The short version
EveryDollar is free if you type your transactions in, and Premium is $79.99 a year or $17.99 a month for bank import, after a 14-day trial.[2] The best EveryDollar alternative depends on why you are leaving. Same idea: YNAB. Free: Goodbudget or Honeydue. Cheapest paid: PocketGuard. A plan for each paycheck with a partner: Wonderful.
- 1
Wonderful: A plan for every paycheck, for one person or a couple
- 2
YNAB (You Need A Budget): The same plan-every-dollar idea, with a 34-day trial
- 3
Goodbudget: Envelopes, free if you type transactions in
- 4
Honeydue: A free app for two, with a bank link
- 5
PocketGuard: The lowest paid price, or pay once
- 6
Monarch Money: A dashboard for every account, with a partner included
At a glance
| App | Price | Bank import | Free trial | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EveryDollar | Free with manual entry; Premium $17.99 monthly or $79.99 yearly[2] | Premium only | Premium includes a 14-day free trial | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Wonderful | $14.99 monthly or $99 yearly, both partners[7] | Yes, through Plaid | A free week | Web |
| YNAB (You Need A Budget) | $14.99 monthly or $109 billed annually[10] | Yes | The pricing page says a 34-day free trial | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Goodbudget | Free; Premium $10 monthly or $80 yearly[18][19] | Premium only, US banks | None stated | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Honeydue | Free; optional monthly tip[29] | Yes, free | None stated | iPhone, Android |
| PocketGuard | $12.99 monthly, $74.99 yearly or $149.99 once[38] | Yes | A 7-day free trial on each plan | iPhone, Android, Web |
| Monarch Money | $14.99 monthly or $99.99 billed yearly[44] | Yes | The pricing page says "Your first week is on us | iPhone, Android, Web |
Why people leave EveryDollar
EveryDollar has real strengths. The free version has no time limit and includes a monthly budget, unlimited categories, sinking funds and bill due dates.[2] It holds 4.7 stars on the App Store from 84K ratings.[4] The reasons below come from the newest App Store reviews and Ramsey's own pages. Each is one reviewer's experience, and every one has reviewers who never met it.
1. Bank import costs $79.99 a year
Free means typing every transaction. Premium is where the bank link lives, at $79.99 billed yearly, or $215.88 if you pay the $17.99 monthly price for twelve months.[2] Paying for bank sync. Reviewers say the $80 a year is steep for an app aimed at people getting out of debt.[6]
“Seems like a great application. 7 day trial was great. My only concern is $80.00 bucks year. To me, should be free in helping folks get out of debt. Not just 7 days.”Read it where it was said ↗
2. The bank connection drops
Bank connections that drop or need reconnecting. Several 2026 reviews describe transactions arriving days late or needing a reconnect.[6]
“...they switched to plaid to connect to your bank instead of connecting directly. It goes through a third party and plaid is a mess.”Read it where it was said ↗
“Continually drops bank connections and no refund offered after 30 days. If you download, don’t shell out the $80 to link banks.”Read it where it was said ↗
3. Past months got locked
At least eight of the 150 newest App Store reviews, all dated October 28 to November 1, 2026, describe a change that closes a month or stops edits to older budgets. Some say it applies after two months. We could not find a page of EveryDollar's own that describes it, since its help center did not load, so this is what reviewers say, not Ramsey's wording.
“The monthly close locks your budget and you cannot edit it. It also carries over leftover budget which is not how I handle my budget! I cancelled my subscription.”Read it where it was said ↗
“I can understand why the Ramsey method would prescribe not being able to edit past months budgets, but it’s super frustrating to not have the flexibility to adjust past transactions and budget items.”Read it where it was said ↗
4. An update took something out
Updates that removed things people used, such as forcing a refresh or splitting transactions.[6]
“I split transactions a lot, and now you can’t why did you ruin the app with this update??? Gotta cancel cause it’s unusable now.”Read it where it was said ↗
5. Cancelling and refunds
No refund after 30 days. One July 2026 reviewer says none was offered.[6] The plans page does not mention a refund policy, and purchases through Apple or Google are refunded through them.[2]
“I attempted to cancel the introductory subscription several times before I was charged for a full year.”Read it where it was said ↗
Which alternative fixes which reason
Moving apps fixes some of these and not others. This table says which, including the rows where the honest answer is to test it first. For EveryDollar's own costs, see EveryDollar pricing.
