cinderfi

Listicle · Updated 2026-05-27

Best Retirement Calculator 2026: 7 Tools Compared

An independent, honest ranking of the retirement planners worth your time. Pricing verified from public pages in May 2026. Reddit signal weighed against what each tool actually does. Yes — cinder.fi is our product, and we say so up front.

Covers US and Canadian planners. Skip ahead: TL;DR picks · The ranking · Decision tree · FAQ.

TL;DR

Three picks, in 30 seconds

Best free tool

cinder.fi

Only free tier with full projections, budgeting, Plaid sync, and plan sharing — no account required.

Best for Canadians

cinder.fi

All 13 provinces and territories, RRSP meltdown, OAS clawback, CPP timing, and pension splitting — free.

Best paid US planner

Boldin or ProjectionLab

Boldin for guided depth and 75+ expense categories. ProjectionLab if you want scenario branching and best-in-class visuals.

Methodology

How we ranked

We ranked on five axes: free-tier depth, planning capability (Roth/RRSP modeling, withdrawal sequencing, optimization), tax accuracy (real state and provincial brackets vs flat estimates), data integration (bank sync, transaction import), and transparency.

Pricing was verified from public pages on 2026-05-27. Feature claims were checked against documentation and recent user reports on r/personalfinance, r/financialindependence, and r/PersonalFinanceCanada. Where a tool does something cinder.fi doesn't, we say so.

Transparency note: cinder.fi is our product. We rank ourselves at #1 because we built the only tool that combines US + Canada coverage, real budgeting, historical backtesting, and a usable free tier — and we explain exactly why on every comparison page. If you spot something wrong, tell us.

The ranking

7 retirement calculators, ranked

#1

cinder.fi

Our pick

Pricing

Free, with Pro at $12/mo or $99/yr

Best for

US + Canada planners who want real depth on a real free tier

Strengths

  • + Only free tier that combines full projections, 16-category budgeting, Plaid bank sync, and plan sharing — no account required, no trial timer
  • + Real marginal tax brackets for all 50 US states + DC and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories
  • + Multi-objective optimizer sweeps 8+ dimensions simultaneously (CPP/OAS/SS timing, withdrawal order, RRSP meltdown, Roth conversions, PLOC)
  • + Historical backtest against every 30-year window since 1871, plus 1,000-run Monte Carlo and 4 spending strategies (Fixed, Constant Dollar, Guyton-Klinger, VPW)

Weaknesses

  • − Newer product — smaller community than Boldin or ProjectionLab
  • − Mobile app still in beta (iOS TestFlight, Android pending)

Verdict: The only planner that covers both countries, both budgeting and projections, and offers all of it on a usable free tier. We built it because nothing else did this.

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#2

Boldin

Pricing

Free basic, $12/mo or $144/yr for PlannerPlus

Best for

Near-retirees in the US who want guided, comprehensive planning

Strengths

  • + 75+ expense categories — the most granular spending model on this list
  • + Dedicated Roth conversion analysis with multi-year strategy modeling in PlannerPlus
  • + Strong editorial guidance and step-by-step planner UI built for non-experts
  • + Healthcare cost modeling including Medicare premiums and long-term care

Weaknesses

  • − US-only — no Canadian tax engine
  • − Free tier is genuinely limited; the real product is behind PlannerPlus
  • − No bank sync — manual entry or one-time CSV imports only

Verdict: If you're 5–10 years from retirement, want to be walked through every decision, and live in the US, this is the most thorough paid planner you can buy.

#3

ProjectionLab

Pricing

Free forecast (can't save), $109/yr or $799 lifetime

Best for

FIRE community and visual thinkers who want scenario branching

Strengths

  • + Best-in-class visualizations and interaction design — interactive timelines and "what-if" branching
  • + Scenario flexibility — compare aggressive vs conservative paths side-by-side with custom milestones
  • + Strong FIRE-community traction; active Discord and Reddit presence
  • + One-time lifetime pricing option ($799) is unique on this list

Weaknesses

  • − Can't save your plan on the free tier — you re-enter inputs every visit
  • − Canada version only supports 4 provinces (ON, AB, BC, QC) — not all 13
  • − No transaction import or Plaid bank sync

Verdict: If you love sliders and visualizations and you're happy in the US (or one of 4 Canadian provinces), ProjectionLab is hard to beat for the price.

#4

Empower

Pricing

Free; advisory at 0.49–0.89% AUM ($1M+ min)

Best for

Tracking net worth and seeing all your accounts in one place

Strengths

  • + Best account aggregation in the category — links nearly every US institution
  • + Free net worth tracking, fee analyzer, and basic retirement probability
  • + Mature mobile apps and broad integrations after the Personal Capital acquisition
  • + No paywall on the tracking side — genuinely free for individual use

Weaknesses

  • − Planning engine is shallow — no Roth conversion modeling, no withdrawal sequencing, no tax bracket optimization
  • − The free tools are a funnel for the wealth management advisory service
  • − US-only

Verdict: A great free dashboard for tracking what you have. Pair it with a real planner — it isn't one.

