Acorns, Stash, and Robinhood are the three most popular investing apps for beginners, but they take fundamentally different approaches. Acorns automates everything. Stash guides your picks. Robinhood gives you full control. Choosing the right one depends on how hands-on you want to be. Here’s the complete three-way comparison.
TL;DR:Acorns is best for completely passive investors who want automated spare-change investing. Stash is best for guided beginners who want to learn while picking themed investments. Robinhood is best for self-directed beginners who want the most investment options at zero cost.
Three-Way Overview
Feature
Acorns
Stash
Robinhood
Monthly fee
$3-$12
$3-$9
$0 ($5 for Gold)
Commission
$0
$0
$0
Investment approach
Automated portfolios
Guided stock/ETF picking
Self-directed
Individual stocks
✗
✓ (curated)
✓ (all US stocks)
ETFs
✓ (in portfolios)
✓ (curated)
✓ (all US ETFs)
Options
✗
✗
✓
Crypto
✗
✗
✓
Fractional shares
✓ (in portfolios)
✓ (starting at $0.01)
✓ (starting at $1)
Round-ups
✓ (automatic spare change)
✓ (Stock-Back purchases)
✗
Banking
✓ (checking + rewards)
✓ (checking + Stock-Back)
✓ (cash card)
Retirement accounts
✓ (IRA)
✓ (IRA)
✓ (IRA + Roth)
Custodial accounts (kids)
✓ (Acorns Early)
✓ (custodial)
✗
Minimum investment
$0
$0.01
$1
Users
12M+
2M+
24M+
Best for
Passive savers
Guided learners
Active beginners
Fee Comparison
Monthly Subscription Costs
Plan
Acorns
Stash
Robinhood
Basic investing
$3/mo (Bronze)
$3/mo (Stash Growth)
$0
+ Banking
$3/mo (included in Bronze)
$3/mo (included)
$0
+ Retirement (IRA)
$6/mo (Silver)
$3/mo (included)
$0
+ Kids/family
$12/mo (Gold)
$9/mo (Stash+)
N/A
Premium features
$12/mo Gold (custom portfolio)
$9/mo Stash+ (Stock-Back x2)
$5/mo Gold (margin, research)
Annual Fee by Account Size
Balance
Acorns Bronze ($3/mo)
Stash Growth ($3/mo)
Robinhood (Free)
Robinhood Gold ($5/mo)
$500
7.20%
7.20%
0.00%
12.00%
$1,000
3.60%
3.60%
0.00%
6.00%
$5,000
0.72%
0.72%
0.00%
1.20%
$10,000
0.36%
0.36%
0.00%
0.60%
$25,000
0.14%
0.14%
0.00%
0.24%
$50,000
0.07%
0.07%
0.00%
0.12%
At small balances (under $5,000), Acorns and Stash’s flat fees are disproportionately expensive. Robinhood’s free plan is significantly cheaper.
Break-Even Analysis
Question
Answer
When do Acorns fees drop below 0.50%?
~$7,200 balance
When do Acorns fees drop below 0.25%?
~$14,400 balance
When is Robinhood Gold ($5/mo) cheaper than Acorns Bronze?
Never (Gold costs more)
When do Stash fees become reasonable?
~$10,000+ balance
Investment Options
Asset Class
Acorns
Stash
Robinhood
US stocks
✗ (portfolio only)
✓ (curated ~4,000)
✓ (all listed stocks)
ETFs
✓ (8-12 in portfolio)
✓ (curated ~700)
✓ (all listed ETFs)
Options
✗
✗
✓
Crypto
✗
✗
✓ (30+ coins)
Mutual funds
✗
✗
✗
Bonds (direct)
✗
✗
✗
Penny stocks
✗
✗
✓ (OTC)
IPO access
✗
✗
✓ (IPO Access)
Futures
✗
✗
✓
Total investment options
8-12 ETFs
~4,700
10,000+
Robinhood offers vastly more investment choices. Acorns offers the fewest but removes all decision-making.
How Each App Works
Acorns: The Automated Approach
Step
What Happens
1. Sign up
Choose risk level (conservative → aggressive)
2. Algorithm builds portfolio
8-12 ETFs (stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities)
3. Round-ups invest spare change
$3.47 coffee → $0.53 invested automatically
4. Recurring deposits
Set $5/day, $25/week, etc.
5. Auto-rebalancing
Portfolio rebalanced automatically
6. Earn Bonus Investments
Shop at 15,000+ partners → they invest for you
You never pick a stock. You never decide when to buy. Everything is automated based on your risk profile.
Stash: The Guided Approach
Step
What Happens
1. Sign up
Answer questions about goals and risk tolerance
2. Browse curated investments
Stocks and ETFs with plain-English descriptions
3. Get guidance
“This stock is risky” / “This ETF is conservative” tags
4. Buy fractional shares
Start with as little as $0.01
5. Smart Portfolio (optional)
Let Stash auto-invest based on your profile
6. Stock-Back rewards
Earn stock in companies you shop at
Stash teaches you to invest while you invest. Themed collections (“Clean & Green,” “Delicious Dividends”) make ETFs approachable.
