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Broker Comparison

Acorns vs Empower

Compare Acorns and Empower side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

Acorns

Acorns

Hands-off investors who want automated ETF portfolios

Acorns is an automated saving and investing app with ETF portfolios, Round-Ups, retirement accounts, and pric…

VS
Empower

Empower

High-balance hybrid advisory clients

Empower is a US hybrid robo-advisor combining automated portfolio management with access to human financial a…

Head-to-head comparison

Acorns vs Empower
Feature Acorns Empower
Minimum deposit No minimum opening deposit or minimum balance required for Mighty Oak and Emergency Savings banking services -
Stock trading fee No commissions Commission-free trading on investment accounts
Regulators SEC, FINRA SEC, FINRA, SIPC
Best for Hands-off investors who want automated ETF portfolios High-balance hybrid advisory clients
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Bonds
Investment Plans
Ready Made Portfolios
Funds
-
Money Market Funds
-

Pros & cons

Acorns

Acorns

Pros

  • Round-Ups invest spare change once it reaches at least $5
  • Automatic rebalancing keeps Base portfolio allocations on track
  • Dividends are automatically reinvested
  • No hidden costs, transaction fees, or commissions stated
  • Checking has no overdraft, maintenance, or AllPoint ATM fees
  • Gold adds individual stocks and ETFs to Custom Portfolios
  • SIPC protection up to $500,000 for Invest, Later and Early

Cons

  • Lowest listed subscription is $3/mo.
  • Gold costs $12/mo. for the full suite
  • Custom Portfolios are available only to Gold customers
  • Acorns Early Invest is a Gold subscription exclusive
  • Money Manager is available with Acorns Gold
  • No direct Bitcoin access; exposure is through BITO ETF
  • Investment products are not FDIC insured or bank guaranteed
Empower

Empower

Pros

  • Comprehensive free financial dashboard with net worth, retirement planner and fee analyzer
  • Hybrid model gives access to human advisors alongside automated portfolio management
  • Tax-loss harvesting and tax location strategy included in advisory fee
  • Tiered fees decrease as assets grow, reaching 0.49% above $10 million
  • Client assets held at established independent custodians with SIPC protection
  • High-yield cash account with FDIC insurance up to $5 million
  • Dedicated advisors and estate planning access at higher asset tiers
  • Commission-free trading on investment accounts

Cons

  • $100,000 minimum investment required to access any managed advisory services
  • Advisory fee of 0.89% on the first $1 million is high relative to robo-only competitors
  • No direct-to-consumer trading platform for active self-directed trading
  • No demo account available
  • No support for forex, CFDs, futures or options trading
  • Tax and estate planning features restricted to higher asset tiers
  • Free tools may prompt upsells for users approaching the $100,000 threshold
Acorns

Acorns

Acorns is an automated saving and investing app with ETF portfolios, Round-Ups, retirement accounts, and pricing from $3/mo.

Visit Acorns Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Empower

Empower

Empower is a US hybrid robo-advisor combining automated portfolio management with access to human financial advisors, built on the foundation of Personal Capital.

Visit Empower Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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