified by the Shariyah Review Bureau (2024), with AAOIFI associate membership
- Supports individual, IRA, and Roth IRA accounts
- Available nationwide in all 50 states
- Genuine structural differentiation: zero-debt model, versus the 30-35% leverage many halal-labeled real estate products carry
- The flat $60 stings small accounts: on $1,000 the all-in cost approaches 6.5% a year - fund it meaningfully or wait
- Model portfolios only - no individual stock selection or allocation tweaks
- SEC's February 2022 order (misleading statements, undisclosed conflicts around HLAL's launch, no written Shariah-compliance policies; $300,000 penalty) is recent history worth knowing
- Portfolios lean on Wahed's own ETFs, an inherent conflict the firm discloses
- Illiquid by design: six-month minimum hold, then only semi-annual redemption windows with tiered exit fees and a 10%-of-NAV per-cycle cap
Products behind the numbers
Where a row shows more than one value, it is because the provider lists several investing products. Each is tagged.
Defynance
Pays HalalWallet: No. Defynance pays HalalWallet nothing. It is listed and graded on the same terms as providers that do.Wahed Invest
Pays HalalWallet: No. Wahed Invest pays HalalWallet nothing. It is listed and graded on the same terms as providers that do.Not sure which is right? Compare all investing providers.
Browse all Investing optionsEditorial comparisons
How do Defynance and Wahed Invest compare for investing?
Defynance and Wahed Invest both offer investing. This page lines up 20 listed data points side by side, with 9 differences, so you can see exactly where they part ways before you request quotes.
- Both are available in all 50 states.
- Defynance uses Closed-end private fund holding income share agreements (accredited investors only); Wahed Invest uses Robo-Advisor / Zero-debt single-family rental fund (100% equity).
- Shariah oversight: Defynance discloses No Public Review; Wahed Invest discloses Third-Party Certified.
Source: HalalWallet (halalwallet.us)
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Sources and review process
This page is reviewed against HalalWallet editorial standards and source documentation.
Reviewed by: HalalWallet Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 2026-11-13
How to cite this page
Preferred format (HTML):
https://www.halalwallet.us/compare/defynance-vs-wahed-invest, retrieved 2026-11-14).For time-sensitive claims (rates, fees, state availability), please verify directly with the provider's official documentation and note the retrieval date.
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What we do
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What we do not do
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