Each brand is free to set its own investment amount. You can search for Earn Money deals on the Earn Money section of the Acorns app and website or by using the Google Chrome extension. Earn Money rewards are credited to your account 90 to 120 days after purchase.
Mighty Oak Card
Acorn's Might Oak Visa debit card, partnered with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, saves and invests toward your future. Like an Acorn's Invest account, you can enable real-time round-ups to invest your spare change with each purchase.
Receive an Acorns Invest and retirement account when you get a Mighty Oak debit card. You can even invest directly from your paycheck after setting up a direct deposit with Acorns and automatic investments through the Paycheck split feature.
Acorns Fees
Acorns Invest requires a $5 minimum investment to start. Investors will also pay either a $3, $6, or $12 monthly fee depending on which Acorns plan level they invest in. It's unusual for an online brokerage to charge a flat monthly fee, but as a result, Acorns doesn't charge a management fee or commissions on trades.
Acorns Pros and Cons
There are various pros and cons associated with investing in Acorns.
Acorns Pros
- Low $5 minimum to start investing
- Personalized, diverse ETF portfolios
- Easy-to-use interface
- ESG portfolios
- DIY trading available
- Automatic saving and investing tools, including "earn money" feature
Acorns Cons
- $3, $6, or $12 monthly fee
- DIY trading and custodial accounts are only available with the Gold plan
- No advanced charting features
- Can't directly invest in Bitcoin
Acorns Trustworthiness
Acorns Invest is a secure, modern investment app equipped with industry-standard user and asset security protection features, such as multi-factor authentication, regular security audits, security alerts, encrypted data software, and 24/7 oversight from Acorns' Security Operations team.
A third party also regularly assesses the platform to validate SOC 2 compliance and ensure compliance with FINRA and SEC regulations.
You can review Acorns' privacy policy for more information.
The Better Business Bureau gives Acorns an NR rating as it is currently responding to complaints. BBB ratings range from A+ to F and reflect the bureau's opinion of how well a company interacts with its customers.
While Acorns' slate is fairly clear of lawsuits and scandals, its affiliation with Plaid, a financial service that allows investment platforms and other apps to connect to your bank account, linked it to a class-action lawsuit in 2022. The lawsuit claimed that Plaid collected more financial data than necessary from its users. Plaid agreed to pay $58 million to users affected.
Acorns Invest vs. Other Investment Apps for Beginners
Here's how Acorns compares to other beginner-friendly investment apps.
Acorns vs. Stash
Acorns Invest and Stash Invest are investment apps offering automated investing, round-ups, banking perks, and more. However, the two investment apps divergeregarding investment choices, fees, and features.
Stash offers stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies, while Acorns only offers ETFs. You'll pay the same amount to use a custodial account at Acorns and Stash.
Another huge difference is that Stash also lets you trade on your own. If you're looking to pick and choose the investments in your portfolio, Acorns isn't the best option. Stash best suits those who want access to automated investing and DIY trading, while Acorns better serves hands-off investors who primarily want automated accounts.
Acorns vs. Robinhood
Acorns and Robinhood Investing differ in several ways. While Acorns is the best option for hands-off investors searching for automated ETF portfolios, Robinhood strictly caters to DIY active traders who want to exchange assets like stocks, ETFs, options, cryptocurrencies, IPOs, and ADRs.
Robinhood's advisor fees are also cheaper. It doesn't charge commissions for its investments. More advanced investors may be interested in Robinhood Gold, which charges a $5 monthly fee. With Acorns, however, you'll have to pay a monthly fee of $3, $6, or $12 per month.
Methodology: How We Reviewed Acorns Invest
We examined Acorns using Business Insider's rating methodology for investing platforms to compare and examine account types, pricing, investment options, and overall customer experience when reviewing investing platforms. Platforms are given a rating between 1 to 5.
Investment platforms usually offer multiple assets, trading tools, fees, and other resources. Some platforms are better for more advanced or active investors, while others may better suit beginners and passive investors.
Business Insider's Overall Acorns Rating
| Feature | Business Insider rating (out of 5) |
| Fees | 4.00 |
| Investment selection | 3.00 |
| Access | 5.00 |
| Ethics | 4.00 |
| Customer service | 3.50 |
| Overall rating | 3.92 |
Acorns Invest FAQs
What is Acorns, and how does it facilitate investing?
Acorns is a micro-investing app for simple trading strategies and investing small amounts of money. It aims to make investing accessible to everyone, regardless of experience. Acorns offers automated retirement accounts, ESG portfolios, and investing for kids. The app mainly invests its money in ETFs, offering portfolios with risk tolerances ranging from conservative to aggressive.
What investment options does Acorns offer?
Acorns offers investment options based on low-cost stock and bond ETFs based on your risk tolerance, time horizon, and investment goals. Available accounts include retirement, custodial, and checking. Acorns' personalized portfolios provide broad market exposure with the option to opt-in for hand-selected stocks, bonds, or a Bitcoin-linked ETF. You can also invest in ESG funds.
How does Acorns ensure its users' privacy and security?
Acorns takes its users' privacy and security seriously. Security measures include SSL encryption and account alerts on possible fraudulent activity. Two-factor authentication is used to prevent unauthorized access. Plus, accounts come with up to $500,000 of SIPC insurance. Acorn's checking accounts are insured up to $250,000.
Who should consider using Acorns for investing?
Beginners looking for passive investing strategies through a mobile robo-advisor should consider using Acorns for investing. Users can open regular brokerage, retirement, and custodial accounts on the same easy-to-use platform for a low monthly fee. Beginners can also benefit from Acorn's educational resources and guides. Acorn's mainly offers stock and bond ETFs, so investors looking for more investment options should look elsewhere.
Will Acorns actually make me money?
Yes, Acorns can actually make you money over time. The Acorns automated investing platform offers several perks like recurring investments, Round-Ups, and "Earn money" that make it simple to build wealth. Prospective investors should note that it only offers ETFs, and keep in mind that as with any investments, there is no guarantee of returns.