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Acorns vs Merrill Edge

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 Merrill Edge? 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 Merrill Edge (a subsidiary of Bank of America) offers stock trades at $0 commission and options trading at $0 + $0.65 per contract. There is no account minimum, no maintenance fee, and no inactivity fee.

Compare Acorns with Merrill Edge, side-by-side.

 Acorns
 Visit SiteLearn More
 

Acorns

Merrill Edge

SPECIAL OFFER
$20 Investment Bonus - Learn More

Read Acorns Review

SPECIAL OFFER
$100 Bonus Offer - Learn More

 

Benefits and Features

Savings
No
 
Stock TradingPart of service fee. No add-on trading fees.
$0 per trade
Options Trading
No
$0 + $0.65 per contract
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
 
Cryptocurrency Trading
No
 
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Checking
Yes
 
Mutual Fund Trading
No
$0 for no load, no-transaction-fee funds ($39.95 short-term redemption fee if the fund is held less than 90 days) $19.95 for no load, transaction-fee funds
Commission Free ETFsA selection automatically chosen by Acorns
Check
Phone Support
Yes
 
Live Chat Support
No
 
Email Support
Yes
 
Human Advisors
No
 
Robo Advisor
Yes
 
Assets Under Management
$4.7 Billion
 
Tax Loss Harvesting
No
 
Goal Tracker
Yes
 
Automatic Deposits
Yes
 
Broker Assisted TradesAcorns automatically invest and trade for you
$29.95
Good ForBeginners; Passive investors; Those who have trouble saving/investing on their own 
Inactivity FeeNone, but you will keep paying the monthly fee
None
Maintenance Fee
Monthly fee for the service
$0
Online Platform
Yes
 
iPhone App
Yes (4.7 stars, 760k ratings)
 
Android App
Yes (4.3 stars, 156k ratings)
 
BankingIncluded in Acorns Personal ($3/mo). Free metal debit card, no minimum balance, no overdraft fees, and 55,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide.
Through Bank of America
Mobile App
Yes
Yes
Desktop App 
Yes
Two-Factor Authentication
Yes
 
Forex Trading 
No
Futures Trading 
No
Customer Service 
24/7
Locations
No
More than 2,100 Bank of America locations
Online Community
No
No
Seminars
No
Yes
Virtual Trading
No
No
Fractional Shares
Yes
 
Taxable Accounts
Yes
 
401k Plans
No
 
IRA Accounts
Yes
 
Roth IRA Accounts
Yes
 
SEP IRA Accounts
Yes
 
Trust Accounts
No
 
529 Plans
No
 
 

CreditDonkey® Reviews

 Acorns
Annual FeeStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Minimum DepositStarStarStarStarStar
Mobile AppStarStarStarStarHalf Star
Customer ServiceStarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty Star
Ease of UseStarStarStarStarStar
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
Bottom LineInvestment app that automatically invests your spare change. Good for young investors to get into the habit... Read full review
 Visit SiteLearn More

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.

Merrill Edge: Pricing information from published websites as of 10/17/2023.

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

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


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.

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.

Comments

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