Both have free money calculators, and they answer different questions. Bankrate's calculators project forward from rates you set, next to live rate tables. Ctrl Alt Decide replays what really happened at a real place and date.
| Bankrate | Ctrl Alt Decide | |
|---|---|---|
| What it answers | What might happen, plus today's rates: it projects forward from figures you enter. | How a choice turned out: it replays what really happened at a real place and date. |
| Where the numbers come from | Figures you enter, such as "Investment rate of return", "Annual depreciation" and "What's your rate of return?". Live rate tables sit alongside. | Published records for your place and month: HM Land Registry, ONS, Zillow, Freddie Mac, Bank of England and more. You can type over any figure. |
| Rent or buy | A multiple-choice questionnaire (for example "How are home prices in the area in which you plan to live?") rather than a money model. US only. | Yes, for over 600 UK and US places, back to 2015. |
| Overpay the mortgage or invest | An additional mortgage payment calculator. No invest-instead comparison. | Yes: overpaying against investing, back to 2000. |
| Lease or buy a car | Yes, lease against buy, with a return rate and depreciation you set. | Yes: leasing, a car loan or paying cash, compared. |
| Savings or investing | A compound savings calculator, with a return you set. | Cash savings against the stock market, with real savings rates and returns back to 2000. |
| Moving city | A cost of living comparison for US cities, using today's itemised prices. | Pay, rents and house prices in two places, replayed since 2015. |
| Pay against inflation | No inflation calculator. Its cost of living calculator gives the pay you'd need in another US city, not after another year. | Yes: your pay then and now against prices and real average pay, UK and US, back to 2000. |
| Stock markets by country | Savings calculators that compound at a rate you enter. S&P 500 history appears in articles, not a calculator. | Yes: two countries' real share prices side by side, in pounds or dollars, back to 2000. |
| UK coverage | US only. | UK and US. |
| Account needed | Not needed. | Not needed. |
| How it makes money | Advertising, and it may be paid when you click a link, apply or open an account. | No ads, no affiliate links, no paid version. |
You're shopping for a mortgage, savings account or CD today and want live rates to compare, or itemised prices for a US city you're moving to.
You want to know how a choice actually played out: in your place, from the month you made it, with the real prices, rents and rates since. It covers the UK as well as the US, and every figure names its source.
Checked on 23 September 2026 against Bankrate's own pages: Bankrate rent or buy calculator, Bankrate advertiser disclosure. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at @ctrlaltdecide.