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Acorns vs Wally

Acorns logo

Acorns

Software

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
W

Wally

Software

Smart expense tracking for travel and daily life

From
Free
Rated
-
Full review

The short version

  • Only Wally 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; Wally the Internet Archive's capture of wally.me on 2 January 2019 stated the app is free ('Control your money seamlessly. And, it's free.'), and claimed rankings as the #1 finance app in 22 countries and top 10 in 52 countries at that time.
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Wally covers Receipt OCR scanning.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Wally actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Wally differ
AttributeAcornsWally
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidIOS, Android
Founded20122009

Identical on both: 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
  • Web support

Only in Wally

  • Receipt OCR scanning
  • Expense tracking
  • Receipt storage
  • Category management
  • Cloud storage

Both cover

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

Wally

  • Budget Managementnot Acorns
  • Expense Trackingnot Acorns
  • Investment Trackingnot 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

Wally

  • The Internet Archive's capture of wally.me on 2 January 2019 stated the app is free ('Control your money seamlessly. And, it's free.'), and claimed rankings as the #1 finance app in 22 countries and top 10 in 52 countries at that time.

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

Wally

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Receipt scanning
    • Expense tracking
    • Basic reports
  • Premium$9.99/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Unlimited storage
    • Cloud sync

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 Wally if

  • You need receipt ocr scanning.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
Wally review

Questions people ask

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