Copilot Money vs Empower Personal Dashboard
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Copilot Money is a personal finance app that links bank, credit, and investment accounts to automatically categorize transactions, track budgets with rollover, and monitor net worth. It uses AI-assisted automation to recognize spending patterns, detect subscriptions, and surface monthly cash flow summaries without manual entry.
Empower Personal Dashboard is a free personal finance tool (formerly branded Personal Capital) that lets users link bank, credit card, investment, and retirement accounts to see a complete financial picture in one place. It tracks net worth over time, categorizes spending and cash flow automatically, and includes a retirement planner that models different savings and spending scenarios. The dashboard is offered by Empower Personal Wealth (EPW), part of the same corporate family as Empower Retirement (the 401(k) recordkeeper) but a distinct consumer-facing business; the dashboard itself is entirely free, with revenue coming from an optional paid advisory service, Empower Personal Strategy, requiring at least $100,000 in investable assets and charging tiered annual fees around 0.89% and down.
- Clean automation reduces manual transaction entry
- Combines budgeting and investment tracking in one app
- Budget rollover rewards underspending in a category
- Privacy-focused, no-ads positioning
- The core dashboard, net worth tracker, and retirement planner are entirely free, with no trial period or paywall.
- Aggregates a very wide range of account types, including old 401(k)s, IRAs, mortgages, and credit cards, in one view.
- Backed by a large, established financial company with $2.1 trillion+ in assets under administration group-wide.
- Optional paid advisory tier provides a natural upgrade path for users who want a human advisor as their assets grow.
- Paid subscription required after the trial, no permanent free tier
- Apple-only platform support (iPhone, iPad, Mac, web)
- Relies on linked account data accuracy from bank connections
- The free dashboard is a lead-generation tool for the paid advisory service, so expect regular calls and emails promoting Personal Strategy.
- Paid advisory access requires a $100,000 minimum, putting it out of reach for many users of the free tool.
- Shares the Empower brand with Empower Retirement (the unrelated 401(k) recordkeeper), which can cause confusion about which service is being used.
More alternatives & similar tools
Alternatives to Copilot Money
View all →
All‑in‑one personal finance app for budgeting, net worth, and shared money management
Free net worth, budgeting, and retirement planning dashboard, formerly known as Personal Capital.
Automatically updated spreadsheet budgeting in Google Sheets or Excel, with daily bank feeds.
Alternatives to Empower Personal Dashboard
View all →The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataCopilot Money offers a fully automated, Apple‑centric budgeting and net‑worth app for a subscription fee, while Empower provides a free, cross‑platform dashboard with broader account coverage but includes sales outreach for paid advisory services.
Key differences
- •Platform support: Copilot Money is Apple‑only (iPhone, iPad, Mac, web); Empower works on iOS, Android, and web.
- •Pricing model: Copilot Money requires a paid subscription after trial; Empower’s core features are free with optional paid advisory.
- •Account aggregation breadth: Empower aggregates a wider range of retirement and mortgage accounts; Copilot Money focuses on bank, credit‑card, and investment accounts via Plaid.
- •User experience focus: Copilot Money emphasizes AI‑driven automation and budget roll‑over; Empower emphasizes retirement planning tools and fee analysis.
- •Sales approach: Empower’s free tier is a lead‑generation tool that may result in sales calls; Copilot Money has no such outreach.
Pricing & value
Empower’s core dashboard, budgeting, and retirement tools are free; Copilot Money requires a paid subscription.
Ease of use / learning curve
Copilot Money automates categorization and budget roll‑over, reducing manual setup; Empower requires more manual configuration.
Features & depth
Empower includes retirement planner, fee analyzer, and broader account types; Copilot Money lacks retirement‑specific tools.
Integrations & ecosystem
Empower aggregates banks, credit cards, investments, retirement accounts, mortgages; Copilot Money limited to bank and investment via Plaid.
Support
Copilot Money offers email support and a help center; Empower adds phone support for advisory clients only.
Security & privacy
Copilot Money markets itself as privacy‑focused with no ads; Empower’s free tier is a lead‑generation tool, implying data sharing.
Choose Copilot Money if…
Apple‑only users who want hands‑off budgeting and are willing to pay for automation.
Choose Empower Personal Dashboard if…
Users seeking a free, cross‑platform view of net worth and retirement planning, and who don’t mind occasional sales outreach.
Common questions
Is there a free version of Copilot Money?
No; Copilot Money offers only a paid subscription after a trial, with no permanent free tier.
Can I use Empower on an Android device?
Yes; Empower provides iOS and Android apps that mirror the web dashboard.
Will I be contacted by sales if I use Empower’s free dashboard?
Yes; the free tier is a lead‑generation tool and users may receive regular calls about paid advisory services.