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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Remitly

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Remitly logo

Remitly

Personal Finance

Send money faster to loved ones abroad

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; Remitly no fee schedule, exchange rate margin or transfer limit is published; the cost is disclosed only after starting a transfer for a specific corridor
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Remitly covers International remittances.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Remitly actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Remitly differ
AttributeAcornsRemitly
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
Founded20122011

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards

Only in Remitly

  • International remittances
  • Multiple delivery methods
  • Send money to 200+ countries
  • Currency conversion

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

Remitly

  • Sending cross border remittances from a phone or browsernot Acorns
  • Delivering funds to bank accounts, cash pickup and mobile wallets abroadnot 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

Remitly

  • No fee schedule, exchange rate margin or transfer limit is published; the cost is disclosed only after starting a transfer for a specific corridor
  • The Express and Economy delivery options have no published price difference

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

Remitly

On request
  • Express$undefined/month
    • Fast transfers
    • Multiple delivery methods
  • Economy$undefined/month
    • Lower cost option
    • 3-4 day delivery

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 Remitly if

  • You need international remittances.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want multiple delivery methods.
Remitly review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Remitly better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and Remitly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Remitly?
Acorns starts at On request and Remitly at On request.
Does Acorns or Remitly run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Remitly is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Remitly cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Remitly covers International remittances, Multiple delivery methods, Send money to 200+ countries, Currency conversion. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.
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