Software · head to head
Personal Capital vs Goodbudget
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; Goodbudget free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history
- They diverge on capability: Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Personal Capital and Goodbudget actually diverge.
| Attribute | Personal Capital | Goodbudget |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 | 2012 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Personal Capital
- Investment tracking
- Retirement calculator
- Fee analyzer
- Net worth tracking
- Investment accounts
- Real estate
Only in Goodbudget
- Envelope budgeting
- Shared budgets
- Receipt scanning
- Expense tracking
Both cover
- Bank accounts
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Personal Capital
- Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Goodbudget
- Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Goodbudget
- Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot Goodbudget
Goodbudget
- Envelope method budgetingnot Personal Capital
- Sharing a household budget across a couple's devicesnot Personal Capital
- Tracking debt payoff alongside envelopesnot Personal Capital
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Goodbudget
- Free plan is capped at 10 regular envelopes, 10 more envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history
- Automatic bank sync is Premium only and works with US banks only
- Premium is limited to 5 devices and 7 years of history
- Free plan gets community support only; email support requires Premium
- Premium costs $10 per month or $80 per year
Pricing, plan by plan
Personal Capital
Free- FreeFree
- Account tracking
- Net worth monitoring
- Investment analysis
- Premium$undefined/month
- Financial advisor access
- Personalized advice
Goodbudget
Free- FreeFree
- 10 envelopes
- Basic tracking
- Plus$5.99/month
- Unlimited envelopes
- Advanced reports
- Receipt capture
Which should you pick?
Choose Personal Capital if
- You need investment tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want retirement calculator.
Choose Goodbudget if
- You need envelope budgeting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android.
- You also want shared budgets.
Questions people ask
- Is Personal Capital or Goodbudget better?
- Neither clearly leads. Personal Capital starts at Free and Goodbudget at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Personal Capital or Goodbudget?
- Personal Capital starts at Free and Goodbudget at Free.
- Does Personal Capital or Goodbudget 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?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Personal Capital best used for?
- Personal Capital is most often used for tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard, managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors, retirement planning projections across linked accounts. Of those, tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboard and managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investors are not what Goodbudget is typically brought in for.
- What can Personal Capital do that Goodbudget cannot?
- Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Goodbudget covers Envelope budgeting, Shared budgets, Receipt scanning, Expense tracking. Both handle Bank accounts, Web support, IOS support, Android support.