M1 Finance vs Acorns

M1 Finance is a commission-free investing app that allows you to choose your own investments. How does it compare to Acorns? Read our comparison chart below.

M1 Finance offers automated investing with no commissions or trading fees. M1 lets you select your own investments and their automation will manage it for you. This is great for investors who want a say. The downside is that there are no human advisors. The minimum to start is just $100.

While Acorns is geared towards young investors who have trouble saving. This investment app automatically rounds up and invests your spare change whenever you make a purchase. The service fee starts at $3/month for accounts. There is no minimum to open.

Compare M1 Finance with Acorns, side-by-side. Read on for an in-depth look, including ratings, reviews, pros and cons.

	M1 Finance	Acorns

	Learn More	Visit Site
	SPECIAL OFFER Commission Free Stock Trading - Learn More Read M1 Finance Review	SPECIAL OFFER $20 Investment Bonus - Learn More Read Acorns Review
	Benefits and Features
Savings		No
Stock Trading	$0	Part of service fee. No add-on trading fees.
Options Trading	No	No
Annual Fee	A $3 monthly platform fee will apply to clients with less than $10,000 in M1 assets or without an active M1 Personal Loan.	Acorns Bronze ($3/mo) - includes personal taxable account, IRA, and checking account Acorns Silver ($6/mo) - includes everything in Bronze, emergency fund, 25% match on rewards, and 1% IRA match on Acorns Later contributions Acorns Gold ($12/mo) - includes everything in Silver, investment accounts for kids, 50% match on rewards, custom portfolio, Trust & Will, $10K Life Insurance, free Acorns Early account, and 3% IRA match on Acorns Later contributions
Cryptocurrency Trading	Yes	No
Minimum Deposit	$100 ($500 for IRAs, $5,000 for Trust Account)	$0
Checking		Yes
Mutual Fund Trading	No	No
Commission Free ETFs	All U.S. listed ETFs	A selection automatically chosen by Acorns
Phone Support	Monday - Friday 9:30 am to 4 pm EST	Yes
Live Chat Support	No	No
Email Support	Yes	Yes
Human Advisors	No	No
Robo Advisor		Yes
Assets Under Management	$4.5 Billion	$4.7 Billion
Tax Loss Harvesting	No, but offers tax minimization features	No
Goal Tracker	No	Yes
Automatic Deposits	Yes	Yes
Broker Assisted Trades	Included	Acorns automatically invest and trade for you
Good For	DIY investing with passive portfolio management	Beginners; Passive investors; Those who have trouble saving/investing on their own
Inactivity Fee	$50 (for accounts with $50 or less and no trading or deposit activity for 90+ days)	None, but you will keep paying the monthly fee
Maintenance Fee	$3 monthly platform fee for accounts with less than $10,000 in M1 assets, or without an active M1 Personal Loan	Monthly fee for the service
Online Platform	Yes	Yes
iPhone App	Yes (4.6 stars, 33.3k ratings)	Yes (4.7 stars, 760k ratings)
Android App	Yes (4.5 stars, 15.7k ratings)	Yes (4.3 stars, 156k ratings)
Banking		Included in Acorns Bronze ($3/mo). Free metal debit card, no minimum balance, no overdraft fees, and 55,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide.
Mobile App		iOS & Android
Two-Factor Authentication	Yes	Yes
Locations	No	No
Online Community	No	No
Seminars	No	No
Trading Platform	Web Trading, Mobile Apps
Virtual Trading	No	No
Fractional Shares	Yes	Yes
Taxable Accounts	Yes	Yes
401k Plans	No	No
IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Roth IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
SEP IRA Accounts	Yes	Yes
Trust Accounts	Yes	No
529 Plans	No	No
	CreditDonkey® Reviews

Annual Fee
Minimum Deposit
Mobile App
Customer Service
Ease of Use
Research
Pros & Cons	Pros: Choose your own investments Can invest in individual stocks Morning and afternoon trade windows Cons: No research No human advisors Platform fee	Pros: No minimum to open account Invest with spare change Cash-back program Cons: Fees are high for small balances No tax benefits Limited investment options
Bottom Line	Commission-free investing app that allows you to choose your own investments... Read full review	Investment app that automatically invests your spare change. Good for young investors to get into the habit... Read full review
	Learn More	Visit Site
	Commission Free Stock Trading M1 Finance Fees Invest Automatically with M1 Finance	$20 Investment Bonus Try Acorns Today! Acorns Invest: Invest Spare Change
Blank fields may indicate the information is not available, not applicable, or not known to CreditDonkey. Please visit the product website for details. M1 Finance: Pricing information from published website as of 12/26/2023. Acorns: Pricing information from published website as of 11/29/2024.

$20 Investment Bonus

Get $20 Investment Bonus

Open an Acorns account (new users only)
Set up the Recurring Investments feature
Have your first investment be made successfully via the Recurring Investments feature

Try Acorns Today!

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Acorns Invest: Invest Spare Change

Automatically Save and Invest

Which is Better: M1 Finance or Acorns?

Still need help deciding which investing is better? Read the in-depth reviews below. You may also be interested in comparing M1 Finance or Robinhood.

In short: M1 Finance's annual fee is excellent.

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Comments

Olivia Tabor from Texas
on April 2019 said about Acorns:
I have both Acorns and Robinhood and even though they each serve a different purpose I don't have the freedom of stock purchase that I really like. I believe Acorns diversifies for my needs more effectively.

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