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Acorns vs Betterment

Acorns is an investment app that automatically invests your spare change. Good for young investors to get into the habit. How does it compare to Betterment? Read our comparison chart below.

Acorns is geared towards young investors who have trouble saving. This investment app automatically rounds up and invests your spare change whenever you make a purchase. The service fee starts at $3/month for accounts. There is no minimum to open.

While Betterment offers automatic investing starting at $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000. There is no fee to open an account and no minimum deposit required. All balances get automatic rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, and access to financial experts.

Compare Acorns with Betterment, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

 Acorns
 Visit SiteLearn More
 

Acorns

Betterment

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$20 Investment Bonus - Learn More

Read Acorns Review

SPECIAL OFFER
Compare Pricing - Learn More

Read Betterment Review

 

Benefits and Features

Savings
No
Check
Stock TradingPart of service fee. No add-on trading fees. 
Options Trading
No
 
Annual Fee
  • Acorns Personal ($3/mo) - includes personal taxable account, IRA, and checking account
  • Acorns Personal Plus ($5/mo) - includes everything in Personal, emergency fund, and 25% match on rewards
  • Acorns Premium ($9/mo) - includes everything in Personal Plus, investment accounts for kids, 50% match on rewards, custom portfolio, Trust & Will, $10K Life Insurance, and free GoHenry account
  • Digital: 0.25% annual fee for accounts with $20,000 or more or with monthly recurring deposits of $250 or more, $4/month for accounts with less than $20,000
  • Premium: 0.40% for accounts $100,000 or more
Cryptocurrency Trading
No
 
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Checking
Yes
No-Fee Checking
Mutual Fund Trading
No
 
Commission Free ETFsA selection automatically chosen by Acorns 
Phone Support
Yes
Yes
Live Chat Support
No
No
Email Support
Yes
Yes
Human Advisors
No
Yes ($100k minimum)
Robo Advisor
Yes
Check
Assets Under Management
$4.7 Billion
$40+ Billion
Tax Loss Harvesting
No
Yes
Goal Tracker
Yes
Yes
Automatic Deposits
Yes
Yes
Broker Assisted TradesAcorns automatically invest and trade for you 
Good ForBeginners; Passive investors; Those who have trouble saving/investing on their own 
Inactivity FeeNone, but you will keep paying the monthly fee 
Maintenance Fee
Monthly fee for the service
 
Online Platform
Yes
Yes
iPhone App
Yes (4.7 stars, 760k ratings)
Yes
Android App
Yes (4.3 stars, 156k ratings)
Yes
BankingIncluded in Acorns Personal ($3/mo). Free metal debit card, no minimum balance, no overdraft fees, and 55,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide. 
Mobile App
Yes
Yes
Two-Factor Authentication
Yes
 
Locations
No
 
Online Community
No
 
Seminars
No
 
Virtual Trading
No
 
Single Stock Diversification 
No
Fractional Shares
Yes
Yes
Taxable Accounts
Yes
Yes
401k Plans
No
Yes
IRA Accounts
Yes
Yes
Roth IRA Accounts
Yes
Yes
SEP IRA Accounts
Yes
Yes
Trust Accounts
No
Yes
529 Plans
No
No
 

CreditDonkey® Reviews

 Acorns
Annual FeeStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarStarStarStarStarHalf Star
Minimum DepositStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar
Mobile AppStarStarStarStarHalf Star
Customer ServiceStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarStarStarStarStarEmpty Star
Ease of UseStarStarStarStarStar
Human AdvisorsStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Pros & ConsPros:
  • No minimum to open account
  • Invest with spare change
  • Cash-back program
Cons:
  • Fees are high for small balances
  • No tax benefits
  • Limited investment options
Pros:
  • No minimum investment
  • Customized portfolios
  • Automatically invest extra funds
Cons:
  • Limited investment options
  • High fees for large investors
Bottom LineInvestment app that automatically invests your spare change. Good for young investors to get into the habit... Read full reviewGreat robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... Read full review
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Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details.

Acorns: Pricing information from published website as of 09/28/2020.

Betterment: Pricing information from published website as of 04/04/2018

Acorns

$20 Investment Bonus

  • Open an Acorns account (new users only)
  • Set up the Recurring Investments feature
  • Have your first investment be made successfully via the Recurring Investments feature

Which is Better: Acorns or Betterment?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing Acorns or Robinhood.

In short: Betterment's annual fee and customer service are noteworthy.


Articles on Acorns

Acorns App

Acorns automatically invests your spare change. But can it help make you money? Find out if this app is safe and legit.

Is Acorns Safe

Acorns lets you invest spare change from every purchase. But is it safe to use? Learn just how secure the micro-investing app is.

How to Make Money Using Acorns

Acorns "rounds up" everyday purchases and invests it for you. What's the catch? Read this review to find out how to make money using the app.

Articles on Betterment

Betterment Reviews

Betterment offers low fees and good returns. But there are risks you should NOT ignore. Read this review to see if Betterment is better.

Betterment Fees

Betterment offers no minimum deposit and good returns. But are the fees worth it? Read on to learn about this robo-advisor's costs.

Is Betterment Safe

Betterment offers low fees, no minimum balance and good returns. But is it a good idea? Find out if it's safe to invest your money with this robo-advisor.

Is Betterment Worth The Fee

Betterment will manage your investments, but they charge a fee. Is Betterment worth the fee? Read on to answer all your questions.

Betterment Roth IRA

Is Betterment a good way to invest for retirement? What about the fees and withdrawals? Read on to learn how Betterment's Roth IRA account works.

Betterment vs Wealthfront

Betterment and Wealthfront are two of the oldest and most popular robo-advisors. Is there a difference? Which is better for you? Read on to find out.

Comments

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