Empower Personal Dashboard vs PayPal
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Empower Personal Dashboard is the better app overall, scoring 8.2 to 8.1. Empower Personal Dashboard wins on 3 of the 5 scores, PayPal on 2.
Investors who want a free big-picture view of their net worth and retirement
Online shoppers who want buyer protection and a quick, card-free checkout
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Empower Personal Dashboard | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Money & Investing | Money & Investing |
| Category rank | #14 of 16 | #15 of 16 |
| Developer | Empower | PayPal |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Empower Personal Dashboard better than PayPal?
Empower Personal Dashboard is the better app overall, scoring 8.2 to 8.1. Empower Personal Dashboard wins on 3 of the 5 scores, PayPal on 2.
Which is cheaper, Empower Personal Dashboard or PayPal?
Empower Personal Dashboard: Free dashboard and tools; Empower sells optional paid wealth management. PayPal: Free to send from balance or bank in the US; cards cost 2.9% plus 30 cents. On value for money, Empower Personal Dashboard scores higher.
Do Empower Personal Dashboard and PayPal work on the same devices?
Yes, both run on iPhone & iPad, Android, Web.
Which is more private, Empower Personal Dashboard or PayPal?
Empower Personal Dashboard scores higher on privacy (6.4/10). App Store label links user and device IDs, product interaction and crash data to you, partly for marketing; no tracking is declared. Signing up can lead to calls or emails about paid advisory services.
Strengths and weaknesses
Empower Personal Dashboard
- Free, detailed tracking of investments and net worth
- Retirement planner tests different what-ifs, even recessions
- Extra planners for savings, debt and emergency funds
- Expect sales pitches for paid advice services
- Budgets and spending categories are basic
Empower Personal Dashboard, formerly Personal Capital, is still the best free tool for tracking net worth and investments. It now lives inside the main Empower app, which got a cleaner dashboard in 2026. Link your accounts to see what you own, how it's spread out and if retirement is on track. Budgeting is basic. The free dashboard feeds Empower's paid advice business, so expect sales pitches.
Full Empower Personal Dashboard review
PayPal
- Accepted at a huge number of online stores
- Purchase Protection when eligible orders go wrong
- Free to send to US friends from balance or bank
- Sending with a card costs 2.9% plus 30 cents
- Sending abroad costs 5% (up to $4.99) plus currency fees
- App Store label lists usage data used for tracking
PayPal is still one of the easiest ways to pay online without typing your card number, and Purchase Protection helps if an eligible order never shows up. Sending money to friends in the US is free from your balance or bank, while cards cost 2.9% plus 30 cents. The app also covers Pay in 4, savings, crypto and cash back offers. It tracks a lot, and sending abroad or converting currency gets pricey.
Full PayPal review
