Software · head to head
PayPal vs Acorns
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios; 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: PayPal covers Payment processing, Acorns covers Round-up investing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PayPal and Acorns actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 PayPal
- Payment processing
- PayPal Checkout
- Invoicing
- Business debit card
- Working capital loans
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
Only in Acorns
- Round-up investing
- Automated investing
- Portfolio management
- Recurring investments
- Bank accounts
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- IOS support
Both cover
- Web support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
PayPal
- Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot Acorns
- Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot Acorns
- Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot Acorns
Acorns
- Automated investing of spare change from everyday purchasesnot PayPal
- Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot PayPal
- Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot PayPal
- Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot PayPal
- Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot PayPal
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
PayPal
- Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
- Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
- International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
- Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
- Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction
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
PayPal
$29/month- Standard$2.99/transaction
- Card payments
- PayPal checkout
- Invoice payments
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 PayPal if
- You need payment processing.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want paypal checkout.
Choose Acorns if
- You need round-up investing.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want automated investing.
Questions people ask
- Is PayPal or Acorns better?
- Neither clearly leads. PayPal starts at $29/month and Acorns at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PayPal or Acorns?
- PayPal starts at $29/month and Acorns at On request.
- Does PayPal or Acorns run on more platforms?
- PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Acorns runs on Web, IOS, Android.
- What is PayPal best used for?
- PayPal is most often used for paying online merchants without sharing card details, sending money to friends and family domestically and internationally, holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchases. Of those, paying online merchants without sharing card details and sending money to friends and family domestically and internationally are not what Acorns is typically brought in for.
- What can PayPal do that Acorns cannot?
- PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card. Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Both handle Web support, Android support.