Comparison

Debt Manager vs Forge

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

Head to head
About

Debt Manager

This app helps users pay off their debts faster and more efficiently. It utilizes the Debt Snowball method and offers various strategies, tracking tools, and 'what-if' scenarios to visualize progress and savings.

Highlights
  • Debt Snowball method
  • Multiple payoff strategies
  • Progress tracking and summary
  • Unlimited debt entry
  • 'What-If' scenario planning
  • Exportable reports and schedules
  • Interactive visualizations
Currently charting
Read full description

*** No. 1 Ranked Finance App in the US & UK *** 'Debt Manager' has one aim - To help you GET OUT OF DEBT FAST! 5-Stars - "By Far, This is one of the best Money Apps that I have seen. Fantastic, Great Job" 5-Stars - "This app is worth every penny.. Great info and breakdown.. I am so looking forward to being debt free!!" 5-Stars - "This app is three things: Simple. Effective. Spot On." 5-Stars - "The details, features and thought that went into creating this app are endless." 5-Stars - "Super easy to use; choice of strategies to choose for to pay off debts. Most helpful app for paying down debt I've come across." Debt Manager helps you to organize, track and pay off all your debts in the cheapest and fastest possible way. It does this using the Debt Snowball method, which is recognised by leading financial advisors as the most effective way to pay off multiple debts. You will be amazed at how much time and money you could save by applying this simple strategy, and this app will show you how. So if you want to become debt free, get started now! *** Features *** -------------------- √ Simple and intuitive user interface - helps you see results quickly and clearly √ Hints and tips - don't worry, we will guide you through the process √ Summary shows your payoff progress - includes progress bar, your debt free date and your interest/time savings √ Choose from multiple pay off Strategies - Lowest Balance First - Highest Interest First - Highest Balance First - Custom Order √ An unlimited number of debts can be entered - each debt can be individually analysed - payments may be entered as a percentage of balance - support for introductory rates e.g. 0% for 6 months √ Monthly Payments may be recorded - either automatic or manual recording - allows you to keep track of your progress √ Backup & Restore - use popular Dropbox service for online storage - keep your data safe - manually sync between devices √ Choice of payment periods - handles monthly, weekly and fortnightly payments √ Extra Payments can be entered against each debt - helps pay off your debts even faster - can be entered Monthly, Yearly or as a One Off √ Transactions can be entered against each debt - allows you to take into account expenses/purchases - can be entered Monthly, Yearly or as a One Off - will increase the debt balance √ Try out various 'What-If' scenarios e.g. - a change in interest rate - increased monthly payments √ Export the debt details via Email - professionally formatted PDF or HTML - export individual debts or overall summary - includes full amortization schedules - charts are attached to the email export √ Interactive reports - easy visualisation of the debt breakdown - compare debts side by side - press, hold and slide to see the costs per month - pinch to zoom √ Set of Calculators are included to help you compute: - monthly payments - extra payments - payoff date - refinance benefits √ Notification of payments due - so you never forget to record a payment √ Passcode protection - keep your data safe √ Full manual is embedded within the app - has all the info you will ever need

About

Forge

This app provides honest financial tools to help you build your future. It's built around the 7 Baby Step framework, offering features like smart budgeting, debt payoff tracking, and net worth projection without ads or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • 7 Baby Step framework integration
  • Smart budgeting (zero-based, 50/30/20)
  • Debt payoff tracking with projected dates
  • Net worth tracker with long-term projections
  • Offline financial calculators
  • Savings goal setting and tracking
  • Personalized financial recommendations
Features
Read full description

Forge: Personal Finance Most finance apps are built by banks, funded by ads, and designed to sell you something. Forge is none of those things. No ads. No subscriptions. No accounts. No data collection. No cloud sync. No upsells. You pay once and own it forever. Your financial data never leaves your device — not because we say so, but because we never built the infrastructure to take it. Forge is an independent app built on one belief: you are capable of building your own financial future. You just need a clear plan and honest tools to execute it. BUILT AROUND THE 7 BABY STEP FRAMEWORK The proven framework championed by Dave Ramsey, John Bogle, Warren Buffett, Suze Orman, Ramit Sethi, and Morgan Housel — the world's most trusted financial voices. 1. $1,000 Starter Emergency Fund 2. Pay Off All Debt — snowball or avalanche 3. Full Emergency Fund — 3–6 months saved 4. Invest 15% for Retirement 5. Save for College 6. Pay Off Your Home Early 7. Build Wealth & Give FEATURES Smart Budget — Zero-based and 50/30/20 budgeting. Track every dollar by category. Monthly history with year-to-date totals. Category tips show exactly what belongs where and how much to target. Debt Payoff — Add your debts and see your exact payoff date. Watch how an extra $50/mo saves you thousands in interest. Net Worth Tracker — Monthly snapshots, long-term growth charts, wealth projections out 50 years. Financial Calculators — Compound interest, mortgage, debt payoff, savings goal, emergency fund. All offline. All instant. Goals — Set savings goals with monthly contribution tracking and progress trends. Forge Insights — Personalized recommendations based on your actual numbers, not generic advice. WHY NOT THE OTHER APPS? Big banks built apps to keep you dependent. Subscription apps need your recurring payment to survive. Ad-supported apps sell your behavior to the highest bidder. Forge has none of those incentives. We make money when you buy the app once — and that's it. Steel doesn't shape itself. You apply the heat. You swing the hammer.

Screenshots

Debt Manager4 screens
Forge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Forge at every 4 days against Debt Manager's every 6 weeks. Forge also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). Debt Manager's advantage is ratings volume (559 vs 3) and chart position (#22 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Debt Manager costs $0.99 and Forge $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forge holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Debt Manager has 559 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Debt Manager's written reviews are positive against 100% of Forge's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Debt Manager ships an update every 6 weeks, Forge every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Debt Manager versus Forge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDebt ManagerForge
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating4.6 (559 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings559 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#22 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMH Riley LtdAdam Groesbeck

Customer experience

Debt Manager

All ratings554 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive85.5%
Neutral6.4%
Negative8.2%

Forge

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Debt Manager

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Calendar and date issues causing problems
  • Minimum payment restrictions that don't work as expected
  • Debt balances not updating correctly after payments

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to add debt start dates
  • Monthly payment summary view
  • Profiles to manage multiple people's debt
  • More customization options for layout and visuals

Forge

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Debt Manager

No in-app purchases

None

Forge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Debt Manager free?
Debt Manager costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Forge free?
Forge costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Debt Manager or Forge?
Forge is rated higher. Debt Manager averages 4.6 out of 5 from 559 ratings, while Forge averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Debt Manager or Forge have ads?
Neither Debt Manager nor Forge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Debt Manager or Forge?
Debt Manager ships an update every 6 weeks, and Forge every 4 days. Most recently, Debt Manager was updated on October 30, 2026 and Forge on October 22, 2026.

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