Comparison

Budget Zero vs FortBudget

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

Head to head
About

Budget Zero

This app helps you manage your money privately using a zero-based envelope budgeting system. It allows manual transaction logging without linking bank accounts, offering a distraction-free interface and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Zero-based envelope budgeting
  • Private, no bank linking
  • Manual transaction logging
  • Offline functionality
  • Budget rollover
  • iCloud sync
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

The budgeting app that respects your wallet AND your privacy. Budget Zero uses zero-based envelope budgeting to give every dollar a job, without linking your bank account or tracking your data. Try Budget Zero Pro free for a month, or pay once with Lifetime and skip the subscription. WHY BUDGET ZERO? • Affordable - A fraction of the cost of other budgeting apps. • Private - No bank linking. No data selling. Your finances stay yours. • Simple - Manual entry keeps you mindful of every transaction • Powerful - Full envelope budgeting, with leftover money that rolls into next month HOW IT WORKS 1. Add your accounts (checking, savings, credit cards, cash) 2. Create budget categories and organize them into groups 3. Assign dollars to each category every month 4. Log transactions and watch your budget update in real time 5. Reach zero - every dollar has a job FEATURES • Zero-based envelope budgeting system • Import your budget from YNAB: accounts, categories, transactions and balances • Multiple account support (checking, savings, credit, cash) • Monthly budget periods with easy month-to-month navigation • Rollover: unspent money carries into the next month, and you can move it to another budget • Budget groups for organized category management • Transaction tracking with payee, date, and category, plus transfers between accounts • Budgets filled in from each payee's last transaction • Credit card payment budgets that keep card spending covered • iCloud-synced across your devices • Works offline - no internet required to budget • Clean, distraction-free interface • Dark mode support BUDGET ZERO PRO Pro unlocks unlimited budgets, accounts and transactions. Start with a free month on the monthly or yearly plan, or buy Lifetime once and keep Pro forever. Either way, it costs a fraction of what other budgeting apps charge. Take control of your money. Download Budget Zero today. About Subscriptions: • Subscription Name: Budget Zero Pro • Subscription Length: 1 Month or 1 Year (Auto-renewable) • Subscription Price: shown in your local currency on the App Store before purchase • Free Trial: the monthly and yearly plans start with a 1-month free trial for eligible new subscribers. Unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the subscription starts and renews automatically. • Lifetime: a one-time purchase that unlocks Budget Zero Pro permanently. It does not renew. Price shown in your local currency on the App Store before purchase. • Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • You can manage or turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account Settings at any time after purchase. Links: • Privacy Policy: https://budgetzeroapp.com/privacy • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

FortBudget

A private budget tracker that gives you complete control over your financial data. Manually add transactions or import CSVs, with all data stored locally on your device. Offers zero-based budgeting and encrypted local backups.

Highlights
  • Private budget tracking
  • Manual transaction entry
  • CSV import and export
  • Zero-based monthly budgets
  • Encrypted local backups
  • No bank linking or sign-up
Features
Read full description

Give every dollar a plan you can see. Build a monthly envelope budget, record spending, and review your ledger without connecting a bank or creating an account. Add transactions by hand or import compatible UTF-8 CSV files. Your budget is encrypted and stored on your device. YOUR FIRST BUDGET MONTH IS FREE New customers get one account, their first budget plan, and plan versus actual for free through the end of the month they start in, and never less than 30 days. The Home and Budget tabs show how many free days are left. ONE PURCHASE. NO SUBSCRIPTION. When the free month ends, a one-time Lifetime Pro purchase keeps budgeting going: adding transactions, planning new budget months, and adding accounts. Apple shows the current price in your currency before you buy, and Restore Purchase is always available. Lifetime Pro also includes unlimited accounts, new crypto accounts, unlimited CSV rows per import, savings goals, a cash-flow calendar, twelve-month trends, balance history, and custom-date reports. ALWAYS FREE Even after the free month, without buying anything you can: - See and edit the transactions you already saved - Rename or archive categories, and archive accounts - Export your ledger to CSV - Save and restore passphrase-protected, encrypted backups - Delete your data, and lock the app with Face ID or your passcode ALREADY A FORTBUDGET CUSTOMER? If you downloaded FortBudget before version 1.1, you keep your original free features, including up to three active accounts. A previous Lifetime Pro purchase restores at no charge. YOUR BUDGET, IN YOUR HANDS - Plan spending by category with a zero-based monthly budget - Keep a clear record of income and expenses - Import compatible CSV transactions and export your ledger - Save passphrase-protected, encrypted local backups wherever you choose APPLE WATCH FortBudget for Apple Watch works with the iPhone app: - See what is available to spend and what is ready to assign - Check how much is left in each budget category - Add a quick expense: turn the Digital Crown for the amount, and the category you used last is already selected - Add the "Available to spend" complication to your watch face Expenses you add on the watch go to your iPhone ledger, and wait on the watch while your iPhone is out of reach. Only totals and category names reach the watch; your ledger stays on your iPhone. Adding expenses from the watch follows the same free-month and Lifetime Pro rules as the iPhone app. Keep your own numbers in front of you, with no bank connection or recurring subscription. Terms of Use: https://gusdigitalsolutions.com/fortbudget/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://gusdigitalsolutions.com/fortbudget/privacy/

Screenshots

Budget Zero4 screens
FortBudget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FortBudget at 5.0 against Budget Zero's 4.3. FortBudget also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%). Budget Zero's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Budget Zero sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and FortBudget sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FortBudget holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Budget Zero's written reviews are positive against 100% of FortBudget's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Budget Zero ships an update every 3 days, FortBudget every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Budget Zero versus FortBudget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBudget ZeroFortBudget
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (7 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB10 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperGrey Park, LLCGustavo Payano Vasquez

Customer experience

Budget Zero

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

FortBudget

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Budget Zero

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription1 Month trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$79.99
1 purchases

FortBudget

One-time1
  • FortBudget Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Budget Zero free?
Budget Zero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FortBudget free?
FortBudget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Budget Zero or FortBudget?
FortBudget is rated higher. Budget Zero averages 4.3 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while FortBudget averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Budget Zero or FortBudget have ads?
Neither Budget Zero nor FortBudget shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Budget Zero or FortBudget?
Budget Zero ships an update every 3 days, and FortBudget every 2 months. Most recently, Budget Zero was updated on November 8, 2026 and FortBudget on October 31, 2026.

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