Software · head to head
Acorns vs PayPal
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; PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
- They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, PayPal covers Payment processing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Acorns and PayPal actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 PayPal
- Payment processing
- PayPal Checkout
- Invoicing
- Business debit card
- Working capital loans
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
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 PayPal
- Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot PayPal
- Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot PayPal
- Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot PayPal
- Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot PayPal
PayPal
- Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot Acorns
- Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot Acorns
- Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot 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
PayPal
- Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
- Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
- International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
- Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
- Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction
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
PayPal
$29/month- Standard$2.99/transaction
- Card payments
- PayPal checkout
- Invoice payments
Which should you pick?
Choose Acorns if
- You need round-up investing.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want automated investing.
Choose PayPal if
- You need payment processing.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want paypal checkout.
Questions people ask
- Is Acorns or PayPal better?
- Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and PayPal at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Acorns or PayPal?
- Acorns starts at On request and PayPal at $29/month.
- Does Acorns or PayPal run on more platforms?
- Acorns runs on Web, IOS, Android. PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- 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 PayPal is typically brought in for.
- What can Acorns do that PayPal cannot?
- Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card. Both handle Web support, Android support.