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Stash vs. Acorns
One is built for active traders while the other caters to buy-and-hold investors.
Both platforms are suitable for new investors and offer subscription-based pricing. But the best choice for your portfolio depends on how you prefer to invest.
Which one is better?
- Choose Stash if you’re seeking a self-directed brokerage account.
- Choose Acorns if you’d like to invest through a robo-advisor.
Stash and Acorns are tough to compare because they’re fundamentally different. Stash is a trading platform. Acorns is a robo-advisor. The right choice for your portfolio depends on your investment style.
But despite catering to different types of investors, Stash and Acorns have a lot in common. They’re both beginner-oriented, offer a wide selection of accounts and have subscription-based pricing models. Not many investment platforms offer checking accounts — but Stash and Acorns do. They also offer similarly structured rewards programs to help investors build their portfolio.
That said, Stash and Acorns are designed with different investors in mind. Stash investors can look forward to commission-free trades, automated investment features and ETFs organized by social preferences. Acorns investors are given a choice of five portfolio options with fractional investing options, custodial accounts for children and unlimited reimbursements on domestic ATM fees.
How do Stash and Acorns compare?
| Stash | Acorns | |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Overview | Stash is a straightforward investment platform offering self-directed brokerage accounts for active traders. Investors can trade commission-free stocks, bonds and ETFs by signing up for one of Stash’s three subscription tiers. | Acorns is a robo-advisor that offers individual accounts, retirement accounts, custodial accounts and checking accounts. The signup process includes a questionnaire about investment goals that matches investors to one of five portfolios. Once the account is funded, investments are selected and managed by the platform’s robo-advisor. |
| Stock trade fee | $0 | N/A |
| Monthly fee | $1 | $1 |
| Minimum deposit to open | $0 | $0 |
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| Apple App Store reviews | ★★★★★ 4.7/5 | ★★★★★ 4.7/5 |
| Google Play Store reviews | ★★★★★ 4/5 | ★★★★★ 4.5/5 |
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Bottom line
Even though they’re geared toward different types of investors, Stash and Acorns share plenty of common ground. But for those who want to manage their own investments, the clear choice is Stash: a platform with self-directed brokerage accounts and a stock-back rewards program. For passive investors executing a buy-and-hold strategy, Acorns is the better call, with plenty of account options, automatic rebalancing and a round-up program to help your funds grow.
Before you sign up, review your account options with other brokerages to find the platform best suited to your investment needs.
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