# Beacon Budget: Money Manager — user reviews

> 45 indexed App Store user reviews of Beacon Budget by DAS Budget, LLC, rated 4.50/5 from 139 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-budget-money-manager/id1554488878/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-budget-money-manager/id1554488878.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 118 · 4★ 3 · 3★ 5 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 12

## What do users think of Beacon Budget?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Excellent Simple replacement
- 💡 Intuitive budgeting system
- 🚀 Helps save money effectively
- 👍 Great for neurodivergent users
- 🔄 Integrates multiple accounts
- 💰 Worth the fee
- ✅ Automates budgeting
- 🎯 Sets aside money for goals
- 😌 Reduces financial stress
- ✨ Better than Simple
- 💪 Handles personal & business budgets
- 💯 Highly recommended

**Cons**

- 🐛 Transactions not updating
- 🐛 App breaking after updates
- 🐛 Syncing issues
- 🐛 Inaccurate bill earmarking
- 🐛 Non-existent support
- 🐛 Poor native iOS implementation
- 💸 Features behind paywall
- 🐌 Slow transaction posting
- 🤔 Unintuitive UI/UX
- ⚠️ Subscription pricing confusion

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Latest update broke transactions
- App started changing bill earmarking amounts
- Transactions take days to post
- App disconnects from bank frequently
- App doesn't refresh for days
- Issues with app syncing with banks

**Most requested features**

- Native iOS implementation
- Improved support responsiveness
- Web app functionality

## Newest reviews (10 of 45)

### 3/5 — Becoming Unstable

*2025-06-10, version v0.9.4+178*

Really struggling lately with the app. Support doesn’t work and I’ve tried the discord but people don’t really engage or respond. It’s sad because this use to be an amazing app!

### 3/5 — Solid Simple replacement, but really needs some native implementation.

*2024-03-06, version v0.9.4+178*

With Simple being destroyed I was very happy to have DAS Budget step up for all of us and create a fantastic budgeting replacement for the rest of us. And pricing is right in the sweet spot of paying for the value but still affordable enough to justify the subscription.

I give three stars though because it is very obvious that the developer is porting an android app to iOS. A lot of basic system-wide functions like copy and paste are either missing or just don’t function properly because of a lack of native app implementation. I want to give it more because of how hard the developer works on his own, but I really believe he needs to hire someone to help and have the person also be fluent in native iOS implementation of the app.

### 5/5 — Simple on steroids

*2022-12-11*

All Simple refugees need to use this. Absolutely a must have. Happy to pay for it since if it’s free then you’re the product and you don’t have to worry about your fintech bank being bought out and shut down or drastically altered. 

The only ding is that unless you use Monzo the transactions are not in real time so you have to wait for your bank to connect via Plaid to get any new data so I’m playing catch up due to being a day behind but I’ll deal with it to have this amazing app.

### 5/5 — Love this app!

*2022-11-16*

This is the first of many budgeting apps/services I’ve used that actually works so well for me!! Once I got everything set up I had a really clear insight into how much committed spending I had, and how much I should be contributing to expenses, goals, and savings each paycheck. Super happy.

### 2/5 — Great Idea, Poor Implementation

*2022-11-13, version v0.7.2+142*

I really wanted to like this app because I loved the way Simple did budgeting when it was still around but initial impressions are poor. 

First, the website doesn’t mention that the subscription is per account. So it’s an unpleasant surprise when you get to the subscription page thinking you’ll be paying $6.99/mo only to discover it’s actually $11.50/mo if you want to link all your accounts. 

Second, it’s painfully obvious that this isn’t a native iOS app. The UI is janky, animations aren’t smooth, buttons are misaligned and use an Android tap animation, the swipe right to go back gesture doesn’t work at all, font sizes are inconsistent, etc. It’s not just that it doesn’t look good and runs sluggishly but it actually affects usability. 

Third, it’s more finicky to use than it should be. For example I wanted to setup a bucket for my mortgage. I went to my last mortgage payment expecting to be able to automatically turn that into a recurring transaction that comes out of a bucket funded based on the amount of the last transaction. But that doesn’t appear to be possible. Instead you have to manually create a new bucket and then flip back and forth to see how much that bucket should be funded for.

### 5/5 — The best one out there!

*2022-10-31, version v0.7.2+142*

This app is hands down the best budgeting app out there! It's absolutely perfect. I've been budgeting for things that are even years out and I don't even notice the money being missing and I'm always surprised at how much has accumulated!

Give it a try!

### 5/5 — Best by far

*2022-09-28*

I’ve used other budgeting apps and this is the best and easiest to use and it’s not even close. Most other budgeting tools require hours every week/month to input and manage expenses but DAS automates everything while still giving you the flexibility and control to tweak your budget with ease. If you want to get your finances under control without having to sink endless amounts of time then this is the app for you. I would be lost without DAS.

