Acorns
Empower (Personal Capital)
| Feature | Acorns | Empower (Personal Capital) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $3/mo | Free / from $0.89/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | investing-beginners, young-adults, passive-investors, families | investors, high-net-worth-individuals, retirement-planners, wealth-builders |
| Founded | 2012 | 2009 |
| Round Ups | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automated Investing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retirement Accounts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Checking Account | ✓ | ✗ |
| Found Money | ✓ | ✗ |
| Family Accounts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Earn Rewards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Net Worth Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Investment Checkup | ✗ | ✓ |
| Retirement Planner | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fee Analyzer | ✗ | ✓ |
| Budgeting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cash Flow | ✗ | ✓ |
| Wealth Management | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Acorns Pros
- Effortless investing through round-ups
- Expert-built diversified portfolios
- Retirement account (IRA) option included
- Found Money rewards from partner brands
- Family plan covers kids' investing accounts
✗ Acorns Cons
- Flat fee structure expensive for small balances
- Limited control over individual investments
- No individual stock trading
✓ Empower (Personal Capital) Pros
- Excellent free investment tracking and net worth dashboard
- Retirement planning calculator (Retirement Planner)
- Fee analyzer identifies hidden investment fees
- Comprehensive portfolio analysis tools
✗ Empower (Personal Capital) Cons
- Wealth management requires $100K minimum
- Sales calls after signing up for free tools
- Advisory fees higher than robo-advisors
The Verdict
Acorns is built for investing beginners and young adults, with a focus on round-ups and automated-investing. Empower (Personal Capital) targets investors and high net worth individuals and leads with net-worth-tracking and investment-checkup.
Pricing is close: Empower (Personal Capital) starts at $0.89/mo versus $3/mo for Acorns — not a deciding factor on its own.
Empower (Personal Capital) has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Acorns requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.