An Empower Personal Dashboard alternative without account linking
Beyond Payday is for households who want to plan without linking accounts, with kids and a business included. If you want portfolio analysis or a paid advisor, Empower may suit you.
30 days of Pro free — no card; keep the Free plan after unless you subscribe ($9/mo).
Why people switch to Beyond Payday
No bank login, ever
Type your numbers in or import a spreadsheet.
The whole household
Owner, spouse and kids, with per-person permissions.
Your business too
On Pro, track one or more businesses next to your household.
Ask ChatGPT or Claude
Connect either one to your own numbers.
Beyond Payday and Empower at a glance
Yes (their site says so) No (their site says so) Couldn’t confirm
| Feature | Beyond Payday | Empower |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, or Pro at $9/mo or $90/yr | Yes, their site says so: Free dashboard and toolssource: Empower: Tools, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Free plan | Yes. Income, bills, net worth, goals and debt payoff | Yes, their site says so: Yessource: Empower: Tools, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Free trial | Yes. 30 days of Pro, no card needed | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Links bank accounts | No. By design: no bank login needed | Yes, their site says so: Yessource: empower.com, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Household sharing | Yes. Owner, spouse and kids, with per-person permissions | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Retirement plan | Yes. On Pro: month by month to age 95 | Yes, their site says so: Retirement plannersource: Empower: Retirement planner, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Social Security timing | Yes. On Pro: any claiming age 62–70, spousal and survivor | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Debt payoff plan | Yes. Free: avalanche or snowball, with a debt-free date | Yes, their site says so: Debt Paydown toolsource: Empower: Tools, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Business tracking | Yes. On Pro: one or more businesses | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| AI assistant | Yes. On Pro: Beth answers from your own numbers | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Connects to ChatGPT & Claude | Yes. Connect either one to your own data | Couldn’t confirm on their site |
| Data export | Yes. Every plan: a .zip of JSON and CSV files | Yes, their site says so: Transaction CSVsource: Empower support: Export transactions to CSV, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Tracks transactions | No. By design: no transaction busywork | Yes, their site says so: Yes, tracked automaticallysource: Empower: Budgeting & Cash Flow, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Platforms | Web app you can install on your phone or computer | Yes, their site says so: Web, iOS, Androidsource: Empower support: Export data through the mobile app, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
| Paid financial advisors | No. A planning tool, not an advisor | Yes, their site says so: Yes, for a feesource: empower.com, checked Sep 25, 2026 (opens in a new tab) |
Based on each company’s own website, checked Sep 25, 2026. A – means we couldn’t confirm it on their site; features change, so check with them. Beyond Payday isn’t affiliated with Empower.
Something wrong or missing? Let us know and we’ll review it and update this page.
Beyond Payday is a great fit if…
- You want planning without linking investment accounts.
- You run a business alongside your household money.
- You want kids in the account with limited access.
Might not be for you if…
- You want portfolio analysis or a paid advisor.Source: Empower: Retirement planner (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026Source: empower.com (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026
How switching works
Import or type in your bills, assets and debts
CSV, TSV or XLSX files work. Transactions don’t carry over — Beyond Payday doesn’t track them. How import works
Add your income
Type it in, or scan a paystub photo and review what it fills in (3 scans on Free, unlimited on Pro).
Leave any time with your data
Export everything as a .zip of JSON and CSV files, on every plan.
Questions
- Does Beyond Payday link to my bank?
- No. It never asks for a bank login. You type your numbers in or import them from a spreadsheet, and you keep them current.
- Does Beyond Payday offer financial advice?
- No. Beyond Payday is a planning tool, not a financial advisor, and it does not manage investments. Its projections are estimates based on what you enter.
- Can my partner and kids use it too?
- Yes. One account covers the household: an owner, a spouse and children, with per-feature permissions for each person. One subscription covers everyone.
- Is there a free plan?
- Yes. The Free plan covers the dashboard, income, bills, assets, debts, net worth, goals, the Scenario Tester, import and export. Pro adds retirement planning, business tracking and Beth, the AI assistant. New accounts start with a 30-day Pro trial with no card needed, and keep the Free plan afterward unless they subscribe.
- Can I use it outside the US?
- Not yet. Beyond Payday is built for US households only: amounts are in US dollars, and taxes and Social Security rules are US-only.
Facts verified Sep 25, 2026 from each company’s own website (or an archived copy of it); features change — check the provider for current details.
Current details from each provider: empower.com (opens in a new tab).
Empower and Empower Personal Dashboard are trademarks of their respective owners. Beyond Payday has no affiliation with or endorsement from them.
Beyond Payday is a planning tool, not a financial advisor. Its figures are estimates based on what you enter, not guarantees.
Plan your household’s money without connecting accounts
Income, bills, what is left each month, net worth and, on Pro, retirement. No bank login.
30 days of Pro free — no card; keep the Free plan after unless you subscribe ($9/mo). After 30 days you keep the Free plan — no charge, no card.