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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Compound

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Compound logo

Compound

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

Autonomous interest rate protocol

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Compound 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; Compound compound is a decentralized, non-custodial protocol governed by COMP token holders rather than a company; interest rates on supplied and borrowed assets are set algorithmically by pool utilization rather than published as a price list, so there is no vendor pricing page to compare against
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Compound covers Lending.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Compound actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Compound differ
AttributeAcornsCompound
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidEthereum
CategoryPersonal FinanceCryptocurrency & Blockchain
Founded20122017

Identical on both: 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
  • IOS support

Only in Compound

  • Lending
  • Borrowing
  • cTokens
  • Governance
  • COMP Token
  • Ethereum

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

Compound

  • Decentralised finance (DeFi) lending and borrowing protocol on Ethereumnot Acorns
  • Cryptocurrency collateral management for USDC borrowingnot Acorns
  • Interest earning through crypto asset supplynot Acorns
  • Algorithmic interest rate determination based on supply and demandnot 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

Compound

  • Compound is a decentralized, non-custodial protocol governed by COMP token holders rather than a company; interest rates on supplied and borrowed assets are set algorithmically by pool utilization rather than published as a price list, so there is no vendor pricing page to compare against

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

Compound

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Compound 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 Compound if

  • You need lending.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ethereum.
  • You also want borrowing.
Compound review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Compound better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and Compound at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Compound?
Compound has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acorns and Free for Compound.
Does Acorns or Compound run on more platforms?
Acorns runs on Web, IOS, Android. Compound runs on Ethereum.
Can I use Compound for free?
Yes. Compound 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 Compound is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Compound cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Compound covers Lending, Borrowing, cTokens, Governance. Both handle Web support.
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