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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Splitwise

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
$4/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Splitwise logo

Splitwise

Personal Finance

Split expenses easily with friends

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Splitwise 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; Splitwise the free tier limits how many expenses can be added in a day and shows adverts
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Splitwise covers Bill splitting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Splitwise actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Splitwise differ
AttributeAcornsSplitwise
Starting price$4/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
Founded20122011

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

Only in Splitwise

  • Bill splitting
  • Expense tracking
  • Group management
  • Settlement tracking
  • Venmo
  • PayPal

Both cover

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

Splitwise

  • Splitting shared household bills between flatmatesnot Acorns
  • Tracking who owes what on a group tripnot Acorns
  • Settling up across currencies on the Pro plannot Acorns
  • Recording IOUs between friends over timenot 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

Splitwise

  • The free tier limits how many expenses can be added in a day and shows adverts
  • Transaction import works in the United States only
  • Currency conversion, receipt scanning, charts and expense search are all Pro features
  • The Pro price is not shown on the product page

Pricing, plan by plan

Acorns

$4/month
  • Bronze$4/month
    • Investment account with diversified portfolio
    • Round-Ups spare change investing
    • Acorns Later retirement account
  • Silver$8/month
    • All Bronze features
    • 1% IRA match on first-year contributions
    • Acorns Checking with no overdraft fees
  • Gold$12/month
    • All Silver features
    • 3% IRA match on first-year contributions
    • Investment accounts for kids with 1% match

Splitwise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Bill splitting
    • Group tracking
    • Mobile app
  • Splitwise Pro$4.99/month
    • Receipt scanning
    • Advanced analytics
    • No ads

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 Splitwise if

  • You need bill splitting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
Splitwise review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Splitwise better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at $4/month and Splitwise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Splitwise?
Splitwise has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4/month for Acorns and Free for Splitwise.
Does Acorns or Splitwise run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Splitwise for free?
Yes. Splitwise has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acorns starts at $4/month.
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 Splitwise is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Splitwise cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Splitwise covers Bill splitting, Expense tracking, Group management, Settlement tracking. Both handle Web support, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Acorns: What's the difference between Acorns Bronze, Silver, and Gold plans?

Bronze at $4/month provides basic investment accounts and Round-Ups investing. Silver adds 1% IRA matching, no-fee checking, and emergency savings at $8/month. Gold includes 3% IRA matching, kids' accounts with 1% match, and tax filing for $12/month. Each tier includes all features from lower tiers.

Source
Splitwise: Is there a free version of Splitwise?

Yes, Splitwise offers a free version available for iPhone, Android, and web with core features including adding groups and friends, splitting expenses, recording debts, equal or unequal splits, offline mode, and cloud sync.

Source
Acorns: Does Acorns charge hidden fees or commissions?

No, Acorns charges no hidden fees or commissions. Monthly subscription fees start at $4 and are the only recurring charges; all other services included in each tier have no additional costs.

Source
Splitwise: What is Splitwise PRO and how much does it cost?

Splitwise PRO is an upgrade offering receipt scanning, charts and graphs, currency conversion, and additional features. The specific price is not published on the main website; users must visit the subscription page or access the app to view pricing details.

Source
Acorns: What IRA match percentage does Acorns provide?

Silver tier provides 1% IRA match on first-year Later contributions. Gold tier increases this to 3% IRA match on first-year contributions. Both tiers limit matching to first-year contributions only.

Source
Acorns: What's the APY on Acorns Emergency Savings?

The Emergency Savings account offers 3.35% APY as of March 16, 2026, which is described as more than 8.5 times the national average savings rate. This feature is available on Silver and Gold tiers only.

Source
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