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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Spendee

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spendee logo

Spendee

Personal Finance

Budget and money management made easy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Spendee 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; Spendee the free Basic plan allows one cash wallet and one budget
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Spendee covers Expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Spendee actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Spendee differ
AttributeAcornsSpendee
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
Founded20122013

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
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards

Only in Spendee

  • Expense tracking
  • Budget management
  • Shared wallets
  • Financial analytics

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

Spendee

  • Tracking personal spending across cash and bank accountsnot Acorns
  • Sharing a budget or wallet with a partner or householdnot 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

Spendee

  • The free Basic plan allows one cash wallet and one budget
  • Shared wallets are excluded from the free plan
  • Premium at $5.99 a month is triple the $1.99 Plus plan, and the pricing page does not quantify what separates them beyond shared wallets
  • Bank sync depends on a supported bank list rather than being universal

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

Spendee

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Expense tracking
    • Budget creation
    • 3 wallets
  • Premium$6.99/month
    • Unlimited wallets
    • Advanced analytics
    • Investment tracking

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 Spendee if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want budget management.
Spendee review

Questions people ask

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