Comparison

Portfolio Visualizer vs Portfolio Lab

Portfolio Visualizer lands on Depends, and Portfolio Lab lands on Worth it.

Portfolio Visualizer

portfoliovisualizer.com

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Buy if you're a serious DIY investor or advisor needing deep backtesting, Monte Carlo, and factor analysis on a budget.

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Portfolio Lab

portfoliolab.app

Worth it

Confidence: Medium

DIY investors get a genuinely free, assumption-transparent optimizer with little to lose.

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Portfolio Visualizer versus Portfolio Lab
Compare	Portfolio Visualizer	Portfolio Lab
Verdict	Depends	Worth it
Best for	DIY investors backtesting allocations	DIY index investors
Who it's not for	Casual investors who just want net-worth tracking	Advisors needing custodian feeds and client reporting
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.^³	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support quality	No evidence in sources	No support or responsiveness evidence found
Public sentiment	A long-beloved Bogleheads staple whose reputation soured after 2024 pricing and UI changes.^⁵	Independent user reviews are sparse; Reddit discussions focus on calculation details rather than endorsements.
Biggest gotcha	Free tier limits and lost download features after 2024 changes; paid plan needed for full use^⁷	'The catch' with free optimizers is gated features . verify which tools stay free¹⁵

Pick Portfolio Visualizer when

DIY investors backtesting allocations
Factor and correlation research
Monte Carlo retirement simulations
Advisors comparing model portfolios

When Portfolio Visualizer is not a fit

Casual investors who just want net-worth tracking
Anyone relying on free CSV downloads
People wanting personalized investment advice
Users who hate relearning a redesigned UI

Pick Portfolio Lab when

DIY index investors
Portfolio Visualizer power users
Assumption-checking allocators

When Portfolio Lab is not a fit

Advisors needing custodian feeds and client reporting
Institutional teams wanting order management or compliance
Hands-off investors who just want account tracking
Anyone expecting trade execution or tax-loss harvesting

Sources

Portfolio Visualizer official siteportfoliovisualizer.com
official
Subscription Plans and Pricingportfoliovisualizer.com
official
Portfolio Visualizer Documentation/FAQportfoliovisualizer.com
official
Best Portfolio Analysis Tools . The College Investorthecollegeinvestor.com
review
Portfolio Visualizer Update . Reddit r/Bogleheadsreddit.com
review
RIP to my boy . Reddit r/Bogleheadsreddit.com
review
PV now less useful . Reddit r/Bogleheadsreddit.com
review
Bogleheads forum . What do people use?bogleheads.org
review
Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
review
Free ETF Backtest Guide . DataSavvy Financedatasavvyfinance.com
review
Acquisition announcement . X postx.com
news
Testfolio . competing backtestertestfol.io
review
Portfolio Lab . Free Portfolio Optimizer & Analysis Softwareportfoliolab.app
official
Portfolio Lab vs Portfolio Visualizerportfoliolab.app
official
Portfolio Visualizer Alternatives 2026 . Portfolio Labportfoliolab.app
official
About Portfolio Lab . Glenn Cameron, CFAportfoliolab.app
official