Acorns vs Stash 2025: Which Micro-Investing App Is Better?

If you’re deciding between two of the most popular investing apps, this Acorns vs Stash comparison will help you choose wisely. Both promise to make investing easy for beginners—but they take very different approaches. Let’s find out which one fits your goals best.

Acorns vs Stash: Quick Comparison Table

Acorns and Stash are investment apps aimed at beginners who want their money to grow but may not have the time or the expertise or time to manage it.

Best For	Passive investors wanting automation	Beginners who want to learn and choose stocks
Investment Type	Robo-advisor (managed portfolios)	Hybrid (DIY + automated Smart Portfolios)
Pricing	$3, $6, or $12/month	$3 or $9/month (formerly $1 tier discontinued)
Account Minimum	$5 to start investing	$5 to start investing
Investment Options	5-7 ETF portfolios (pre-built only)	4,000+ individual stocks + ETFs
Unique Feature	Round-Ups spare change investing	Stock-Back® Card (earn fractional shares)
Automatic Rebalancing	✅ Yes (quarterly)	✅ Yes (Smart Portfolios only, when drifts 5%)
IRA Match	1% (Silver) or 3% (Gold)	❌ None
Educational Content	Basic financial literacy	✅ Extensive, interactive lessons

The Verdict Up Front

Choose Acorns if: You want completely hands-off investing, struggle to save consistently, need “forced savings” through Round-Ups, prefer managed portfolios, or want IRA matching (1-3%)

Choose Stash if: You want to learn investing, prefer choosing your own stocks/ETFs, need extensive educational content, value flexibility, or want Stock-Back® rewards earning fractional shares

Fundamental Difference: Full Automation vs Guided Learning

Acorns: The “Set It and Forget It” Approach

As a robo-advisor, Acorns simply has 5 pre-built expert portfolios—comprised of low-cost ETFs—based on one’s risk tolerance, allowing you to be completely hands-off in your investing

How Acorns Works:

1. Answer risk tolerance questionnaire
2. Acorns assigns you to Conservative/Moderate/Aggressive portfolio
3. Portfolio consists of 5-7 ETFs (no individual stocks)
4. Cannot pick or change individual holdings
5. Automatic rebalancing quarterly
6. Round-Ups automate investing from purchases

Philosophy: Zero decisions required after setup

Stash: The “Learn and Choose” Approach

Stash is not a true robo-advisor. Stash allows you to invest in individual stocks and a small handful of ETFs of your choosing

How Stash Works:

1. Choose between DIY investing or Smart Portfolios
2. DIY: Pick from 4,000+ individual stocks and ETFs
3. Smart Portfolios: 4 automated ETF “Diversified Mixes” from iShares (AOR, AOK, AOA, AOM)
4. Themed investments (e.g., “Clean Energy,” “Tech Giants,” “Delicious Dividends”)
5. Fractional shares available
6. Educational content guides decisions

Philosophy: “We’re driven to help you learn and take control”

Key Difference: Acorns makes ALL investment decisions for you. Stash teaches you to make your own (but offers Smart Portfolios if you want automation too).

Pricing and Fees: Similar But Different

Fee Structure Comparison

Both charge flat monthly fees, making comparison straightforward

Acorns Pricing:

• Bronze: $3/month = $36/year (Invest + Later + Checking)
• Silver: $6/month = $72/year (+ 1% IRA match)
• Gold: $12/month = $144/year (+ 3% IRA match + Early kids accounts)

Stash Pricing: Stash Growth costs $3 a month, while Stash+ costs $9 a month—over the course of a year, Stash Growth would run you $36, while Stash+ will end up costing $108

• Stash Growth: $3/month = $36/year (was formerly $3, now entry tier)
• Stash+: $9/month = $108/year (premium tier with kids accounts)
• Note: $1/month “Beginner” tier discontinued in most markets

Winner on Cost: Acorns wins slightly—$36/year (Bronze) vs $36/year (Stash Growth) are tied, but Acorns Gold at $144/year beats Stash+ at $108/year when factoring in IRA matching

