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Acorns vs Alchemy

Acorns logo

Acorns

Software

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Software

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Alchemy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Acorns a flat monthly subscription regardless of balance, so $3 a month on Bronze is a heavy percentage on a small account; Alchemy the free tier is capped at 30M compute units a month and 25 requests per second
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Alchemy covers Node APIs.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Alchemy actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Alchemy differ
AttributeAcornsAlchemy
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidApi, Web
Founded20122017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Acorns

  • Round-up investing
  • Automated investing
  • Portfolio management
  • Recurring investments
  • Bank accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • IOS support

Only in Alchemy

  • Node APIs
  • Enhanced APIs
  • NFT API
  • Webhooks
  • Mempool
  • 35+ chains
  • SDKs
  • Api support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Acorns

  • Automated investing of spare change from everyday purchasesnot Alchemy
  • Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot Alchemy
  • Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot Alchemy
  • Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot Alchemy
  • Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot Alchemy

Alchemy

  • Hosted blockchain node access across mainnets and testnetsnot Acorns
  • Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot Acorns
  • Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot Acorns
  • Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot Acorns

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Acorns

  • A flat monthly subscription regardless of balance, so $3 a month on Bronze is a heavy percentage on a small account
  • The emergency savings account and the 1 percent IRA match need Silver at $6 a month
  • Custom portfolios, Acorns Early for children and Money Manager are Gold tier only at $12 a month
  • There is no free tier

Alchemy

  • The free tier is capped at 30M compute units a month and 25 requests per second
  • Free accounts are limited to 5 apps and 5 webhooks
  • Beyond the free allowance it is $0.45 per 1M compute units for the first 300M a month
  • Request cost varies by call complexity, from around 10 compute units to over 100, so spend is hard to predict from request counts alone
  • Signed SLAs and priority support require an Enterprise contract

Pricing, plan by plan

Acorns

On request
  • Lite$4.99/month
    • Round-up investing
    • Automated portfolio
  • Plus$9.99/month
    • All Lite features
    • Checking account
    • Dollar-based investing
  • Premier$19.99/month
    • All Plus features
    • Premium investing

Alchemy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 300M compute units
    • 5 apps
    • Core APIs
  • Growth$49/month
    • 400M compute units
    • 15 apps
    • Enhanced APIs
  • Scale$199/month
    • 1B compute units
    • Unlimited apps
    • Premium support

Which should you pick?

Choose Acorns if

  • You need round-up investing.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want automated investing.
Acorns review

Choose Alchemy if

  • You need node apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Web.
  • You also want enhanced apis.
Alchemy review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Alchemy better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and Alchemy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Alchemy?
Alchemy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acorns and Free for Alchemy.
Does Acorns or Alchemy run on more platforms?
Acorns runs on Web, IOS, Android. Alchemy runs on Api, Web.
Can I use Alchemy for free?
Yes. Alchemy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acorns starts at On request.
What is Acorns best used for?
Acorns is most often used for automated investing of spare change from everyday purchases, retirement saving through acorns later ira accounts, checking and high-yield savings alongside investing, custodial investing and debit cards for children through acorns early. Of those, automated investing of spare change from everyday purchases and retirement saving through acorns later ira accounts are not what Alchemy is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Alchemy cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Both handle Web support.
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