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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Mint

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mint logo

Mint

Personal Finance

All your money in one app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mint 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; Mint service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Mint covers Expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Mint actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Mint differ
AttributeAcornsMint
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20122006

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

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 Mint

  • Expense tracking
  • Budgets
  • Bill tracking
  • Credit score monitoring
  • Financial insights
  • Bank connections
  • Bank-level encryption
  • Verisign secured

Both cover

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

Mint

  • Legacy free budget tracking for users with supported bank connectionsnot Acorns
  • Users transitioning to Credit Karma for continued money management featuresnot 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

Mint

  • Service transitioned to Credit Karma platform; standalone Mint features migrated elsewhere
  • Bank connections supported for only 17,000 financial institutions; many regional or international banks not supported

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

Mint

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Mint 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 Mint if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want budgets.
Mint review

Questions people ask

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