Comparison

AscentConnect vs Monthlio

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

Head to head
About

AscentConnect

Manage your student loans with ease. Apply for new loans, track your balance, and update billing information. Build healthy financial habits by making timely payments and exploring exclusive student benefits.

Highlights
  • Apply for loans
  • Manage loan payments
  • Track loan balance
  • Update billing information
  • Set up autopay
  • Access exclusive student benefits
Features
Read full description

AscentConnect, created by Ascent Funding*, helps you apply for a loan and manage your payments easily. Stay up-to-date on your loan balance so you never miss a payment and update your billing info when you need to. TRUSTED BY STUDENTS Applying for a loan and accessing your loan information 24/7 has never been easier with Ascent’s mobile app. BUILD HEALTHY FINANCIAL HABITS Making payments on time, setting up autopay, and paying more than the minimum amount due can help you build healthy financial habits early. GET EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS With an Ascent loan, you’ll get access to free, interactive resources to help you achieve academic milestones, career breakthroughs, & financial independence with exclusive resources and access to paid internship opportunities.** Bright Futures™ are ahead! Download the AscentConnect mobile app today! By downloading this mobile application, I agree that I have read and understand Ascent's online Terms and Conditions (https://www.ascentfunding.com/terms-conditions/), Privacy Policy (https://www.ascentfunding.com/privacy-notice/), and Electronic Communications Consent (https://www.ascentfunding.com/electronic-communication-disclosure/). I also agree that I am at least 18 years old or the age of majority in my state of residence. *The AscentConnect mobile app is serviced by Launch Servicing, LLC. Mobile carrier fees may apply. **Ascent applicants and borrowers that agree to the AscentUP Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, as well as students associated with an Ascent parent loan application, have access to the AscentUP platform.

About

Monthlio

This app helps you understand your true monthly expenses by normalizing all billing cycles to a monthly cost. Track spending by category, manage subscriptions, and view upcoming charges to stay on top of your finances.

Highlights
  • Normalize all billing cycles to monthly cost
  • Categorize expenses with visual breakdown
  • Track subscriptions and identify price increases
  • View upcoming charges and set reminders
  • Set income and track leftover funds
  • Offline functionality
  • Face ID or passcode lock
Features
Read full description

Monthlio is a fast, private expense tracker that answers one question: what does my month actually cost? Enter your expenses at whatever cadence they bill — weekly groceries, a yearly Prime renewal, a quarterly insurance payment — and Monthlio normalizes everything to a true monthly cost. The dashboard shows your total, a breakdown by category, and what's left after expenses. FEATURES • Monthly total with a donut chart by category. Tap a slice to drill in. • Every cadence normalized: weekly, every two weeks, monthly, quarterly, yearly, one-time. • Income and leftover: set your take-home pay and see how much of it goes to expenses. • Category budgets with green, amber and red progress and an over-budget badge. • Subscriptions view with a cancel toggle and price-increase flags. • Upcoming charges: a 30-day timeline of what hits your account, with optional reminders the day before. • Month history: a bar chart of past months and month-over-month change. • Search and sort your expenses. • Multi-currency with a base currency and your own exchange rates. • Face ID or passcode lock. • iCloud sync between your devices. • CSV export. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no analytics, no bank linking. Your data stays on your device and in your own iCloud. Monthlio never sees it. Works offline. No subscription required.

Screenshots

AscentConnect4 screens
Monthlio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Monthlio at 5.0 against AscentConnect's 3.9. Monthlio also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). AscentConnect's advantage is ratings volume (278 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Monthlio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AscentConnect has 278 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AscentConnect ships an update every 3 weeks, Monthlio weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
AscentConnect versus Monthlio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAscentConnectMonthlio
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (278 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings278 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAscent Funding, LLCBRANDON ABRAHAM MOGHADAM

Customer experience

AscentConnect

All ratings278 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral1.1%
Negative26.3%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive42.6%
Neutral3.3%
Negative54.1%

Monthlio

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

AscentConnect

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Login credentials not saved, app forgets email and password
  • Secondary authentication code screen goes blank
  • App stuck on second authorization page
  • Payment input field requires deletion of zeros before entering amount
  • Loans not displaying in app but visible on website
Show 7 more
  • Double charging on payments
  • Automatic payment processing failures
  • Payment not reflecting in system despite submission
  • Inconsistent font sizes and screen layouts
  • App continuously asks about existing account while logged in
  • Verification code takes 30+ minutes to arrive
  • Loading issues preventing loan visibility

Requested features

10 requests
  • Payment breakdown showing principal vs interest allocation
  • Loan balance display in recent payments section
  • SMS verification code option instead of email
  • Visual graphs and charts for loan terms
  • Calendar view for payment schedules
Show 5 more
  • Principal paid tracking and visualization
  • Account deletion option in app
  • Better menu organization and layout
  • Loan buyout program for incomplete education
  • Face ID and biometric login options

Monthlio

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

AscentConnect

No in-app purchases

None

Monthlio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AscentConnect free?
AscentConnect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monthlio free?
Monthlio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AscentConnect or Monthlio?
Monthlio is rated higher. AscentConnect averages 3.9 out of 5 from 278 ratings, while Monthlio averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do AscentConnect or Monthlio have ads?
AscentConnect shows ads; Monthlio does not.
Which is updated more often, AscentConnect or Monthlio?
AscentConnect ships an update every 3 weeks, and Monthlio weekly. Most recently, AscentConnect was updated on October 6, 2026 and Monthlio on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons