Betterment vs Acorns

Betterment is a great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies. How does it compare to Acorns? Read our comparison chart below.

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.

While 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.

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

	Betterment	Acorns

	Learn More	Visit Site
	SPECIAL OFFER Compare Pricing - Learn More Read Betterment Review	SPECIAL OFFER $20 Investment Bonus - Learn More Read Acorns Review
	Benefits and Features
Savings	Betterment Cash Reserve - Earn 4.75% APY**	No
Stock Trading		Part of service fee. No add-on trading fees.
Options Trading		No
Annual Fee	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: 0.65% for accounts $100,000 or more	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
Cryptocurrency Trading		No
Minimum Deposit	$0	$0
Checking	No-Fee Checking	Yes
Mutual Fund Trading		No
Commission Free ETFs		A selection automatically chosen by Acorns
Phone Support	Yes	Yes
Live Chat Support	No	No
Email Support	Yes	Yes
Human Advisors	Yes ($100k minimum)	No
Robo Advisor	Yes	Yes
Assets Under Management	$50+ Billion	$4.7 Billion
Minimum Investment	$0
Tax Loss Harvesting	Yes	No
Goal Tracker	Yes	Yes
Automatic Deposits	Yes	Yes
Broker Assisted Trades		Acorns automatically invest and trade for you
Good For		Beginners; Passive investors; Those who have trouble saving/investing on their own
Inactivity Fee		None, but you will keep paying the monthly fee
Maintenance Fee		Monthly fee for the service
Online Platform	Yes	Yes
iPhone App	Yes	Yes (4.7 stars, 760k ratings)
Android App	Yes	Yes (4.3 stars, 156k ratings)
Banking	Offers checking account with a free debit card, and a high-yield cash account	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	iOS & Android
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	Yes	No
IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Roth IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
SEP IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Trust Accounts	Yes	No
529 Plans	No	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews

Annual Fee
Minimum Deposit
Human Advisors
Customer Service
Mobile App
Ease of Use
Pros & Cons	Pros: No minimum investment Customized portfolios Automatically invest extra funds Cons: Limited investment options High fees for large investors	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
Bottom Line	Great robo-advisor for beginners with low fees, good tools, and tax strategies... Read full review	Investment app that automatically invests your spare change. Good for young investors to get into the habit... Read full review
	Learn More	Visit Site
	Compare Pricing Betterment Cash Reserve - Earn 4.75% APY** Invest with Automated Portfolios	$20 Investment Bonus Try Acorns Today! Acorns Invest: Invest Spare Change
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. Betterment: Pricing information from published website as of 04/04/2018 Acorns: Pricing information from published website as of 11/29/2024.

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Acorns Invest: Invest Spare Change

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Which is Better: Betterment or Acorns?

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

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

Articles on Betterment

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Betterment Roth IRA

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Is Acorns Safe

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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

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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