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Acorns vs Wealthfront

Acorns logo

Acorns

Software

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wealthfront logo

Wealthfront

Software

Automated investing for your money

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; Wealthfront the Automated Investing Account carries a 0.25% annual advisory fee on top of the underlying fund expenses
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Wealthfront covers Automated portfolio management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Wealthfront actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Wealthfront differ
AttributeAcornsWealthfront
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
Founded20122011

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

Only in Wealthfront

  • Automated portfolio management
  • Tax-loss harvesting
  • Financial planning
  • Index fund investing
  • Investment accounts

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

Wealthfront

  • Automated index fund investing with periodic rebalancingnot Acorns
  • Tax loss harvesting in a taxable brokerage accountnot Acorns
  • Buying fractional shares of individual stocks with no commissionnot 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

Wealthfront

  • The Automated Investing Account carries a 0.25% annual advisory fee on top of the underlying fund expenses
  • Tax-Loss Harvesting and automated rebalancing apply to the Automated Investing Account, not the self-directed Stock Investing Account
  • It is a US brokerage product and is not offered to investors outside the United States

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

Wealthfront

On request
  • BasicFree
    • Automated investing
    • Tax-loss harvesting
    • Rebalancing
  • Premium Plus$50/month
    • All Basic features
    • Financial planning
    • Human advisor access

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 Wealthfront if

  • You need automated portfolio management.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want tax-loss harvesting.
Wealthfront review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Wealthfront better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and Wealthfront at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Wealthfront?
Acorns starts at On request and Wealthfront at On request.
Does Acorns or Wealthfront 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 Wealthfront is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Wealthfront cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Wealthfront covers Automated portfolio management, Tax-loss harvesting, Financial planning, Index fund investing. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.
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