Acorns vs. Ally Invest
Points to know:
• Advisory-style investing accounts are offered by both Acorns and Ally Invest.
• Only Ally Invest provides self-directed brokerage accounts.
• IRA matching is a feature available exclusively at Acorns.
Looking for a platform to open an investing account? Acorns and Ally Invest are two options that may fit what you need. Here’s what our research found.
Pricing
| Broker Fees |
Stock/ETF
Commission |
Mutual Fund
Commission |
Options
Commission |
Maintenance
Fee |
Annual IRA
Fee |
|
Ally Invest
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0.50 per contract
|
$0
|
$0
|
|
Acorns
|
na
|
na
|
na
|
$3, $6, or $12 per month
|
$3, $6, or $12 per month
|
Promotion Links
Acorns:
Get $20 when you open an Acorns account with this referral link.
Ally Invest:
Get $100 cash bonus when you open an account at Ally Bank.
Investment Offerings
Acorns focuses on automated investing through managed portfolios made up of low-cost ETFs. For this limited hands-off service, Acorns charges a monthly fee of $3, $6, or $12, depending on the plan you choose. Traditional brokerage accounts are not available, although users can add a small number of individual stocks to their managed portfolios.
Ally Invest also provides robo-advisor accounts. Instead of charging a flat monthly fee, Ally uses an assets-under-management fee. The current annual rate is either 0.30% or 0.00%, depending on the selected cash allocation (2% or 30%).
Ally Invest also offers self-directed brokerage accounts. These accounts provide access to the full range of U.S. stocks, options, ETFs, and closed-end funds. The platform has a smaller lineup of mutual funds and fixed-income products, but OTC stocks are supported as well. On the downside, Ally has discontinued its former forex trading service. Brokerage accounts at Ally come with no ongoing fees, making them a cost-effective option.
Ally Invest also provides a service that Acorns does not: access to human financial advisors. With its traditional advisory accounts, Ally clients receive a personalized financial plan from a dedicated advisor. Fees run as high as 0.85% for accounts with around $100,000 in assets.
Winner: Ally Invest
Margin
Brokerage customers at Ally Invest can add margin trading, which allows for
short selling, option spreads, and leverage on long positions. Ally’s margin interest rates are:
|
Debit Balance
|
Ally Margin Interest Rates
|
|
$0.01 - $4,999
|
11.25%
|
|
$5,000 - $9,999
|
11.25%
|
|
$10,000 - $24,999
|
11.25%
|
|
$25,000 - $49,999
|
11%
|
|
$50,000 - $99,999
|
10.25%
|
|
$100,000 - $249,999
|
9%
|
|
$250,000 - $499,999
|
8%
|
|
$500,000 - $999,999
|
7.5%
|
|
$1,000,000 +
|
6.75%
|
Acorns does not support margin borrowing of any kind.
Winner: Ally Invest
Mobile Apps
Staying consistent with its simple-investing approach, the Acorns mobile app is fairly basic. Since there are no brokerage accounts, self-directed trading tools are not available. In our testing, we found features for investing, banking, earning rewards, and learning.
Ally Invest’s mobile app, on the other hand, includes full trading functionality. The order ticket supports buy to cover and sell short, along with four order types: limit, market, stop, and stop limit. Options trading has a dedicated ticket with built-in strategies, and users can build custom multi-leg orders. Stock pages include extensive analyst ratings with price targets and trade ideas.
Winner: Ally Invest
Websites
On the web side, the differences continue. The Acorns site is very simple, with no charting features and no advanced tools. There is, however, a calculator that estimates potential account growth based on inputs like expected weekly contributions.
The Ally Invest website includes full charting with a wide set of features. There are 13 chart styles, 37 drawing tools, and a variety of technical indicators. One drawback is that the full-screen chart view does not include trade buttons.
Ally’s site also includes stock and ETF screeners. The combined search tool can filter by criteria such as market capitalization, price, and sector. While Ally Invest is not designed for day trading, there is a day-trade counter available on the website.
Winner: Ally Invest
Desktop Software
Ally Invest customers who place at least 10 trades per month can access Quotestream, a desktop trading platform that provides advanced tools not available on the website, including Level II quotes, time and sales data, and more.
Acorns does not offer any desktop trading software.
Winner: Ally Invest
Ancillary Features
Extended-hours Trading: Available at Ally Invest, but not at Acorns.
Dividend Reinvestment Plans: Both companies support DRIP for robo accounts. Ally Invest also supports it for brokerage accounts.
Fully-paid Securities Lending Program: Offered only by Ally Invest.
Individual Retirement Accounts: IRAs are available at both firms. With the $6 plan, Acorns offers a 1% match on contributions, and the $12 plan includes a 3% match. Ally Invest charges an IRA closeout fee.
IPOs: Not available at either firm.
Automatic Mutual Fund Purchases: Also not offered by either company.
Fractional Shares: Robo accounts at both firms support fractional shares. Ally Invest brokerage accounts require whole-share trades.
Winner: Small advantage to Ally Invest
Our Recommendations
Beginning Investors: A managed account (rather than a brokerage account) works well at either firm. If you have around $100,000 to invest, Ally Invest’s Personal Advice program is a strong option for getting a dedicated advisor.
Retirement Planning & Long-Term Investing: Opening an IRA at either platform makes sense.
Small Investors: Due to Acorns’ flat monthly fee, it is not ideal for small balances. Ally Invest requires $100 to open a robo account and $1 for a brokerage account (accounts with no balance may be closed automatically).
Active Equity Trading: Ally Invest is the clear choice here.
Conclusion
Ally Invest stands out as the better option for self-directed traders and remains very competitive for managed investing as well.
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Updated on 2/6/2026.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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