Personal Capital is now Empower. The free net worth dashboard people knew as Personal Capital became the Empower Personal Dashboard in 2023, and it costs nothing. So if you’re looking for a Personal Capital alternative, start with what you used it for. If you want to watch your balances, Empower, Monarch Money, and Origin all do that for $0 to about $100 a year. If you want someone to tell you what to do with the money, and to file the taxes that follow, pick Nino: software from $20 a month, or a CPA and CFP team on one flat fee from $3,600 a year with federal and state filing included.
Is Personal Capital still around?
Yes, under another name. Empower Retirement closed its purchase of Personal Capital on August 18, 2020. In January 2023 it merged Personal Capital into a division called Empower Personal Wealth. The Personal Capital app became the Empower Personal Dashboard app, Personal Capital Cash became Empower Personal Cash, and old Personal Capital logins carried over. Empower’s transition page says the dashboard stays free and advisory fees did not change.
What changed for dashboard users is mostly what Empower sells next to the dashboard. You can now start a tax return from it. Empower matches you with a Tax Pro from Taxfyle, an independent tax preparation platform, with pricing from $175. Empower’s own disclosure says it is not affiliated with or responsible for Taxfyle’s services.
What does Empower charge former Personal Capital users?
The dashboard costs nothing. Empower’s terms say use of the Dashboard “is offered free of charge.” You pay for what Empower sells from it. Personal Strategy advisory charges 0.89% a year on managed assets from $100,000 to $999,999, with a $100,000 minimum for Investment Services and $250,000 for Wealth Management. Private Client starts at $1 million and charges 0.79% on the first $3 million, then 0.69%, 0.59%, and 0.49% on higher bands. Tax preparation through Taxfyle starts at $175.
On $500,000 under management, 0.89% is $4,450 a year. Nino’s Advisor Essential plan is a flat $3,600. So the 2 fees are equal at about $404,500 under management, and above that the Empower fee is larger every year. They buy different things, though. The 0.89% pays for portfolio management. The $3,600 pays for a CPA and CFP who build your plan and file your federal and state returns, and Nino doesn’t hold or trade your assets.
What does a net worth dashboard leave out?
Taxes. A net worth number adds up balances, and balances are pre-tax. Put $400,000 in a traditional 401k and $400,000 in a Roth IRA and the dashboard shows $800,000. You don’t have $800,000. Withdrawals from the 401k are taxed as ordinary income, and qualified Roth withdrawals are tax free. If every dollar of the 401k came out at a 24% federal rate, it would be worth $304,000 to you.
How big that gap ends up depends on when you withdraw, which account you spend first, what bracket you land in that year, and which state you live in then. Nobody has made those decisions yet, so the after-tax number a dashboard would need doesn’t exist. It gets decided later, by whoever makes those choices.
The questions that come next are things like whether to sell vested RSUs now or hold them, whether to convert part of the 401k to Roth this year, and whether to spend from the brokerage account or the IRA first in retirement. Each one changes the tax bill, and a dashboard shows the balances before and after without telling you which to pick.
Which Personal Capital alternatives are worth a look?
Monarch Money, Origin, Facet, and Nino, plus staying on Empower. Monarch and Origin are tracking apps that do the same job as the Personal Capital dashboard, with their own budgeting tools. Facet is a flat-fee CFP membership with investment management. Nino starts as software and adds a CPA and CFP team who plan and file on one flat fee. If tracking is the whole job, Empower’s $0 dashboard or Monarch is enough. If you need financial planning, tax, or both, Nino is the one built for it.
If you know the product by its newer name, Empower alternatives compares it with robo advisors instead.
