Plum moved £47 from your current account to a savings pot last Tuesday without you noticing. Useful. But Plum has not told you whether you are on track for retirement, and that is the bigger question. Here is the honest difference.
Plum is a UK investing and savings app. The platform offers auto-deposits to savings pots, investment portfolios in ISAs and GIAs, and a current account option. Plum's automated savings rules (round-ups, percentage of paycheque, AI-driven rules) are a useful behavioural nudge. The investment portfolios are simple and accessible for first-time investors.
Delphina is built for a different question. Plum moves money for you and shows you what your investments might be worth. Delphina shows you whether that pot is enough for the retirement you actually want, and tells you what to do this month to close any gap.
Plum's auto-deposits and round-up features are genuinely useful. The behavioural nudge of "we saved you £47 this week without you noticing" is a meaningful tool for people who struggle to save. The investment portfolios (conservative, balanced, growth) are simple enough for first-time investors.
Plum is also FCA-regulated. Deposits are protected up to £120,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm, under FSCS, same as any UK bank. For someone who struggles to save manually, Plum's automation is a credible answer.
Delphina plans from your daily money through to retirement. A 38-year-old with Plum investments, a workplace pension, and £1,800 a month going into savings gets a specific projection in Delphina: their retirement date, the gap to the UK moderate retirement number of around £580,000, and the monthly actions that close the gap.
Delphina also shows you the cost of waiting. If your FIRE date is age 51 at your current pace, Delphina shows you that adding £300 a month to your SIPP brings the date forward by 8 months, and that cutting £200 a month from eating out adds 4 months. Plum's nudge is "save more". Delphina's nudge is "save more here, and the retirement date moves by this many months".
| Feature | Plum | Delphina |
|---|---|---|
| Automated savings and round-ups | ✓ | ✗ |
| UK bank connections via Open Banking | ✓ | ✗ |
| ISA and GIA investment portfolios | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pension aggregation and forecast | ✗ | ✓ |
| UK State Pension forecast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Long-term retirement forecasting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goal-based monthly action list | ✗ | ✓ |
| FIRE number and date projection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Daily UK-specific category caps | ✗ | ✓ |
| FSCS deposit protection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Annual Cost | Free tier, Pro from £2.99/month | Free tier available |
Connect your main UK current account to Delphina this week. Keep your Plum savings pot running, but also see your full UK financial picture and a specific UK retirement number from Delphina. Two tools, complementary.