Boldin vs ProjectionLab vs Empower vs cinder.fi.
Empower for tracking. Boldin or ProjectionLab for planning. That's the consensus on r/financialindependence and r/Bogleheads. This page puts the four US retirement planners side by side, including what cinder.fi does that none of them do. Weighing one tool? See the Boldin alternative and ProjectionLab alternative pages.
For you, it’s cinder.fi.
Your real spending moves your retirement date in cinder.fi. None of the other tools here do that.
Tell us what you’re after. If another tool fits you better, this page says so.
I want , and I’d rather .
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Last verified: 2026-05-26. Competitor features change; links go to their own pages.
Side by side
Showing the tools that fit what you told us.
| Feature | cinder.fiThat’s us | EmpowerChecked May 26, 2026 | BoldinChecked May 26, 2026 | ProjectionLabChecked July 19, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ||||
| Price | $12/mo or $99/yr | Advisory: 0.49-0.89% AUM ($1M+ min) | $12/mo or $144/yr (PlannerPlus) | $129/yr (annual-only) |
| Free to use | Full planner: projections, budgeting, 4 charts, Plaid (1 institution), no account required | Account aggregation, net worth, retirement probability, budgeting, fee analyzer | Basic retirement planner | Forecast + simulate (can't save) |
| Trial | Free tier is the trial | Free tools are the funnel | 14-day trial | Free tier available |
| Tax | ||||
| Federal + state tax bracketsReal marginal rates, not flat estimates | Yes (50 states + DC) | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Roth conversion modelingConvert Traditional → Roth in low-bracket years | Yes | No | Yes (PlannerPlus) | Yes |
| Long-term capital gains rates0% / 15% / 20% preferential rates + NIIT | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| IRMAA Medicare surchargesHigh-income premium surcharges | Yes | No | Yes | Not stated |
| Social Security | ||||
| Social Security optimizationOptimal claiming age for individual + spouse | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spousal + survivor SS benefitsCoordinated claiming strategy for couples | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Strategy | ||||
| Multi-objective tax optimizerSearches 8+ variables for the best strategy | Yes | No | Limited | Yes (tax strategy) |
| Multiple withdrawal strategiesTax-aware sequencing, not just pro-rata | 4 built-in + custom | No | Yes | Yes |
| RMD schedule modelingRequired minimum distributions from 73+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PLOC / SBLOC strategyBorrow against portfolio to defer capital gains | Yes | No | No | No |
| Stress tests | ||||
| Monte Carlo simulation1,000+ randomized market paths | Yes (1,000 runs) | Yes (5,000 runs) | Yes (PlannerPlus) | Yes |
| Historical backtestTest plan against real market history | Yes (1928-present) | No | Not stated | Limited |
| Budgeting | ||||
| Budget categories with targetsMonthly spending limits that feed projections | Yes (16 categories) | Yes (basic) | Yes (75+ categories, manual) | No |
| Plaid bank syncAuto-sync balances + transactions | Yes (1 free, unlimited Pro) | Yes | Yes (PlannerPlus) | No |
| Transaction importCSV, OFX, YNAB, Copilot imports | Yes (6 formats) | No (Plaid only) | No | No |
| Spending feeds projectionsReal spending → retirement impact | Yes | No | No | No |
| Retirement impact from spending"Over-spending delays retirement by X months" | Yes | No | No | No |
| Real assets | ||||
| Primary home + mortgageAppreciation, payoff, downsizing, HELOC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rental propertiesIncome, expenses, appreciation, sale | Yes (up to 3) | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Everything else | ||||
| Works without an accountUse immediately, no sign-up | Yes | No | No | No |
| Also works for CanadiansFull Canadian tax engine, CPP/OAS, RRSP/TFSA | Yes (13 provinces) | No | No | Limited (4 provinces) |
| MCP API for AI agents100+ tools for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, with an undo for every change | Yes | No | No | No |
| Mobile appNative iOS / Android | iOS | Yes | No | No |
Full feature list
| Feature | cinder.fiThat’s us | EmpowerChecked May 26, 2026 | BoldinChecked May 26, 2026 | ProjectionLabChecked July 19, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax engine & Roth conversions | ||||
| Social Security taxationUp to 85% inclusion based on combined income | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accounts & Social Security | ||||
| 401(k) / Traditional IRA / Roth IRAStandard retirement accounts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HSA (Health Savings Account)Triple-tax-advantaged, post-65 unlock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Defined-benefit pensionLifetime income + survivor options | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Withdrawal strategies | ||||
| Spending strategiesFixed, Guyton-Klinger guardrails, VPW, custom | Yes | No | Limited | Yes |
| Stress testing | ||||
| Scenario comparisonSide-by-side "what if" overlays on charts | Yes (1 free, unlimited Pro) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Platform & extras | ||||
| PDF exportShareable report for spouse or advisor | Yes (Pro) | No | Yes | Yes |
Prices and features were checked on the dates shown. They change, so each name links to its own site. “Not stated” means we couldn’t confirm it from their public pages.
