Coastline vs SmartAsset
SmartAsset’s retirement calculator is a fast, polished estimator — and a lead-generation front door for its advisor-matching business. Coastline is a free, no-signup planning tool focused on accuracy and transparency, with the full math behind every figure. Here’s how they differ.
Coastline vs SmartAsset, feature by feature
| Feature | Coastline | SmartAsset |
|---|---|---|
| Free, no signup or email required | Yes | Signup / lead capture |
| Year-by-year projection you can inspect | Yes | No |
| Federal + state tax math | Yes | Simplified |
| Roth conversion / withdrawal-order strategy | Yes | No |
| Monte Carlo / historical market stress-test | Yes | No |
| Shows the exact math behind every number | Yes | No |
| All 50 states + DC, itemized deductions, IRMAA, ACA, 72(t) | Yes | No |
| Advisor matching / product referral | No — just the tool | Yes |
The same plan, run through Coastline
SmartAsset’s calculator asks for savings, income and a retirement age and returns a single projected line with simplified tax. Below is the same plan with the tax worked through account by account. One retiree, $1,000,000 at 65 split 60% taxable / 30% traditional / 10% Roth, single filer, no-income-tax state, no Social Security, spending $40,000 a year in today’s dollars to 95:
| Figure | Coastline |
|---|---|
| Spending the accounts delivered, 65 to 95 (today’s $): the $40,000 a year plus Medicare premiums from 65 | $1,287,081 |
| Gross withdrawn to deliver it | $1,295,071 |
| Tax on the way out, federal + state (today’s $) | $7,990 (0.6% of withdrawals) |
| Real net worth left at 95, straight-line 6% return | $382,148 funded to 95 |
| Most the plan can spend after tax and still last to 95, retiring at 65 | $47,000 (4.7%) |
| … retiring at 45 instead | $28,000 (2.8%) |
The tax row is what a pre-tax simulator leaves for the reader to guess, and for this particular retiree it is small: a single filer drawing about $12,000 a year from a traditional account and the rest from a taxable account whose gains fall in the 0% capital-gains bracket has little to tax. A larger traditional balance, a pension or Social Security stacking on top, or a state with an income tax moves it — which is the case for running your own plan rather than reading this one. The figures are identical on every comparison page on this site because they are one plan run once; only the tool being compared changes.
When to use SmartAsset
SmartAsset is handy for a quick, friendly ballpark and if you actually want to be connected with a financial advisor — that’s the service it’s built around. Its calculators are clean and require little input.
When to use Coastline
Choose Coastline when you want to go deeper than a ballpark without handing over your contact info: real tax modeling in both your working and retirement years, strategy comparisons (Roth conversions, withdrawal order, Social Security timing), market stress-testing, and a transparent breakdown of how every number was computed. Nothing is sold to you.
Both tools are free. This comparison is written by Coastline, so weigh it accordingly — try both and use whichever answers your question. SmartAsset is a well-regarded tool; the differences here are about focus, not quality.
Common questions
Is the SmartAsset retirement calculator free?
Yes, it’s free to use, though it’s designed to match you with financial advisors and may ask for contact information. Coastline is free with no signup and no advisor referral.
Which is more detailed?
Coastline models more of the plan — full federal/state tax math, Roth-conversion and withdrawal-order strategy, Social Security timing, and market stress-testing — and shows the calculation behind each figure. SmartAsset favors speed and simplicity.
Does Coastline sell my information?
No. Coastline sells nothing and doesn’t match anyone with advisors.