The best FIRE calculators in 2026, by what you need to know
Short answer: For testing a withdrawal strategy against history, FIcalc (free, 13 strategies) is the strongest; FIRECalc and cFIREsim are free classics. For a full lifetime plan with taxes and Roth conversions, ProjectionLab (Premium $129 a year) does both Monte Carlo and backtests, and Boldin (PlannerPlus $168 a year) adds linked accounts and Medicare detail. FIRE.PipedHQ is free and tests housing, health insurance and Social Security against every year since 1871, including a FINE (Financial Independence, Next Endeavor) mode for leaving a career for a business or new work, but does not model taxes inside the backtest.
There is no single best FIRE calculator; there is a best one for each question. Free historical calculators tell you whether a spending rule survived the past. Paid planners model your taxes and accounts year by year. Here is what each of the main tools does, checked against their own sites on November 3, 2026.
| Tool | Method | Taxes | Price | Account needed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIcalc | Historical, US since 1871 | No | Free | No | Comparing 13 withdrawal strategies |
| cFIREsim | Historical, US since 1871 | No | Free | No | Detailed portfolios, gold, glide paths |
| FIRECalc | Historical, US since 1871 | No | Free | No | A quick classic check |
| FIRE.PipedHQ | Historical, US since 1871 | Separate tool | Free; Pro to save and export | No | Housing, health insurance, FINE and a plan by life stage |
| ProjectionLab | Monte Carlo and historical | Premium | Free Basic; $129/yr Premium | Yes | A full lifetime plan, including outside the US |
| Boldin | Monte Carlo on assumed returns | PlannerPlus | Free Basic; $168/yr PlannerPlus | Yes | US taxes, Social Security and Medicare with linked accounts |
| Rich, Broke or Dead | Historical plus mortality odds | Flat rate | Free | No | Seeing running out next to the odds of being alive |
Free historical calculators
FIcalc uses Shiller's data from 1871 to 2024 and offers the widest choice of spending rules: constant dollar, percent of portfolio, VPW, Guyton-Klinger guardrails, the 95% rule, CAPE-based, Vanguard dynamic spending and more. cFIREsim adds gold, glide paths and a mode that solves for the most you could spend; its creator's newer tool, FIREproof, adds taxes as a paid upgrade. FIRECalc, online since 2000, has data through January 2026 and the simplest form. All three treat housing, health care and taxes as part of one spending number.
Full planners
ProjectionLab models your whole financial life: accounts, taxes, Roth conversions, real estate, ACA subsidies and country presets beyond the US. Its free Basic plan includes Monte Carlo and backtesting; tax features need Premium at $129 a year. Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is strongest on US retirement detail: Social Security claiming, Medicare, RMDs and Roth conversions, with linked accounts. Its free plan leaves out Monte Carlo and taxes; PlannerPlus is $14 a month or $168 a year. Boldin projects with Monte Carlo around assumed returns rather than replaying history.
Where FIRE.PipedHQ fits
FIRE.PipedHQ sits between the two groups. Like the free calculators it replays every US start year since 1871 and needs no account. Unlike them, it puts the costs that most often break early-retirement plans into the backtest: rent or a mortgage with local property tax and insurance in the 200 largest metros, ACA premiums before Medicare, Social Security and part-time work. The Journey turns that into a blueprint for your life stage and goal, including FINE (Financial Independence, Next Endeavor): leaving a career for a business, a new career or other work that may pay less, and testing how little it needs to earn. The city grid runs one plan across 60 metros at once.
What it does not do: model taxes inside the backtest (the where-to-save tool handles 401(k), Roth and brokerage taxes separately), run Monte Carlo, or offer more than four spending rules. Its data ends in 2023.
How to choose
- Is my withdrawal rate safe? Any historical calculator; start with our withdrawal-rate tables or FIcalc.
- Which spending rule should I use? FIcalc, then test the winner with your own costs.
- Can I afford to retire where I live, or somewhere cheaper? FIRE.PipedHQ.
- Can I leave my job for a business or a new career (FINE)? FIRE.PipedHQ's Journey, with FINE as the goal.
- How do I cut lifetime taxes? ProjectionLab Premium or Boldin PlannerPlus.
For a closer look at the three free classics, see FIcalc vs cFIREsim vs FIRECalc.
Features and prices checked on each tool's own site on November 3, 2026. FIRE.PipedHQ has no business relationship with any tool listed here.
Questions
What is the best free FIRE calculator?
For withdrawal strategies, FIcalc: free, no account, 13 rules tested on US data since 1871. For housing, health insurance and Social Security in the same backtest, FIRE.PipedHQ, also free with no account.
Is ProjectionLab or Boldin better?
ProjectionLab runs both Monte Carlo and historical backtests and supports countries beyond the US; Premium is $129 a year. Boldin has deeper US Social Security and Medicare detail and links your accounts; PlannerPlus is $168 a year. Both have free plans with fewer features.
Should I use Monte Carlo or a historical backtest?
Both have limits. A historical backtest uses real sequences of returns and inflation but only one country’s past; Monte Carlo can create worse sequences but depends on the returns you assume. Many planners check a plan both ways.
What is the best calculator for FINE (Financial Independence, Next Endeavor)?
FIRE.PipedHQ is built for it: choose FINE in the Journey, enter what your next endeavor (a business, a new career, freelancing or other jobs) would pay, and it shows whether your money would have lasted with and without that income in every US start year since 1871. Other calculators can approximate it with an income stream.
Which FIRE calculator includes taxes?
ProjectionLab Premium, Boldin PlannerPlus and FIREproof Pro model taxes in the plan. Rich, Broke or Dead applies one average tax rate. FIcalc, cFIREsim and FIRECalc do not model taxes.