| Reason for leaving | What changes it | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Paying for bank import |
| Paid options cost about what Premium does. Honeydue reviewers report accounts that stop syncing. |
| Connections drop | Nothing here | No app here is immune. Reviews of Honeydue, Goodbudget, PocketGuard, YNAB and Monarch report dropped or stalled bank syncs too. Link your own bank in a trial before you pay. |
| Past months locked |
| That is one article, not a promise. The other apps' pages we read are silent. Edit last month on day one of any trial. |
| Splitting transactions |
| PocketGuard reviewers report charges after cancelling, and transactions that vanish for a day or two. |
| Cancelling and refunds |
| Goodbudget gives no partial refunds after 30 days, and YNAB's pricing page states no refund policy. |
How we compared
We lined each app up against the five reasons above, plus price and whether the bank link is free. We read Ramsey's plans page, each alternative's own pages, the app stores and the newest App Store reviews of EveryDollar, on November 2 and 3, 2026. Each fact is numbered to its source at the bottom, and where a page was silent we say so.
Free and paid, side by side
Three options cost nothing. Each leaves something out.
- EveryDollar's own free version has no bank import, so you type every transaction.[2]
- Goodbudget's free plan has 10 regular and 10 annual or goal envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices and 1 year of history, with no bank sync.[18]
- Honeydue is free with no feature behind a paywall, for two people on phones. Its pages list no web app.[29]
The paid side is a tight range: PocketGuard $74.99 a year, EveryDollar Premium $79.99, Goodbudget Premium $80, Monarch $99.99, Wonderful $99 for two, and YNAB $109. Our list of the best free budgeting apps goes further on free, and the zero-based budget apps and YNAB alternatives cover the method.
- PocketGuard$74.99
- EveryDollar$79.99
- Goodbudget$80
- Wonderful$99
- Monarch Money$99.99
- YNAB (You Need A Budget)$109
The cheapest way to pay for a year on each app's own pricing page, read November 3, 2026. EveryDollar is shown at Premium's $79.99 a year; its free version and Honeydue are free and not shown. Before tax.
1. A plan for every paycheck, for one person or a couple
Wonderful
$14.99/mo or $99/yr· Web
What it is
A budgeting app for couples who keep their own money, and for one person: each of you connects your own bank, chooses what the other sees, and every paycheck gets a plan.
Why it's on this list
Wonderful is close to EveryDollar in spirit: every paycheck gets a plan for bills, spending and saving before it lands. Its pages never say it is zero-based, so if the rule that income minus spending equals zero is the point, use EveryDollar, YNAB or PocketGuard.
Where it differs: banks connect through Plaid and every charge is sorted, so there is no typing, and a partner joins with their own login at no extra cost. Each chooses, account by account, what the other sees. It costs more than Premium: $14.99 a month or $99 a year for the household, about $19 over EveryDollar's $79.99, after a free week. It runs in a browser and has no free plan.
Ideal for: Someone who budgets by paycheck, wants the bank link, and may want a partner on the same plan.
What it does
- Every paycheck gets a plan for bills, spending and saving before it lands.[9]
- Banks connect through Plaid and every charge is sorted into a category.[8][9]
- Mine, yours and ours: each charge counts for the person or the pair it belongs to.[9]
- Finds recurring charges and subscriptions, lists what's due before your next paycheck, and flags a bill that comes in higher than usual. It doesn't cancel them for you.[9]
- Texts you by iMessage when a bill is charged twice, a price goes up or a refund lands, and you can text it questions.[9]
- Savings goals show the month you'll reach them.[9]
- Net worth for each of you and for both, from the balances your banks send, with its line over time.[9]
- Life events like getting married come step by step, with the deadlines.[9]
Good
2. The same plan-every-dollar idea, with a 34-day trial
What it is
A paid budgeting app built on a method: give every dollar a job before you spend it.
