Bukdin vs Snowball Analytics: Best FIRE Tracker (2025)

Feature	Bukdin	Snowball Analytics
Cash Flow Tracking	✓ AI-powered categorization	✗ Investment-focused only
FIRE Projections	✓ Built-in with scenarios	✗ Not included
Dividend Analytics	~ Basic tracking	✓ Best-in-class (calendar, rating, forecasting)
Portfolio Backtesting	✗ Not included	✓ 30+ years historical data
Real Estate	✓ Full support	~ Custom holdings only
Debt Tracking	✓ Full support	✗ Not included
Bank Connections	✗ Upload-based (privacy)	✓ 1000+ via Yodlee
Mobile App	✗ Web only	✓ iOS & Android with widgets
S&P 500 Comparison	✓ Alpha calculation	✓ Full benchmarking
Annual Price	€199-299/yr	$0-250/yr

Two Different Philosophies

Snowball Analytics is built by dividend investors, for dividend investors. Their name references the "snowball effect" of compound growth — reinvest dividends, watch your passive income grow. They excel at tracking this specific strategy.

Bukdin takes a holistic view: your path to FIRE isn't just about dividends or even just investments. It's about the gap between income and spending, and how that gap compounds over time. Cash flow matters as much as portfolio performance.

When Snowball Analytics Makes Sense

Dividend income strategy: If building passive income through dividends is your primary strategy, Snowball's dividend calendar, rating system, and forecasting are unmatched.
Backtesting focus: Test portfolio ideas against 30+ years of historical data before committing real money.
Mobile-first: Their iOS and Android apps with home screen widgets are genuinely useful for daily portfolio checks.
Budget-conscious: The free tier is functional, and even the Expert plan at $250/year is competitive.
Broker connections: With 1000+ broker connections via Yodlee, setup can be largely automated.

When Bukdin Makes Sense

FIRE timeline focus: If your goal is a specific retirement age, you need to see how spending affects that date — not just track investments.
Multi-asset complexity: Real estate, private equity, debt — Bukdin handles the full picture of wealth, not just brokerage accounts.
Privacy concerns: No bank logins, no Yodlee, no third-party access to your accounts. Upload statements, keep control.
Expense visibility: Snowball doesn't track where your money goes. Bukdin's AI categorization shows spending patterns that affect your FIRE math.
AI integration: Connect your data to ChatGPT or Claude for deeper analysis and custom insights.

Our Take

Snowball Analytics is the best tool we've seen for dividend-focused investors who want deep analytics on their income strategy. But FIRE isn't just about dividends — it's about the complete equation of assets, income, and spending. If you want that unified view with FIRE projections built in, Bukdin fills a gap that Snowball doesn't try to address.

Pricing Comparison

Snowball offers a freemium model: Free ($0), Starter ($79.99/yr), Investor ($149.99/yr), and Expert ($249.99/yr). The free tier is limited to 1 portfolio with 10 holdings, but it's functional for basic tracking.

Bukdin offers two tiers at €199/year and €299/year (Pro with AI features). No free tier, but a 60-day trial lets you evaluate properly. The higher price reflects the target audience: people with €500K-10M who need comprehensive tracking, not budget portfolio monitoring.

The Dividend Question

If dividend income is your retirement strategy, Snowball's specialized tools are genuinely best-in-class. But remember: dividends are just one piece of the FIRE equation. Your savings rate, expense control, and total net worth trajectory matter too. Bukdin shows all of this; Snowball focuses on the investment side.

Bukdin vs Snowball Analytics

Feature Comparison