Software · head to head
MoneyWiz vs Acorns
The short version
- Only MoneyWiz has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: MoneyWiz there is no free tier; every plan requires a subscription; Acorns a flat monthly subscription regardless of balance, so $3 a month on Bronze is a heavy percentage on a small account
- They diverge on capability: MoneyWiz covers Expense tracking, Acorns covers Round-up investing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which MoneyWiz and Acorns actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 MoneyWiz
- Expense tracking
- Budget management
- Multi-currency support
- Financial analytics
Only in Acorns
- Round-up investing
- Automated investing
- Portfolio management
- Recurring investments
- Debit cards
Both cover
- Bank accounts
- Credit cards
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
MoneyWiz
- Tracking personal accounts, budgets and bills across iOS, macOS, Windows and Androidnot Acorns
- Syncing one finance database across multiple devices through MoneyWiz Cloudnot Acorns
- Automatically importing transactions through bank syncnot Acorns
Acorns
- Automated investing of spare change from everyday purchasesnot MoneyWiz
- Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot MoneyWiz
- Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot MoneyWiz
- Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot MoneyWiz
- Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot MoneyWiz
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
MoneyWiz
- There is no free tier; every plan requires a subscription
- Bank sync with over 40,000 banks is Premium only, at 59.99 USD a year or 5.99 USD a month
- The Standard plan at 29.99 USD a year provides only cloud sync between devices, with no bank sync
- Subscriptions cap usage at 15 devices and two MoneyWiz Cloud accounts
- Priority support is restricted to the Premium tier
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
Pricing, plan by plan
MoneyWiz
Free- FreeFree
- Basic expense tracking
- Multiple accounts
- Premium$4.99/month
- Advanced analytics
- Budget forecasting
- Custom categories
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
Which should you pick?
Choose MoneyWiz if
- You need expense tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want budget management.
Choose Acorns if
- You need round-up investing.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want automated investing.
Questions people ask
- Is MoneyWiz or Acorns better?
- Neither clearly leads. MoneyWiz starts at Free and Acorns at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, MoneyWiz or Acorns?
- MoneyWiz has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MoneyWiz and On request for Acorns.
- Does MoneyWiz or Acorns run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use MoneyWiz for free?
- Yes. MoneyWiz has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acorns starts at On request.
- What is MoneyWiz best used for?
- MoneyWiz is most often used for tracking personal accounts, budgets and bills across ios, macos, windows and android, syncing one finance database across multiple devices through moneywiz cloud, automatically importing transactions through bank sync. Of those, tracking personal accounts, budgets and bills across ios, macos, windows and android and syncing one finance database across multiple devices through moneywiz cloud are not what Acorns is typically brought in for.
- What can MoneyWiz do that Acorns cannot?
- MoneyWiz covers Expense tracking, Budget management, Multi-currency support, Financial analytics. Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Both handle Bank accounts, Credit cards, Web support, IOS support.