FarmTogether vs AcreTrader: 2026 Comparison of Fees, Returns and Farmland Investments

FarmTogether vs AcreTrader is a key comparison for accredited investors researching online farmland investment platforms. Both FarmTogether and AcreTrader provide professionally managed access to U.S. agricultural real estate without requiring investors to buy or operate a farm. Both present farmland as a tangible asset with potential income, appreciation and inflation resilience.

The similarities only go so far. FarmTogether offers more investment structures and places greater emphasis on permanent crops and actively operated farms. AcreTrader has traditionally focused on individual farms, cash rent and land appreciation, while its newer Proterra AcreTrader Farmland Fund moves the company further into institutional asset management. The better choice depends on the exposure, risk and holding structure an investor wants.

FarmTogether and AcreTrader at a Glance

FarmTogether was founded in 2017 and now describes itself as a farmland asset manager rather than simply a crowdfunding platform. As of March 2026, FarmTogether reported $217 million in assets under management, 51 current managed deals, more than 6,900 acres and exposure to 15 crops across eight states. Its portfolio includes row crops, citrus, tree fruit, nuts and vineyards. 

AcreTrader was also founded in 2017 and became known for making individual U.S. farms available through an online marketplace. By March 2026, AcreTrader said it had invested and managed more than $311 million across 147 U.S. row-crop investments, with 17 full-cycle realizations. Proterra Investment Partners acquired AcreTrader in August 2025. 

How FarmTogether and AcreTrader Investments Work

In the traditional AcreTrader model, AcreTrader selects a farm, places it into a special-purpose entity—usually an LLC—and sells fractional interests in that entity. A farmer normally leases the land and pays cash rent. Available income may be distributed after fees and expenses; when AcreTrader sells the farm, investors receive their proportionate share of the net proceeds. Investors own a security in the property-owning entity, not personal title to a divided piece of land. 

FarmTogether uses a comparable LLC structure for many single-asset offerings, but the underlying income model is broader. Some FarmTogether row-crop properties are leased to farmers, creating a rental-income model similar to AcreTrader. Other FarmTogether investments involve permanent crops such as pistachios, citrus, apples, pears, pecans or wine grapes. These farms may be leased or directly operated, so returns can depend more heavily on crop yields, selling prices, operating costs and the agricultural manager’s execution.

That difference matters. AcreTrader’s core cash-rent strategy generally reduces an investor’s direct exposure to annual crop performance, although a weak farmer can still default or renegotiate a lease. FarmTogether’s operating-farm strategy can create stronger cash-yield and appreciation potential, but it also carries more commodity-price, weather, labour, water and production risk.

FarmTogether vs AcreTrader: Products and Minimum Investments

FarmTogether currently offers the broader product range. Its single-asset crowdfunded offerings start at $15,000 and publish target net IRRs of 6% to 13%, depending on crop and strategy. The FarmTogether Sustainable Farmland Fund has a $50,000 minimum, an evergreen structure, a target net IRR of 8% to 10% and a target annual net cash yield of 4% to 6%. FarmTogether also offers tenancy-in-common investments starting at $500,000, bespoke sole-ownership farms starting at $3 million, and separately managed accounts beginning at $10 million for a single asset or $20 million for a multi-asset portfolio. Certain TIC, bespoke and managed-account structures may qualify for a Section 1031 exchange.

AcreTrader continues to support individual farm investments, and recently funded AcreTrader offerings show $15,000 minimums. Availability is not constant, however, and the principal opportunity shown as open in July 2026 is the Proterra AcreTrader Farmland Fund. That fund requires $150,000 for Class A interests or $1 million for institutional interests. It is open-ended, has a 24-month lock-up, quarterly valuations and a single Schedule K-1. Most investment activity is expected to pass through a private REIT subsidiary.

FarmTogether offers the lower entry point for a diversified fund, while FarmTogether and AcreTrader are equal at the $15,000 level when single-farm offerings are available. FarmTogether is also stronger for TIC ownership, 1031 exchanges and customised portfolios.

FarmTogether vs AcreTrader Returns and Track Records

AcreTrader provides the clearer public record of completed single-property investments. As of April 15, 2026, AcreTrader listed 17 realized offerings managed by AcreTrader Management, with net IRRs ranging from 6.3% to 30.3%. The simple, unweighted average is approximately 14.4%, and the median is 13.7%. Those are strong figures, but several properties sold earlier than their original targets, and entity-level IRRs may not match each investor’s after-tax return. 