### 5/5 — Highly recommended!

*2022-08-31, version v0.7.2+142*

Favorite budget app! I’ve looked into a lot of them and I’ve settled on Das and not looking back. I like how it connects to any can you have instead if being built into just one bank. This makes it very flexible. That was the downside to services like Simple and One as best as they were. It was a closed ecosystem with several limited your choice.With das you can automate your budget in a beautiful way and still use any bank under the sun to pair it with.

### 5/5 — Excellent “Simple Bank” or Pocket-style Budgeting App

*2022-07-27*

I started at Simple Bank, went to One Finance, and then found this app. It’s an excellent replacement. In fact, it’s better than both Simple and One because it not only allows me to budget in a way that makes sense for me, but it also lets me manage both my personal budget and business budget (I.e. multiple bank accounts) in the same app. 

This, this app is perfect for you if you prefer pocket-style budgeting; you are a Simple Bank Refugee; and/or you would like to manage more than one bank account with pocket-style budgeting.

Can’t wait for the web app (in process) as that is where I primarily manage money, but even with iOS, it is simply fantastic.

### 1/5 — Delete for YNAB

*2022-06-17, version v0.7.2+142*

Downloaded this app and after 45 minutes of searching how to actually use it I realized it is insanely tedious and unintuitive. YNAB is an absolute game changer and I had it set up in less than 15 minutes. Don’t bother with this app it doesn’t even offer any instruction or assistance. Go to YNAB and save yourself time and sanity!
Yes there is a price difference but I truly believe time and sanity it worth it!

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Broken

*2026-06-04, version v0.14.1+239*

Latest update broke transactions and there is no where to give feedback that gets any responses. App has been unusable for 2 days now

### 1/5 — Beware

*2026-03-01*

I’ve been using this app for years. Out of nowhere it started changing how much it earmarks for certain bills. For example, my rent is 2170 and has been for years. It started just earmarking half that. Same with my cell phone bill, and 60% others. I tried deleting the bill and readding it and it will only pull half. I make ample money and have plenty in the accounts. If I don’t have money saved elsewhere this would have been disastrous for me. Do not rely on this app to be accurate. I sent out an email for tech support and have not heard back. Find a different app if you need to rely on this.

**Developer response:** Hi! Thanks for your feedback and sorry for the mix-up. There was a bug in our recent update that caused some bill amounts to show incorrectly, but it’s now fixed and should match your actual bills. We really appreciate you using the app and hope it’s back on track for you!

### 1/5 — Paywall

*2024-10-04, version v0.9.4+178*

So sick of apps showing these features and when you actually download the app they’re all locked behind a paywall. This app is no different.

### 1/5 — Support non existent

*2024-05-21, version v0.9.4+178*

I have emailed numerous times and utilized the internal chat support and NOBODY RESPONDS. VERY IRRITATED.

### 1/5 — Almost

*2023-11-28, version v0.8.4+164*

I really wanted to like this app. Setup is pretty straightforward and when it works the way it should, it’s fantastic. When it doesn’t work, it seems impossible to get ahold of support and it’s just frustrating. The app says it’s updating from Plaid and my bank has updated Plaid many times but transactions continually take a day or two to post on the app. It’s unfortunate but would be far less annoying and/or frustrating if support would simply RESPOND.

### 1/5 — Support has become non existent…

*2023-10-30*

Let me start by saying I’m devastated to be writing this review. DAS has been an amazing app for the past year (especially if you were coming from Simple Bank) and has helped me keep my finances so organized!! Over the past few weeks however, I’ve run into issues with the app syncing with my banks - which is KEY to maintaining organized budgeting. I’ve reached out to the company several times and have gotten no response. They say they only respond to messages on Sunday, waited a full week and Sunday has come and gone and I’ve still heard nothing. Due to an in app notification it said I needed to re-sign up for a subscription which I ended up doing, only to realize my old subscription wasn’t due to expire until January and it still didn’t fix anything. Super bummed and not sure what happened… Hope they can turn things around because it truly was a great app.

### 1/5 — Quickly becoming unusable.

*2023-09-11*

I loved this app when it first came out and it was an almost perfect replacement for Simple when they went away.

Unfortunately, it disconnects from my bank every time it is connected. It used to be long enough that it would at least get refreshed transactions now it is almost immediately.

If this is a problem on my banks end I could understand that but communication from DAS Budget has been nonexistent both on public forums and through suppose messaging.

### 1/5 — Used to be fantastic.

*2023-07-17, version v0.8.4+164*

The app used to be really great. Lately I’ve had constant issues with information not synching. I try to use the in app help feature to search and message for help but I never get any responses. Pretty disappointment for an app that’s got a pretty hefty yearly cost.

