Compared · facts verified June 2026
Granary vs ProjectionLab
ProjectionLab is the prettiest sandbox in this category, it has a larger community than Granary, and its free tier includes Monte Carlo simulation and historical backtesting — features most competitors charge for, and a genuinely generous call. If you want to spend an evening sculpting life scenarios in a beautiful modeling environment, that is ProjectionLab's home turf and we won't pretend otherwise.
The comparison sharpens when the question changes from “can I model my life?” to “what will the IRS actually do to my plan?” — because the tax machinery sits in ProjectionLab's $129 tier, and in Granary's $39 one.
Credit where due
What ProjectionLab genuinely does better
The sandbox
ProjectionLab's scenario modeling is the most polished in the category — building and comparing alternate lives is its core craft, and it shows.
Free Monte Carlo and backtesting
Both are included in ProjectionLab's free tier. If a free probabilistic simulator is all you need, you can stop reading and go use it — that's an honest answer.
Community
A larger, active user community means more shared scenarios, more answered questions, and faster word-of-mouth fixes than a smaller product can offer.
Privacy isn't ours alone
ProjectionLab markets manual entry and no data selling, and means it. We compete on privacy architecture — browser-side encryption and a local-only mode — not by pretending we're the only ones who care.
The verified facts
Side by side
Paid tier, annual (verified June 2026)
Granary
$39/yr, or $4.99/mo on the monthly plan.
ProjectionLab
$129/yr for Premium.
Monte Carlo
Granary
1,000 paths over a 50-year horizon, randomized return and inflation each year — in the $39 tier.
ProjectionLab
Included in the free tier. Genuinely generous, and worth saying plainly.
Historical backtesting
Granary
Every rolling window 1928–2024 with real CPI sequences — in the $39 tier.
ProjectionLab
Included in the free tier.
Tax depth
Granary
Federal + 50-state engine, Pub 915 Social Security taxability ramp, IRMAA across six tiers per filing status with the two-year MAGI lookback, Roth conversion ladders, and a 2026 ACA cliff engine checked against Rev. Proc. 2025-25 — all at $39.
ProjectionLab
Roth conversions, withdrawal strategies, ACA, and capital-gains harvesting are gated to the paid tier ($129/yr).
Privacy stance
Granary
No Plaid or aggregation ever; sync is encrypted in your browser (AES-GCM) before it reaches our database; local-only mode keeps your numbers off the cloud entirely.
ProjectionLab
Actively markets manual entry, no account linking, and no data selling. A real privacy posture, not a claim we dispute.
Auditability
Granary
Every number drills down to its formula and inputs; 280+ CI assertions run on every release.
ProjectionLab
Varies — not verified this pass.
ProjectionLab claims verified June 2026 against public pricing and feature pages. Where we couldn't verify a detail, the cell says “varies” rather than guessing.
The honest close
Which one is for you?
Choose ProjectionLab if
- →You want the best scenario sandbox in the category and enjoy the modeling itself.
- →Free Monte Carlo and backtesting cover your needs, and you don’t need the tax engine.
- →A larger community around the product matters to you.
Choose Granary if
- →The tax math is the point: Roth ladders, withdrawal strategies, IRMAA, and the 2026 ACA cliff cost $39 here and $129 there.
- →You want federal tax and the Pub 915 Social Security ramp modeled bracket by bracket — plus all 50 states covered with a deliberately conservative, editable rate (exact for flat-tax states, top-marginal default for progressive ones).
- →You want browser-side encryption and a local-only mode, not just a no-data-selling promise.
- →You want to audit the output — every number opens its formula, and 280+ CI assertions pin the math.
Also comparing Boldin, or weighing Granary against the spreadsheet you built?
Run your own numbers.
Both tools will run your scenario. Only one of them charges $39 for the tax engine. Put your real numbers in and check us.
Start freeFree tier, no card required. Try Pro free for 7 days — cancel anytime, not charged until day 8. 30-day money-back guarantee on every paid plan.