A free ProjectionLab alternative for early-retirement planning
ProjectionLab models your whole financial life as one plan. Its free Basic plan includes forecasting, Monte Carlo simulations and historical backtesting; Premium ($129 a year, as of October 2026) adds tax estimation, Roth conversions, ACA subsidies and withdrawal strategies. MoneyVibe takes the other shape: free calculators that each answer one early-retirement decision (the Roth conversion ladder, the ACA subsidy, 72(t) payments, withdrawal order, sequence risk), each showing its formula, a worked example and dated sources, with no account. Use ProjectionLab to keep one living plan; use MoneyVibe to check one decision at a time, free.
We make MoneyVibe. We checked these details on October 1, 2026; tell us if something changed: Contact.
Side by side
| Compared | ProjectionLab | MoneyVibe |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Basic: free. Premium: $129 a year. Pro, for advisors: $549 a year. Prices as of October 2026.[1] | Free. Nothing on the site takes payment.See About: the calculators stay free |
| Account needed | Yes. You sign up for any plan, and plans are saved to your account.[1][4] | No. Your numbers stay in your browser.See Privacy: no account, no login |
| Links to your bank | No direct account linking. Plugins can sync from Lunch Money and YNAB, or import from Monarch.[5] | No. The site never asks for bank or card details.See Privacy: no bank or card details |
| Whole-life plan in one model | Yes: each year is simulated with income, taxes, debts, RMDs and more, plus milestones.[6][3] | No. Separate calculators that start from the same seven numbers on the Money Map.See Money Map |
| Monte Carlo | Yes, on the free plan, across the whole plan.[1] | Yes, for one portfolio and one spending level: 5,000 seeded paths.See Monte Carlo retirement success · Safe withdrawal rate / how long money lasts |
| Historical backtesting | Yes, on the free plan.[1] | No. Our simulations draw random returns; they do not replay history.See Methodology: simulation |
| Roth conversion ladder | Roth conversions are a Premium feature.[1] | Yes: bracket-filling conversions, the tax, and when each becomes penalty-free.See Roth conversion ladder |
| ACA subsidy | ACA subsidies are a Premium feature.[1] | Yes: your 2026 credit and how much income fits under the cliff.See ACA subsidy before Medicare |
| 72(t) payments | Yes: RMD, fixed amortization or a custom amount, per IRA or employer account.[7] | Yes: the RMD and fixed amortization methods, and what the plan locks you into.See 72(t) SEPP |
| Sequence risk | Through its Monte Carlo and historical backtesting runs.[1] | Yes: the same returns in a different order, side by side.See Sequence of returns risk |
| Withdrawal order | Withdrawal strategies are a Premium feature.[1] | Yes: four orders across taxable, pre-tax and Roth on 2026 tax rules.See Tax-efficient withdrawal order |
| Countries other than the US | Tax settings for other countries (Canada, the UK and Australia among them); International Planning on Premium.[2][1] | US tax only, plus a calculator for retiring in your home country.See Return home vs stay in the US |
| Visa: residency days, FBAR, PFIC, the 401(k) when you leave | Not in its pricing page feature list or its help center topics (checked on the date below).[1][3] | Yes, one calculator for each.See US tax residency checker · FBAR / Form 8938 threshold checker · PFIC cost of home-country mutual funds · 401(k) withdrawal when leaving the US |
| Formulas and sources shown | Help articles explain the engine with a worked example.[6] | Yes: formula, a worked example with your numbers, assumptions and dated sources on every tool page.See Methodology |
| On a phone | Web app only; it can be installed to the home screen. No native app.[8] | Web pages laid out for phone widths. No native app.See FIRE Calculator |
Each ProjectionLab cell cites the page it comes from. Each MoneyVibe cell links to the live calculator or page that shows it. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
Where ProjectionLab is better
- One plan for your whole life. It simulates each year of your plan with income, withholding, expenses, debt payments, taxes and required distributions together, with milestones such as moving state, so a change in one place flows through everything.[6][3] MoneyVibe answers one decision per page.
- Simulation across the whole plan. Monte Carlo and historical backtesting run on the full plan, and both are on the free Basic plan.[1] Ours run on one portfolio at a time and do not backtest.
- Outside the US. It has tax settings for other countries and International Planning on Premium.[2][1] MoneyVibe computes US tax only.
