FIcalc vs cFIREsim vs FIRECalc vs FIRE.PipedHQ: which historical calculator to use
Short answer: FIcalc, cFIREsim, FIRECalc and FIRE.PipedHQ all replay a retirement through US market history since 1871, and all four are free with no account. FIcalc has the most withdrawal strategies (13, including Guyton-Klinger and VPW); cFIREsim adds gold, glide paths and a solver for the most you can spend; FIRECalc is the original, with data through January 2026. None of the three models housing or health insurance; FIRE.PipedHQ adds rent or a mortgage in 200 US metros, ACA and Medicare premiums, a life-stage plan and a FINE (Financial Independence, Next Endeavor) mode that shows how little a new business or career needs to earn, with fewer withdrawal rules.
Historical calculators answer one question: if you had retired in each past year with this portfolio and this spending, how often would the money have lasted? They differ in which data they use, which spending rules they test and what else in your life they model. We checked each tool's own site on November 3, 2026.
At a glance
| FIcalc | cFIREsim | FIRECalc | FIRE.PipedHQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Historical cycles | Historical cycles, constant growth, or one cycle | Historical cycles, plus constant-growth and random-return options | Historical cycles in annual steps |
| Data | Shiller, US, 1871 to 2024 | US, data through August 2026 (source not named on the site) | US, data through January 2026 (source not named on the site) | Shiller, US stocks and 10-year Treasuries, 1871 to 2023 |
| Assets | Stocks, bonds, cash at a fixed rate | Stocks, bonds, gold, cash | Stocks plus a choice of bond series | Stocks and bonds; dozens of indexes and funds in the time-to-target tool |
| Withdrawal rules | 13, including Guyton-Klinger, VPW, 95% rule, CAPE-based, Vanguard dynamic spending | Constant, % of portfolio, VPW, Guyton-Klinger, Hebeler, variable CAPE, floor and ceiling | Constant, % of portfolio with a floor, Bernicke declining spending | Constant, bear-market spending cut, % of portfolio with floor and cap, cash bucket |
| Income | Wages, Social Security, other streams | Two Social Security streams and up to 9 other adjustments | Social Security for two, pensions, spending changes | Social Security, part-time work by occupation, income from a next endeavor (FINE) |
| Housing and health | No | No | No | Rent or buy in 200 metros with local tax and insurance; ACA and Medicare premiums |
| Taxes | No | No | No | Not in the backtest; a separate 401(k) vs Roth vs brokerage tool uses 2026 brackets |
| Price | Free, donations | Free | Free; optional supporter login | Free; Pro adds saved scenarios, Excel and a PDF packet |
Which one to use
- Comparing withdrawal strategies: FIcalc. Thirteen rules side by side on the same data. It does not model taxes, account types or housing.
- Fine control over the portfolio: cFIREsim. Gold as an asset class, glide paths, many income and spending adjustments, and an investigate mode that solves for the most you could have spent. Its creator now also builds FIREproof, a separate tool with tax modeling.
- A quick, familiar check: FIRECalc. Online since 2000, it is the longest-running of the four, and its data is among the most recent. It has the fewest withdrawal rules and an older interface.
- Your actual life, not just a portfolio: FIRE.PipedHQ. Where you live, whether you rent or own, health insurance before Medicare, Social Security and a part-time job all go into the same backtest, and the Journey turns it into a plan for your life stage. It is also the only one of the four with a FINE goal (Financial Independence, Next Endeavor): leave your career for a business, a new career or other work, and see how little that next endeavor needs to earn for the plan to have lasted. It tests four spending rules, not thirteen.
Will they agree?
Closely, for simple plans with the same inputs, because all four replay US market history from 1871. For a steady 4% over 30 years, FIRE.PipedHQ finds the money lasted in 96% of start years with all stocks (see 4% for 30 years). Differences come from the bond series, the last year of data, fees (FIcalc and FIRECalc charge a default expense ratio; FIRE.PipedHQ charges none), whether the tool loops past the last year of data, and whether spending is taken at the start or end of each year. Our methodology lists every choice we made.
What none of them does
Historical calculators only know one country's past. They cannot tell you about returns worse than US history, and none of these four runs Monte Carlo simulations by default. If you want a full tax plan with Roth conversions, see the best FIRE calculators in 2026, which covers paid planners such as ProjectionLab and Boldin.
Features checked on each tool's own site on November 3, 2026. Tools change; tell us if something here is out of date.
Questions
Is FIcalc better than cFIREsim?
For comparing withdrawal strategies, FIcalc offers more (13, against about 8 in cFIREsim). cFIREsim has more portfolio options: gold, glide paths and a solver for maximum spending. Both are free historical backtests of US data since 1871.
Is FIRECalc still accurate?
Its data runs through January 2026 and it replays every start year since 1871, so its results for simple plans match newer tools. It offers fewer spending rules and no tax, housing or health-insurance modeling.
Do FIcalc, cFIREsim or FIRECalc model taxes?
No. All three work with pre-tax spending. FIRE.PipedHQ models taxes in a separate where-to-save tool; paid planners such as ProjectionLab Premium and Boldin PlannerPlus model them in the plan.
Which FIRE calculator models housing costs?
FIRE.PipedHQ includes rent or a mortgage with local property tax and insurance for the 200 largest US metros. FIcalc, cFIREsim and FIRECalc treat housing as part of a single spending number.
Is there a calculator for FINE (Financial Independence, Next Endeavor)?
FIRE.PipedHQ has a FINE goal in its Journey: you enter what a business, new career or other work would pay after you leave your current job, and it tests the plan with and without that income against every US start year since 1871, so you see how little the next endeavor needs to earn. In FIcalc, cFIREsim or FIRECalc you can approximate it by entering that pay as an income stream.