The Complete Retirement Planner vs Flexible Retirement Planner

TCThe Complete Retirement Planner8.9Visit Flexible Retirement Planner8.8Visit

Higher score TC The Complete Retirement Planner #5 in Retirement Planning Software 8.9/10 Paid ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit The Planner

vs

Flexible Retirement Planner #6 in Retirement Planning Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit site

• The Complete Retirement Planner fits best

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

• Flexible Retirement Planner fits best

  Users wanting detailed free Monte Carlo planning

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Side by side

Feature	TCThe Complete Retirement Planner 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Flexible Retirement Planner 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.8
Ranking	#5 in Retirement Planning Software	#6 in Retirement Planning Software
Best for	U.S. households wanting a low-cost one-time purchase	Users wanting detailed free Monte Carlo planning
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	$89.99 one-time	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Cloud, Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Features The Complete Retirement Planner 5/5 · Flexible Retirement Planner 5/5
Income projection	✓	✓
Savings growth projection	✓	✓
Withdrawal planning	✓	✓
Social Security modeling	✓	✓
Scenario analysis	✓	✓
Specs
Tax modeling	Detailed	Detailed
Account synchronization	None	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	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	Models 10,000 life cycles for retirement simulations Includes Roth conversions, RMDs, and withdrawal-order controls Runs on web, Windows, macOS, and Linux
Cons	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	Limited to personal, non-commercial or educational use No verified integrations or account synchronization Requires detailed year-by-year financial inputs
Our verdict	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 →	Flexible Retirement Planner models savings accumulation and retirement spending through Monte Carlo simulations, making it suited to individuals and educators who want to examine how changing financial assumptions may affect retirement… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• 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

• Flexible Retirement Planner — where it wins

  • Models 10,000 life cycles for retirement simulations
  • Includes Roth conversions, RMDs, and withdrawal-order controls
  • Runs on web, Windows, macOS, and Linux

  Where it doesn't

  • Limited to personal, non-commercial or educational use
  • No verified integrations or account synchronization
  • Requires detailed year-by-year financial inputs

• TCThe Complete Retirement Planner8.9/10 · Paid

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

  Visit The PlannerFull verdict →
• Flexible Retirement Planner8.8/10 · Free plan

  A free retirement planner with detailed inputs, withdrawal controls, and 10,000 modeled life cycles.

  Visit siteFull verdict →