Monarch Money vs Empower Personal Dashboard
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Monarch Money is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.2. Monarch Money wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Empower Personal Dashboard on 1.
Couples and families who want one shared view of all their money
Investors who want a free, big-picture view of net worth and retirement
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Monarch Money | Empower Personal Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Money & Investing | Money & Investing |
| Category rank | #1 of 10 | #9 of 10 |
| Developer | Monarch Money, Inc. | Empower |
| Pricing | Subscription | Free |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Strengths and weaknesses
Monarch Money
- Budgets, investments and net worth live in one place
- Invite a partner at no extra cost
- Clean, fast apps on web and mobile
- No free tier once the trial ends
- Bank sync hiccups need occasional manual fixes
Monarch Money is the most complete money app for most households. It pulls in bank, card, loan and investment accounts, then gives you flexible budgets, cash-flow reports, goals and a clear net worth view. You can invite a partner at no extra cost, which makes it ideal for couples. The catch is there is no free plan, and bank connections still break now and then.
Full Monarch Money review
Empower Personal Dashboard
- Free, detailed investment and net worth tracking
- Retirement planner models different scenarios
- Fee analyzer exposes costly funds
- Expect sales outreach for paid advisory services
- Budgeting and categorization are basic
Empower Personal Dashboard, formerly Personal Capital, is the best free tool for tracking net worth and investments. Link your accounts and you get a clear view of your assets, the fees buried in your funds and whether retirement is on track. Budgeting is basic. The free dashboard also feeds Empower's advisory business, so expect calls or emails pitching wealth management.
Full Empower Personal Dashboard review
