Acorns vs Stash vs SoFi: the best investing app for beginners

Starting to invest used to mean calling a broker. Now it means picking an app, and the three names that come up most for beginners are Acorns, Stash, and SoFi. They all let you start with a few dollars, but they work in pretty different ways. This comparison breaks down what each one actually does, what it costs, and who it fits best.

What each app is

Acorns is the spare-change app. It rounds up your everyday purchases and invests the difference into a diversified portfolio of ETFs. You answer a few questions about your goals and risk tolerance, and Acorns handles the rest. There is no stock picking on the basic plans, which is the point. It is investing on autopilot.

Stash sits halfway between autopilot and DIY. It offers curated portfolios like Acorns, but it also lets you buy fractional shares of individual stocks and ETFs you pick yourself. It leans into education, with built-in lessons and guidance aimed at new investors who want to learn as they go.

SoFi is the all-rounder. SoFi Invest offers both automated investing and self-directed trading with no account fees and no commissions. It is part of a much bigger financial platform that includes checking, savings, loans, and credit cards, so investors who want everything under one roof tend to like it.

Fees

This is where beginners should pay the most attention, because fees eat small accounts first.

Acorns charges a flat monthly subscription. Plans start around $3 a month at time of writing, with a higher tier for families. A flat fee is simple, but on a $200 balance, $3 a month is a steep percentage. Acorns makes more sense once your balance grows into the thousands.

Stash also uses a monthly subscription model, starting around $3 a month at time of writing. Same math applies. The fee stings on tiny balances and fades as your account grows.

SoFi charges no account fees and no commissions on trades. For a beginner starting with $50, that is a real advantage. There is no monthly bill working against your returns while your balance is small.

What you can invest in

Acorns keeps it simple: diversified ETF portfolios matched to your risk level, plus optional add-ons like a retirement account on higher tiers. You cannot buy individual stocks. For someone who wants to set it and forget it, that limitation is a feature.

Stash gives you both paths. You can use its managed portfolios or buy fractional shares of hundreds of stocks and ETFs. Fractional shares matter for beginners, because they let you own a slice of an expensive stock with $5 instead of $500.

SoFi Invest covers both automated portfolios and self-directed trading, including fractional shares, with no commissions. It is the broadest of the three in terms of what you can do, though its research and education tools are thinner than Stash's.

Ease of use

All three apps are designed for phones first, and all three are easy to open an account with. The difference is in philosophy.

Acorns asks the least of you. Connect your cards, let round-ups flow, and check in occasionally. Stash asks a bit more, because it wants you to learn what you are buying. SoFi asks the least in terms of fees but gives you the most rope, which means a beginner can wander into individual stock trading before they understand it.

The catch with each

Acorns: the monthly fee is hard to justify on a small balance, and you cannot graduate to picking your own investments inside the app.

Stash: same fee problem on small balances, and the freedom to pick stocks can tempt beginners into trading instead of investing.

SoFi: no fees is great, but the investing app is one piece of a giant platform. Customer support and educational depth do not match the specialists, and the lack of friction can encourage impulsive trades.

Verdict by user type

Best for hands-off beginners: Acorns. If you want investing to happen in the background while you live your life, round-ups plus automatic portfolios are hard to beat. Just make sure your balance is big enough that the monthly fee stays trivial.

Best for beginners who want to learn: Stash. The fractional shares and built-in education make it the best classroom of the three. Start with a managed portfolio, then experiment with small stock positions once you understand what you are doing.

Best for cost-conscious beginners: SoFi. No account fees and no commissions mean every dollar you put in actually goes to work. It is also the best pick if you already use SoFi for banking or loans and want one login for everything.

Best for growing past beginner stage: SoFi or Stash. Acorns has a ceiling. Once you want to pick investments or manage a larger portfolio, you will outgrow it, while SoFi and Stash both scale with you.

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