It depends on your tax situation. If you think you will be in a higher tax bracket in retirement, go for the Roth 401k and pay the tax now. Otherwise, enjoy deferring the taxes until later. I got the Roth 401k option in 2012, so I have money in both. Since no one knows what Congress will be taxing 10, 25, 35 years from now, I usually say it's good to have some tax-deferred and some tax-free money in retirement. Your situation in retirement could change, too, so it would be nice to have various pots of money to choose from depending on the year. If you contribute to a Roth IRA, too, you are making headway there, too. I try to have a few options to choose from. If you want to retire early, though, stop contributing past your matching money once you have enough to sustain you after 65, and you can divert that extra money to taxable investments and extra mortgage payments.