Comparison

Money Journal vs Cashews

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Money Journal

A privacy-first budget planner and expense tracker that helps you plan where your money will go without linking bank accounts. Organize finances, track bills, and set savings goals with flexible billing cycles and AI-powered transaction logging.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first expense tracking
  • Budget planning
  • Flexible billing cycles
  • AI receipt scanning
  • Customizable categories
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Your finances are private. Your budget app should be too. Money Journal is a privacy-first budget planner and expense tracker that works without linking your bank account. No credentials to share, no third-party data access, no risk. Just you, your plan, and complete control over your money. Most budgeting apps only tell you where your money went. Money Journal helps you plan where it will go. PLAN YOUR BUDGET Create your spending plan before the month begins. Add recurring income from salaries, freelance work, rental payments, or dividends. Set fixed expenses for predictable bills like rent, subscriptions, and insurance. Budget flexible spending for groceries, dining, and entertainment. Define savings goals and track your progress toward each one. Organize your money into dedicated wallets — emergency fund, checking, savings, or however you manage your accounts. Your closing balance automatically carries forward as next month's opening balance, so your plan always reflects reality. FLEXIBLE BILLING CYCLES Real life doesn't follow a single schedule, and neither should your budget. Set each income and expense on its own cycle — daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Recurring transactions are generated automatically, and reminders ensure you never miss a bill or payment. LOG TRANSACTIONS YOUR WAY Add transactions in seconds against your planned categories. Scan receipts with your camera for AI-powered import that fills in the amount, category, and details automatically. Import transactions from bank statements and CSV files. See your forecast versus actuals in real time, and always know exactly how much you have left to spend. REVIEW AND UNDERSTAND YOUR FINANCES See your cash flow at a glance with clear income versus expense breakdowns. Dive into spending allocation by category, view monthly and yearly summaries, and spot patterns before they become problems. DESIGNED FOR YOUR LIFE - Supports 80+ currencies for tracking finances worldwide - Create custom categories with icons to match your lifestyle - Syncs securely across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web - Available in 12+ languages PREMIUM Unlock powerful tools to take your financial planning further: - AI receipt and statement import - Spending insights and analytics - Real-time sync across all your devices - Unlimited wallets for detailed fund management - Sub-categories for granular expense tracking - Export transactions to CSV YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Money Journal is built on a simple principle: your financial data belongs to you. There is no bank account linking, no selling of data to advertisers, and no third-party tracking. Download Money Journal and take control of your financial future. Terms of Use: https://www.moneyjournal.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.moneyjournal.app/privacy-policy

About

Cashews

Effortlessly track your spending without traditional budgeting. This app automatically finds recurring charges and provides a clear overview of your finances, helping you discover forgotten subscriptions and stay on top of your money.

Highlights
  • Automatic recurring charge detection
  • Simple transaction categorization
  • Household sharing for joint finances
  • Daily spending overview
  • Payment reminders
  • Customizable categories
Features
Read full description

Cashews finds every recurring charge across your accounts. Most people find more in forgotten charges than Cashews costs. What did you spend this month? Cashews answers that in 10 seconds. Connect your bank accounts and credit cards, and Cashews shows you one number: Spent So Far. It's the simplest way to stay on top of your money, whether you budget or not. WHAT MAKES CASHEWS DIFFERENT Most finance apps make tracking your spending feel like homework. Cashews takes a different approach. Connect your accounts, see what you've spent, categorize with a swipe. Need, Want, or Other. Done. You get the clarity of knowing where your money goes without the effort of maintaining a traditional budget. And if you want more detail, custom categories let you go deeper. IT PAYS FOR ITSELF Cashews automatically detects every recurring charge across all your accounts. Subscriptions you forgot about, bills you didn't realize were still running, annual renewals you missed. Most people find more in forgotten charges than Cashews costs. HOW IT WORKS 1. Connect your banks and credit cards (12,500+ US institutions supported). 2. See your Spent So Far number, updated daily across all accounts, and what's left for the month after your bills. 3. Swipe to categorize your transactions in seconds. 4. See your recurring charges, top spending, and credit card balances in Insights. HOUSEHOLD SHARING (NEW) Your partner's credit cards, your checking account, that joint savings. Now everyone sees the same number. Invite your financial plus one and get a complete picture of your household's spending. One price covers everyone. KEY FEATURES - Spent So Far: one number, all accounts, updated daily - What's left for the month: predicted income, minus bills, minus what you've spent - Household Sharing: invite your partner or family - Simple categorization: Need, Want, Other (or custom categories) - Recurring charge detection with payment reminders - Top spending by merchant and transaction - Credit card utilization tracking - Smart notifications: unusual activity, upcoming bills, missed payments - 12,500+ US banks and credit cards supported - Bank-level encryption via Plaid. Read-only access. We never see your login. PRICING $3.99/month or $39.99/year for your whole family. Most people find more than that in forgotten charges. No ads, no hidden fees, no selling your data. Cancel anytime. Cashews uses Plaid (https://plaid.com) to securely connect to your financial institutions. We have read-only access to your accounts. Check if your bank is supported at https://plaid.com/institutions. Currently supports US banks and credit cards only. SUPPORT Questions or feedback? Reach us anytime at support@cashews.finance. Learn more: https://cashews.finance Terms of Service: https://cashews.finance/terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://cashews.finance/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Money Journal4 screens
Cashews4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cashews at 4.5 against Money Journal's 4.3. Money Journal's advantage is ratings volume (359 vs 70). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Money Journal sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Cashews sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cashews holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Money Journal has 359 ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 50% and 50% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Money Journal ships an update every 5 days, Cashews every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Money Journal versus Cashews: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoney JournalCashews
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (359 ratings)4.5 (70 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.5% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings359 — better70
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size177 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDIMMPLE PTY LTDCashews Finance LLC

Customer experience

Money Journal

All ratings359 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.8%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive50.5%
Neutral5.6%
Negative43.9%

Cashews

All ratings70 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral5.7%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative40.0%

Bugs and requests

Money Journal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezing or crashing on launch
  • Data loss or disappearance of existing budgets
  • Syncing and migration issues with app updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add recurring payments and bills
  • Improve budget rollover and carry-over options
  • Allow custom budget cycle dates
  • Add multi-user/family sharing capabilities
  • Provide more detailed spending analytics and reports

Cashews

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Money Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Pro3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • 1 Month Premium$9.99
  • 3 Months Premium$21.99
8 purchases

Cashews

Subscriptions8
  • Cashews Finance Monthly14 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Monthly3 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Monthly7 Days trial$8.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Quarterly14 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Cashews Finance Annual1 Month trial$39.991 Year
  • Yearly3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly14 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Yearly1 Year trial3 variants$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Money Journal free?
Money Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cashews free?
Cashews is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Money Journal or Cashews?
Cashews is rated higher. Money Journal averages 4.3 out of 5 from 359 ratings, while Cashews averages 4.5 from 70 ratings.
Do Money Journal or Cashews have ads?
Neither Money Journal nor Cashews shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Money Journal or Cashews?
Money Journal ships an update every 5 days, and Cashews every 3 days. Most recently, Money Journal was updated on November 11, 2026 and Cashews on November 11, 2026.

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