Why it's on this list
YNAB is the nearest in method: give every dollar a job before you spend it.[12] The trial is 34 days with no card on its site, and a year is $109 billed annually, $29 above EveryDollar Premium.[10] One subscription is shared with up to five more people, and it runs on iPhone, Android and the web. Its reviews report sync delays of 12 to 24 hours.[15] See YNAB vs EveryDollar.
Ideal for: People who want the plan-every-dollar idea and a long trial.
What it does
- The method: for every dollar, ask "What's it for?" Plan for now (before the next paycheck), for later (non-monthly bills like car repairs), and for ease (get a month ahead).[12]
- Bank import links accounts and brings in transactions automatically. Apple Card import is also listed.[11]
- Targets: set spending and savings goals per category and track progress at a glance.[11]
- Loan Planner: shows how much interest and time you save for each extra dollar paid toward debt.[11][13]
- Reports on spending, such as average grocery spend, and on net worth over time.[11][13]
Good
- A written method, not just a tracker: the app is built around planning before spending.[12]
- One subscription covers up to six people at no extra cost.[10]
- A 34-day trial with no card when you sign up on the site, and a free 365-day trial for college students.[10]
- Rated 4.8 on the App Store (62K ratings) and 4.6 on Google Play (25.4K).[13][14]
Not so good
- No free plan after the trial.[10]
- Paid monthly it is $14.99, which is $179.88 over twelve months, against $109 billed annually.[10]
- The website says a 34-day trial and the App Store says 30 days.[10][13]
- The method asks you to plan each dollar before you spend it, which the company's method page presents as the whole point of the app.[12]
Pricing
“Budgeting works if you want to change your life. In 10 years of using YNAB we went from being a total of $250,000 in debt to $950,000 in net worth. It takes time and commitment to change.”Read it where it was said ↗
3. Envelopes, free if you type transactions in
Goodbudget
Free, or $10/mo or $80/yr· iPhone, Android, Web· App Store 4.6 (13,522)[23]
What it is
An envelope budgeting app for the web, iPhone and Android where you divide income into virtual envelopes and share the budget across devices.
Why it's on this list
Goodbudget is envelope budgeting: divide income into envelopes and stop spending when one is empty. The free plan is manual entry with 20 envelopes in all, and Premium is $10 a month or $80 a year with bank sync for US banks and no cap.[18] A full refund is offered within the first 30 days of a subscription.[20] Reviews in 2025 and 2026 report syncing across devices and linked accounts that fail.
Ideal for: Someone who likes envelopes and is happy to type transactions in, free.
What it does
- Envelope budgeting: you divide income into category envelopes, spend from the matching envelope and stop when it is empty, with no physical cash.[25]
- The free plan has 10 regular envelopes and 10 annual or goal envelopes; Premium removes the cap.[18][19]
- Syncs and shares a budget across iPhone, Android and the web, with data backed up to Goodbudget's website.[21][23]
- Automatic bank sync is a Premium feature and works with US banks only. The free plan is manual entry.[18][19]
- Reports in the app: spending by envelope (a pie chart), income versus spending, and debt progress; more reports on the web.[23]
Good
Pricing
- Free[18][19]FreeCalled "Free Forever" on the page. 10 regular envelopes, 10 annual or goal envelopes, 1 account, 2 devices, 1 year of history, debt tracking, community support.
- Premium[18][19]$10 a month · $80 a yearAdds automatic bank sync (US banks only), unlimited envelopes and accounts, 5 devices, 7 years of history and email support.
“This is simple, fast to make entries, and can sink with my wife. Plus free if you have 10 or less categories.”Read it where it was said ↗
4. A free app for two, with a bank link
What it is
A free phone app for couples that shows both people's linked accounts, bills and budgets, with a choice of how much each person shares.
Why it's on this list
Honeydue is "100% free for everybody", with an optional monthly tip and no feature behind a paywall.[29] After you connect a bank it asks what your partner can see: balances and transactions, balances only, or nothing.[30] The trade is reliability. Reviews from 2024 to October 2026 describe accounts that stop syncing, and its pages list no web app.
Ideal for: Two people who want a free app and a say in what the other sees.
