FI Calc vs FIRECalc
FI Calc
ficalc.appFIRECalc
firecalc.comSide by side
| Figure | FI Calc | FIRECalc |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Retirement Planning Software | 7.8 (#11) | 7.8 (#13) |
| Privacy | Calculator inputs are processed in the browser, and saved or shared calculations are encoded in URLs that may be received by the hosting provider, site services, and link recipients. | FIRECalc says it does not store users' financial entries; temporary files for spreadsheets and graphics are session-only and deleted approximately 15 minutes after creation. |
| Purpose | FI Calc uses historical data to evaluate retirement plans and withdrawal strategies. | FIRECalc helps assess whether savings and planned spending can sustain a retirement across historical market conditions. |
| Support | The maker invites users to contact them by email at [email protected] or on X at @ficalc. | The contact page directs usage questions to the FIRECalc support section of the Early Retirement forum and accepts bug reports and suggestions. |
Plans
In their own words
FI Calc
FI Calc is a free web calculator for evaluating retirement plans and withdrawal strategies with historical market data. It runs simulations from annual figures covering 1871 through 2024, compiled from Robert Shiller’s data set, while warning that historical results do not guarantee future performance. Users can model equities, bonds and cash, set rebalancing and changing allocations, and add wages, Social Security or extra withdrawals for future expenses. The calculator provides income projection, savings growth projection, withdrawal planning, Social Security modeling and scenario analysis. Simulations can be exported as CSV files for spreadsheet analysis. Inputs are processed in the browser; saved or shared calculations are encoded in URLs that may reach the hosting provider, services and recipients. Google Analytics may receive page URLs containing saved inputs. FI Calc does not automatically model taxes or required minimum distributions and currently has no Monte Carlo simulations. The free plan costs nothing.
FIRECalc
FIRECalc is a free web calculator for assessing whether savings, planned spending, and other resources could sustain retirement. It tests plans against historical market conditions beginning in 1871 and reports how often the portfolio would have remained funded for the selected term across historical starting years. Users can include Social Security, pensions, and other income or spending adjustments. Spending options include inflation-adjusted constant amounts, Bernicke's Reality Retirement Plan, and a percentage of the remaining portfolio. Portfolio settings allow historical investment portfolios, fees, and consistent or random returns. Planning inputs can include a future retirement date, annual contributions before retirement, and future lump-sum changes. Defaults are a 75% stock-index and 25% bond-fund portfolio, a 0.18% fund fee, and inflation-adjusted spending over 30 years. FIRECalc says it cannot predict future returns and does not provide tax planning. The homepage reports data through January 1, 2026, updated April 17, 2026. It says it does not store financial entries; temporary spreadsheet and graphic files are deleted after about 15 minutes.