What's different between the new and legacy Kernel dashboards?

We're rolling out a fresh new dashboard, and during the rollout both versions are live. This article walks you through how to tell which one you're using, what's changed, and how to share feedback if anything looks off.

When you reach out to our Customer Success team or chat with Fin (our AI assistant), letting us know which dashboard you're on helps us point you to the right answer faster.

Look at the banner at the top of the page:

We're transitioning customers to a redesigned Kernel dashboard in stages.

Both dashboards show the same investments, balances, and account information. They simply present them differently.

The easiest way is to read the banner at the top of the page.

On the new dashboard, the banner says "Welcome to Kernel's new dashboard". The links you'll see depend on the type of account:

On the legacy dashboard, the banner says "You're viewing the legacy dashboard", with a Switch to the new dashboard link. Only existing customers will ever see this banner as new customers don't have access to the legacy dashboard.

Your top navigation has been simplified. All products are now accessed via the Explore tab.

Explore is where you go to browse everything Kernel has to offer — Kernel funds, US ETFs, US Shares, Savings, and KiwiSaver. Use the search bar to find what you're looking for or use the filter chips along the top to narrow things down. You'll also see curated rows to help you get started.

A cool new feature for desktop users is that you can hit command + K (on mac) or ctrl + K (on windows) to bring up the search modal from any screen in the product. You don't need to be on the Explore page to search assets and place buy orders.

Your Overview page now leads with your total estimated balance and how it's changed over time. Below that, you can flip between a Portfolio view (your investments) and a Goals view (your savings goals). You'll also see panels for Pending orders and Recurring orders so you can keep tabs on what's in motion.

Your Wallet has moved to the top right of every page, so you can simply tap it to open your Wallet. While you no longer need to hunt around for it, you can still easily access it via the Wallet card on your Overview page.

We've combined Auto-Invest and Auto-Save into one feature called Recurring orders. Your existing plans haven't changed, they'll just show up under this new name.

You can set up a new recurring order from the Recurring orders panel on your Overview page, and view, edit, pause or cancel any of them too.

Your Activity page now has two tabs: History and Recurring orders. History shows every transaction across all your products, including Wallet activity. Filter chips and a Filters button let you narrow things down by product or date.

Goals are now a tab on your Overview page, sitting right alongside your Portfolio.

Richer graphs with expanded time filters let you drill into performance at both the portfolio, group and individual asset level so you can see exactly how your investments are tracking over time.

Your investments, balances and transaction history are exactly the same on both dashboards, we've just changed how they're laid out. KiwiSaver, Smart Saver, Kernel funds, and Shares & ETFs are all still available, and your fees, tax treatment and order processing windows haven't changed either. You can still chat with our Customer Success team on either dashboard using the chat bubble (this isn't a live chat so we'll get back to you as soon as we can).

If you're an existing customer (signed up before 11 May 2026), you can switch between the two dashboards as often as you like while both are available:

If you signed up on or after 11 May 2026, you'll only see the new dashboard as there's no legacy version for you to switch to.

We'd love to hear what's working and what isn't. The most helpful feedback tells us what you were trying to do, what happened, and which dashboard you were on.

Click Share feedback in the banner at the top of the page. A short form will open on the right with a few quick questions:

Fill in as much or as little as you like, then click Submit feedback.

For bugs or anything you need a hand with, send us a chat using the chat bubble at the bottom right of either dashboard. To help us get to the bottom of things quickly, please include:

Read the banner at the top of the page. If it says "Welcome to Kernel's new dashboard", you're on the new dashboard. If it says "You're viewing the legacy dashboard", you're on the legacy dashboard.

No. Your investments, balances and transaction history are the same on both dashboards. We've just changed how they're laid out.

The Wallet has moved to the top right of every page on the new dashboard. It shows your wallet balance. Click to withdraw or top up.

They're still all here, they've just moved into the Explore tab. Use the search bar or the filter chips at the top of the page to find what you're after.

No, Auto-Invest and Auto-Save are now both called Recurring orders on the new dashboard. Your existing plans haven't changed and will keep running. You can manage them from the Recurring orders panel on your Overview page, or the Recurring orders tab on your Activity page.

KiwiSaver lives inside the Explore tab on the new dashboard, rather than having its own tab in the top navigation. If your account isn't eligible for KiwiSaver — for example, joint accounts can't hold a KiwiSaver balance — KiwiSaver won't appear at all.

If you're an existing customer (signed up before 11 May 2026), click Switch back in the banner at the top of any page on the new dashboard. New customers (signed up on or after 11 May 2026) cannot switch back, because they have only ever had the new dashboard.

The Switch back link only appears for existing customers who signed up before 11 May 2026. If you signed up on or after 11 May 2026, you'll see the "Welcome to Kernel's new dashboard" banner with only a Share feedback link, because you don't have a legacy dashboard to switch back to.

If you're an existing customer, click Switch to the new dashboard in the banner at the top of any page on the legacy dashboard.

Yes. The legacy dashboard will only be available for switching back for a couple of weeks while existing customers settle into the new dashboard. After that, it'll be retired and the new dashboard will be the only version available.

No. If you signed up on or after 11 May 2026, you'll only see the new dashboard.

Pending orders work exactly the same way. The new dashboard shows them in a dedicated Pending orders panel on your Overview page, so they're easier to spot at a glance.

On the new dashboard, your Wallet activity sits inside the History tab on your Activity page, alongside your other transactions. Use the Wallet filter chip to show only Wallet activity.

No, your fees and tax treatment are unchanged.