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, whether they connect to your bank, and what they prioritise beyond raw projections.

ProjectionLab works at annual granularity with a deep US tax engine, including Roth conversion ladders, Social Security modelling, estate planning, and historical backtesting, plus UK presets for ISAs, SIPPs, and workplace pensions. Doughsense works at monthly granularity for long-term projections, with daily-level cash flow breakdowns for the near term, and connects to UK banks on its Plus tier so the plan keeps itself current.

At a Glance

Which Is Right for You?

Choose ProjectionLab if you want the deepest tax-optimised retirement engine and are happy to enter your data by hand. ProjectionLab's strength is modelling US-specific strategies (Roth conversion ladders, Social Security timing, estate planning) alongside user-tunable Monte Carlo distributions and historical backtesting. It has added credible UK presets (ISA, SIPP with MPAA rules, workplace pension), so UK FIRE planners will find it capable. The trade-offs are that it has no bank connections by design, no native mobile app, and a setup that can take a few hours.

Choose Doughsense if you want to see the month-by-month impact of a decision, not just the annual outcome, without maintaining your data by hand. "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. On the Plus tier it connects to UK banks so your balances stay current, and it runs on native iOS and Android apps.

Beyond projections, 12 financial health metrics, covering savings rate, cash runway, debt ratios, FI progress and more, explain your position in plain English rather than leaving you to read raw charts, and milestone tracking gives you a projected date for goals like financial independence or mortgage payoff. You can also model a partner in your plan, with their own tax schedule and pensions projected jointly in one account. Built in the UK with pensions, ISAs, and GBP defaults, Doughsense also supports custom tax schedules and multiple currencies for cross-border planning. Guided setup builds your plan in minutes, with AI-assisted onboarding on the Plus tier. Planning in spreadsheets instead? See our Spreadsheets comparison.

See It in Action

Doughsense timeline showing yearly net worth projections

Pricing

ProjectionLab offers a feature-limited free tier that now includes forecasting, Monte Carlo, and historical backtesting, then a Premium subscription at $129 per year and a Pro tier at $549 per year for advisers. In 2026 it dropped its monthly and one-time lifetime plans, so annual billing is the only paid option (check their pricing page for current rates). Doughsense is free forever with manual data, and its Plus tier adds UK bank feeds and a self-maintaining plan for £10 per month or £80 per year. Your 14-day Plus trial starts when you connect your bank, with no card required to begin. If you want a low recurring cost with bank feeds and mobile apps, Doughsense is the more complete option; if you want the deepest US tax engine, ProjectionLab goes further there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Doughsense or ProjectionLab better for UK users?

Both handle UK planning, but from different starting points. Doughsense is UK-native throughout: GBP by default, UK pension and ISA modelling, and UK open banking feeds on the Plus tier so your plan stays current without manual updates. ProjectionLab is a US-first engine that has added credible UK presets (ISA, SIPP with MPAA rules, workplace pension), so it is capable for UK FIRE planners, but it has no bank connections by design and no native mobile app. If you want UK-native planning with live bank data on your phone, 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 bank feeds, 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. Guided setup walks you through adding your accounts, income, and expenses, and on the Plus tier, AI-assisted onboarding and bank feeds make it even faster. This is significantly faster than building a comparable financial model in a spreadsheet, and quicker than ProjectionLab's manual setup, which can take a few hours.