Personal Finance · head to head
Monarch Money vs Personal Capital
Monarch Money
Personal Finance
All-in-one wealth management platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Personal Capital has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Monarch Money the free trial is one week, after which a paid subscription is required to keep using the app; Personal Capital wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
- They diverge on capability: Monarch Money covers Budget management, Personal Capital covers Retirement calculator.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Monarch Money and Personal Capital actually diverge.
| Attribute | Monarch Money | Personal Capital |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2022 | 2010 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Monarch Money
- Budget management
- Tax planning
- Financial insights
- Cryptocurrency
Only in Personal Capital
- Retirement calculator
- Fee analyzer
- Net worth tracking
- Real estate
Both cover
- Investment tracking
- Bank accounts
- Investment accounts
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Monarch Money
- Tracking household budgets and spending across linked bank accountsnot Personal Capital
- Shared budgeting between partners in one accountnot Personal Capital
- Monitoring net worth and investment balances alongside cash accountsnot Personal Capital
Personal Capital
- Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Monarch Money
- Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Monarch Money
- Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Monarch Money
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Monarch Money
- The free trial is one week, after which a paid subscription is required to keep using the app
- The advertised 30 percent discount with code WELCOME applies to the first year only and is restricted to new users
- There is no free tier, and a Plus tier gates features above the base subscription
Personal Capital
- Wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
- The annual advisory fee is charged as a percentage of assets under management on a tiered structure rather than a flat subscription
- Assets are custodied at Pershing Advisor Solutions rather than by the provider itself
Pricing, plan by plan
Monarch Money
On request- Premium$14.99/month
- Unlimited accounts
- Investment tracking
- Tax planning
- Premier$39.99/month
- All Premium features
- Financial advisor access
Personal Capital
Free- FreeFree
- Account tracking
- Net worth monitoring
- Investment analysis
- Premium$undefined/month
- Financial advisor access
- Personalized advice
Which should you pick?
Choose Monarch Money if
- You need budget management.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want tax planning.
Choose Personal Capital if
- You need retirement calculator.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want fee analyzer.
Questions people ask
- Is Monarch Money or Personal Capital better?
- Neither clearly leads. Monarch Money starts at On request and Personal Capital at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Monarch Money or Personal Capital?
- Personal Capital has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Monarch Money and Free for Personal Capital.
- Does Monarch Money or Personal Capital run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Personal Capital for free?
- Yes. Personal Capital has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Monarch Money starts at On request.
- What is Monarch Money best used for?
- Monarch Money is most often used for tracking household budgets and spending across linked bank accounts, shared budgeting between partners in one account, monitoring net worth and investment balances alongside cash accounts. Of those, tracking household budgets and spending across linked bank accounts and shared budgeting between partners in one account are not what Personal Capital is typically brought in for.
- What can Monarch Money do that Personal Capital cannot?
- Monarch Money covers Budget management, Tax planning, Financial insights, Cryptocurrency. Personal Capital covers Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking, Real estate. Both handle Investment tracking, Bank accounts, Investment accounts, Web support.