ETF Expense Ratios

Acorns:

• 0.03-0.25% for most ETFs
• Bitcoin ETF: 0.95%
• Average: ~0.15%

Stash: As of the time of writing, the annual expense ratios of Stash’s various ETF options range from 0.03% to 0.95%

• Similar range: 0.03-0.95%
• Smart Portfolio “Diversified Mixes” (iShares ETFs): Likely 0.15-0.25%
• Averagelikely slightly higher than Acorns

Total Cost Analysis

At $1,000 Balance:

• Acorns: $36 + $1.50 (0.15% ER) = $37.50/year (3.75%)
• Stash: $36 + $2.00 (0.20% ER est.) = $38/year (3.8%)
• Winner: Acorns (slightly)

At $10,000 Balance:

• Acorns: $36 + $15 = $51/year (0.51%)
• Stash: $36 + $20 = $56/year (0.56%)
• Winner: Acorns

At $25,000 Balance:

• Acorns: $36 + $37.50 = $73.50/year (0.294%)
• Stash: $36 + $50 = $86/year (0.344%)
• Winner: Acorns

Conclusion: So Acorns wins out slightly on fees on average

Investment Options

What You Can Invest In

Acorns: Acorns does not offer individual stocks

Portfolio Options:

• 5 core portfolios (Conservative to Aggressive)
• 4 ESG portfolios (Conservative ESG to Moderately Aggressive ESG)
• 5-7 ETFs per portfolio
• Up to 5% Bitcoin ETF exposure (select portfolios)
• Total: 9 portfolio options

What You CANNOT Do:

• Pick individual stocks
• Choose specific ETFs
• Exclude holdings you dislike
• Build custom portfolio

Stash: The company provides investment access to around 4,000 ETFs and stocks

Investment Universe:

• 4,000+ individual stocks and ETFs
• Smart Portfolios: 4 pre-built iShares ETFs (Conservative, Moderate, Long-Term, Aggressive Mix)
• Themed investing: “Clean Energy,” “Defense,” “Real Estate,” “Tech Giants”
• Fractional shares (buy $1 worth of Amazon, Apple, etc.)
• 6 socially responsible portfolios (gender diversity, clean energy)

What You CAN Do:

• Pick individual stocks
• Build custom portfolio
• Mix Smart Portfolios with individual stocks
• Exclude companies you don’t like
• Theme-based investing

Winner: Between Robinhood vs Acorns, there is no contest regarding investment options. The same applies to Stash vs Acorns—Stash wins decisively with 4,000+ options vs. 9 portfolios

Unique Features

Acorns’ Signature Features

1. Round-Ups (Spare Change Investing)

Acorns is unique in that it allows you to invest “spare change” automatically, letting you “round up” your purchases and invest the difference

How It Works:

• Link unlimited cards
• $4.75 coffee → $5.00 → invests $0.25
• Multipliers: 2x, 3x, 10x
• Automatic when balance hits $5

Example: 100 purchases/month × $0.30 = $30/month = $360/year invested

2. Found Money (Acorns Earn)

• Shop at 450+ partners (Nike, Apple, Walmart)
• Cashback automatically invested
• Silver: 25% match up to $200
• Gold: 50% match up to $200

3. IRA Matching

• Silver: 1% match on contributions
• Gold: 3% match on contributions
• Must keep 4 years
• On $7,000 IRA contribution: $70-$210 free

4. Acorns Early (Kids’ Accounts)

• UGMA/UTMA custodial accounts (Gold only)
• Early debit cards
• 1% match on kids’ investments

Stash’s Signature Features

1. Stock-Back® Card (Earn Stocks, Not Cash)

Stash offers the same automated saving feature as Acorns. All purchases from a linked credit or debit card are rounded up to the nearest dollar and invested in your portfolio. What’s different is the Stock-Back program

How It Works:

