Acorns vs M1 Finance

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 M1 Finance? 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 M1 Finance offers automated investing with no commissions or trading fees. M1 lets you select your own investments and their automation will manage it for you. This is great for investors who want a say. The downside is that there are no human advisors. The minimum to start is just $100.

Compare Acorns with M1 Finance, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

		M1 FinanceRobinhoodWebull
	Visit Site	Learn More
	Acorns	M1 Finance
	SPECIAL OFFER $20 Investment Bonus - Learn More Read Acorns Review	SPECIAL OFFER Commission Free Stock Trading - Learn More Read M1 Finance Review
	Benefits and Features
Savings	No
Stock Trading	Part of service fee. No add-on trading fees.	$0
Options Trading	No	No
Annual Fee	Acorns Bronze ($3/mo) - includes personal taxable account, IRA, and checking account Acorns Silver ($6/mo) - includes everything in Bronze, emergency fund, 25% match on rewards, and 1% IRA match on Acorns Later contributions Acorns Gold ($12/mo) - includes everything in Silver, investment accounts for kids, 50% match on rewards, custom portfolio, Trust & Will, $10K Life Insurance, free Acorns Early account, and 3% IRA match on Acorns Later contributions	A $3 monthly platform fee will apply to clients with less than $10,000 in M1 assets or without an active M1 Personal Loan.
Cryptocurrency Trading	No	Yes
Minimum Deposit	$0	$100 ($500 for IRAs, $5,000 for Trust Account)
Checking	Yes
Mutual Fund Trading	No	No
Commission Free ETFs	A selection automatically chosen by Acorns	All U.S. listed ETFs
Phone Support	Yes	Monday - Friday 9:30 am to 4 pm EST
Live Chat Support	No	No
Email Support	Yes	Yes
Human Advisors	No	No
Robo Advisor	Yes
Assets Under Management	$4.7 Billion	$4.5 Billion
Tax Loss Harvesting	No	No, but offers tax minimization features
Goal Tracker	Yes	No
Automatic Deposits	Yes	Yes
Broker Assisted Trades	Acorns automatically invest and trade for you	Included
Good For	Beginners; Passive investors; Those who have trouble saving/investing on their own	DIY investing with passive portfolio management
Inactivity Fee	None, but you will keep paying the monthly fee	$50 (for accounts with $50 or less and no trading or deposit activity for 90+ days)
Maintenance Fee	Monthly fee for the service	$3 monthly platform fee for accounts with less than $10,000 in M1 assets, or without an active M1 Personal Loan
Online Platform	Yes	Yes
iPhone App	Yes (4.7 stars, 760k ratings)	Yes (4.6 stars, 33.3k ratings)
Android App	Yes (4.3 stars, 156k ratings)	Yes (4.5 stars, 15.7k ratings)
Banking	Included in Acorns Bronze ($3/mo). Free metal debit card, no minimum balance, no overdraft fees, and 55,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide.
Mobile App	iOS & Android
Two-Factor Authentication	Yes	Yes
Locations	No	No
Online Community	No	No
Seminars	No	No
Trading Platform		Web Trading, Mobile Apps
Virtual Trading	No	No
Fractional Shares	Yes	Yes
Taxable Accounts	Yes	Yes
401k Plans	No	No
IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Roth IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
SEP IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Trust Accounts	No	Yes
529 Plans	No	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews
Annual Fee
Minimum Deposit
Mobile App
Customer Service
Ease of Use
Research
Pros & Cons	Pros: 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: Choose your own investments Can invest in individual stocks Morning and afternoon trade windows Cons: No research No human advisors Platform fee
Bottom Line	Investment app that automatically invests your spare change. Good for young investors to get into the habit... Read full review	Commission-free investing app that allows you to choose your own investments... Read full review
	Visit Site	Learn More
	$20 Investment Bonus $20 Investment Bonus: Easy Investing for Kids 3% IRA Match with Acorns Gold	Commission Free Stock Trading M1 Finance Fees Invest Automatically with M1 Finance
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 05/07/2026. M1 Finance: Pricing information from published website as of 12/26/2023.

$20 Investment Bonus

Get $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

$20 Investment Bonus: Easy Investing for Kids

Get $20 Bonus Investment

• Set recurring investments, transfer account to child at age 18 or 21
• Age: Any child under 17 years
• Fees: $12/month (price includes multiple kids)

Acorns Securities is SIPC insured. Acorns Checking Accounts has partnered with Lincoln Savings Bank, a member of FDIC.

3% IRA Match with Acorns Gold

Get a 3% IRA match, up to $210, on new contributions with Acorns Gold subscription. These new contributions must be kept in your Acorns Later retirement account for 4 years. Get a 1% IRA match with Acorns Silver.

Get Deal

Which is Better: Acorns or M1 Finance?

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: M1 Finance's annual fee is excellent.

Articles on Acorns

Acorns

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

• Acorns vs Stash
• Acorns vs Betterment
• Acorns vs Robinhood

Apps Like Acorns

Acorns is one of the best micro-investing apps out there. But is it for everyone? Read on to see some of your alternatives.

Is Acorns Legit or 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 M1 Finance

M1 Finance Review

Is M1 Finance legitimate and safe? Find out the pros, cons, fees, and more. An essential read for beginners interested in M1 Finance.

• M1 Finance vs Webull

M1 Finance Alternatives

M1 Finance is a popular app for commission-free investing. But is there a better option for you? Find out in this detailed guide to M1 Finance alternatives.

Comments

• Olivia Tabor from Texas
  on April 2019 said about Acorns:

  I have both Acorns and Robinhood and even though they each serve a different purpose I don't have the freedom of stock purchase that I really like. I believe Acorns diversifies for my needs more effectively.

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