The same AcreTrader report also discloses severe losses in externally managed offerings, including four negative almond investments and two Australian orchards reported as total losses. AcreTrader discontinued externally managed offerings in the third quarter of 2024. Those losses were not produced by AcreTrader Management’s current direct strategy, but they remain relevant because the investments appeared on the AcreTrader platform.

FarmTogether publishes more information about its Sustainable Farmland Fund than about completed exits across its full platform. FarmTogether reported that the fund’s 2025 distribution fell within its 4% to 6% net cash-yield target for a third consecutive year and that the fund outperformed the NCREIF Farmland Index by 720 basis points in 2025. Those results are encouraging, but they are company-reported fund figures and include unrealized property values. FarmTogether does not provide a public, all-investment realized-exit table comparable with AcreTrader’s document. 

Neither data set supports a simple claim that FarmTogether returns are higher than AcreTrader returns, or vice versa. AcreTrader’s figures mainly describe completed direct farm exits; FarmTogether’s most visible figures describe an operating evergreen fund. Realized IRR, annual cash yield and appraised appreciation are different measurements.

FarmTogether Fees Compared With AcreTrader Fees

Fees vary by offering on both FarmTogether and AcreTrader, so the relevant private-placement memorandum always controls. FarmTogether’s current product material says permanent-crop crowdfunded investments may charge a one-time fee of up to 4% of project basis, an annual management fee of up to 2% and a performance fee of up to 1.25% of gross operating revenue. Row-crop offerings typically allow a one-time fee of up to 1% and an annual fee of 0.75% to 1%. The FarmTogether Sustainable Farmland Fund’s Class A terms show a 1.25% annual management fee, a 15% incentive fee above a 6% cumulative hurdle and a 2% acquisition fee. 

AcreTrader’s general risk document permits individual property entities to pay a 0.75% annual management fee based on the greater of equity raised or the property’s gross unencumbered fair-market value. It also allows acquisition underwriting costs of up to 2.5%, possible real-estate commissions, administration and legal costs, and a disposition fee of up to 5% of gross sale price. These are permitted maximums, not proof that every AcreTrader investment charges every fee. 

AcreTrader’s basic 0.75% annual fee looks lower, but acquisition and sale charges can materially affect the final result. Investors should model the complete cost across the full holding period rather than comparing one headline percentage.

Liquidity, Reporting and Investor Experience

FarmTogether and AcreTrader investments are private and illiquid. Individual farms may be held for five to twelve years or longer, and investors generally cannot force a sale. FarmTogether’s fund permits quarterly withdrawal requests after a two-year lock-up, subject to available cash and a fund-level gate. AcreTrader’s new fund also has a two-year lock-up and a modified redemption structure. Neither behaves like a publicly traded REIT.

Both platforms handle accreditation, electronic subscriptions, legal documents, property updates, distributions and tax reporting online. AcreTrader feels more like a consumer marketplace: its property cards, maps, crop details and completed exits are easy to browse. FarmTogether feels more like an institutional asset manager, with separate pathways for crowdfunding, funds, TICs, bespoke ownership and managed accounts. FarmTogether’s service range is deeper; AcreTrader’s core buying journey is simpler.

FarmTogether has the stronger formal sustainability presentation. It says its managed operations conform to the Leading Harvest Farmland Management Standard and publishes information on precision agriculture, organic certification and regenerative practices. AcreTrader discusses soil stewardship and farm improvements, but its core proposition remains land, rent and appreciation.

Is FarmTogether Better Than AcreTrader?

FarmTogether may be the better fit for an accredited investor who wants a wider choice of products, a diversified fund with a $50,000 minimum, exposure to permanent crops, 1031-exchange options or a customised farmland mandate. FarmTogether offers more ways to invest and more potential participation in the operating economics of agriculture, although that breadth can introduce greater complexity and crop risk.

AcreTrader may be better suited to an investor who wants a simpler route into individual U.S. row-crop farms, prefers cash-rent income over direct operating exposure and values a clearly published record of completed AcreTrader-managed exits. Proterra’s ownership adds institutional resources, while the new AcreTrader fund provides a diversified option for investors able to meet its substantially higher $150,000 minimum.

The practical FarmTogether vs AcreTrader decision is therefore not about finding a universal winner. FarmTogether stands out for product breadth, permanent-crop exposure and custom structures. AcreTrader stands out for its focused marketplace, rent-oriented model and realized-exit transparency. Both require accredited status, patient capital and careful review of fees, water, leverage, operator quality, valuation methods and exit rights before any investment is made.