• Make purchases with Stash debit card
• Earn fractional shares (not cash back)
• Stash Growth: 0.125% back in stock
• Stash+: 1% back on first $1,000/month spent
• Bonuses: up to 3% (Growth) or 5% (Stash+) at select merchants

Example: Spend $1,000 at Stash+ rate = $10 in fractional shares of your choice

2. Extensive Educational Content

Stash shines here. The app includes interactive lessons, tips, and articles throughout the user journey. It’s designed to help beginners understand investing concepts and build confidence

• Interactive tutorials
• Investment theme explanations
• Market insights reports (Stash+)
• “Learn as you invest” approach
• Personalized advice

3. Smart Portfolio (Automated Option)

The twist here is that Smart Portfolio is basically a robo-advisor within Stash. Smart Portfolios offer quarterly automatic rebalancing if your portfolio drifts 5% away from your target allocation

• 4 managed ETF portfolios from iShares
• Automatic rebalancing (5% drift trigger)
• Available with Stash Growth ($3/month)

4. SmartStash (Spending Analysis)

You can also analyze your bank account’s spending in an attempt to boost your savings through the SmartStash scheme

• Analyzes spending patterns
• Identifies potential savings
• Suggests automatic investments

Account Types Available

Both Offer:

• Individual taxable accounts
• Traditional IRA
• Roth IRA
• FDIC-insured checking accounts

Acorns Additionally Offers:

• SEP IRA (self-employed)
• Emergency Savings account (Silver/Gold: 3.82% APY)
• Rollover IRA

Stash Additionally Offers:

• Custodial accounts (kids) at lower price ($9/month vs Acorns $12/month)

What Neither Offers:

• Joint accounts
• Trust accounts
• 529 college savings plans
• HSA accounts

Winner: Mostly tied, with Acorns offering SEP IRA and Stash offering cheaper kids accounts

Banking Features

Acorns Checking

Available: All tiers

Features:

• FDIC-insured checking
• Standard metal debit card (Bronze)
• Mighty Oak tungsten card (Silver/Gold)
• Checking earns 2.42% APY (Silver/Gold)
• Mobile check deposits
• 55,000+ fee-free ATMs
• No monthly fees, no overdraft fees
• Real-time Round-Ups integration

Stash Banking

Available: Both tiers

Features:

• FDIC-insured through Stride Bank
• Stock-Back® debit card
• Earn fractional shares on purchases
• Mobile check deposits
• 19,000+ fee-free ATMs
• No monthly fees, no overdraft fees, no minimum balance
• Downside: Cash account earns 0% interest

The downside to Stash’s cash management account: It doesn’t offer any interest

Winner: Acorns—checking earns 2.42% APY (Silver/Gold) vs Stash’s 0%

User Experience and Education

Mobile App Design

Acorns: Acorns has a sleek, modern, intuitive, robust mobile app for both Apple iOS and Android

• iOS: 4.7/5 stars
• Android: 4.6/5 stars
• Award-winning design
• Simple, clean interface
• Perfect for “set it and forget it”

Stash: Stash has a great app too, but Android users specifically seem to complain of problems with the app

• iOS: 4.6/5 stars (estimated)
• Android: Lower ratings, technical complaints
• More complex interface (more features)
• Educational content integrated throughout

Winner: Acorns for design and stability; Stash for educational integration

Educational Content

Acorns: Acorns includes basic financial literacy content, but it’s not as robust or interactive

• Blog articles
• Investing basics
• Money management tips
• Minimal interactivity

Stash: Stash’s app has a wealth of educational materials and investment information

The app allows users to buy fractional shares of stocks as well as has a robust budgeting platform in addition to its buying and selling platform. The company provides some help and guidance for first-time investors. If you want to start investing but don’t know where to start, Stash teaches you how to select suitable investments, manage your portfolio and offers insight on good trading tactics

• Interactive lessons
• Theme-based education (“Why invest in clean energy?”)
• Market insights reports (Stash+)
• Personalized investment advice
• Robust budgeting tools

