Venmo vs Empower Personal Dashboard
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
It's close: Venmo edges it 8.3 to 8.2, so the right pick depends on what you need. Venmo wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Empower Personal Dashboard on 2, with 1 tied.
Friends and roommates in the US who split dinners, rent and trips
Investors who want a free big-picture view of their net worth and retirement
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Venmo | Empower Personal Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Money & Investing | Money & Investing |
| Category rank | #13 of 16 | #14 of 16 |
| Developer | PayPal | Empower |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Venmo better than Empower Personal Dashboard?
It's close: Venmo edges it 8.3 to 8.2, so the right pick depends on what you need. Venmo wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Empower Personal Dashboard on 2, with 1 tied.
Which is cheaper, Venmo or Empower Personal Dashboard?
Venmo: Free from balance, bank or debit; 3% with a credit card; instant transfer 1.75%. Empower Personal Dashboard: Free dashboard and tools; Empower sells optional paid wealth management. On value for money, Empower Personal Dashboard scores higher.
Do Venmo and Empower Personal Dashboard work on the same devices?
Only Empower Personal Dashboard runs on Web.
Which is more private, Venmo or Empower Personal Dashboard?
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
Venmo
- Free to pay friends from balance, bank or debit
- Splitting a bill takes a few taps
- Fun feed with emoji and GIF payment notes
- Only works in the US
- Instant transfers cost 1.75%, up to $25
- App Store label lists usage data used for tracking
Venmo is the quickest way to pay a friend back in the US. Sending from your balance, bank or debit card is free, splitting a bill takes seconds, and the feed of emoji-filled payment notes is half the fun. A 2026 redesign is making privacy settings easier to find, which matters because payments used to be public by default. Instant transfers to your bank cost 1.75%, and Venmo only works in the US.
Full Venmo review
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
