Affiliate Disclosure: ReviewYourWealth.com is reader-supported. When you click links on this page and make a purchase or sign up, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We research products independently — commissions never influence our rankings or conclusions. Full disclosure here.

Best Investment Apps 2026: Acorns vs M1 vs Stash Compared

Investment apps democratised investing by removing minimums, commissions, and complexity barriers. The challenge is that “investment app” now encompasses fundamentally different products: Acorns automates small spare-change investing through round-ups; M1 Finance automates portfolio allocation through a “Pie” system with zero commission trading; Stash combines fractional share investing with financial education and a banking product. Empower (formerly Personal Capital) focuses on wealth tracking and retirement planning rather than active investing. This comparison clarifies which app matches which wealth-building stage.

Quick Comparison Table

Acorns

Acorns’ core mechanic is round-ups: it rounds every linked card purchase to the nearest dollar and invests the difference. A $4.60 coffee becomes a $0.40 investment. Over a year of regular spending, this can automate $300–$600 into a diversified ETF portfolio without any conscious action. The “found money” feature adds bonus contributions from partner brands. Acorns invests in five diversified ETF portfolios (conservative to aggressive) — there’s no individual stock or custom portfolio selection. At $3–$9/month, the fee is high as a percentage for small balances (a $100 balance paying $3/month is paying 36% annually in fees) but becomes reasonable as the balance grows above $5,000–$10,000.

M1 Finance

M1 Finance is built around “Pies” — customisable portfolios where you allocate percentage weights to stocks and ETFs, and M1 automatically invests deposits and rebalances back to your target allocation. You can build a custom Pie, use an expert-designed Pie, or mix both. There are no commissions, no management fees on the basic tier, and fractional shares are available. M1 is the strongest option in this group for intermediate investors who want automation without surrendering control of their portfolio construction. The minimum is $100 for taxable accounts, $500 for retirement.

Stash

Stash is a financial education platform that also lets you invest. The educational content — explanations of what each ETF or stock represents, plain-language risk ratings, financial literacy modules — is built into the investment flow. The Stock-Back card rewards purchases with fractional shares of relevant companies (buy at Amazon, earn Amazon stock). Stash is best for beginners who want to learn while they invest rather than those optimising for returns or automation efficiency.

Empower

Empower (formerly Personal Capital) is primarily a wealth aggregator — you connect all your financial accounts (bank, brokerage, 401k, mortgage) and get a unified net worth view, portfolio analysis, fee checker, and retirement planning tools, all for free. The paid advisory service ($100K minimum, 0.89% AUM) provides human financial advisors and a managed portfolio. For investors who already have assets spread across multiple accounts and want clarity, the free tracking tools are genuinely useful regardless of whether you use the advisory service.

Fee Impact: $10,000 Balance Over 10 Years

The Bottom Line

Best for complete beginners who want zero friction: Acorns. Round-ups automate investing without requiring any decisions. Best when you’re starting with very little and want passive accumulation.

Best for DIY investors who want automation without fees: M1 Finance. Zero-commission, zero-fee (basic tier), with powerful Pie-based portfolio automation. The best value for intermediate investors.

Best for beginners who want to learn: Stash. Educational content integrated with investing. Stock-Back rewards add a fun gamification layer. The fee is high relative to M1 but the educational value justifies it for the right stage.

Best for existing investors tracking overall wealth: Empower. Free net worth aggregation, retirement planning, and fee analysis for those with assets already spread across accounts.

Written by Q

The Optimum Wealth Fanatic

Every product reviewed on this site goes through 10–40 hours of independent research — fee structures, fine print, real user experiences from Reddit, Trustpilot, and BBB complaints, plus wealth impact calculations showing the actual dollar difference over 10 years. No marketing fluff. No "I tested this." Just the math, the trade-offs, and an honest verdict.

Last reviewed: April 13, 2026 · About Q · Affiliate Disclosure