Alternatives
A Boldin alternative you own for life
Boldin is powerful and deep. If its subscription and its complexity aren't for you, Meridary trades some of that depth for legibility — and a one-time price.
Updated July 11, 2026
What Boldin does well
Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is one of the deepest consumer planners on the market. Its PlannerPlus tier models federal and state tax, a Roth Conversion Explorer, IRMAA, and withdrawal sequencing, and it can pull your accounts in automatically through bank aggregation.
That depth is real, and for a hands-on planner who wants every lever, Boldin is a strong tool. We'd rather tell you that than pretend otherwise.
Where Meridary is different
Boldin bills at $12/month ($144/year). Meridary is a one-time lifetime license — you buy it once and re-run it every time life changes, with no recurring bill.
Boldin's most common criticism is complexity — reviewers describe 250+ inputs and a UI that can feel like too much for the job. Meridary deliberately narrows the tax and feature depth so the picture stays legible to someone without spreadsheet fluency. We curate the interactions that actually move the answer — federal tax plus a flat state rate, account-type treatment, RMDs, Social Security, and Roth-conversion effects — and stop there on purpose.
We also don't connect to your bank. There's no account aggregation to set up and no credentials to hand over — you enter what you have, and the projection is yours.
Which one is right for you
Choose Boldin if you want the deepest possible tax modeling, per-state deduction detail, and automatic account syncing, and a subscription is fine.
Choose Meridary if you want a clear, trustworthy answer to “will my money last” without a subscription or a learning curve — and you'd rather own the tool than rent it.
Meridary vs Boldin, at a glance
| Feature | Meridary | Boldin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $149–$199 once, lifetime license | $144/year subscription |
| Tax depth | Federal + a flat state rate (deliberately shallow, checked against IRS figures) | Deepest consumer engine: federal + per-state, IRMAA |
| Account aggregation | None by design — you enter your accounts | Yes (Plaid / MX / Finicity) |
| Monte Carlo | 1,000 trials by default, raisable to 10,000 | 1,000 trials |
| Learning curve | Legible; a guided plan, not 250+ inputs | Deep, but often called complex |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 14-day trial |
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Frequently asked
- Is Meridary cheaper than Boldin?
- Over time, yes. Meridary is a one-time license ($149–$199, paid once); Boldin's PlannerPlus is $144 per year, so the cost difference grows every year you keep planning.
- Does Meridary connect to my bank like Boldin?
- No. Meridary deliberately has no account aggregation — you enter your accounts yourself. That keeps your credentials out of it and keeps per-user costs (and your price) down.
- Is Meridary as deep as Boldin?
- No, and that's intentional. Meridary models federal tax plus a flat state rate and the interactions that move the answer, kept shallow enough to stay legible. Boldin models more — at the cost of more complexity.