Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

E*TRADE vs Acorns

E*TRADE 4.7★ · Free to download 62
Winner Acorns
Acorns 4.7★ · Free to download 75

Choose Acorns for a simpler investing experience with automated features.

Full reviews: E*TRADE · Acorns

Acorns offers an easy-to-use platform for beginners with automated savings and investment features, while E*TRADE has faced significant recent complaints about reliability and user experience. Both apps have their strengths, but Acorns' focus on simplicity and user-friendly design gives it the edge.

Head to head

features edge: AcornsR3R19R74R100
E*TRADE E*TRADE provides a wide range of features for serious investors, but many users find them difficult to navigate and often prefer the website over the app R3R19.
Acorns Acorns focuses on simplicity with features like round-ups and automated investing, which users appreciate for ease of use R74R100.
ease of use edge: AcornsR4R19R68R90
E*TRADE E*TRADE users report a clunky and buggy interface that often requires using the website instead R4R19.
Acorns Acorns is praised for its intuitive design, making it easy for beginners to navigate R68R90.
reliability edge: AcornsR1R10R58R63
E*TRADE E*TRADE has faced numerous complaints about login issues and app glitches, leading to frustration among users R1R10R58.
Acorns Acorns has fewer reliability complaints, although some users mention issues with account access R63.
price/value edge: AcornsR31R52R71R114
E*TRADE E*TRADE is free to download but may have hidden fees that frustrate users R31R52.
Acorns Acorns charges a monthly fee starting at $1, which some users feel is worth it for the automated features R71R114.
support edge: AcornsR37R52R69R107
E*TRADE E*TRADE users report poor customer service experiences, with many feeling unsupported during issues R37R52.
Acorns Acorns also has complaints about customer service but some users found it satisfactory R69R107.
Pick E*TRADE if

you are an experienced investor looking for advanced trading features.

Pick Acorns if

you are a beginner wanting a straightforward, automated investing solution.

Evidence note: E*TRADE has a mix of positive and negative reviews, but recent complaints skew heavily negative, while Acorns has a more consistent positive reception despite some complaints.

Frequently asked

What are the main differences between E*TRADE and Acorns?
E*TRADE offers advanced trading features suitable for experienced investors, while Acorns focuses on automated savings and investing for beginners, charging a monthly fee starting at $1 R71R114.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] E*TRADE 3/5 · US App times out too often: Even though I have the timeout set to 4 hours, it times out after only a few minutes. This doesn’t happen on the Website. Also, the Website has features and data hard to find on the app. Usually, it’s better to use the Website on my phone than the app.
  2. [R19] E*TRADE 2/5 · US Buggy and incomplete: - Go to an account, select a holding, then select trade to make a purchase, on the next screen the selected account is the wrong account. - There’s no obvious way to transfer funds between accounts. After a few minutes looking around I gave up and used the website.
  3. [R74] Acorns 5/5 · US Great Investing App: Great investing app for beginners. Acorns makes saving and investing simple with automatic deposits and round-ups. The interface is easy to use, and it helps build good financial habits over time. A great choice for anyone starting their investment journey.
  4. [R100] Acorns 5/5 · US Happy Client 😊: I’m very happy with my Acorn app is very easy to use and I’m available to invest every time that uses my card. 10/10 I absolutely recommend 👍🏻
  5. [R4] E*TRADE 1/5 · US Slow and terrible user interface: Funds transferred over for transactions are placed on a 5 day hold - completely slowing and delaying trades. Terrible user interface. Clunky and buggy. Ancient tech.
  6. [R68] Acorns 5/5 · US Awesome: Great investment tool for all ages! If u want to teach or learn how investing works try it.
  7. [R90] Acorns 5/5 · US Entry Level Investing: This platform is very educational and easy to get you started investing in the stock market.
  8. [R1] E*TRADE 1/5 · US What a nightmare!: Since Good Friday, this app has turned into a nightmare. Pre-market and after-hours quotes no longer update properly. I can’t see movements in my watchlist or portfolio unless I open each individual stock. That’s simply unacceptable. It’s been weeks, and this still hasn’t been fixed. On top of that, the charts have significant delays. The lag is so bad that they’re no longer r
  9. [R10] E*TRADE 1/5 · US Login issues: At least twice a month I am unable to log into my account on the app because it says an issue has occur when using Face ID or using my password. When I can login, the app is great, but I consistently unable to log into my account using Face ID or the password. Then the next day it will start working again. Please fix.
  10. [R58] E*TRADE 1/5 · US Can’t see my investments: Sometimes I open the app and the account tab is completely blank. I can’t see what’s going on with my investments. I have to go manually login on the website instead. This app is so unreliable.
  11. [R63] Acorns 3/5 · US Password never remembered: Having to reset my password and pin EVERY SINGLE TIME I attempt to log in is exactly why i’m done with this app. It helped with saving but I got so tired of having to reset my password over and over. Fix it.
  12. [R31] E*TRADE 1/5 · US Its horrible, stick to Fidelity: Deposited money, waited a week for it to transfer, missed an investment opportunity, and then found out I couldn’t buy the ETF I wanted the way I expected. The app hides basic account features and the experience was frustrating from start to finish. Poor UI and navigation features make a bad thing worse. Stay away, do not download, and do not give them your money
  13. [R52] E*TRADE 1/5 · US Customer insensitive: Etrade has been holding the funds which were supposed to be transferred in 3 days. It has not transferred in even 60 days. Customer service has no idea. There is no escalation or responsible authority to service . It feels like some kind of cash hoarding scam at this firm. Reaching to FINRA and SEC is next step.
  14. [R71] Acorns 5/5 · US Great investment app: Great investment app. Good for saving money, forgetting about it and letting it grow. A lot more budget friendly than other options too
  15. [R114] Acorns 4/5 · US Bond market: Investing in Bonds market small amounts of money is just wasting time. Just my opinion. I like acorn investing, round up every purchase made easy investing. Pay every month $1 which is not bad at all.
  16. [R37] E*TRADE 1/5 · US The Worst: The employees at ETrade are the slowest and worst I’ve ever seen and the app isn’t much better. They keep trying to steal the money from my dead daughter’s account and have been giving us the run around for months. Time for a lawsuit. Extremely disrespectful responses as well. They don’t care about you. Go elsewhere.
  17. [R69] Acorns 3/5 · US Not as self intuitive: I love this program and it is a great idea. I do wish that it had more support and or instructions to understand how to set up things. How things are working. And perhaps better support as well for my customer service support perspective.
  18. [R107] Acorns 1/5 · US A little disappointed: Been with acorns over two years and needed help with a 86$ dispute after having processed only one a year prior for around 100$ they gave me the run around and Suzana S (a specialist) was very i I unknowledgeable about how to read emails, and comprehend what I was saying. They wanted me to wait 90 days so I’ll just go back to chase, which I left for Acorns because I had issu

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store