ProjectionLab vs The Complete Retirement Planner

ProjectionLab9.6Visit TCThe Complete Retirement Planner7.6Visit

Higher score ProjectionLab #4 in Retirement Planning Software 9.6/10 Free plan · paid from $129/yr · 7-day trial Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit ProjectionLab

vs

TC The Complete Retirement Planner #5 in Retirement Planning Software 7.6/10 From $89.99 ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit The Planner

• ProjectionLab fits best

  Visual planners wanting free scenario analysis

• The Complete Retirement Planner fits best

  U.S. households wanting a low-cost one-time purchase

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Side by side

Feature	ProjectionLab 9.6/10 Visit ↗	TCThe Complete Retirement Planner 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.6	7.6
Ranking	#4 in Retirement Planning Software	#5 in Retirement Planning Software
Best for	Visual planners wanting free scenario analysis	U.S. households wanting a low-cost one-time purchase
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Desktop
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS
Integrations	4 integrations	1 integrations
Features ProjectionLab 5/5 · The Complete Retirement Planner 5/5
Income projection	✓	✓
Savings growth projection	✓	✓
Withdrawal planning	✓	✓
Social Security modeling	✓	✓
Scenario analysis	✓	✓
Specs
Tax modeling	Detailed	Detailed
Account synchronization	None	None
Our review
Pros	Free Basic plan includes forecasting, Monte Carlo, and historical backtesting Premium adds tax optimization, withdrawal strategies, and estate planning Compare what-if plans and model Social Security and legacy outcomes	Projects income, expenses, savings, taxes, and distributions year by year Models Social Security, RMDs, Roth conversions, Medicare, and healthcare costs Supports what-if scenarios and sequence-of-returns testing
Cons	Financial information must be entered manually Direct financial-account linking is not supported Pro costs $549 per year, above Premium at $129 per year	Requires paid Microsoft Excel 2016 or later Uses user-entered financial information rather than account syncing Available as a downloadable Excel tool, not a cloud-based planner
Our verdict	ProjectionLab is web-based financial and retirement planning software for individuals, couples, and financial advisors who want to model long-term plans. It covers income, expenses, investments, taxes, withdrawals, and estate outcomes,… Read the review →	The Complete Retirement Planner is downloadable Microsoft Excel software for households planning before or during retirement. It builds year-by-year projections from user-entered financial information, covering income, expenses, savings,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• ProjectionLab — where it wins

  • Free Basic plan includes forecasting, Monte Carlo, and historical backtesting
  • Premium adds tax optimization, withdrawal strategies, and estate planning
  • Compare what-if plans and model Social Security and legacy outcomes

  Where it doesn't

  • Financial information must be entered manually
  • Direct financial-account linking is not supported
  • Pro costs $549 per year, above Premium at $129 per year

• The Complete Retirement Planner — where it wins

  • Projects income, expenses, savings, taxes, and distributions year by year
  • Models Social Security, RMDs, Roth conversions, Medicare, and healthcare costs
  • Supports what-if scenarios and sequence-of-returns testing

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires paid Microsoft Excel 2016 or later
  • Uses user-entered financial information rather than account syncing
  • Available as a downloadable Excel tool, not a cloud-based planner

• ProjectionLab9.6/10 · Free plan · paid from $129/yr · 7-day trial

  A visual retirement planner with free projections and paid tax, withdrawal, and scenario tools.

  Visit ProjectionLabFull verdict →
• TCThe Complete Retirement Planner7.6/10 · From $89.99

  A one-time Excel planner for year-by-year retirement, tax, and Social Security modeling.

  Visit The PlannerFull verdict →