ProjectionLab vs Boldin (2026): an honest side-by-side

What each tool is

ProjectionLab is a financial-planning simulator built for the financial independence (FI) community. You model your financial life — income, spending, milestones, retirement scenarios — and it runs Monte Carlo simulations and historical backtesting to estimate your chance of success. It's deliberately not connected to your bank accounts (its help docs say direct account linking isn't supported; third-party plugins for Lunch Money, YNAB, and Monarch exist instead). It's a well-regarded, bootstrapped product that's been developed steadily since 2021, with a free sandbox that's genuinely good for exploring before you commit.

Boldin is the retirement-planning platform previously known as NewRetirement (the company announced the rebrand in December 2024). It's a mature, feature-rich DIY planner aimed primarily at people planning a traditional retirement: Social Security timing, Medicare, required withdrawals, and Roth conversion strategy. It offers a free Basic plan, the paid PlannerPlus subscription, and a separate flat-fee advisor engagement (Boldin Advisors) that includes a CFP® consultation.

Both have earned their reputations. The rest of this page is about which trade-offs fit you — and, where it's fair to mention, where a newer tool like ours does something differently.

ProjectionLab vs Boldin at a glance

ProjectionLab details from projectionlab.com, and Boldin details from boldin.com, both accessed July 7, 2026 (sources at the bottom of this page). FIManager details from our live pricing page.

Where ProjectionLab is stronger

• Monte Carlo on the free tier. ProjectionLab's free Basic plan includes Monte Carlo simulations and historical backtesting — the same simulation engine, no paywall. On Boldin, Monte Carlo analysis is a PlannerPlus (paid) feature.
• Simulation polish. Its Monte Carlo and historical backtesting are mature and thoughtfully presented, and its cash-flow Sankey diagrams are among the nicest visualisations in the category.
• FIRE-first modelling. ProjectionLab is built around flexible life planning — sabbaticals, career changes, variable spending — which maps naturally onto an early-retirement journey rather than only a retire-at-65 path.
• International support. Multi-currency and country-specific tax presets, which matter if you're planning outside the US.

Where Boldin is stronger

• Retirement-tax depth. PlannerPlus has a dedicated Roth conversion explorer plus state and federal tax projections — purpose- built for the tax decisions that dominate the decade around retirement.
• Traditional-retirement detail. Social Security timing, Medicare-era planning, and required-withdrawal sequencing are Boldin's home turf, backed by 36+ detailed charts on PlannerPlus.
• A built-in AI assistant. Boldin AI reads your plan and answers questions grounded in your own numbers (limited on the free tier, unlimited on PlannerPlus). ProjectionLab doesn't advertise an AI assistant as of July 2026.
• A human option. Boldin Advisors offers a flat-fee ($3,200) plan checkup with a CFP® professional — useful if you'd like an expert to review your plan, which ProjectionLab doesn't sell to individuals.

Pricing compared

Prices verified on projectionlab.com/pricing and boldin.com/retirement/pricing/, July 7, 2026. Check their pages for current figures.

ProjectionLab (annual billing only)

• Basic — free. Forecasting, financial planning, Monte Carlo simulations, historical backtesting, flexible modelling.
• Premium — $129/year. Adds cash-flow projections, tax optimisation, withdrawal strategies, Roth conversions, ACA subsidies, capital gains harvesting, compare mode, downloadable reports, and more.
• Pro — $549/year. Advisor features: client management, dashboard, 10 client seats.

Boldin (billed annually)

• Basic — free. Build a plan, try what-if scenarios, up to 5 alerts, limited Boldin AI conversations.
• PlannerPlus — $144/year (displayed as $12/month), 14-day free trial. Adds unlimited Boldin AI, 100+ more inputs, account linking, Roth conversion explorer, state and federal tax projections, Monte Carlo analysis, and 36+ detailed charts.
• Boldin Advisors — $3,200 flat fee for a comprehensive plan checkup with a CFP® professional.