Winner: Stash by a landslide—education is core to platform

Automatic Features

Automatic Rebalancing

Acorns:

• Quarterly automatic rebalancing
• Also rebalances when holdings drift 5%+ from target
• Completely automated (no action required)
• Available for all portfolios

Stash: Smart Portfolios offer quarterly automatic rebalancing if your portfolio drifts 5% away from your target allocation

• Only available for Smart Portfolios
• NOT available for individual stock portfolios
• Quarterly or when 5% drift

Winner: Acorns—rebalancing for all accounts vs Stash’s Smart Portfolios only

Automatic Investing

Acorns:

• Round-Ups (spare change)
• Recurring deposits
• Found Money cashback
• All automatic

Stash:

• Round-ups available
• Recurring deposits (“Auto-Stash”)
• SmartStash spending analysis
• Stock-Back® rewards

Winner: Tie—both offer robust automation

Tax Optimization

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Critical Feature Comparison:

Neither of these platforms offers the types of robust features, like tax-loss harvesting, that you might see when you use a robo advisor like Betterment or Wealthfront

Acorns: ❌ No tax-loss harvesting

Stash: ❌ No tax-loss harvesting

Impact: Both platforms lack this feature, which can add 0.5-1.5% annually for taxable accounts at competitors like Betterment and Wealthfront.

Winner: Neither—both lose to competitors

Pros and Cons 

Acorns Pros ✅

✅ Completely hands-off (zero decisions required)
✅ Award-winning app design (4.7/5 iOS)
✅ Round-Ups force savings habit
✅ Found Money cashback (450+ partners)
✅ IRA matching (1-3%)
✅ Automatic rebalancing for all accounts
✅ Checking earns 2.42% APY (Silver/Gold)
✅ Lower ETF expense ratios on average
✅ Free for college students

Acorns Cons ❌

❌ Zero investment control
❌ Cannot pick individual stocks
❌ Only 9 portfolio options
❌ No tax-loss harvesting
❌ Expensive for small balances (36% on $100)
❌ Recent price increases
❌ Limited educational content

Stash Pros ✅

✅ 4,000+ stocks and ETFs to choose from
✅ Extensive educational content (best-in-class)
✅ Stock-Back® Card (earn fractional shares)
✅ Smart Portfolios for automation option
✅ Themed investing (clean energy, tech, etc.)
✅ Fractional shares available
✅ Socially responsible portfolios
✅ Cheaper kids accounts ($9/month vs $12/month)
✅ SmartStash spending analysis

Stash Cons ❌

❌ No IRA matching
❌ Checking earns 0% interest
❌ No automatic rebalancing for individual stocks
❌ Android app technical issues reported
❌ No tax-loss harvesting
❌ Slightly higher average ETF fees
❌ More complex (can overwhelm beginners)
❌ Some users report account freezes/customer service issues

Wealthfront vs Betterment: Which Should You Choose?

Choose Acorns If You:

Acorns is better for passive beginners who want automation

Are a Passive Investor Want zero investment decisions after setup

Struggle to Save Consistently Round-Ups provide “forced savings” mechanism

Want IRA Matching 1-3% match is unique benefit (Stash doesn’t offer)

Prefer Simpler Interface Award-winning design beats Stash for ease

Value Interest-Earning Checking 2.42% APY (Silver/Gold) beats Stash’s 0%

Don’t Want to Learn Investing Just want automated portfolio management

Choose Stash If You:

Stash is better for those who want to learn and pick their own investments

Want to Learn Investing If you want to start investing but don’t know where to start, Stash teaches you how to select suitable investments, manage your portfolio and offers insight on good trading tactics

Want Control Over Investments Pick from 4,000+ stocks and ETFs

Need Educational Content Interactive lessons are best-in-class

Like Themed Investing Clean energy, tech, dividends, etc.

