Looking for an Empower Alternative?
Empower (formerly Personal Capital) is a legitimate, SEC-registered service used by millions to track net worth for free. This isn't about whether Empower is trustworthy — it clearly is. It's about what its free dashboard actually does, what it's designed to lead you toward, and whether that fits what you're trying to do as a DIY investor.
Price comparison
| Zyvo | Empower Free Dashboard | Empower Personal Strategy (paid) |
|---|---|---|
| $8/mo billed monthly, or $80/yr billed annually 1 flat plan, everything included |
$0 Net worth tracking, budgeting, fee analyzer |
0.89% of assets/year (tiers down to 0.49% above $10M) $100,000 account minimum required |
The free Empower dashboard costs nothing, but it exists to route you toward the paid tier. On a $100,000 portfolio, 0.89% works out to $890 a year — over 11x what Zyvo costs annually — and you need at least $100,000 invested just to qualify. Zyvo's price never changes based on how much you hold.
Feature comparison
| Zyvo | Empower (free tier) | |
|---|---|---|
| True TWR & IRR performance metrics | Yes | No — net worth and allocation focused, not true time-weighted performance |
| Tax report (FIFO / Average Cost, CSV export) | Yes | No — tax-aware investing is a paid-advisory feature only |
| Portfolio concentration risk (HHI) | Yes | Partial — flags fee drag and broad allocation, not HHI-based concentration |
| Multi-broker consolidation | Yes, 35+ brokers or CSV import | Yes, broad account aggregation (US-focused) |
| Retirement planner | No | Yes, free and well-regarded |
| Human financial advisor access | No | Only on the paid tier, $100k minimum |
| Price scales with portfolio size | No — flat fee regardless of assets | Yes — paid tier is a % of assets under management |
| Try without an account | Yes, live demo | No, requires signup and account linking |
Where Empower has the edge
Empower's free tools are genuinely good, not a bait-and-switch gimmick — the retirement planner and fee analyzer are widely regarded as best-in-class, and cost nothing to use regardless of whether you ever touch the paid tier. If you want one free dashboard that pulls together bank accounts, credit cards, and investments for a full net-worth picture — and you might eventually want a human, fiduciary advisor once your portfolio crosses $100,000 — Empower's combination of free tools plus an optional paid upgrade path is hard to beat.
Where Zyvo differs
Zyvo isn't trying to sell you an advisory relationship — there's no paid tier that costs more the more successful your investing gets. It's built specifically for the DIY investor who wants to see true TWR and IRR (not just a net-worth number), get a real tax report with a choice of cost-basis method, and check concentration risk with an actual HHI calculation — all for one flat price whether you're tracking $10,000 or $10 million.
Frequently asked
Is Empower really free?
The dashboard — net worth tracking, retirement planner, fee analyzer, budgeting — is free. Empower makes money by upselling its Personal Strategy wealth management service: 0.89% of assets per year on balances up to $1M, with a $100,000 account minimum.
How much would Empower's advisory fee cost compared to Zyvo?
On a $100,000 portfolio, Empower's 0.89% fee is $890 a year. Zyvo costs $80 a year billed annually, regardless of portfolio size, because it's a flat subscription rather than a percentage of assets.
Does Empower calculate true TWR and IRR like Zyvo?
No. Empower's free dashboard focuses on net worth and asset allocation rather than true Time-Weighted Return or Internal Rate of Return. Zyvo calculates both automatically from your transaction history.
Does Empower generate tax reports?
Empower's free tier doesn't generate capital gains or realized-gains tax reports — tax-aware investing is part of the paid advisory service only. Zyvo includes a FIFO/Average Cost tax report with CSV export on its single flat-fee plan.
Try Zyvo with a real sample portfolio — no signup required.
See true TWR/IRR, tax reports, and concentration risk for yourself before deciding.
View the live demo →Or start your free 14-day trial — no credit card required.