Autopilot and Acorns: what each one is, and what to compare

I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. Acorns is one of the apps that made automatic investing normal for a lot of people. It's good at what it's built for.

It's built for a different job than we are, though. Here's what each one is, and how to tell which job you're hiring for.

One thing first, because we're an SEC-registered investment adviser and I have to say it. Autopilot is the app. The actual investment advice comes from Autopilot Advisers, LLC. If you want the full legal version of anything in here, it's on our disclaimer page.

1) What Acorns is

On its own website, as read on September 23, 2026, Acorns describes itself as an app that helps you save and invest automatically, including by investing your spare change through what it calls Round-Ups. Its pricing page lists an investment account with an expert-built, diversified portfolio, a retirement account, checking, and accounts for kids.

Its site says investment products are offered by Acorns Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, and brokerage products by Acorns Securities, LLC, a registered broker-dealer. So your investments sit in an account you open with Acorns.

Credit where it's due. Getting people to invest at all is hard, and that's what Acorns set out to do.

2) What Autopilot is

Autopilot is an app where you follow a Portfolio in the brokerage account you already have. Autopilot Advisers, LLC is a registered investment adviser. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to send orders to the account you already have. When the Portfolio changes, we send them and your broker fills them. The money stays put.

The Portfolios come from many sources: independent Pilots who create and manage their own, AI-model Portfolios run by Pilots, and trackers Autopilot builds on public SEC filings.

3) Where they actually differ

Where the account lives. Acorns is an account you open with Acorns. Autopilot connects to the brokerage account you already have, and your Portfolio is held there.

Who decides what you own. Acorns centers on a diversified portfolio it builds, and its top plan adds the ability to pick individual stocks and ETFs. On Autopilot, you choose a Portfolio from a person or a tracker: a Pilot's strategy, an AI-model Portfolio, or a Portfolio built from public filings.

What comes bundled. Acorns bundles banking, spare-change investing, retirement, and kids' accounts. Autopilot doesn't do banking or spare change. It runs Portfolios in your account.

They're not really substitutes. Somebody could use Acorns for automatic saving and Autopilot to follow a specific investor in a brokerage account they already have.

4) What to compare

Whether you want a new account or want to use the one you have.

Whether you want a house portfolio or a person you chose.

What it costs at your balance. For Autopilot, that math is in What Autopilot's fee actually means at your balance.

5) What it costs

On Acorns: its pricing page, as read on September 23, 2026, lists three monthly plans, Bronze at $4, Silver at $8, and Gold at $12.

On Autopilot: A flat cash subscription, not a percentage of your balance. Per our Form CRS dated February 2026, Basic Tier has no Base Advisory and Licensing Fee, and Premium Tier is $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter or $99.99 to $699.99 a year. Pilot subscriptions are separate and add on for each Pilot you subscribe to. Because it's a flat dollar amount, it's a bigger share of a small account than a big one, so do the math at your balance.

I'm not going to tell you we're better, because that isn't something I can prove to you.

TLDR: Acorns is an account you open with Acorns, built around automatic saving, spare-change investing and a diversified portfolio it builds, with banking bundled in. On Autopilot, you follow a Portfolio you choose, from a Pilot or a tracker, in the brokerage account you already have. They do different jobs.

Frequently asked questions

Autopilot vs Acorns

Acorns is an account you open with Acorns, built around automatic saving and a diversified portfolio it builds, with banking and retirement accounts bundled in. Autopilot connects to the brokerage account you already have and runs a Portfolio you choose from a Pilot or a tracker.

Acorns alternatives

It depends on what you want instead. If you want to follow a specific investor or strategy in a brokerage account you already have, Autopilot is one option. Compare where the account lives, who decides what you own, and the cost at your balance.

Is Autopilot or Acorns better for following investors in my own brokerage?

I won't claim either is better overall. Following an outside investor inside a brokerage you already have is what Autopilot is built for. Acorns' site describes its own accounts and its own portfolios instead.

Start Investing

Since Autopilot Advisers is an SEC-registered investment adviser, we have to put disclaimers on stuff like this. They're below, and the full version is on our disclaimer page.

Disclosures

© Autopilot Holdings Corporation 2026 — All rights reserved. “Autopilot” refers to Autopilot Holdings Corporation and its wholly-owned, and separately managed subsidiaries, including Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. All investing is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested, and past performance is not indicative of future results. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important information at joinautopilot.com/disclaimer.

This information is provided by Autopilot for educational and illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation, an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy any security. Autopilot relies on information from various sources believed to be reliable, including information from Clients, Pilots and other third parties, but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information. Autopilot does not provide tax or legal advice and you are encouraged to consult with professionals before making investment decisions.

Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by the companies listed, described, or featured on its site. Company logos or trademarks used do not imply endorsement and are the property of their respective owners.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon before investing through Autopilot.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Autopilot is available in our Form ADV Part 2A, available at adviserinfo.sec.gov or joinautopilot.com/adv.

Autopilot provides limited investment advisory services focused on Portfolio selection and suitability assessment. Our services are not intended to replace comprehensive financial planning. We recommend consulting with a qualified financial advisor regarding your complete financial situation.

This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. You should consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult with qualified tax and legal professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not hold client assets. All investments are held at the brokerage firm you select and connect to Autopilot. Your brokerage firm is responsible for trade execution, custody, and reporting. Autopilot is not responsible for your broker-dealer’s services, fees, or execution quality.

Autopilot’s services depend on technology systems, third-party APIs, and internet connectivity. System outages, API disruptions, or connectivity issues may temporarily affect service availability or trade execution timing.

Client account holdings are designed to track the Portfolio you’ve selected, but your actual holdings and performance may differ from the Portfolio due to execution timing, market conditions, brokerage capacity constraints, fractional share availability, and other factors outside Autopilot’s control.

For Portfolios inspired by publicly disclosed trading activity, there may be a delay between when a Pilot executes a trade and when that trade becomes publicly available and is incorporated into the Portfolio. This timing delay may affect the suitability or performance of trades when executed in client accounts.

Acorns is not affiliated with Autopilot and has not endorsed it. Descriptions of third-party services are based on that service's own public website as read on September 23, 2026 and may change. Nothing here is a claim that any product is best. Fee amounts are quoted from Form CRS dated February 2026 and may change.