Want Stock-Back® Rewards Earn fractional shares instead of cash back

Have Kids (Need Cheaper Custodial Accounts) $9/month (Stash+) vs $12/month (Acorns Gold)

Prefer Flexibility Mix automated Smart Portfolios with individual stock picks

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: 22-Year-Old with $500, Zero Investing Knowledge

Acorns:

• Fee: $36/year (7.2%)
• Round-Ups add ~$360/year automatically
• Zero decisions required
• Award-winning app
• Best choice ✅

Stash:

• Fee: $36/year (7.2%)
• Must pick stocks/ETFs yourself (or use Smart Portfolio)
• Extensive education helps
• More overwhelming initially

Winner: Acorns—simplicity is key for absolute beginners

Scenario 2: 28-Year-Old Wanting to Learn Investing, $2K to Start

Acorns:

• Fee: $36/year (1.8%)
• Cannot learn stock picking (no individual stocks)
• Limited educational content
• Completely automated

Stash:

• Fee: $36/year (1.8%)
• Interactive lessons teach investing
• Can pick individual stocks
• Themed portfolios guide choices
• Best choice ✅

Winner: Stash—education is core mission

Scenario 3: 35-Year-Old with $10K IRA Investment

Acorns:

• Fee: Silver $72/year or Gold $144/year
• 1% or 3% IRA match
• On $7,000 contribution: $70-$210 free
• Net cost with Gold: $144 – $210 = -$66 (profit)
• Best choice ✅

Stash:

• Fee: $36/year or $108/year
• No IRA matching
• Net cost: $36-$108

Winner: Acorns—IRA matching is huge advantage

Scenario 4: Parent with 2 Kids, Wants Custodial Accounts

Acorns:

• Gold tier required: $12/month = $144/year
• Acorns Early (1 child)
• 1% match on kids’ investments

Stash:

• Stash+ required: $9/month = $108/year
• 2 custodial accounts included
• No match on kids’ investments
• Best choice ✅

Winner: Stash—cheaper and includes 2 kids accounts vs 1

Can You Use Both?

There’s one option here you might not have considered: having accounts at both Robinhood and Acorns. Why? Because these two brokerage firms are more different than they are similar, and they serve unique purposes. The same logic applies to Acorns and Stash.

Strategic Combination

One Effective Strategy:

• Acorns Bronze ($3/month): Automated taxable account with Round-Ups for effortless saving
• Stash Growth ($3/month): IRA account where you learn by picking stocks

Benefits:

• Get automation AND education
• Round-Ups from Acorns
• Stock picking education from Stash
• Total cost: $72/year

Or:

• Acorns Gold ($12/month): For IRA matching (3%)
• Stash Growth ($3/month): For learning with individual stocks in taxable account
• Total: $15/month = $180/year, but get $210 IRA match on $7K contribution

Compare

Acorns vs Betterment 2025: Which Robo-Advisor Is Best for You?

Acorns vs Robinhood 2025: Which Investment App Is Right for You?

Acorns vs Wealthfront 2025: Which Robo-Advisor Wins?

The Bottom Line

Overall Ratings

Acorns: 4.0/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Perfect for passive investors
• Award-winning automation
• Fees too high for small balances
• No control for those who want it

Stash: 3.8/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Excellent educational content
• Great for learning investors
• More complex than needed for passive investors
• Technical issues reported

If you’re a complete beginner who just wants to start saving without thinking, Acorns wins. The Round-Ups feature is brilliant for building the habit, and complete automation removes all friction.

If you want to actually learn investing and have control over what you own, Stash wins. The educational content is superior, and 4,000+ investment options beat 9 portfolios.

For IRA investors, Acorns’ matching tips the scale (1-3% free money).

For parents, Stash is cheaper ($9/month with 2 kids accounts vs $12/month with 1).

Get started:

• Acorns: acorns.com (Get $5 bonus)
• Stash: stash.com (Get $25 bonus)

Disclaimer: This comparison is for educational purposes. Investment decisions should be based on your personal situation. All information accurate as of October 2025 but subject to change.