Software · head to head
Robinhood vs Acorns
The short version
- Only Robinhood has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Robinhood robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial; 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: Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Acorns covers Round-up investing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Robinhood 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 Robinhood
- Commission-free trading
- Options trading
- Crypto trading
- Fractional shares
- Crypto wallets
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.
Robinhood
- Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFs from a phonenot Acorns
- Options and futures trading for retail investorsnot Acorns
- Holding an IRA with a contribution matchnot Acorns
Acorns
- Automated investing of spare change from everyday purchasesnot Robinhood
- Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot Robinhood
- Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot Robinhood
- Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot Robinhood
- Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot Robinhood
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Robinhood
- Robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial
- The 3.35 percent APY on brokerage cash is available only to Gold subscribers
- The 3 percent IRA contribution match requires keeping the Gold subscription for one year and leaving the assets in the IRA for five years, and is capped at 225 USD against 2026 contribution maximums
- Reduced contract fees of 0.50 USD per futures contract and 0.35 USD per index option apply only to Gold subscribers
- Management fees are waived only above 100K USD in expert managed portfolios
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
Robinhood
Free- FreeFree
- Commission-free trading
- Real-time data
- Mobile app
- Gold$4.99/month
- All Free features
- Extended hours trading
- Premium research
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 Robinhood if
- You need commission-free trading.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want options trading.
Choose Acorns if
- You need round-up investing.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want automated investing.
Questions people ask
- Is Robinhood or Acorns better?
- Neither clearly leads. Robinhood 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, Robinhood or Acorns?
- Robinhood has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Robinhood and On request for Acorns.
- Does Robinhood 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 Robinhood for free?
- Yes. Robinhood has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acorns starts at On request.
- What is Robinhood best used for?
- Robinhood is most often used for commission free trading of us stocks and etfs from a phone, options and futures trading for retail investors, holding an ira with a contribution match. Of those, commission free trading of us stocks and etfs from a phone and options and futures trading for retail investors are not what Acorns is typically brought in for.
- What can Robinhood do that Acorns cannot?
- Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Options trading, Crypto trading, Fractional shares. Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.