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Personal Finance · head to head

Personal Capital vs Acorns

Personal Capital logo

Personal Capital

Personal Finance

Invest wisely, retire confidently

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Acorns logo

Acorns

Personal Finance

Invest your spare change

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Personal Capital has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Personal Capital wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client; 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: Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Acorns covers Round-up investing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Personal Capital and Acorns actually diverge.

Attributes where Personal Capital and Acorns differ
AttributePersonal CapitalAcorns
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20102012

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 Personal Capital

  • Investment tracking
  • Retirement calculator
  • Fee analyzer
  • Net worth tracking
  • Investment accounts
  • Real estate

Only in Acorns

  • Round-up investing
  • Automated investing
  • Portfolio management
  • Recurring investments
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards

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.

Personal Capital

  • Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Acorns
  • Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Acorns
  • Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Acorns

Acorns

  • Automated investing of spare change from everyday purchasesnot Personal Capital
  • Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot Personal Capital
  • Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot Personal Capital
  • Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot Personal Capital
  • Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot Personal Capital

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Personal Capital

  • Wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
  • The annual advisory fee is charged as a percentage of assets under management on a tiered structure rather than a flat subscription
  • Assets are custodied at Pershing Advisor Solutions rather than by the provider itself

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

Personal Capital

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Account tracking
    • Net worth monitoring
    • Investment analysis
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Financial advisor access
    • Personalized advice

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 Personal Capital if

  • You need investment tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement calculator.
Personal Capital review

Choose Acorns if

  • You need round-up investing.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want automated investing.
Acorns review

Questions people ask

Is Personal Capital or Acorns better?
Neither clearly leads. Personal Capital 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, Personal Capital or Acorns?
Personal Capital has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Personal Capital and On request for Acorns.
Does Personal Capital 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 Personal Capital for free?
Yes. Personal Capital has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acorns starts at On request.
What is Personal Capital best used for?
Personal Capital is most often used for tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard, managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors, retirement planning projections across linked accounts. Of those, tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard and managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors are not what Acorns is typically brought in for.
What can Personal Capital do that Acorns cannot?
Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.
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