#5

Optiml

Pricing

Free lite tier, $10–50/mo paid

Best for

Canadian retirement planning with tax-optimized withdrawals

Strengths

  • + RRSP meltdown, OAS clawback handling, CPP/QPP timing, and pension splitting
  • + All Canadian provincial tax brackets
  • + Closest direct competitor to cinder.fi for Canadian-only households
  • + Tax-loss harvesting and corporate account modeling at higher tiers

Weaknesses

  • − No budgeting, no Plaid bank sync, no historical backtesting
  • − Free tier is limited compared to what cinder.fi gives away
  • − Canada-only — no help for cross-border or US households

Verdict: A serious Canadian planner if you're willing to pay and don't need budgeting or US support.

#6

Adviice

Pricing

$9/mo or $49/yr

Best for

Canadians who want a clean, low-cost planner without the enterprise feel

Strengths

  • + Clean, approachable UX — easier to onboard than Optiml
  • + Genuinely affordable annual price ($49/yr is the cheapest paid option on this list)
  • + 5,000+ users — established and actively developed
  • + Covers core Canadian retirement mechanics

Weaknesses

  • − Less depth than Optiml on RRSP meltdown and advanced tax strategies
  • − No bank sync, no budgeting, no historical backtesting
  • − Canada-only

Verdict: The best value paid Canadian planner for someone who just wants a competent tool without a steep learning curve.

#7

MaxiFi Planner

Pricing

$109–149/yr

Best for

US households who want consumption-smoothing economics

Strengths

  • + Economics-based consumption-smoothing model from Boston University professor Larry Kotlikoff
  • + Calculates a sustainable annual spending number rather than asking you to guess
  • + Strong Social Security optimization and survivor benefit modeling
  • + Detailed mortgage, life insurance, and longevity analysis

Weaknesses

  • − Dated UI — looks and feels like 2010s desktop software
  • − US-only
  • − No bank sync, no transaction import

Verdict: A specialized tool for people who specifically want consumption-smoothing methodology. Niche, but defended fans love it.

Decision tree

Which tool should I use?

If

You want one free tool that handles everything

Then

Start with cinder.fi. It's the only free tier with full projections, budgeting, and bank sync.

If

You're Canadian and don't want to pay

Then

cinder.fi covers all 13 provinces and territories on the free tier. If you outgrow it, Adviice ($49/yr) or Optiml are the next step.

If

You're 5+ years from retirement in the US and want maximum guidance

Then

Boldin PlannerPlus is the most thorough paid US planner. 75+ expense categories and dedicated Roth conversion analysis.

If

You love visualizations and live in the US (or ON/AB/BC/QC)

Then

ProjectionLab. Best UI on the market. $109/yr or $799 lifetime.

If

You only want to track net worth — not plan

Then

Empower. Free, mature, no real planning engine.

Go deeper

Side-by-side feature tables

US retirement

cinder.fi vs Empower vs Boldin vs ProjectionLab

Canadian retirement

cinder.fi vs Optiml vs Adviice vs ProjectionLab

Budgeting apps

cinder.fi vs YNAB vs Monarch vs Copilot

All comparisons

The comparison hub

Frequently Asked Questions

›What is the best free retirement calculator?

For full planning depth on a free tier, cinder.fi is the most complete — real projections, 16-category budgeting, 4 charts, Plaid bank sync (1 account), and plan sharing with no account required and no trial timer. Empower is the strongest free option for account aggregation and net worth tracking, but its planning engine is shallow (no Roth conversion modeling, no withdrawal sequencing). ProjectionLab's free tier lets you forecast but can't save your plan.

›Which retirement calculator is best for Canadians?

Canadian retirement planning needs real provincial tax brackets, RRSP meltdown logic, OAS clawback handling, CPP/QPP timing, and pension splitting. cinder.fi covers all 13 provinces and territories and bundles a multi-objective optimizer. Optiml is the closest direct competitor — it handles the same core tax mechanics but costs $10–50/month and skips budgeting, Plaid sync, and historical backtesting. Adviice is a clean, lower-cost option ($9/mo or $49/yr) with a strong user base. ProjectionLab Canada only supports 4 provinces.

›What is the best paid retirement planner in the US?

It depends on style. Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is the most comprehensive guided planner for near-retirees — 75+ expense categories, dedicated Roth conversion analysis, and editorial guidance. ProjectionLab is the FIRE community favorite for its scenario branching and visualizations. MaxiFi Planner uses consumption-smoothing economics and is the right pick if you want algorithmic spending recommendations. cinder.fi is the only one that combines real budgeting, US + Canada coverage, historical backtesting, and an AI-native MCP server.

›How did you rank these tools?

We ranked on five axes: free-tier depth, planning capability (Roth/RRSP, withdrawal sequencing, optimization), tax accuracy (real state and provincial brackets vs flat estimates), data integration (bank sync, transaction import), and transparency (pricing clarity, what they don't do). Pricing was verified May 2026 from public pages. cinder.fi is our product — we say so up front and link the methodology so you can cross-check.

›Why not just use a spreadsheet?

If your spreadsheet works, keep it. Spreadsheets can't run 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations, sweep 8 optimization dimensions simultaneously, auto-sync your bank via Plaid, backtest against 150+ years of market data, or auto-update when tax brackets change. Every tool on this list does at least some of that. cinder.fi does all of it on a free tier.

See your own numbers.

Free plan. No credit card. No trial timer. US and Canada.

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