What it does
- Shared view of linked bank account balances, loans and investments. The site says it connects "over 20,000 financial institutions across 5 countries."[28][32]
- Choose what your partner sees per account: balances and transactions, balances only, or nothing.[30]
- Monthly household spending limits for each category, with alerts as you and your partner get close.[32]
- Bill reminders that notify you or your partner when a payment is due.[28][32]
- Chat built into the app: send a quick reaction or ask your partner about a specific transaction.[28]
Good
Pricing
- Free[29]FreeHoneydue's help center says, "Honeydue is 100% free for everybody, and we don't block any features with a paywall."
- Monthly tip (optional)[29][32]Any amount from $1 to $10 a month through the App Store or Google Play. The help center says tips fund new features. The App Store lists $0.99 to $9.99.
- The whole app is free. The only paid thing is the optional tip, which can be changed or cancelled in the App Store or Google Play.[29]
“My husband and I have used this for years and genuinely love using it.”Read it where it was said ↗
5. The lowest paid price, or pay once
What it is
A paid budgeting app for iPhone, Android and web that links bank accounts and shows how much is safe to spend after bills, goals and essentials.
Why it's on this list
PocketGuard lists zero-based, envelope and category methods, transaction rules and a Leftover number.[37][41] It is $74.99 a year, $12.99 a month or $149.99 once, with a 7-day trial.[38] No partner or shared login is described on the pages we read. Several 2025 and 2026 reviews report being charged at the start of the trial.[42]
Ideal for: One person who wants the lowest paid price, or to pay once.
What it does
- "Leftover": what you can still spend after bills, goals and essentials.[37][41]
- Budget with zero-based, envelope or category methods, with rollovers for unspent or overspent money.[37][39]
- Pace: predicts how much you will have left at month's end from your spending habits.[37][41]
- Finds recurring charges and subscriptions automatically, and the listing mentions a built-in bill negotiation service.[37][41]
- Transaction rules that match merchant names, keywords, amounts, categories or accounts.[41]
Good
Not so good
- No free plan; the app requires the trial or a paid plan.[38]
- Monthly billing is $12.99, about double the yearly rate per month.[38]
- No partner or shared login is described on the pages opened.[37][38][39][40]
- App Store reviewers in 2025 and 2026 report being charged at the start of the trial, and a trial that does not appear in App Store subscription settings.[42]
Pricing
“I do love the option of 1 lifetime payment rather than monthly fee.”Read it where it was said ↗
6. A dashboard for every account, with a partner included
What it is
A paid budgeting and net worth app that pulls every account into one place and lets a partner join under the same subscription.
Why it's on this list
Monarch is a dashboard more than a plan: net worth, bills and two ways to budget, on iPhone, Android and the web.[45][50] A partner joins at no extra cost and sees all accounts and transactions.[48] The first week is free, then $14.99 monthly or $99.99 billed yearly.[44] Reviewers report accounts that disconnect.
Ideal for: Someone who wants every account in one place and is happy to pay $99.99 a year.
What it does
- Connects bank accounts, credit cards, loans, investment accounts and real estate, through 13,000+ financial institutions.[47]
- Tracks net worth across all connected accounts.[45][47]
- Sorts transactions automatically and searches across every account in one list.[45][47]
- Two ways to budget: Flex, which splits spending into fixed, flexible and non-monthly buckets and gives one main number to watch, or Category budgeting.[45][50]
- Rollovers: money left in a category carries into the next month, to cover bills that do not come every month.[50]
Good
- A partner joins under the same subscription at no extra cost, with a separate login.[48][49]
- Two people can fund a shared goal even when their money sits in separate accounts.[49]
- Works on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web.[45][46][47]
- Rated 4.9 on the App Store (116K ratings) and 4.8 on Google Play (26.1K reviews).[45][46]
Not so good
- No free plan after the first week.[44][45]
- Paid monthly it is $14.99, which is $179.88 over twelve months, against $99.99 billed yearly.[44]
- Forecasting, several income sources and deeper investment tracking sit in the Plus tier. The App Store shows Plus at $199.99 a year; the pricing page lists no Plus price.[44][45]
- A partner sees all accounts and transactions. The couples page describes no way to keep one account private.[48][49]
Pricing
- Monthly[44][45]$14.99 a monthPricing page and App Store both show $14.99. The pricing page does not say which tier it is.
