As you (hopefully) know, I’m all about saving money. That’s why I decided to compile a list of apps that round up change. These are the best automatic savings apps which will help you make better financial decisions.
They do so by allowing you to set aside small amounts of money which will eventually grow into something bigger. “Every cent counts,” as they say.
Of course, saving small amounts here and there won’t make you rich overnight. But just like investing with little money, this is a long game.
The best thing about these apps is they do most of the work for you. And for the type-A people, they might even reduce your stress!
Lower stress and healthier investment accounts? Cha-ching!
But even if you’re not type-A, the benefits are two-fold: automatically save money and invest money automatically. Sweeeet.
Round-Up Apps
1. Acorns
Personally, Acorns was the first app I heard about with this functionality.
Acorns has a clean, simple interface, and will allow you to automatically round up all of your transactions to the nearest dollar. For any whole-dollar transactions (i.e. $25.00), Acorns will invest $1.00 by default, but you can also change this to any amount you want.
The service comes with a $1/month fee for all accounts under $1 million ($100 per month for additional millions). In addition, the average expense ratio is 0.10%.
These fees are very reasonable – in fact, they are quite low and make the app well worth considering. After all, you’ll be investing small amounts of cash that won’t seem like much when it’s invested, but it can eventually grow to a sizable amount.
Grab the app for Apple or Android. Or get a $10 bonus for signing up for Acorns.
2. Stash
Once upon a time, Stash was an app that was mostly focused on investing any amount of money you want. In other words, no minimum needed to invest.
That is still the case, but in 2019, Stash added the round-up feature to its arsenal. As a result, this app now also allows you to round up every purchase you make.
Stash has three different account tiers starting at $1. The others will cost you $3 and $9 per month.
While you obviously get added benefits from the mid- and high-tier accounts, the basic tier includes everything you need to get started.
Head to this link to get started on Stash!
3. Qapital
Qapital has bee around a while (it was initially released in 2013). However, nowadays it has a sleek, modern interface that can make it fun to start investing.
And something that’s a little different with Qapital is it also allows you to round up more than $1. So if you buy something that costs $13.50, you can choose to have $3 invested with that purchase.
Qapital does charge a monthly fee – it starts at $3 per months. On the upside, its ETFs do have competitive expense ratios. While I had trouble finding a reliable figure on this, one site does show 0.04% to 0.15%, which is competitive.
Although this app has a slightly higher monthly fee than some, it’s worth a look for its customizable round-ups.
Download it for Apple or Android.
4. Qoins
Unlike many round-up apps, which focus on investing, Qoins focuses on debt repayment.
That can be very beneficial since so many people struggle with debt repayment. Not only that but many forms of debt have much higher interest rates than you’ll ever get from investments.
Once you reach $5 in spare change, Qoins will withdraw it for repaying your debt. Then, at the end of the month, it will automatically make debt repayments for you.
Qoins doesn’t have a monthly fee, but instead has $1.99 “convenience fee” each time it sends a debt payment.
Download this automatic savings app for Apple or Android.
5. Chime
If you’re looking for a way to round up change, Chime is a great option as well.
Chime is particularly good if you want to save but prefer to put your money into savings rather than investments. Things may be different by the time you read this, but I happen to be writing at a time of market turmoil.
People don’t like investing during market turmoil.
Personally, I suggest people stay the course regardless, but I understand some will prefer savings regardless during those down times.
If you aren’t familiar with Chime, it’s not just an investing app; Chime Bank is a full-blown banking institutions. As such, when Chime automatically rounds up change, it will put that money into a Chime® Savings Account.
You also have the option to save money each time you get paid, saving a certain percentage of every paycheck automatically. You can opt to save up to 10%.
To get started, grab the app for Apple or Android.
Automatic Savings Apps
The next couple of apps don’t round up change, but they are automatic savings programs that will make saving money easier.
And it never hurts to have extra cash. Especially since you can use that cash to repay student loan debt, or just keep it in your bank account if you want.
6. Digit
Digit is another app that focuses on debt repayment. Turns out, Qoins isn’t the only one that does that!
However, the way it works is also a little different. Instead of rounding up your change, it will analyze your spending and save money automatically based on your spending habits.
Then, Digit will move money from your linked checking account into your FDIC-insured Digit account.
It’s a pretty cool concept because the idea is you are able to save money without having to change your habits. At all. Like, not one bit.
The app doesn’t focus on saving for anything in particular – it could be for a trip, repaying credit card debt – really, whatever it is you want to save for.
Again, I like the idea of this app. It costs $5 per month, but there is a 30-day free trial if you want to try it out risk-free.
Download the app for Apple or Android.
7. Albert
Albert doesn’t exactly round up change, but it certainly makes saving money a lot easier.
Albert is another app that will automatically find savings for you as you spend money throughout the week.
Then, you’ll get annual cash bonuses, and your money is never tied up. You can withdraw to your outside checking account whenever you want.
The app is also totally free – unless you opt for the “Genius” feature. Albert? Genius? Get it?
The Genius feature is essentially a financial planning tool. Another cool thing here is you actually name your price – you can pay whatever you want per month. That said, Albert recommends $4/month.
If you’d like to try the app, grab it for Apple or Android.
Partial Shares Investment Apps
The following apps don’t specifically include a round-up functionality, but they do allow you to buy partial shares. They also have no minimum investment which means you can invest as little as 1 cent.
8. M1 Finance
M1 Finance is one of my favorite investing app, and it’s great if you have small amounts of money to invest. You can only do so manually, but the benefit of that is that you have more control.
One thing to keep in mind about M1 is that it does require a $100 minimum deposit. While that isn’t much for some investors, it could be if you’re just starting out.
If you don’t have that much cash lying around, you could always keep it in a high-yield savings account until you’re ready to invest. Additional deposits can be as little as $10.
As well, M1 Finance is completely free to use; there is no monthly fee or trading commission. Plus, you can buy fractional shares as small as 1/100,000th of a share, virtually guaranteeing you can invest as little as a penny at a time.
Ready to start investing with M1? Let’s do this!
9. Robinhood
Robinhood is similar to M1 Finance – with a few key differences. Both, however, are solid apps for small-scale investing.
Robinhood was actually the pioneer of fee-free mobile investing, having initially launched in 2013.
While M1 Finance requires a $100 account minimum, Robinhood has no such minimums. Robinhood has its own perks, too, such as the ability to manage your retirement accounts.
You can also trade assets such as cryptocurrency. Needless to say, if you are especially strapped for cash but want to start investing now, Robinhood could be a good option.
Robinhood is available on both Apple and Android.
Apps That Round Up Change: Conclusion
There you have it: the best roundup apps with automated savings to help you meet your savings goals. These apps are a good first step to make financial decisions that help you build wealth.
With each passing day, it gets a little bit easier to invest (or pay off debt!) even if all you have is some spare change.
Each of the above apps is excellent in its own right and I’m confident that if you use one or two of them, you’ll be well on your way to getting out of debt and/or building wealth.
Do you have a favorite app that rounds up change? Perhaps one I missed? Let us know in the comments.