### 1/5 — It’s just not functional

*2022-07-30*

I really wanted to like this app as I was huge fan of Simple and this takes several of the concepts and reproduces them. Sadly, I find the UI unusable and obtuse. Simple things like setting a goal and define it’s schedule are so obtuse that it may as well be non-functional. Additional transactions stopped importing for me, giving me a woefully out of date view of my finances. I may try the app in a year or so, because no one else seems to be attempting this kind of workflow, but the UI needs lots of love.

### 1/5 — App doesn’t refresh for days

*2022-07-29, version v0.7.2+142*

The app used to be great. In the last few months the app takes days to refresh. You won’t see your most recent transactions or balance which completely defeats the purpose. We have reached out to support multiple times with no response. Will be looking for a different option.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Digital cash envelopes with valuable insights!

*2026-08-24*

If you didn’t have Simple bank back in the day, I’d say you missed out - but not really, because Beacon Budget exists! It took the best pieces of Simple’s UI and has now improved upon them. It’s a digital cash envelope system! The envelopes are “stuffed” automatically for you each pay cycle and you know exactly how much you have to spend in each custom selected spending area. Your budget really can be as specific or generalized as you want it to be! And you’ll never miss a due date if you set this up and utilize it right. Recently focused on and made incredible is the insights section! Analyze your spending over any period of time, get integrated recommendations on how to improve your budget to match your real life spending, the list goes on. Thanks Shane for working to make Beacon the best it can be for our family!

### 5/5 — The best one!

*2026-06-02, version v0.14.1+239*

This is my absolute favorite budgeting app!

### 5/5 — Best Simple Dupe

*2026-04-08*

This is the best Simple dupe in the App Store. If you don’t know what Simple was, it was an online bank and digital envelope style budgeting app that was incredible, especially for neurodivergent folks. This app takes things to the next level by allowing multiple accounts to be added like bank accounts or credit cards. While there is a fee, I do feel like it is worth it to make sure the app stays up and running. I hope the developer continues to make updates for many many years. I don’t know how I would manage my money of it wasn’t for DAS Budget.

### 5/5 — Love it!

*2026-04-06, version 0.12.1+225*

Couldn’t live without this app! It is my simple bank replacement!

### 5/5 — I’m finally successfully saving money!

*2025-12-09*

I’ve poked around at various budgeting apps over the years, but nothing ever really clicked with me in a way that I could be successful in establishing a budget. With DAS Budget, not only am I successfully moving money into savings each month, I’m setting aside money for goals that I hadn’t even thought of!

I had a big career change a few years back, and hadn’t been able to afford a lot of gift exchanges for Christmas since then. I now have a goal saving up for next year so I can change that. I’ve been holding on to my phone because I couldn’t finance a new one and didn’t want to empty what little money I had set aside. I now have a goal for that as well! 

For a lot of people, when they see ANYTHING that’s not free, they tend to move on (and I get it), but I promise you, this one is worth it. I’m paying for a Premium annual and all I did was set a bucket for next year, and it’s such a small amount set aside from each paycheck I won’t even notice it, but I’ll sure notice how my savings is growing thanks to this app! I can’t recommend it enough and I wish these developers many years of success (partially out of selfishness because I’ll be lost again without their app, haha)

### 5/5 — salvation

*2025-04-02, version v0.9.4+178*

This app may do more for my mental health than therapy. After we budgeting nerds lost Simple.com to corporate stupidity / oversight DAS Budget was invented to save the day. And I think it may be even better? Because it lets you bring in all of your accounts. Thank you, thank you for creating and maintains this app!

### 5/5 — Perfect budgeting system

*2025-03-04, version v0.9.4+178*

Simply put, this is hands down the best way to budget. The bucket system give a ton of freedom.

### 5/5 — Game changer

*2024-08-30*

I can’t say enough nice things about this app. It basically allows you to (automatically or manually) “hide” money in your accounts from yourself in different kinds of partitions. By way of example, I have one for rent that gets automatically funded each time I get paid, and when I pay rent, the money is “spent” out of that partition, so I don’t even have to think about it. I also have ones for various bills, a rainy day fund that vacuums up the leftover cents from each purchase I make, one that’s saving up money for a vacation next year… it takes all the stress (and mental math) out of budgeting, but gives you so much more control than apps that want to do it all for you. An essential companion to your banking app.

### 5/5 — Love it!

*2023-11-22, version v0.8.4+164*

Couldn’t live without this app!

### 5/5 — The best budgeting app ever!

*2023-10-11*

I am an old Simple Bank user and absolutely loved it. I was so devastated when I learned that bank was closing, and when I took to the internet to find something as good as it, I realized no other bank would ever be as good. It led me to this amazing discord server where I had the pleasure of meeting Anthony, this app’s developer. He’s amazing! He took the Simple bank structure and made it even 10x better. It’s super affordable, and it truly helps me manage my money so well. I am so grateful for this app and I would recommend it to anyone who is a finance nerd and loves being completely organized.

Thank you, Anthony!

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-04.*