Where the others are better
- EmpowerFree net worth tracking and account aggregation, plus human advisors if you have $1 million or more.
- BoldinMedicare IRMAA surcharges, and a step-by-step guided planner with detailed written guidance.
- ProjectionLabPolished visuals and flexible scenario branching, if you’re happy to type your numbers in yourself.
Plan by state
Bringing your data over
Bring your history with you. cinder.fi syncs live with YNAB, imports Copilot exports, and reads CSV and OFX files from Canadian and US banks (Pro). You can try the whole planner before you make an account.
Checking our numbers against theirs
Put your numbers into cinder.fi and compare its answer with the tool you use now. If they disagree, the “How we got” section shows every rule behind ours.
Try it with my numbersFrequently asked questions
Is Empower's retirement planner really free?
Yes. Empower (formerly Personal Capital) offers free account aggregation, net worth tracking, a retirement planner with Monte Carlo simulations, and basic budgeting. The free tools are a funnel for Empower's wealth management advisory service (0.49-0.89% AUM fee for $1M+ portfolios). The planning engine is real but shallow: it has no Roth conversion modeling, withdrawal sequencing or tax bracket optimization.
What's the difference between Boldin and ProjectionLab?
Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is a step-by-step guided planner aimed at near-retirees, with detailed written guidance and 75+ expense categories. ProjectionLab is a visual, scenario-branching tool popular with the FIRE community. It has the stronger UI and more flexibility, with less hand-holding. Many DIY planners on Reddit pair one of the two with Empower for account tracking.
Boldin vs Empower: which should I use?
They do different jobs. Empower is free account aggregation and net worth tracking with a retirement planner that runs Monte Carlo but does not model Roth conversions or withdrawal order. Boldin is a full planner with real tax math, Roth conversion analysis and guidance, mostly in PlannerPlus. Many people use Empower to track and Boldin to plan. cinder.fi does both in one tool: your budget and synced accounts feed a tax-aware projection.
What is the best Boldin alternative?
ProjectionLab, if you want visual scenario branching and Monte Carlo on a free tier. cinder.fi, if you want real federal and state tax brackets on the free plan, a budget that feeds the plan, bank sync, or you also plan in Canada. Empower pairs well with a planner but is not one: its planning engine is shallow.
Which retirement planner has the best free tier?
Empower has the most feature-complete free tier for tracking (account aggregation, net worth, basic retirement probability). cinder.fi has the most feature-complete free tier for planning — real projections, budgeting with 16 categories, 4 charts, Plaid bank sync (1 institution), plan sharing, and a retirement readiness score. No trial timer, no account required. ProjectionLab's free tier lets you forecast but can't save your plan.
Can these tools handle Roth conversion ladders?
cinder.fi, Boldin, and ProjectionLab all model Roth conversions. cinder.fi's multi-objective optimizer searches conversion amounts together with 7 other variables. Boldin has dedicated Roth conversion analysis in PlannerPlus. ProjectionLab handles conversions opportunistically through its tax-strategy system, with an optimizer (added April 2026) that searches for the best strategy. Empower does not model Roth conversions.
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 one here that connects the two: your real spending feeds 50-year, tax-aware projections. See our budgeting comparison at /compare/budgeting/ for details.
Built by the cinder.fi team. Where Empower, Boldin, or ProjectionLab do something we don't, the row says so. If you spot something wrong, tell us.
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