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Zedi vs Empower

Empower is a free dashboard for net worth, investing and retirement; Zedi is built for everyday spending, receipts and who owes who.1

Facts about Empower come from its own site and were checked October 10, 2026. Each one links to its source below.

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Pick Empower if

  • You want free net worth, portfolio and retirement tools.1
  • You want your investment accounts linked in one view.1
  • You might want a paid financial advisor later.1

Pick Zedi if

  • You want to know exactly where your everyday spending goes.
  • You want receipts split by item and costs split with friends.
  • You would rather upload statements than link accounts.
Line by line

Zedi and Empower, side by side.

A check marks a row an app does well. “Not listed” means we looked on its site and could not find it.

Zedi
Empower
Price
What it costs to use.
Free; Pro $3.50 a month, plus SimpleFIN’s $1.50 a month

Free with your files. Pro is $3.50 a month to Zedi and SimpleFIN bills $1.50 a month or $15 a year, plus tax, so bank sync is $5 a month all in, before tax.

Free

The dashboard and its tools are free.1

How data gets in
Bank sync, files or typing.
Files, or read-only sync on Pro

Drop in CSV, PDF or QFX statements, Venmo files and receipt photos. On Pro, accounts can also update on their own: read-only through SimpleFIN, about once a day.

Links your accounts

You connect bank, card, loan and investment accounts in one place.1

Your bank login
Where it goes, if anywhere.
Zedi never sees it

Files link nothing. With sync on Pro, you sign in to your bank through SimpleFIN, and MX or the bank holds that login, so Zedi never sees it.

Needed to link accounts

The dashboard works by linking your accounts.1

Copies and transfers
Duplicate rows and card payments.
Counted once: copies out, card payments paired

Upload the same month twice and any row with the same date, amount and description is left out. Card payments and Venmo cash-outs pair up, so they don’t count as spending or income.

Transfers left out; copies by hand

Transfers and card payments are left out of cash flow. You mark a duplicate yourself.2,3

Receipts
What a receipt photo becomes.
Every item gets its own category

Snap a receipt and each item lands in its own category, automatically. Split items with friends, and get 10 free receipt scans a month.

Not listed

Receipts are not among its listed tools.1

Who owes who
Costs you share with people.
Who owes who, kept for you

Receipt splits, Venmo payments and IOUs you jot down roll into one running balance per person. It’s your record, so friends don’t need an account.

Not listed

Shared costs are not among its listed tools.1

Budgets
Plan what you will spend.
Not yet

Not yet. Today Zedi shows exactly where your money went: top categories, and this month next to last month.

Yes, in its free tools

Its free Budgeting & Cash Flow tool lets you build a budget, track cash coming in and out, and change the budget any time.4,1

Ads and your data
What they say about both.
No ads; never sold

No ads and no ad trackers. We make money from Pro, not from your data.

Free; sells advice separately

The dashboard is free. Empower also offers paid advisory services, priced by the money it manages.1

Where it runs
Apps and browsers.
Any web browser

Runs in any web browser, on a phone or a computer. There is no app in the app stores.

Web, iPhone, Android

The web, plus apps for iPhone and Android.1,5

Questions

Zedi or Empower?

Is Zedi an Empower alternative?+
For everyday spending, yes. For investing, no: Zedi does not plan retirement or analyze a portfolio. Some people use one for each.1
Is Empower really free?+
Its dashboard and tools are free. Empower also sells advisory services, with fees based on the money it manages.1
Do I have to link accounts to use Zedi?+
No. Zedi runs on the statements you already download: CSV, PDF or QFX. Bank sync is an optional Pro extra through SimpleFIN, and Zedi never sees your bank login.

Sources

Pages on Empower’s own site and help center, checked October 10, 2026. Prices and features change, so check them before you decide.

  1. https://www.empower.com/tools
  2. https://support-personalwealth.empower.com/hc/en-us/articles/201170070-Why-are-my-Credit-Card-payments-not-included-in-the-Cash-Flow-section
  3. https://support-personalwealth.empower.com/hc/en-us/articles/115006084588-How-Do-I-Mark-Duplicate-Transactions
  4. https://www.empower.com/tools/budgeting-cash-flow
  5. https://support-personalwealth.empower.com/hc/en-us/articles/33313053468055-Logging-in-on-the-New-Empower-Experience

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