- Yearly[44][45]$99.99 a yearBilled yearly. The pricing page names two tiers, Core and Plus, but lists only these two prices.
- Yearly Plus[44][45]$199.99 a yearShown only as an in-app purchase on the App Store. The pricing page says Plus adds forecasting tools, tracking several income sources like a small business, and deeper investment tracking.
- The pricing page says "Your first week is on us." The App Store says the app is free to try for 7 days before a monthly or annual membership is billed. Neither says whether a card is needed.[44][45]
- No free plan is listed on the pricing page or the App Store. The only free access is the first week.[44][45]
“I switched to Monarch after Mint was discontinued. I initially wasn’t too interested in a paid service, but Monarch is fantastic for budgeting and doing personal finance at $100 a year. Well worth the price.”Read it where it was said ↗
How to choose
Start with the reason you are leaving. If it was the locked months or the bank link, test that on day one of the trial, because the pages rarely say.
Choose Wonderful if you:
- Plan by paycheck and want the bank link without typing
- Want a partner with their own login and a say in what they see
- Are fine in a browser
Choose YNAB (You Need A Budget) if you:
- Want the same plan-every-dollar idea
- Want a 34-day trial with no card
Choose Goodbudget if you:
- Like envelopes
- Don't mind typing transactions in, on a free plan
Choose Honeydue if you:
- Want it free, with a bank link, for two
- Both use phones
Choose PocketGuard if you:
- Want the lowest paid price
- Would rather pay once than every year
Choose Monarch Money if you:
- Want every account in one place
- Are fine with a partner seeing it all
Where Wonderful fits, and where it doesn't
We make Wonderful, so weigh this section accordingly. It fits someone who wants every paycheck planned before it lands, with the bank connected and no typing, for one person or two. If you want that and a free week to try it, that is what it is for.
It is the wrong move if free is the requirement, because there is no free plan after the week. It is also wrong if you want Ramsey's method or his coaching, which come with EveryDollar, or a strict zero-based budget, which Wonderful does not claim to be. It has no phone app yet, only a browser, and its banks connect through Plaid, so it makes no claim to fix a dropped connection. If EveryDollar's free version suits you, staying is a fair choice.
Questions people ask
What is the best alternative to EveryDollar?
It depends on why you are leaving. For the same plan-every-dollar idea, YNAB. For envelopes, Goodbudget. For a free app for two with a bank link, Honeydue. For the lowest paid price, PocketGuard at $74.99 a year. For a plan for each paycheck with a partner included, Wonderful.
Is there a free alternative to EveryDollar?
Two, with limits. Goodbudget's free plan has 20 envelopes in all, 1 account, 2 devices and a year of history, with no bank sync. Honeydue is free with no feature behind a paywall and an optional tip, built for two on phones. EveryDollar's own free version also has no time limit but needs manual entry. Wonderful is not free after its free week.
Why do people leave EveryDollar?
From App Store reviews dated 2026: paying about $80 a year for bank import, connections that drop or arrive days late through Plaid, an update that removed splitting transactions, a change in late October that reviewers say closes or locks past months, and trouble getting a refund or cancelling. EveryDollar also holds 4.7 stars from 84K ratings, so each reason is one reviewer's experience.
Is there a cheaper alternative to EveryDollar Premium?
Barely. EveryDollar Premium is $79.99 a year. PocketGuard is $74.99 a year, or $149.99 once, and Goodbudget Premium is $80. Monarch is $99.99, Wonderful $99 for both partners and YNAB $109. Honeydue is free, and so is EveryDollar's version without bank import.
Which EveryDollar alternatives use zero-based budgeting?
PocketGuard's home page lists zero-based, envelope and category methods. YNAB's method is to give every dollar a job before you spend it. Goodbudget budgets with envelopes. Wonderful plans each paycheck for bills, spending and saving but does not describe itself as zero-based. Our list of zero-based budget apps goes further.
Can I edit past months in the alternatives?
