Retirement planning tools — updated May 2026
The retirement planning tools stack: what to use free, what to pay for, and in what order
Every listicle tells you to pick one tool. Most serious DIY planners need two — a free Monte Carlo engine and a paid tax optimiser. We reviewed 12 tools hands-on to tell you exactly which ones, and why.
Most planners need a free Monte Carlo tool + a paid tax tool — here's why →
Every "best retirement planning software" list reviews tools in isolation. The truth most listicles won't say: most serious DIY plans need two tools, not one. Free Monte Carlo engines (FIRECalc, cFIREsim) are often better at probability-of-success modelling. Paid tools (Boldin, Maxifi) are better at year-by-year tax optimisation. Use both.
See the two-tool stack by segment →Our picks for 2026
Ranked by use-case fit, not affiliate payout. Prices verified from vendor pages May 2026.
/ 10
Boldin (NewRetirement)
Top PickBest for: Pre-retirees: Roth conversion + IRMAA modelling
$0 free / $120/yr PlannerPlus
/ 10
ProjectionLab
FIRE PickBest for: FIRE pursuers: 10,000 Monte Carlo runs, clean scenario UI
$0 free / $109/yr Premium / $799 lifetime
/ 10
Maxifi Planner
Power PickBest for: High earners with complex equity comp and multi-account stacking
$149-$309/yr
/ 10
Best for: Account aggregation and net-worth tracking
Free dashboard / 0.49-0.89% AUM advisory
/ 10
Explore by need
Best free retirement calculators
FIRECalc, cFIREsim, Fidelity, Vanguard, and more — ranked
Best retirement planning software
Paid tools: Boldin vs ProjectionLab vs Maxifi vs Pralana
Boldin vs ProjectionLab
The two most-discussed paid tools, compared head-to-head
What is Monte Carlo simulation?
Why this determines whether your retirement plan is a guess or a stress test
How we rank and test
All tools on this site are tested hands-on. Pricing is verified from vendor pricing pages (not marketing copy). We rank by use-case fit — "best for pre-retirees," "best for FIRE," "best for high earners" — not by affiliate payout. We earn $0 from FIRECalc, cFIREsim, ProjectionLab, Pralana, and Maxifi.
The Gate 20 distinction: we are the only comparison site that explicitly surfaces the Monte Carlo vs linear-projection distinction that separates planning tools from marketing calculators. Fidelity's and Vanguard's free tools use linear projection. Boldin, ProjectionLab, and Pralana use Monte Carlo. This distinction is never disclosed on the free tools' product pages.
Read our full methodology →