Personal Finance · head to head
Simplifi vs Acorns
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Simplifi there is no free tier at all; 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: Simplifi covers Budget tracking, Acorns covers Round-up investing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Simplifi and Acorns actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 Simplifi
- Budget tracking
- Spending analysis
- Goal tracking
- Cash flow insights
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.
Simplifi
- Personal budgeting with automatic bank transaction importnot Acorns
- Tracking spending, savings goals and net worth in one placenot Acorns
Acorns
- Automated investing of spare change from everyday purchasesnot Simplifi
- Retirement saving through Acorns Later IRA accountsnot Simplifi
- Checking and high-yield savings alongside investingnot Simplifi
- Custodial investing and debit cards for children through Acorns Earlynot Simplifi
- Earning cashback that is invested rather than bankednot Simplifi
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Simplifi
- There is no free tier at all
- The advertised $3.99 a month requires annual billing, against $6.99 paying monthly
- The subscription auto renews yearly at the then current price, which the terms state is subject to change rather than fixed
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
Simplifi
On request- Monthly$5.99/month
- Budget tracking
- Spending insights
- Goal setting
- Annual$59.99/month
- All monthly features
- Discounted rate
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 Simplifi if
- You need budget tracking.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want spending analysis.
Choose Acorns if
- You need round-up investing.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want automated investing.
Questions people ask
- Is Simplifi or Acorns better?
- Neither clearly leads. Simplifi starts at On request and Acorns at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Simplifi or Acorns?
- Simplifi starts at On request and Acorns at On request.
- Does Simplifi or Acorns run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is Simplifi best used for?
- Simplifi is most often used for personal budgeting with automatic bank transaction import, tracking spending, savings goals and net worth in one place. Of those, personal budgeting with automatic bank transaction import and tracking spending, savings goals and net worth in one place are not what Acorns is typically brought in for.
- What can Simplifi do that Acorns cannot?
- Simplifi covers Budget tracking, Spending analysis, Goal tracking, Cash flow insights. Acorns covers Round-up investing, Automated investing, Portfolio management, Recurring investments. Both handle Bank accounts, Credit cards, Web support, IOS support.