Honest comparison
MoneyBricks vs SmartDollar
SmartDollar bundles Ramsey's budgeting app, tax filing, and live coaching into one employer-paid benefit. MoneyBricks pairs an AI coach with a 30-brick curriculum — free to start, on your own, no employer required. Here is the honest comparison.
SmartDollar is Ramsey Solutions' employer-sponsored financial wellness benefit — not to be confused with EveryDollar, the Ramsey budgeting app anyone can buy, which MoneyBricks compares against separately. Employers pay for SmartDollar and offer it to their teams; employees get the EveryDollar app, live coaching, and free tax filing at no direct cost to them.
MoneyBricks takes a different path: an AI coach named Brix, paired with a 30-brick curriculum covering budgeting, debt, credit, retirement, taxes, and insurance — built for working people, in plain language. It works two ways: free and individual, no employer needed, or sponsored by an employer as a team benefit. MoneyBricks is in founding-member early access, so we will be straight about where each product stands today.
Side by side
What it is
MoneyBricks
An AI Financial Strength Coach (Brix) plus a 30-brick curriculum covering budgeting, debt, credit, retirement, taxes, and insurance.
SmartDollar
An employer-sponsored bundle: the 7 Baby Steps method, the EveryDollar budgeting app, free tax filing (Ramsey SmartTax), and unlimited live coaching.
Who can get it
MoneyBricks
Anyone. The free BrickScore works today, no employer required — employers can also sponsor it as a team benefit.
SmartDollar
Employer-sponsored only. There is no way to buy it yourself; your employer has to offer it.
Price
MoneyBricks
Free plan with the BrickScore assessment. Core is $10/month — $7/month at the founding rate — with a 14-day trial.
SmartDollar
custom employer quote; free to employees (as of this writing).
Coaching
MoneyBricks
Brix, an AI coach, answers instantly, any hour. It gives financial education, not individualized advice, and says so.
SmartDollar
Unlimited one-on-one and group coaching with a human financial coach, by appointment.
Bank connection
MoneyBricks
Not required. You bring the numbers; nothing links to your accounts by default.
SmartDollar
EveryDollar supports manual entry, and its account-sync features connect to your bank.
Employer reporting
MoneyBricks
Aggregate participation only — no individual score, answer, or even signup ever reaches your employer.
SmartDollar
Includes an employer dashboard with participation tracking and a points-based engagement system.
Product stage
MoneyBricks
Founding-member early access. Newer, still growing, priced to reward early members.
SmartDollar
Mature and widely adopted, backed by Ramsey Solutions, a large and long-established company in this category.
SmartDollar pricing verified . Prices change — check SmartDollar’s own pricing page before deciding.
Which one fits you?
No product wins every situation — including ours. Here’s our honest take on when each one is the better pick.
When SmartDollar is the better pick
- Your employer already offers SmartDollar, and unlimited live human coaching matters more to you than a self-serve tool.
- You want budgeting software, free tax filing, and coaching bundled into one employer-paid package.
- You want a mature, long-established platform from a well-known personal-finance brand.
- It is free to you as an employee, with no separate plan to buy.
When MoneyBricks is the better pick
- You want to start today on your own — the free BrickScore works with no employer involved at all.
- You want published, checkable pricing instead of a custom employer quote.
- You do not want your bank account linked to anything to get value.
- You want AI coaching available instantly, any hour, without booking a session.
- You want one flat subscription with no other products offered alongside it.
Common questions
Is SmartDollar the same as EveryDollar?
No, though they are related. EveryDollar is Ramsey Solutions' individual budgeting app — anyone can buy it, and MoneyBricks compares against it directly on the Dave Ramsey comparison page. SmartDollar is a separate, employer-only bundle that includes EveryDollar plus coaching and tax filing, sold to companies rather than individuals.
Can I get SmartDollar without my employer offering it?
No — SmartDollar is sold exclusively to employers as a benefit. If you want a Ramsey product you can buy yourself, that is EveryDollar. MoneyBricks works either way: free individually, or as a sponsored team benefit through your employer.
Does MoneyBricks have human coaches like SmartDollar's?
Not today. Brix, MoneyBricks' AI coach, gives financial education, not individualized advice, and says so — for your specific situation, it points you to a qualified professional. If unlimited live human coaching is what you need, SmartDollar's model may fit better.
The honest verdict
If your employer already offers SmartDollar, and what you want is a mature, bundled package with unlimited live human coaching, it is a reasonable pick. If you would rather start on your own terms — see your BrickScore before anyone signs anything, know the price up front, and keep your bank account out of it — that is what MoneyBricks was built for. And if you are the one deciding what your team gets, MoneyBricks is available as an employer-sponsored benefit too.
See where you stand — free, no bank link, no pressure.
The BrickScore assessment takes a few minutes and shows you which bricks to lay first. MoneyBricks is in founding-member early access.