READYSAVE 529 vs ClearToRetire
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
READYSAVE 529
Manage your education savings plan account on the go. Securely access your 529 plan, track investments, and make contributions. Withdraw funds for education expenses starting July 2025.
- Secure 529 account access
- View balance and transaction history
- Add one-time or recurring contributions
- Track investment allocations
- Invite others to contribute
- Withdraw funds for education expenses (July 2025)
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Manage your education savings plan account anywhere, anytime with the READYSAVE 529 mobile app. The app makes it easier than ever to: • Securely access your 529 plan account • Check your account balance, transaction history, and investment allocations • Add money to your balance as a one-time or recurring contribution • See how your savings stack up to others in your plan • Easily invite friends and family to help give your savings a boost • NEW (starting July 2025)– Take money out of your 529 account to pay for education expenses by sending payment directly to a school or university, or to a selected bank Participants in the following 529 programs can use the READYSAVE 529 mobile app to access their account: • Alaska 529* • Achieve Montana + • Arkansas Brighter Future 529 Plan* + • Bright Start 529 College Savings Plan (Illinois)* + • CollegeBound Saver (Rhode Island) + • Indiana529 Direct Savings Plan + • CollegeInvest (Colorado)* + • ISave 529 (Iowa)* + • College SAVE (North Dakota) + • DC College Savings Plan* + • The Education Plan (New Mexico)* + • Edvest College Savings Plan (Wisconsin)* + • HI529 – Hawaii’s College Savings Program* + • IDeal – Idaho College Savings Program* + • KY Saves 529* + • Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Kansas)* • Maryland 529* + • Michigan Education Savings Program* + • Minnesota College Savings Plan* + • MOST – Missouri’s 529 Education Plan* + • NJBEST – (New Jersey) + • NY’s 529 College Savings Program + • Ohio’s 529 College Advantage* + • Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan* + • PA 529 Investment Plan* + • Path2College 529 Plan (Georgia)* + • ScholarShare 529 (California) + • SMART529 (West Virginia) + • SMART529 Select (West Virginia) + • Future Path 529 Plan (Nevada)* + • T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan* + • TNStars* + * Denotes that users can enroll in the plan directly from the app + Denotes that users can withdraw money from their account to pay for education expenses
ClearToRetire
This tool helps federal employees estimate their retirement income, including pension, TSP, and Social Security. It offers detailed projections for various scenarios and supports special provision categories.
- FERS pension calculation
- TSP projections
- Social Security comparison
- Take-home income analysis
- Scenario comparison
- Offline functionality
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ClearToRetire is a comprehensive FERS retirement calculator built for federal employees. Whether you're a regular FERS employee or in a special provision category (ATC, LEO, FF, CBPO), ClearToRetire gives you a complete picture of your retirement income — pension, TSP, Social Security, and net take-home pay. FERS PENSION CALCULATOR • Full pension calculation using the FERS formula with your High-3 average salary • Automatic High-3 projection based on current salary and expected raises • Special provision support with 1.7% multiplier for ATC, LEO, FF, and CBPO • SPLIT and MRA+30 formula options for special provision employees • Sick leave credit, military buyback years, and non-covered service adjustments • COLA projections (immediate or deferred to 62 based on eligibility) • Age reduction calculations for early retirement RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY • Automatic retirement path determination (Immediate, Early, MRA+10, Deferred) • Special provision eligibility (age 50 with 20 years, any age with 25 years) • Shows all qualified paths with recommended formula for highest pension • FERS Supplement calculation for employees retiring before 62 TSP PROJECTIONS • Traditional and Roth TSP balance tracking • Pre- and post-retirement growth rate assumptions • Withdrawal timing control — start at retirement or delay for additional growth • Depletion age analysis so you know when funds run out • Year-by-year balance projections through life expectancy SOCIAL SECURITY • Compare claiming at ages 62, 67, and 70 • Cumulative lifetime benefit analysis • Automatic integration with your chosen claiming age TAKE-HOME INCOME • Net monthly and annual income after all deductions • Federal tax calculation using current brackets • State-specific tax rules — pension exemptions, SS taxation, no-income-tax states • FEHB premium projections with annual growth • Medicare Part B, Part D, and Medigap costs • Survivor benefit cost analysis (full, partial, or none) SCENARIO COMPARISON • Compare two retirement years side-by-side • See differences in pension, TSP, SS, net income, and estate value • What-if slider on the Dashboard for instant year adjustments TIMELINE VIEW • Year-by-year breakdown from retirement through life expectancy • Income transition highlights (retirement, supplement ends, SS begins, Medicare, TSP depletion) ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Non-TSP investment accounts with tax treatment and withdrawal planning • Other income sources (rental, part-time, military pension, etc.) • Income target tracking — set a monthly goal and see when you'll reach it • Funds for beneficiaries projection (TSP + investments at life expectancy) • Complete offline — no internet connection required • All data stays on your device — nothing is collected or transmitted ClearToRetire is for informational purposes only and is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Always verify estimates with your HR office, OPM, SSA, and a qualified financial advisor.
Screenshots
Verdict
READYSAVE 529 and ClearToRetire both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of ClearToRetire's written reviews are positive against 31% of READYSAVE 529's. ClearToRetire also leads on chart position (#103 vs unranked). READYSAVE 529's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and ratings volume (30K vs 5). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
READYSAVE 529 is free to download; ClearToRetire costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for READYSAVE 529 against 4.8 for ClearToRetire. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: READYSAVE 529 has 30K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 31% of READYSAVE 529's written reviews are positive against 100% of ClearToRetire's.
READYSAVE 529 ships an update monthly, ClearToRetire every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | READYSAVE 529 | ClearToRetire |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (30K ratings) | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 30K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #103 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ascensus | Raul Heredia |
Customer experience
READYSAVE 529
ClearToRetire
Bugs and requests
READYSAVE 529
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues with Face ID and password saving
- Inconsistent behavior when making changes to accounts
- Delayed processing of contributions and gifts
- Navigation issues within the app
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to view individual investment performance
- Provide more detailed information on fund allocations and investment options
- Allow withdrawals and distributions from the app
- Implement alerts for when relatives contribute to accounts
- Support for tracking multiple 529 accounts across different states
ClearToRetire
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
READYSAVE 529
No in-app purchases
ClearToRetire
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is READYSAVE 529 free?
Is ClearToRetire free?
Which has better reviews, READYSAVE 529 or ClearToRetire?
Do READYSAVE 529 or ClearToRetire have ads?
Which is updated more often, READYSAVE 529 or ClearToRetire?
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