Acorns vs. Stash: 2024 Comparison - NerdWallet (2024)

FAQs

What is better, acorn or Stash? ›

Both Acorns and Stash offer similar products, but Stash includes a few more features in its entry-level tier, including the ability to buy individual stocks. And its higher tier offers many of the same features as Acorns at a lower price point.

Why we chose Chime: If you want an Acorns alternative that has numerous bank-like features to help you spend and save your money, Chime is for you. And our favorite part is that its high-yield savings account currently pays 0.50% APY. Like Acorns, you can also enable spare change round-ups to automatically save money.

Acorns: Fees. Both Stash and Acorns use a subscription-based fee structure with two tiers of plans to choose from. Acorns' plans go for $3 per month and $5 per month, while Stash's plans go for $3 and $9 per month.

Targeted at millennials, Acorns is the investing app that rounds up purchases to the nearest dollar and invests the difference. That is to say that when you buy a tall caffe latte from Starbucks at $2.95, the remaining five cents from the three dollars is automatically placed in an ETF.

All Stash accounts are held by our trusted partner and custodian Apex Clearing, a registered broker-dealer regulated by FINRA. At Apex, your investments are protected up to a maximum of $500,000 total, including $250,000 in cash balances through the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).

Acorns is a member of SIPC. Securities in your account are protected up to $500,000. For details, please see www.sipc.org.

Acorns has over 8 million customers and $3 billion in assets under management. The app lets its users make money and build wealth through long-term investing. You can also make free money with Acorns by shopping at 350+ Acorns Earn partners.

We're all about transparency. Unlike other investment apps, we don't have banking overdraft charges ² or add-on transaction fees†—just a flat monthly subscription ($3 or $9 per month) for access to all your money needs.

Does Acorn have hidden fees? ›

Plus, no hidden fees — ever. Made with a heavy metal core, the Acorns debit card features your laser-engraved signature and a super slick, matte finish.

You also have the option to withdraw the money from your Acorns account. Withdrawing funds means we'll sell your assets and transfer the balance to your linked primary checking account. There's no fee to withdraw money.

He is indeed invested. On the Acorns website, some fine print reveals that Johnson is an Acorns customer, an Acorns investor, a director of the company's Acorns Labs affiliate program and co-owner of entertainment production company Seven Bucks Productions, through which he gets paid to promote Acorns.

Of these three online brokerages, Robinhood is a great option when it comes to straightforward trading. With a free Robinhood account, you'll be able to trade stocks, ETFs, options and cryptocurrencies. You can't trade anything individual with an Acorns account, and even Stash's trading capabilities are pretty limited.

Celebrities Dwayne Johnson, Steve Harvey and Alex Rodriguez share their experiences using Acorns to invest their money.

Is Acorns Worth it? Acorns charges monthly membership fees, starting at $3 per month. Even though it is a very easy way to get started investing, if you don't make enough purchases each month to round up and set aside enough money, the monthly fee could outweigh the benefit.

Acorns is a member of SIPC. Securities in your account are protected up to $500,000. For details, please see www.sipc.org. Your Acorns Checking account is insured up to $250,000 per depositor.

Important tax information

Withdrawing funds early from your Acorns Later account could result in a penalty (generally an additional 10% tax, and possibly income taxes and other penalties).

It helps you make money because you earn Stock-Back® rewards when you spend on gas, groceries, dining, or purchases of any type at participating merchants. With the Stash Growth plan, you can earn 0.125% Stock-Back®, and the Stash+ plan pays 1% Stock-Back® on the first $1,000 you spend monthly.