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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Authorize.net

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
A

Authorize.net

E-commerce

We help make it easy to get paid

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Authorize.net all-in-One plan charges a $25 monthly gateway fee plus 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction on top of it

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Authorize.net actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Authorize.net differ
AttributeAcornsAuthorize.net
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryPersonal FinanceE-commerce
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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
  • Web support

Only in Authorize.net

Nothing recorded that Acorns does not also cover.

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 Authorize.net
  • Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot Authorize.net
  • Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot Authorize.net
  • Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot Authorize.net
  • Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot Authorize.net

Authorize.net

No use cases recorded yet. See the Authorize.net review.

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

Authorize.net

  • All-in-One plan charges a $25 monthly gateway fee plus 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction on top of it
  • eCheck processing carries its own $10 monthly minimum fee separate from the card processing charges

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

Authorize.net

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Authorize.net review.

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 Authorize.net if

Nothing in the data separates Authorize.net from Acorns on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Authorize.net review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Authorize.net better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and Authorize.net at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Authorize.net?
Acorns starts at On request and Authorize.net at On request.
Does Acorns or Authorize.net run on more platforms?
Acorns runs on Web, IOS, Android. Authorize.net runs on Web.
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 Authorize.net is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Authorize.net cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments.
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