Switched from Monarch and haven't looked back
We tried Monarch for about six months. Great app but it treated us like one financial unit. Everything was shared, everything was visible, and we kept arguing about who spent what on personal stuff. We earn different amounts too so the whole thing felt off from the start.
Halfway is different. Shared expenses are tracked together, personal spending stays private. The split adjusts based on what we each earn so I'm not overpaying relative to my income anymore. Settlement screen tells us exactly who owes what at the end of the month. No spreadsheet, no calculator, no argument. Free to start which was the other thing. Monarch is $99 a year. Halfway costs nothing until you want bank sync.
Halfway is different. Shared expenses are tracked together, personal spending stays private. The split adjusts based on what we each earn so I'm not overpaying relative to my income anymore. Settlement screen tells us exactly who owes what at the end of the month. No spreadsheet, no calculator, no argument. Free to start which was the other thing. Monarch is $99 a year. Halfway costs nothing until you want bank sync.
Show more
Impressed
I’ve tried pretty much every budgeting app out there - YNAB, Mint, Monarch, Goodbudget, Splitwise - and Halfway is the only one built specifically for couples managing shared expenses. It does one thing really well instead of trying to be everything to everyone.
The proportional splitting feature is what sold me. Most apps assume you split everything 50/50, but Halfway lets you split based on income percentages. You set it once and every shared expense automatically splits the right way. No manual calculations, no spreadsheets, just done.
What really impressed me is the flexibility. You can set different split percentages for different categories. For example, you might want to split groceries one way and rent another way. Or some expenses can be 50/50 while others are proportional. Most apps force you into one rigid system, but Halfway adapts to however you and your partner actually handle money.
The privacy features are excellent. You can mark transactions as shared or personal, and personal spending stays completely private. Your partner can't see what you spend on personal stuff unless you choose to share it. This is huge - other couples apps I tried either showed everything to both people or made it way too complicated to separate shared vs personal.
Transaction tracking is smooth. Adding expenses is quick, categorization works well, and the settlement feature shows exactly who owes what at any time. No more "wait, did I pay you back for that?" conversations. One button settles everything up.
The budgeting tools are solid too. You can set budget limits by category and both people see the same progress. It's collaborative without being controlling, which is a hard balance to strike.
A few things could be better - the recurring bills tracker is good but could be smarter about detecting patterns, and the mobile app occasionally lags when loading transactions. Also wish there was a desktop web version for when you want to do deeper analysis.
But overall, this is the first budgeting app I've actually stuck with for more than a few months. It's not bloated with features I don't need, and it solves the specific problem of managing shared finances fairly. The UI is clean and modern, not overwhelming like some of the older apps.
If you've been tracking shared expenses in Notes or a spreadsheet, or if you're using apps that weren't built for couples, give Halfway a shot. The free version has everything you need to get started. Premium adds automatic bank sync which is worth it if you hate manual entry.
Pro tip: take a few minutes to set up your categories and split percentages properly at the start. Once that's configured, everything runs on autopilot and you barely have to think about it.
Definitely recommend, especially if you're managing money with a partner and want something that actually understands how couples handle finances.
The proportional splitting feature is what sold me. Most apps assume you split everything 50/50, but Halfway lets you split based on income percentages. You set it once and every shared expense automatically splits the right way. No manual calculations, no spreadsheets, just done.
What really impressed me is the flexibility. You can set different split percentages for different categories. For example, you might want to split groceries one way and rent another way. Or some expenses can be 50/50 while others are proportional. Most apps force you into one rigid system, but Halfway adapts to however you and your partner actually handle money.
The privacy features are excellent. You can mark transactions as shared or personal, and personal spending stays completely private. Your partner can't see what you spend on personal stuff unless you choose to share it. This is huge - other couples apps I tried either showed everything to both people or made it way too complicated to separate shared vs personal.
Transaction tracking is smooth. Adding expenses is quick, categorization works well, and the settlement feature shows exactly who owes what at any time. No more "wait, did I pay you back for that?" conversations. One button settles everything up.
The budgeting tools are solid too. You can set budget limits by category and both people see the same progress. It's collaborative without being controlling, which is a hard balance to strike.
A few things could be better - the recurring bills tracker is good but could be smarter about detecting patterns, and the mobile app occasionally lags when loading transactions. Also wish there was a desktop web version for when you want to do deeper analysis.
But overall, this is the first budgeting app I've actually stuck with for more than a few months. It's not bloated with features I don't need, and it solves the specific problem of managing shared finances fairly. The UI is clean and modern, not overwhelming like some of the older apps.
If you've been tracking shared expenses in Notes or a spreadsheet, or if you're using apps that weren't built for couples, give Halfway a shot. The free version has everything you need to get started. Premium adds automatic bank sync which is worth it if you hate manual entry.
Pro tip: take a few minutes to set up your categories and split percentages properly at the start. Once that's configured, everything runs on autopilot and you barely have to think about it.
Definitely recommend, especially if you're managing money with a partner and want something that actually understands how couples handle finances.
Show more
This is all we’ve all been waiting for
This app is genius and works incredible. Excited to see how it evolves over time, but definitely a a huge time saver for my wife and I.
Amazing
Love the app and the UI for couples
No fuss budgeting
This made me and my partner’s budgeting incredibly easy— no need to negotiate or think. Love the bank integrations and new features.
