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Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs Wise

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
$4/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wise logo

Wise

Personal Finance

Multi-currency account and international transfers priced at the mid-market rate plus an upfront fee

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Wise 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; Wise wise is an electronic money institution, not a bank, so balances are safeguarded rather than covered by deposit insurance schemes, and a customer who treats it as a current account is taking a different risk from a bank deposit.
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, Wise covers International transfers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and Wise actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and Wise differ
AttributeAcornsWise
Starting price$4/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPercentage of the amount converted
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
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards

Only in Wise

  • International transfers
  • Real exchange rates
  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Bill payments
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Mid-market conversion
  • Multi-currency balances
  • Local account details

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

Wise

  • 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

Wise

  • Wise is an electronic money institution, not a bank, so balances are safeguarded rather than covered by deposit insurance schemes, and a customer who treats it as a current account is taking a different risk from a bank deposit.
  • The headline percentage is a floor, not an average: it starts from 0.23 to 0.24 percent depending on region, and thin or exotic corridors cost several times that, so the advertised number tells you almost nothing about the corridor you actually use.
  • Funding a transfer by debit or credit card adds a materially higher fee than funding by bank transfer, and the cheap headline rate assumes you use the slower funding route.
  • Compliance holds are common and opaque: transfers can be frozen for verification with limited explanation and no branch to visit, which is painful when the money is a rent payment with a deadline.
  • Fees, card issue costs, ATM allowances and available features differ by country of residence, so a price checked on one country site does not apply to an account opened elsewhere.
  • It is a payments product only, with no overdraft, no lending and no domestic banking relationship, so most users still need a bank account alongside it.

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

Wise

Free
  • Personal accountFree
    • Free to register, no monthly or subscription fee
    • Hold balances in dozens of currencies at no charge
    • Local account details for receiving payments
  • Send or convert money$undefined/per transfer
    • From 0.23 percent on the US pricing page and from 0.24 percent on the UK page
    • The exact percentage varies by currency pair
    • Funding by card or e-wallet costs more than funding by bank transfer
  • Wise debit card$9/one-time
    • 9 USD one-off issue fee in the US, 7 GBP in the UK
    • No subscription fee
    • Spending a currency you already hold is free

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 Wise if

  • You need international transfers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want real exchange rates.
Wise review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or Wise better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at $4/month and Wise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or Wise?
Wise has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4/month for Acorns and Free for Wise.
Does Acorns or Wise run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Wise for free?
Yes. Wise 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 Wise is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that Wise cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Wise covers International transfers, Real exchange rates, Multi-currency accounts, Bill payments. Both handle Bank accounts, 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
Wise: What does Wise actually charge to send money?

A percentage of the amount, stated before you confirm, starting from 0.23 percent on the US pricing page and 0.24 percent on the UK one. The rate varies by currency pair, and paying by card costs more than paying by bank transfer.

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
Wise: Does Wise really use the mid-market rate?

Yes. Conversion is done at the live mid-market rate with no margin added, and the cost is charged as a visible fee instead. That is the opposite of a bank that quotes a worse rate and calls the transfer free.

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
Wise: How much is the Wise card?

A one-off issue fee of 9 USD in the United States or 7 GBP in the United Kingdom, with no subscription. ATM withdrawals are free up to 250 per calendar month in the account currency, then 1.95 USD plus 1.95 percent per withdrawal in the US and 2.69 percent of the excess in the UK.

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
Wise: Is a Wise account free to open?

Yes. Registering is free and there is no monthly fee. You pay only when you send or convert money, or when you order a card.

Wise: Is Wise a bank?

No. It is an authorised electronic money institution, so your money is safeguarded at partner institutions rather than protected by deposit insurance.

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