There is no single best retirement planning software for everyone in 2026. The right choice depends on which decisions you need to model: cash flow, taxes, Social Security, healthcare, or investment analysis. This article compares PureLogicOS, Boldin, ProjectionLab, Empower, WealthTrace, and PortfolioPilot on verifiable features and published pricing, with the date checked for each fact.
Table of Contents
- What should you compare before choosing retirement planning software?
- How does PureLogicOS handle retirement planning?
- What does Boldin offer for retirement planning?
- What does ProjectionLab offer, and who is it best for?
- How do Empower, WealthTrace, and PortfolioPilot differ from each other?
- Which tool fits retirees, couples, and advisors?
- How much does retirement planning software cost in 2026?
- What do experienced planners say about running more than one tool?
- Key Takeaways
- References
What should you compare before choosing retirement planning software?
You should compare five core planning areas before choosing retirement planning software: cash flow, investment projections, tax and Roth conversion modeling, Social Security claiming, and healthcare and Medicare costs. A tool that connects these areas in one plan differs from a set of separate calculators because a change in one area flows through to the others.
Free versus paid feature boundaries matter. Confirm what each tier includes before relying on it for tax modeling or Monte Carlo analysis. Boldin states it factors in taxes, Social Security, real estate, healthcare costs, and long-term care, according to Boldin. ProjectionLab offers free basic retirement projections, with advanced features requiring a Premium upgrade, according to ProjectionLab.
Scenario comparison and Monte Carlo analysis help you test assumptions rather than hide uncertainty. A Clark.com community poster retiring in 2025 recommended running multiple planners in parallel with the same input data and going with the most cautious forecast, according to the Clark.com community thread.
How does PureLogicOS handle retirement planning?
PureLogicOS brings cash flow, investments, taxes, Social Security, and healthcare into one connected plan. A Roth conversion shows its effect on taxes, Medicare IRMAA premiums, and future withdrawals in the same model, so you see the full chain of consequences rather than an isolated estimate.
Scenario comparison lets you build alternate plans and test tradeoffs such as retiring earlier, Roth conversions, or spending changes. You keep a baseline for honest comparison, which prevents a new assumption from quietly replacing the original plan.
Deterministic projections show how stated assumptions unfold year by year. Monte Carlo analysis adds a range of market paths, so the plan reflects uncertainty instead of hiding it. PureLogicOS is an educational planning and modeling tool. It does not give investment advice and does not replace a licensed financial advisor.
Pricing is stated on the PureLogicOS pricing page. Basic is free. Pro Plan is $139 annually. Income Plan is $599 one-time and requires an active Pro Plan. Advisor is $559 annually. Lifetime is $5,499 one-time and includes the complete current product.
What does Boldin offer for retirement planning?
Boldin offers a broad household planning platform that states it factors in taxes, Social Security, real estate, healthcare costs, and long-term care, according to Boldin. The tool is designed for do-it-yourself planners who want multiple retirement variables in one place.
Boldin offers an AI retirement planning assistant that answers questions based on the user's actual plan. That feature is useful for readers who want to ask specific questions about their own inputs rather than search through documentation.
Boldin offers a free trial. Its site lists a 4.5-star average rating, which is vendor-reported and not independently verified. Where Boldin is strong is household coverage and an assistant tied to your plan. Readers who want a guided, question-based experience may find that structure helpful.
What does ProjectionLab offer, and who is it best for?
ProjectionLab offers free basic retirement projections, with advanced features requiring a Premium upgrade, according to ProjectionLab. Premium features include tax estimation, cash-flow projections, tax optimization, withdrawal strategies, flexible spending, tax analytics, and estate planning.
ProjectionLab states it does not link to your accounts, so users enter data by hand. That is a privacy choice some users want, because no account credentials are shared with the platform. The tradeoff is manual data entry and updates.
ProjectionLab supports international tax presets and account types including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands. It also offers a Pro version for financial advisors. Pricing is offered monthly, annual, or lifetime. Confirm current figures on the ProjectionLab pricing page, because the site does not state a dollar amount in the research reviewed here.
