ProjectionLab

Doughsense and ProjectionLab are both financial projection tools that help you model your financial future. Both are built by small, independent teams and both take the job seriously. They differ in granularity, geographic focus, and what they prioritise beyond raw projections.

ProjectionLab works at annual granularity with deep US tax optimisation, including Roth conversion ladders, Social Security modelling, and historical backtesting. Doughsense works at monthly granularity for long-term projections, with daily-level cash flow breakdowns for the near term, covering both short-term spending patterns and decades-long net worth planning in the same view.

At a Glance

Which Is Right for You?

Choose ProjectionLab if you are based in the US and want deep tax-optimised retirement planning. ProjectionLab's strength is modelling US-specific strategies: Roth conversion ladders, Social Security timing, and historical backtesting against decades of market data. It also supports couple and joint planning, which is valuable if you manage finances as a household. Its lifetime pricing option suits users who prefer a one-off purchase.

Choose Doughsense if you want to see the month-by-month impact of a decision, not just the annual outcome. "What if I increase my pension contributions?" or "Can I afford to take a year off?" - Doughsense traces each scenario forward in monthly steps with daily-level cash flow detail, so you see exactly when your runway tightens or your goals come within reach.

Beyond projections, 12 financial health metrics -- covering savings rate, cash runway, debt ratios, FI progress, and more -- explain your position in plain English, and milestone tracking gives you a projected date for goals like financial independence or mortgage payoff. Built in the UK with pensions, ISAs, and GBP defaults, Doughsense also supports custom tax schedules and multiple currencies for cross-border planning. AI-assisted onboarding builds your plan in minutes. Planning in spreadsheets instead? See our Spreadsheets comparison.

See It in Action

Doughsense timeline showing yearly net worth projections

Pricing

ProjectionLab offers a free tier where plans are not saved between sessions, a premium subscription at $17.42 per month or $129 per year, and a one-time lifetime purchase at $1,199 (check their pricing page for current rates). Doughsense is priced at £10 per month or £80 per year with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required to start. If you prefer paying once and owning the tool outright, ProjectionLab's lifetime option is appealing. If you prefer a low monthly cost with ongoing updates, Doughsense is the more affordable recurring option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Doughsense or ProjectionLab better for UK users?

Doughsense is built with a UK focus, including GBP as a default currency, UK pension modelling, and ISA support. ProjectionLab is designed primarily for US users, with features like Roth conversion ladders and US tax brackets. If you are based in the UK or manage finances across multiple currencies, Doughsense is the stronger fit.

Does Doughsense support US tax planning?

Doughsense does not have pre-built US strategies like Roth conversions or Social Security timing, but you can model your tax situation using custom tax schedules with progressive bands and income line items for deductions like 401(k) contributions. More jurisdictional tax schedules are being added. If deep US-specific strategy modelling is your primary need, ProjectionLab remains the better choice.

Can I use Doughsense and ProjectionLab together?

You could, but there is significant overlap. Both tools project your financial future, so running both means maintaining two sets of data. Most users find one tool covers their needs. If you want deep US tax modelling with Roth conversion ladders and Social Security timing, start with ProjectionLab. For simpler tax scenarios, Doughsense's custom tax schedules may be sufficient. If you want monthly-granularity planning with financial health metrics and milestone tracking, start with Doughsense.

Does Doughsense work outside the UK?

Yes. Doughsense is built in the UK for global use. Custom tax schedules let you model progressive tax systems for different jurisdictions, income line items handle region-specific deductions, and multi-currency support covers cross-border finances natively. UK-specific features like pension modelling and ISA support are included, but the core planning tools, including Monte Carlo simulations, milestone tracking, and financial health metrics, work for users anywhere in the world.

How long does Doughsense take to set up?

Most users are set up within 10 to 15 minutes using AI-assisted onboarding, which guides you through adding your accounts, income, and expenses. This is significantly faster than building a comparable financial model in a spreadsheet or manually configuring a new planning tool.