RightCapital vs MoneyGuide

Planning approach

The core difference is philosophy. MoneyGuide put goals-based planning on the map, and it still leads with the framework it invented: clients sort objectives into Needs, Wants and Wishes, then explore trade-offs with the interactive Play Zone sliders and the "What Are You Afraid Of?" stress test. That approach is intuitive for accumulation-stage households and produces client-friendly conversations.

The flip side is that MoneyGuide is primarily goals-based rather than a true cash-flow planner. Third-party reviewers, including RightCapital's own comparison, note that its projections lean less on detailed cash-flow data and give "minimal consideration of pre-retirement income and expenses." Kitces has also observed that MoneyGuide is one of the few planning platforms without its own client PFM portal, and that its calculation methodology can be hard to verify. Deeper estate and net-worth modeling lives in the separate Wealth Studios module.

RightCapital comes at planning from the cash-flow side and pairs it with tax depth. It offers dynamic retirement planning with Monte Carlo simulations, Cash Flow Maps for income and expense projections, and a tax engine that models Roth conversions, tax-efficient withdrawals and asset location. Its standout is the student-loan module, which handles income-driven repayment and PSLF eligibility in detail — something few planning tools do well. If you serve younger professionals or physicians carrying education debt, that alone can decide it. RightCapital also ships a client portal and mobile app, plus the Iris AI agent and Smart Import on higher tiers.

Neither tool is the depth leader for the most complex households. RightCapital's reviewers flag gaps in advanced tax-withdrawal sequencing, estate, international and business-owner planning versus heavier tools like eMoney. MoneyGuide's critics point to the cash-flow limitation. So the honest framing is not "one is deeper," but "each is deep in different places."

Pricing

RightCapital is the transparent one. It publishes per-advisor monthly rates on its pricing page: Basic at $149.95, Premium at $209.95 and Platinum at $254.95, with a custom Enterprise tier, a 14-day free trial, and assistant access as a $40-per-month add-on. One caveat worth passing to clients or partners: some third-party aggregators still show older figures near $124.95 and $149.95, which appear stale. Treat the official page as authoritative and confirm the current rate directly.

MoneyGuide is only partly public, which is unusual for the niche. Its official pricing page shows an Individual tier at $1,400 per advisor for an annual subscription (or $125 per advisor billed monthly), with a Yodlee account-aggregation add-on at $400 annually per user, and "contact us" enterprise pricing. Kitces cites roughly $1,295/year as an industry benchmark. Beyond that, the widely repeated tier splits — Pro versus Elite, plus Dash, MyBlocks and Wealth Studios add-ons — come from third-party sites and are not fully confirmed on an official Envestnet page. We would not treat those Elite and add-on numbers as official, and neither should you when budgeting.

Compared like-for-like on the confirmed figures, RightCapital's entry point works out lower on an annual basis, and its tiers are easier to price without a sales call.

Which advisors each fits

Choose MoneyGuide if you sit inside (or sell to) a large enterprise. Roughly 70% of the top 20 U.S. banks and 75% of the top 20 independent broker-dealers run on the platform, so if your firm mandates it or your clients are accumulation-stage households who respond to a clean goals narrative, it is a proven, deeply integrated choice with 270+ partners.

Choose RightCapital if you run an independent or planning-focused practice, want an intuitive interface your clients can follow, and value knowing the price before you commit. Its retirement, tax and student-loan strengths fit mainstream domestic clients especially well, and the free trial lets you test it against your real cases first.

Frequently asked questions

Is MoneyGuide or RightCapital cheaper?

On confirmed public figures, RightCapital's Basic tier at $149.95 per advisor per month is lower annually than MoneyGuide's $1,400-per-advisor individual license. But MoneyGuide's full tier and add-on pricing is largely quote-only, so compare final quotes for your firm size.

Which one is better for cash-flow planning?

RightCapital. It is built around cash-flow and tax modeling, with Cash Flow Maps and detailed tax tools. MoneyGuide is primarily goals-based, and reviewers note its projections rely less on granular cash-flow data.

Does RightCapital have the enterprise adoption MoneyGuide has?

No. MoneyGuide, via Envestnet, reports very high adoption among top banks and broker-dealers. RightCapital describes its base only as "thousands of advisors" and does not publish a specific count.

Which is easier for clients to use?

Both aim for client-friendly presentation. MoneyGuide's Play Zone sliders and goals framing are strong for engagement; RightCapital adds a client portal and mobile app. Your choice may hinge on whether you prefer goals-first or cash-flow-first storytelling.