The pages we read mostly don't say. YNAB's help article advises against changing a past month's plan and describes no lock. Test it in the trial: edit last month on day one. Reviewers say EveryDollar began closing past months in late October 2026, though we could not find a page of its own describing the change.
Is there an EveryDollar alternative for couples?
EveryDollar has a Household option for two people sharing one budget. Honeydue lets each partner choose what the other sees, free. Monarch and Wonderful include a partner; Monarch's partner sees every account, and Wonderful lets each person choose per account. YNAB shares one subscription with up to six.
Can I get a refund if I leave EveryDollar?
EveryDollar's plans page does not mention a refund policy, and purchases through Apple or Google are refunded through them. Reviewers in 2026 report no refund after 30 days. Goodbudget states a full refund within the first 30 days of a subscription. YNAB's trial needs no card when you sign up on its site.
Sources
54 sources · read November 3, 2026
Every number on this page comes from support.ynab.com, ramseysolutions.com, apps.apple.com and 11 more. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
- 1YNAB support: When the month rolls oversupport.ynab.com
- 2EveryDollar plans (Ramsey Solutions)ramseysolutions.com
- 3EveryDollar budget page (Ramsey Solutions)ramseysolutions.com
- 4EveryDollar on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 5EveryDollar on Google Playplay.google.com
- 6Apple public review feed for EveryDollaritunes.apple.com
- 7Wonderful terms of servicewonderful.money
- 8Wonderful privacy policywonderful.money
- 9Wonderfulwonderful.money
- 10YNAB pricingynab.com
- 11YNAB featuresynab.com
- 12The YNAB methodynab.com
- 13YNAB on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 14YNAB on Google Playplay.google.com
- 15Apple public review feed for YNABitunes.apple.com
- 16YNAB: Using YNAB as Partnerssupport.ynab.com
- 17Trustpilot, ynab.comtrustpilot.com
- 18Goodbudget pricing (signup page)goodbudget.com
- 19Goodbudget help: Subscribe to Goodbudgetgoodbudget.com
- 20Goodbudget refunds and cancellationsgoodbudget.com
- 21Goodbudget home pagegoodbudget.com
- 22Goodbudget help indexgoodbudget.com
- 23App Store listing, Goodbudgetapps.apple.com
- 24App Store reviews, Goodbudgetapps.apple.com
- 25Goodbudget envelope budgeting pagegoodbudget.com
- 26Goodbudget changeloggoodbudget.com
- 27Honeydue home pagehoneydue.com
- 28Honeydue: How it workshoneydue.com
- 29Honeydue help: How does Honeydue earn moneysupport.honeydue.com
- 30Honeydue help: Will my partner see my accountssupport.honeydue.com
- 31Honeydue Joint Cashhoneydue.com
- 32Honeydue on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 33Honeydue on Google Playplay.google.com
- 34Apple public review feed for Honeydueitunes.apple.com
- 35Honeydue help: Account issues and inviting a partnersupport.honeydue.com
- 36Honeydue help: How do I cancel my accountsupport.honeydue.com
- 37PocketGuard home pagepocketguard.com
- 38PocketGuard pricingpocketguard.com
- 39PocketGuard help: Plus overviewpocketguard.com
- 40PocketGuard help: all featurespocketguard.com
- 41App Store listing, PocketGuardapps.apple.com
- 42App Store reviews, PocketGuardapps.apple.com
- 43Trustpilot, pocketguard.comtrustpilot.com
- 44Monarch pricingmonarch.com
- 45Monarch on the App Storeapps.apple.com
- 46Monarch on Google Playplay.google.com
- 47Monarch home pagemonarch.com
- 48Monarch for couplesmonarch.com
- 49Monarch collaborationmonarch.com
- 50Monarch budgetingmonarch.com
- 51Monarch planningmonarch.com
- 52Apple public review feed for Monarchitunes.apple.com
- 53Monarch help: Monarch for Couples and Householdshelp.monarch.com
- 54Trustpilot, www.monarchmoney.comtrustpilot.com
App names are trademarks of their owners; Wonderful isn't connected with them. Wonderful gives general information. It isn't a financial or tax advisor.