How cinder.fi compares.
Side-by-side feature tables, written by our team from public pages, including what we don't do. Pick a comparison:
- US Retirement Plannersvs Empower, Boldin, ProjectionLab. The 3 tools Americans use most, compared on Roth conversions, withdrawal strategies, Monte Carlo, Social Security and free tiers.
- Canadian Retirement Plannersvs Optiml, Adviice, ProjectionLab. RRSP meltdown, OAS clawback, pension splitting, CPP optimization, and all 13 provincial tax codes. Plus what a spreadsheet can't do.
- Budgeting Appsvs YNAB, Monarch Money, Copilot. Budgeting apps track where your money went. cinder.fi also connects it to 50-year, tax-aware retirement projections.
Switching from a specific tool?
- cinder.fi vs BoldinThe deep US-only planner (formerly NewRetirement). Where cinder.fi differs: Canada support, real tax math on the free tier and budget sync.
- cinder.fi vs ProjectionLabStrong visualizations, with estimate-based taxes and no direct bank linking. See the side-by-side on tax accuracy, Plaid sync, and pricing.
What no other tool does
- Budgeting + retirement in one tool. 16-category budget plan, transaction import (CSV, OFX, YNAB, Copilot), Plaid bank sync, all feeding 50-year, tax-aware projections. No other retirement planner or budgeting app does this.
- US + Canada in the same engine. Real tax brackets for all 50 US states + DC and all 13 Canadian provinces/territories. RRSP meltdown and Roth conversions. CPP/OAS and Social Security. Cross-border couples can plan both sides.
- A real free tier. Full projections, budgeting, 4 charts, Plaid (1 institution), plan sharing, with no account, trial timer or credit card required. Empower is the only competitor with a comparable free offering, and its planning depth is shallow.
- Multi-objective optimizer. Searches CPP/OAS age, withdrawal strategies, meltdown, savings allocation, spousal RRSP and PLOC, 8+ variables at once. One-click presets: Minimize Tax, Maximize Estate, Maximize Funded Years.
- Historical backtest back to 1928. Test your plan against every 30-year market window since 1928. Actual S&P 500 + bond returns. 4 spending strategies: Fixed, Constant Dollar, Guyton-Klinger, VPW. We know of no other consumer planner that goes this deep.
- Works with AI agents (MCP). 100+ tools exposed via Model Context Protocol. Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor can read your plan, make changes you can undo, run projections and optimize strategies. No other planner has a public API of any kind.
cinder.fi vs your spreadsheet
Spreadsheets are the most popular retirement planning tool, especially in Canada, where nothing else handled the tax rules. If yours works, keep it. Here is what it can't do:
What a spreadsheet can't do
- 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations in seconds
- Search 8 optimization variables at once
- Auto-sync your bank accounts via Plaid
- Import transactions from YNAB, Copilot, or CSV
- Track actual spending against your plan
- Backtest against nearly 100 years of real market data
- Auto-update when tax brackets change yearly
- Share with a spouse or advisor via URL or PDF
What cinder.fi also does
- Real marginal tax brackets (13 CA provinces, 50 US states)
- OAS clawback + GIS + provincial supplements
- RRSP meltdown bracket-filling
- CPP/OAS/SS break-even analysis
- Pension income splitting optimization
- Year-by-year projection table
- Custom withdrawal ordering
- Multiple scenario comparison
cinder.fi is that spreadsheet, made interactive and visual, connected to your bank, and free.
Frequently asked questions
Is cinder.fi really free?
Yes. The free tier is a full retirement planner: projections, budgeting, 4 charts, Plaid bank sync (1 institution) and plan sharing. No trial timer, no credit card, no account required. Pro ($12/mo or $99/yr) unlocks a deeper Monte Carlo, the optimizer, all 12 charts, unlimited scenarios, and PDF export.
Which retirement planner has the best withdrawal optimizer?
cinder.fi's optimizer searches 8+ variables at once (CPP/OAS claiming ages, withdrawal strategies, meltdown settings, savings allocation, spousal RRSP and PLOC settings) to find the combination with the lowest tax, the largest estate or the most funded years.
Do I need a retirement planner if I already use a budgeting app?
Budgeting apps (YNAB, Monarch, Copilot) track where your money went. Retirement planners project where it's going. cinder.fi is the only tool that connects the two: your real spending feeds 50-year, tax-aware projections. See our budgeting comparison at /compare/budgeting/ for details.
Why not just use a spreadsheet?
If your spreadsheet works, keep it. But a spreadsheet can't run 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations, search 8 optimization variables at once, auto-sync your bank via Plaid, backtest against nearly 100 years of market data, or auto-update when tax brackets change. cinder.fi does all of that, and it's free. See our Canada comparison for the full spreadsheet vs planner breakdown.
What is MCP and why does it matter for retirement planning?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor use cinder.fi's 100+ tools directly, so they can read your plan and budget, make changes you can undo, run projections and optimize strategies inside a conversation. cinder.fi is the only retirement planner with an MCP server.
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