Compare
Loam vs Empower
Empower’s Personal Dashboard, formerly Personal Capital, is a free US net worth tracker that links your accounts and pays for itself by offering wealth management. Loam costs $30 a year instead, works in any currency, and has real budgets, with nothing to sell you.
Feature by feature
| Loam | Empower | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price | $30 a year or $3 a month | Free; makes money from paid wealth management |
| Free trial | 30 days, no payment details needed | Not needed; the dashboard is free |
| Free plan | No, the trial is the free part | Yes, all dashboard tools |
| Ads | None | No third-party ads; promotes its own advisory services |
| Privacy and your data | ||
| Account required | None, not even an email | Yes, with an email and a US phone number |
| Bank login | Never | Yes, through Yodlee or bank sign-in; manual accounts optional |
| Where your data lives | On your phone, plus your own iCloud or Google device backup | Empower’s servers |
| AI and your finances | Never sees your finances. Only a bank text format Loam has never seen goes out, until Loam learns its pattern | Not advertised |
| Analytics and tracking | None | Google Analytics; App Store label lists data used for marketing |
| App lock | Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint | Face ID, Touch ID or Android biometrics |
| Export | CSV or JSON | CSV of transactions; net worth PDF on iPhone |
| Getting transactions in | ||
| Bank sync | No, by design | Yes, nightly and at login |
| Bank text messages | Yes, read on the phone. Automatic on Android; a Shortcut on iPhone | No |
| Manual entry | Yes | Yes, one at a time on linked accounts |
| Voice entry | Siri, without opening the app | Not advertised |
| Receipt scanning | No | Attach an image; no scanning |
| Categorising | Merchant rules you set, suggested once you file a shop by hand twice | Automatic, and edits can become rules |
| What it tracks | ||
| Credit cards | Yes, with statements and installment plans | Balance, APR, limit and bill reminders |
| Deposits and CDs | Yes: interest payouts, floating rates and maturity | Linked CDs as bank balances |
| Stocks and ETFs | Yes, with average cost and gain | Yes, linked brokerages or manual tickers |
| Crypto | Yes, priced for you | Manual quantities, prices every 8 hours |
| Gold and silver | Gold by karat and silver by fineness, priced off spot | Manual value only |
| Property | Yes | Yes, Zillow estimate or manual |
| Loans and mortgages | Mortgages, loans and installment plans | Yes, with a debt paydown tool |
| Currencies | 80, and totals also readable in a steadier one, such as USD | US dollars only |
| Planning | ||
| Budgets | Monthly category budgets, tagged needs or wants | One monthly spending target |
| Spending insights | Per category, five months back, with what to do | Cash flow and spending by category |
| Net worth over time | No; the forecast looks forward instead | Yes |
| Long-term forecast | 5, 10 or 20 years of your deposits and investments, with your own return per holding | Monte Carlo retirement planner |
| Inflation-adjusted view | Consumer prices, monetary debasement and currency devaluation, filled in for you | Not advertised |
| Runway | Yes: months of your budget the assets you choose would cover | An emergency fund tool compares cash with a target |
| Savings goals | No goals; a monthly savings target and savings rate | Yes, savings and retirement planners |
| Recurring charges | Spots monthly charges, their yearly cost and when one goes up | Bill reminders for cards, loans and mortgages |
| Everyday use | ||
| Apps | iPhone and Android | iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac |
| Web app | No | Yes, full web app |
| Sharing with a partner | No | Yes, invite additional users |
| Notifications | None, ever | Login approvals, daily email and security alerts |
| Languages | English and Arabic | English and Spanish |
| Where it works | Anywhere, with banks that text in English or Arabic | US only |
Which should you pick?
| Empower is stronger at | Loam is stronger at |
|---|---|
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Pick Empower if you are in the US, want a free dashboard of linked accounts and plan to model retirement in detail. Pick Loam if you live elsewhere or want budgets and runway without a sales pitch.
More comparisons
Try Loam free for 30 days.
In beta now on iPhone and Android. No account, no bank login, no payment details for the trial. Then $30 a year or $3 a month.
Empower details are taken from its own website and app store listings in September 2026 and may have changed since. Empower is a trademark of its owner; Loam is not affiliated with it.