FIManager (monthly or yearly)

• Free — $0. Build a plan, track finances, net worth and cash flow history, and run a Monte Carlo success rate. No card required.
• Basic — monthly or yearly billing (current prices on our pricing section). DIY planning, cash flow projections, Monte Carlo simulations, compare scenarios, manual tracking, and Ask AI.
• Premium — monthly or yearly billing (current prices on our pricing section). Everything in Basic plus Plaid account linking, automatic sync, and AI transaction categorization.

The structural difference matters as much as the digits: ProjectionLab ($129/yr) and Boldin ($144/yr) both commit you to a year, while FIManager bills monthly or yearly — so trying it properly doesn't require a year-sized decision.

Which should you choose?

Choose ProjectionLab if you want the most polished FIRE simulator, care about Monte Carlo and historical backtesting on a free tier, enjoy hands-on modelling, or need international tax presets. It's the stronger pure-simulation tool today.

Choose Boldin if you're within roughly a decade of a traditional retirement and your big questions are Roth conversions, Social Security timing, and multi-state tax scenarios — or you want the option of a CFP® review. It has retirement-tax depth ProjectionLab doesn't match.

Consider FIManager if a low monthly price and show-your-work transparency outrank either leader's deepest features. FIManager runs a Monte Carlo chance of success on its free tier, never pre-fills an assumption (every growth, inflation, and tax rate is one you set and can see), offers optional Plaid sync, and bills monthly instead of annually. It's newer and smaller than both — that's the honest trade.

Or don't choose yet. All three have a free tier. Build a quick plan in each with your own numbers and keep the one whose math you actually understand.

Frequently asked questions

ProjectionLab vs Boldin: which is better?

Neither wins outright — they optimise for different people. ProjectionLab is the more polished FIRE simulator, with Monte Carlo and historical backtesting on its free tier and excellent visualisations. Boldin goes deeper on traditional-retirement taxes: a Roth conversion explorer, state and federal tax projections, and an optional CFP® review. Pick by your core question — simulation and modelling (ProjectionLab) or retirement-tax depth (Boldin).

Is ProjectionLab or Boldin cheaper?

They're close. ProjectionLab Premium is $129/year and Boldin PlannerPlus is $144/year — both billed annually as of July 2026 (Boldin displays its price as $12/month but bills for the full year). If paying month-to-month matters more to you than the exact figure, FIManager offers true monthly billing on both paid tiers — see our pricing.

Do ProjectionLab and Boldin both have a free tier?

Yes, both have a genuinely free tier. The key difference is what's inside: ProjectionLab's free Basic plan includes Monte Carlo simulations and historical backtesting, while Boldin's free Basic plan does not — Boldin lists Monte Carlo analysis as a paid PlannerPlus feature. FIManager also runs a Monte Carlo chance of success on its free tier.

Does ProjectionLab or Boldin include Monte Carlo for free?

ProjectionLab does — Monte Carlo simulations are part of its free Basic plan. Boldin does not: its pricing page lists Monte Carlo analysis under the paid PlannerPlus tier ($144/year). Verified against both vendors' own pricing pages in July 2026.

Which has deeper tax planning, ProjectionLab or Boldin?

Both are strong, and honestly fairly close. Boldin's PlannerPlus has a dedicated Roth conversion explorer plus state and federal tax projections. ProjectionLab's Premium covers Roth conversions, ACA subsidies, capital gains harvesting, and withdrawal strategies. Match the specific scenario you need — multi-state retirement taxes lean Boldin; ACA subsidy and capital-gains modelling lean ProjectionLab.

Is there a cheaper monthly alternative to ProjectionLab and Boldin?

FIManager is one honest option: a newer FI-focused planner with Monte Carlo on its free tier, show-your-work math with no hidden assumptions, optional Plaid sync, and true monthly billing rather than an annual commitment. It's smaller and younger than both leaders — we say so plainly. Try the free FI calculator first; no account needed.