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Broker Comparison

Acorns vs Frec

Compare Acorns and Frec 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
Frec

Frec

Tax-conscious self-directed investors

Frec is a US direct indexing platform offering automated tax-loss harvesting, fractional stock ownership of i…

Head-to-head comparison

Acorns vs Frec
Feature Acorns Frec
Minimum deposit No minimum opening deposit or minimum balance required for Mighty Oak and Emergency Savings banking services -
Stock trading fee No commissions $0 commission
Regulators SEC, FINRA SEC, FINRA, SIPC
Best for Hands-off investors who want automated ETF portfolios Tax-conscious self-directed investors
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Bonds
-
Investment Plans
-
Ready Made Portfolios
Fractional Shares
-
Money Market Funds
-
Margin
-

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
Frec

Frec

Pros

  • Direct indexing annual fee as low as 0.09%
  • Minimum investment of $20,000 - lower than many competitors
  • Automated daily tax-loss harvesting
  • Fractional share ownership of individual index constituents
  • High-yield Treasury account for uninvested cash
  • Portfolio line of credit up to 70% of account value
  • Portfolio customization - exclude sectors or individual stocks
  • Transparent trade log showing each trade and its rationale

Cons

  • No human financial adviser support
  • High minimum investment ($20,000-$50,000) excludes smaller investors
  • International index strategies use ADR-based replication rather than direct ownership of foreign shares
  • Fractional shares cannot be transferred out in kind
  • Mutual fund trades cost $20 per transaction
  • Tax-loss harvesting benefits are minimal for investors in lower tax brackets
  • Early-stage company with limited track record
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.

Frec

Frec

Frec is a US direct indexing platform offering automated tax-loss harvesting, fractional stock ownership of indices, a Treasury account, and a portfolio line of credit.

Visit Frec Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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