How do Empower, WealthTrace, and PortfolioPilot differ from each other?
Empower, WealthTrace, and PortfolioPilot serve different planning needs. Empower's retirement planner details were not verified in this research. Write Not listed where empower.com does not state a fact, and check the site directly for current features and pricing.
PortfolioPilot comes from a registered investment advisor and centers on investment portfolio analysis. PureLogicOS is an educational planning tool covering the full retirement cash flow picture, and it does not give investment advice. Readers who want portfolio-level analysis may find PortfolioPilot useful. Readers who want cash flow, taxes, Social Security, and healthcare in one plan may find PureLogicOS a better fit.
WealthTrace facts should be verified on its own website or pricing page, with the date checked noted. The research reviewed here did not include a WealthTrace page. Which tool fits best depends on whether you need investment analysis, full household cash flow, or a specific tax and Social Security model.
Which tool fits retirees, couples, and advisors?
For retirees, the best fit is a tool with Social Security, healthcare, and tax modeling in one plan. Confirm whether free tiers include Monte Carlo or tax modeling, because free versions often limit those features. Boldin states it factors in taxes, Social Security, real estate, healthcare costs, and long-term care, according to Boldin.
For couples, household and survivor modeling matters. PureLogicOS accounts for a spouse or partner, survivor income, long-term care, estate decisions, and the legacy the household wants to leave. ProjectionLab supports flexible spending and estate planning in its Premium tier, according to ProjectionLab.
For advisors, ProjectionLab offers a Pro version for financial advisors. PureLogicOS offers Advisor at $559 annually as a shared planning workflow for advisors working with client plans. For Roth IRA planning, compare which tools connect a Roth conversion to taxes, Medicare IRMAA thresholds, and future withdrawals. PureLogicOS makes that connection in one plan.
How much does retirement planning software cost in 2026?
PureLogicOS pricing is stated on the PureLogicOS pricing page. Basic is free. Pro Plan is $139 annually. Income Plan is $599 one-time and requires an active Pro Plan. Advisor is $559 annually. Lifetime is $5,499 one-time.
ProjectionLab offers monthly, annual, or lifetime pricing, according to ProjectionLab. Boldin offers a free trial, according to Boldin. Write Not listed where a competitor's site does not state a price, and never guess.
Comparing a subscription to a one-time price requires matching the features included. A lifetime price may cover features that a subscription tiers separately. Note the date each competitor's pricing page was checked, because prices change.
What do experienced planners say about running more than one tool?
Some experienced planners run more than one tool. A Clark.com community poster retiring in 2025 named Flexible Retirement Planner, the Fidelity Investments retirement planner, and FIRECALC as free retirement planning tools, according to the Clark.com community thread.
The same poster stated Fidelity "decimated the reporting capabilities" of its retirement planner in 2024, though the underlying math and retirement scoring stayed the same. The poster runs multiple planners in parallel with the same input data and goes with the most cautious forecast.
The poster recommended re-running planners every year, such as on your birthday, and readjusting. Treat this as one user's anecdotal experience, not independent verification. Running two tools with the same inputs can reveal where assumptions diverge.
Key Takeaways
- There is no single best retirement planning software in 2026; the right choice depends on which decisions you need to model.
- PureLogicOS connects cash flow, investments, taxes, Social Security, and healthcare in one plan, with Basic free and Pro Plan at $139 annually.
- Boldin states it factors in taxes, Social Security, real estate, healthcare costs, and long-term care, and offers a free trial.
- ProjectionLab states it does not link to your accounts, which some users prefer as a privacy choice.
- PortfolioPilot centers on investment portfolio analysis and comes from a registered investment advisor.
- Competitor prices should be verified on each competitor's own pricing page, with the date checked noted.
- One Clark.com community poster runs multiple planners in parallel and goes with the most cautious forecast.
References
- Boldin: DIY Retirement & Financial Planning Software, date unknown
- ProjectionLab – Modern Financial & Retirement Planning Tools, date unknown
- The tools I rely on for retirement planning, 2024-11-02
- PureLogicOS Pricing, accessed 2026