- Saved plans and your other tools. Plans are stored in your account across devices,[4] and plugins pull data from Lunch Money, YNAB and Monarch.[5]
- A community that vouches for it. Its site carries endorsements from Mr. Money Mustache, Physician on FIRE and The Mad Fientist, and it runs a Discord community.[2][3]
Where MoneyVibe fits
- The Premium topics, free. Roth conversions, ACA subsidies and withdrawal strategies are Premium features on ProjectionLab;[1] each has a free calculator here: Roth conversion ladder, ACA subsidy before Medicare and Tax-efficient withdrawal order.
- No account. Open a page and you have an answer; your numbers stay in your browser (see Privacy).
- Every number shown. Each tool page shows its formula, a worked example with your inputs, its assumptions and dated sources, and the tests it passes are public on the verification page.
- Early retirement on a visa. If you are in the US on a visa, the questions your status adds (residency days, FBAR, PFIC, the 401(k) when you leave) have their own calculators; see money tools for visa holders.
What MoneyVibe does not do
- It does not build one plan that simulates every year of your life. The calculators share seven numbers through the Money Map, but each answers its own question.
- It does not backtest against market history. The simulators draw random returns from stated assumptions; the methodology lists them and their limits.
- It does not compute tax for any country but the US.
Who should pick which
Pick ProjectionLab if you want one model of your finances that you update over the years, with every account, milestone and tax year in it, and you are happy to keep an account (and, for the tax features, to pay for Premium).
Pick MoneyVibe if you want a free, checkable answer to one decision right now, such as how much to convert to Roth this year without losing the ACA credit, or what a 72(t) plan pays and locks you into, without signing up.
Use both if you plan in ProjectionLab and want to see the math behind one number before you change the plan.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to ProjectionLab?
ProjectionLab has a free Basic plan with forecasting, Monte Carlo and historical backtesting. Its tax features (Roth conversions, ACA subsidies, withdrawal strategies) are on Premium at $129 a year, as of October 2026. MoneyVibe has a free calculator for each of those decisions, one at a time, with no account.
Does MoneyVibe run Monte Carlo simulations like ProjectionLab?
Yes, for one portfolio and one spending level: 5,000 seeded random market paths. ProjectionLab runs Monte Carlo across a whole plan and also backtests against market history, which MoneyVibe does not.
Do I have to link my bank account to either one?
No. ProjectionLab does not link financial accounts directly (plugins can sync from Lunch Money and YNAB or import from Monarch). MoneyVibe never asks for bank or card details.
Which is better for planning early retirement on a visa?
ProjectionLab models a whole plan and has tax settings for several countries. MoneyVibe has calculators for the questions a US visa adds: the substantial presence test, FBAR and Form 8938, PFIC tax and the 401(k) when you leave.
Try the calculators
- Roth conversion ladderHow much to convert each year to access pre-tax money before 59½ at the lowest tax?
- ACA subsidy before MedicareWhat will health insurance cost until 65, and how do I keep MAGI under the cliff?
- 72(t) SEPPHow much can I take before 59½ without the 10% penalty?
- Tax-efficient withdrawal orderWhich accounts to draw from first to minimise lifetime tax?
- Sequence of returns riskHow much does the order of returns change my outcome?
- Monte Carlo retirement successWhat is the probability my plan survives volatility?
- FIRE CalculatorGiven savings and spending, when can I stop working?
- Coast FIREHow much must I have invested today to stop contributing?
More in Retirement. Read the Library: How Tax Brackets Really Work (Tax); Why Starting Early Matters (Retirement).
Sources
- ProjectionLab, Pricing & Subscriptions. Checked October 1, 2026.
- ProjectionLab, Home page. Checked October 1, 2026.
- ProjectionLab Help, Help Center topics. Checked October 1, 2026.
- ProjectionLab Help, How is my planning data stored and protected?. Checked October 1, 2026.
- ProjectionLab Help, Linking External Accounts, Plugins & Integrations. Checked October 1, 2026.
- ProjectionLab Help, How does the simulation engine behind ProjectionLab work?. Checked October 1, 2026.
- ProjectionLab Help, Can I model 72t (SEPP) Distributions?. Checked October 1, 2026.
- ProjectionLab Help, Is there a mobile app?. Checked October 1, 2026.
We make MoneyVibe. We checked these details on October 1, 2026; tell us if something changed: Contact.