ProjectionLab vs SquirrelPlan
ProjectionLab
projectionlab.comSquirrelPlan
squirrelplan.appSide by side
| Figure | ProjectionLab | SquirrelPlan |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $10.75/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Retirement Planning Software | 9.0 (#3) | 7.6 (#17) |
| Integrations | Direct financial-account linking is not supported; plugins can sync Lunch Money, YNAB and Monarch Money data or run custom automations. | The README lists Bootstrap, Chart.js, and Sortable.js among the libraries used by the application. |
| Privacy | ProjectionLab says it does not sell planning data or use it for third-party advertising and lets users export or delete their data. | The site states that user data is never stored or shared. |
| Purpose | ProjectionLab simulates personal financial and retirement scenarios to help users plan their financial future. | SquirrelPlan is a free, open-source tool for planning and visualizing your financial future. |
| Simulation | The product includes Monte Carlo simulations and historical backtesting to explore possible financial outcomes. | Standard simulation projects from the values provided, while Monte Carlo simulation runs hundreds of projections with randomized annual asset returns. |
Plans
ProjectionLab
- BasicFree
- BasicFree
- Premium$129 a year
- Premium$129 a year
- Pro$549 a year
- Pro$549 a year
In their own words
ProjectionLab
ProjectionLab simulates personal financial and retirement scenarios to help users plan for different possible futures. Users can model life milestones, cash flow, estimated taxes, investment strategies, account types, withdrawals and estate outcomes. Monte Carlo simulations and historical backtesting let users explore potential outcomes. The free Basic plan includes forecasting, financial planning, simulations and backtesting. Premium adds tax optimization, Roth conversions, ACA subsidies, capital gains harvesting, international planning and advanced analytics, and costs $129 a year. Pro costs $549 a year and is aimed at financial advisors and coaches, with client management tools and 10 client seats. ProjectionLab does not directly link financial accounts, so users can make plans without supplying account numbers or connecting bank or brokerage accounts. The web app can be installed on mobile devices as a Progressive Web App; the maker says it has no formal mobile app. Support is available by email, Discord and bookable educational sessions.
SquirrelPlan
SquirrelPlan is a free, open-source tool for projecting and visualizing a financial future. Enter assets, liabilities, monthly income and expenses, then add assumptions for returns, interest or annual increases. You can direct surplus savings among asset classes and set different strategies for different life periods. Retirement inputs include current and legal retirement ages, estimated net monthly pension, and optional early retirement age and withdrawal rate. A standard simulation projects from those figures; an optional Monte Carlo run produces hundreds of projections using randomized annual asset returns. Charts and a table show wealth over time, while scenario analysis supports comparisons between assumptions. Preset plans cover Recent Graduate, Early Career, Mid Career and Late Career. SquirrelPlan is a client-side web application, also runnable by opening its static index.html file in a modern browser without installing dependencies. Plans are stored in browser local storage; the project has no backend server. Data can be imported or exported as JSON, and the README lists multi-language support. The free plan is free.