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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Goodbudget

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Goodbudget logo

Goodbudget

Personal Finance

Digital envelope budgeting app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Goodbudget 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; Goodbudget free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Goodbudget actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Goodbudget differ
AttributeAcornsGoodbudget
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance), founded (2012).

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
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards

Only in Goodbudget

  • Envelope budgeting
  • Shared budgets
  • Receipt scanning
  • Expense tracking

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android 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 Goodbudget
  • Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot Goodbudget
  • Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot Goodbudget
  • Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot Goodbudget
  • Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot Goodbudget

Goodbudget

  • Envelope method budgetingnot Acorns
  • Sharing a household budget across a couple's devicesnot Acorns
  • Tracking debt payoff alongside envelopesnot 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

Goodbudget

  • Free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history
  • Automatic bank sync is Premium only and works with US banks only
  • Premium is limited to 5 devices and 7 years of history
  • Free plan gets community support only; email support requires Premium
  • Premium costs $10 per month or $80 per year

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

Goodbudget

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 envelopes
    • Basic tracking
  • Plus$5.99/month
    • Unlimited envelopes
    • Advanced reports
    • Receipt capture

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 Goodbudget if

  • You need envelope budgeting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want shared budgets.
Goodbudget review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Goodbudget better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and Goodbudget at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Goodbudget?
Goodbudget has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acorns and Free for Goodbudget.
Does Acorns or Goodbudget run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Goodbudget for free?
Yes. Goodbudget 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 Goodbudget is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Goodbudget cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting, Shared budgets, Receipt scanning, Expense tracking. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.
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