Softwr

Personal Finance · head to head

Acorns vs YNAB

Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
YNAB logo

YNAB

Personal Finance

You Need A Budget

From
$14.99/month
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; YNAB subscription priced exclusively in US dollars; international customers face unfavourable exchange rates
  • They diverge on capability: Acorns covers Round-up investing, YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acorns and YNAB actually diverge.

Attributes where Acorns and YNAB differ
AttributeAcornsYNAB
Starting priceOn request$14.99/month
Founded20122004

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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
  • IOS support

Only in YNAB

  • Zero-based budgeting
  • Bank sync
  • Goal tracking
  • Reports
  • Multi-device sync
  • Bank connections
  • Plaid
  • Bank-level encryption

Both cover

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

YNAB

  • Individual budget tracking with 34-day free trial before subscription commitmentnot Acorns
  • Household budget management with wife-on-plan sharing for up to 6 household membersnot Acorns
  • Manual transaction entry for banks outside the supported import listnot 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

YNAB

  • Subscription priced exclusively in US dollars; international customers face unfavourable exchange rates
  • Multi-currency support restricted to one currency per spending plan
  • Bank import limited to select institutions in US, Canada, UK, and EU only
  • Household plan can only be shared with up to 6 people; additional members cannot access shared plan

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

YNAB

$14.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the YNAB review.

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 YNAB if

  • You need zero-based budgeting.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want bank sync.
YNAB review

Questions people ask

Is Acorns or YNAB better?
Neither clearly leads. Acorns starts at On request and YNAB at $14.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acorns or YNAB?
Acorns starts at On request and YNAB at $14.99/month.
Does Acorns or YNAB run on more platforms?
Acorns runs on Web, IOS, Android. YNAB runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 YNAB is typically brought in for.
What can Acorns do that YNAB cannot?
Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. YNAB covers Zero-based budgeting, Bank sync, Goal tracking, Reports. Both handle Web support, Android support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Acorns

More on YNAB

Keep looking

Other head to heads