Robinhood: The Self-Directed Approach
Step
What Happens
1. Sign up
Account approved in minutes
2. Browse full market
Every listed US stock, ETF, option, and 30+ cryptos
3. Research and decide
Charts, analyst ratings, news feed
4. Place trades
Market, limit, stop orders — you choose
5. Recurring investments
Set up automatic buys on a schedule
6. Options/crypto (optional)
Trade options and crypto in the same app
Robinhood puts you in control. No curating, no hand-holding — you pick, you trade.
Banking Features
Feature
Acorns Checking
Stash Banking
Robinhood Cash Card
Debit card
✓
✓
✓
Direct deposit
✓ (early, up to 2 days)
✓ (early, up to 2 days)
✓ (early, up to 2 days)
ATM network
55,000+ fee-free
Allpoint (55,000+)
75,000+ fee-free
Round-up investing
✓ (automatic)
✗
✗
Stock-Back rewards
✗
✓ (earn fractional shares)
✗
Weekly spending bonus
✗
✗
✓ (rotating categories)
Bonus Investments (partner spend)
✓ (15,000+ retailers)
✗
✗
Savings APY
3.00%
3.00%
4.00% (Gold) / 1.50% (Free)
FDIC insured
✓
✓
✓
Monthly fee
Included in plan
Included in plan
$0 ($5 Gold)
Banking Earnings on $5,000 Cash
Account
APY
Annual Earnings
Acorns Savings
3.00%
$150
Stash Banking
3.00%
$150
Robinhood Gold
4.00%
$200
Robinhood Free
1.50%
$75
Retirement Accounts
Feature
Acorns
Stash
Robinhood
Traditional IRA
✓ (Silver+)
✓
✓
Roth IRA
✓ (Silver+)
✓
✓
SEP IRA
✗
✗
✗
IRA match
✓ (1%-3% match on contributions)
✗
✓ (1% match, 3% with Gold)
Auto-rebalancing
✓
✗
✗
Plan cost
$6/mo (Silver)
$3/mo
$0 ($5 with Gold for 3% match)
IRA Match Comparison
Feature
Acorns
Robinhood
Match rate (basic)
1% (Bronze)
1% (Free)
Match rate (premium)
3% (Gold, $12/mo)
3% (Gold, $5/mo)
Annual cost for 3% match
$144/year
$60/year
Match on $6,500 contribution (3%)
$195
$195
Net benefit after fees
$51/year
$135/year
Robinhood Gold offers the same 3% IRA match for less than half the subscription cost.
Kids and Family Accounts
Feature
Acorns Early
Stash Custodial
Robinhood
Custodial (UGMA/UTMA)
✓
✓
✗
Monthly fee
$12/mo (Gold required)
$9/mo (Stash+ required)
N/A
Investment approach
Automated portfolio
Guided picking
N/A
Educational content
✓ (Grow Magazine)
✓ (learn-as-you-go)
N/A
Number of kids
Unlimited
Per account
N/A
If investing for children is a priority, only Acorns and Stash offer custodial accounts. Robinhood does not.
Educational Content and Learning
Feature
Acorns
Stash
Robinhood
In-app education
Grow Magazine
Stash Learn
Robinhood Learn
Investment explanations
Basic
Best (plain-English tags on every stock/ETF)
Moderate
Risk indicators
✓ (portfolio level)
✓ (per investment)
Limited
Coaching/guidance
✗
✓ (investment coaching)
✗
News feed
✗
✓
✓ (Robinhood Snacks + analyst ratings)
Stash is the best learning platform of the three, with plain-English descriptions and risk tags on every investment.
The Real Cost of Monthly Fees on Small Balances
All three apps charge monthly subscription fees rather than percentage-based fees. This structure is dramatically more expensive for small accounts than it appears:
Balance
Acorns ($3/mo)
Stash ($3/mo)
Robinhood ($5/mo Gold)
Vanguard (0%)
$500
7.2%/yr
7.2%/yr
12%/yr
0%
$1,000
3.6%/yr
3.6%/yr
6%/yr
0%
$5,000
0.72%/yr
0.72%/yr
1.2%/yr
0%
$10,000
0.36%/yr
0.36%/yr
0.6%/yr
0%
$25,000
0.14%/yr
0.14%/yr
0.24%/yr
0%
For investors with under $1,000, these fees consume an enormous percentage of returns. At $500, Acorns’ $3/month fee represents a 7.2% annual drag — the stock market’s entire historical average real return. You’d need roughly $14,400 in Acorns before the fee drops below 0.25% (matching Betterment/Wealthfront’s advisory fee).
The break-even point: Acorns and Stash only make financial sense once your balance exceeds $10,000–$15,000, and by that point, most users have outgrown the app and would benefit from moving to a full-featured broker. Robinhood Gold’s $5/month is harder to justify unless you use the 5% APY cash sweep or margin, which offsets the cost.
WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.
The content on Wealthvieu is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Full disclaimer · Editorial policy