How do Empower, Monarch Money, Origin, Facet, and Nino compare?
| Platform | What you pay (seen 2026-10-05) | Human planner | Who files your taxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empower (formerly Personal Capital) | Dashboard free; advisory 0.89% from $100k to $999,999; Private Client from 0.79% ($1M minimum) | On advisory tiers | Taxfyle Tax Pro, from $175, third party |
| Monarch Money | Core $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr; Plus $199.99/yr | No | You or your own preparer |
| Origin | $99/yr ($1 first year for new users now); CFP sessions $99 (30 min) or $149 (60 min) | Paid sessions | DIY via April for eligible employer members; individual members can’t file new returns through Origin in 2027 |
| Facet | Core $2,600, Plus $5,500, Complete $8,700 a year (list) | CFP in every tier | Partner firm on Plus and Complete |
| Nino | Software $20, $100, or $200/mo; Advisor $3,600, $4,800, or $12,000 a year | CPA and CFP on Advisor | Nino’s in-house CPA, federal and state, on every Advisor plan |
Sources: Empower Personal Strategy, Empower tax filing, Empower transition FAQ, Monarch pricing, Origin cost, Origin tax filing, Facet pricing, Nino pricing. Prices change; confirm on each site. Not personalized advice.
Do you need a tracker, or a planner who files your taxes?
One way to tell is to ask what you would do differently if your net worth number were off by $100,000. If the answer is nothing, you need a tracker, and the free one is fine. If the answer is a decision, like when to retire, what to sell, or how much to convert, you need someone accountable for that decision and for the tax that follows it.
Then ask who files. Empower sends you to Taxfyle, and Facet files on Plus and Complete through a partner. Origin’s individual members can’t file new returns through Origin in the 2027 season, and Monarch doesn’t file at all. Nino’s CPA files federal and state returns on every Advisor plan and works with your CFP during the year, so the person who plans a Roth conversion and the person who reports it on your return are on the same team.
Why is Nino the best Personal Capital alternative for planning and taxes?
Nino is built for the point where tracking turns into decisions. You can start with software: Basic at $20 a month, Pro at $100, or Ultra at $200, which adds year-round tax projections. When you want people, Advisor plans add a CPA and CFP team. Essential is $3,600 a year for 1 person with federal and state filing. Plus is $4,800 for 2 people with joint and multi-state filing. Premier is $12,000 and adds business, personal, and international filing. Every Advisor plan includes Ultra software and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The fee is flat, quoted before you join, and doesn’t rise with your balance. You keep your investments where they are. None of the other 4 put those pieces together. Empower charges a percentage for advice and sends filing to a third party. Facet sells a CFP membership with a partner filer and no software-only plan. Monarch is software, and Origin is software that sells CFP time by the session. For the full side-by-side, see Nino pricing and Nino vs Empower.
When is Monarch Money enough?
Monarch is enough when you want a paid tracker with budgets and nothing more. Core costs $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Plus costs $199.99 a year and adds forecasting, multiple income sources such as a small business, and deeper investment views. Monarch has no human planner and doesn’t file taxes. More in Monarch Money alternatives.
When does Origin fit?
Origin fits when you want budgeting, investing, AI guidance, and a basic will in one app for $99 a year, and new users can get the first year for $1 right now. CFP time is sold by the session: $99 for 30 minutes or $149 for 60. Origin’s tax filing is DIY through April Tax, and its help center says individual members won’t be able to file a new return through Origin in the 2027 season. More in Origin alternatives.
When does Facet fit?
Facet fits when you’ve decided you want a CFP and want investment management inside the same membership. List prices are $2,600 for Core, $5,500 for Plus, and $8,700 for Complete per year, with first-year discounts shown at signup. Tax filing comes on Plus and Complete through Facet’s designated partner. Memberships are annual and non-refundable under Facet’s terms, and there is no software-only plan. More in Facet alternatives.
When should you keep the free Empower dashboard?
Keep it if what you want is every balance in one place and you already have a preparer and a plan you trust. It costs nothing, and a paid tracker changes the interface while leaving the planning and the filing to you. Keep Personal Strategy if you want someone to manage the portfolio and you’re fine paying a percentage of it. Leave when the questions on your list are about taxes and decisions, and you want the people answering them to be the people who file.
Next step
If you used Personal Capital to see everything and now want someone to plan it and file the returns, book a free consultation or start with Nino pricing. This page is educational, not tax, legal, or investment advice. Confirm current fees and terms with each provider before you sign up.