Envelope Budget vs Truly Simple Envelopes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Envelope Budget
This app helps you manage your money using the zero-based envelope budgeting method. Assign every dollar a purpose, track spending across multiple accounts, and set savings goals. Visualize your financial health with insightful reports and home screen widgets.
- Zero-Based Budgeting
- Multiple Account Tracking
- Smart Credit Card Handling
- Split Transactions
- Savings Goals
- Budget vs Actual Reports
- iCloud Sync
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Stop wondering where your money went. Start telling it where to go. Fundwise uses the proven zero-based envelope budgeting method to help you take complete control of your finances. Every dollar gets a job, every expense is planned, and you always know exactly what you can afford to spend. HOW IT WORKS 1. Add your income to Ready to Assign 2. Assign every dollar to budget categories (envelopes) 3. Spend only what is in each envelope 4. Adjust as life happens - move money between categories anytime It is simple, flexible, and incredibly effective. FEATURES - Zero-Based Budgeting Assign every dollar a purpose. No more money slipping through the cracks. - Multiple Accounts Track checking, savings, credit cards, and cash - all in one place. See your complete financial picture. - Smart Credit Card Handling Automatically tracks what you owe. When you budget for a purchase, the money is set aside for your credit card payment. - Split Transactions One purchase, multiple categories. Split a grocery run across Food, Household, and Dining so every dollar lands in the right envelope automatically. - Goals and Targets Save for vacation, emergency fund, or that new laptop. Set monthly targets or save by a specific date. - Age of Money See how long your money sits before you spend it. The longer, the better — it means you're spending last month's income, not scrambling to cover this month's bills. - Bulk Actions Select multiple transactions at once to categorize, clear, flag, or delete them in a single tap. Ideal after importing a CSV or reconciling a statement. - Recurring Transactions Set up bills and subscriptions once. Fundwise generates them automatically so you never miss a payment. - Budget vs Actual Reports See exactly how your spending compares to what you planned — per category, per month. Spot overspending before it becomes a habit. - Beautiful Widgets See your Ready to Assign balance, spending summary, and account balances right from your Home Screen. - Import Your Data Import transactions directly from your bank or credit card as CSV files. Works with exports from Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and most major banks. - iCloud Sync Access your budget on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Everything syncs automatically through your personal iCloud. PRIVACY FIRST Your financial data is yours alone. Fundwise stores everything in YOUR personal iCloud account using end-to-end encryption. We cannot see your transactions, balances, or budgets - ever. No analytics, no tracking, no data selling. Period. PRICING - 30-day free trial (no credit card required) - Monthly: $1.99/month - Yearly: $19.99/year (save 17%) Cancel anytime. Your data remains yours even if you unsubscribe. WHY ENVELOPE BUDGETING? Traditional budgets track what you already spent. Envelope budgeting is different - you decide WHERE to spend BEFORE you spend it. This simple shift transforms how you think about money. Millions of people have used envelope budgeting to: - Pay off debt faster - Stop living paycheck to paycheck - Build emergency savings - Save for big purchases without stress - Finally feel in control of their finances GET STARTED TODAY Download Fundwise and start your free trial. In just a few minutes, you will have a budget that actually works. Questions or feedback? We would love to hear from you at support@paragbafna.dev Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Truly Simple Envelopes
This app offers a digital approach to the cash stuffing budgeting method. It allows users to manually allocate funds into custom digital envelopes for different spending categories, promoting mindful spending and financial peace of mind without bank linking.
- Digital cash stuffing method
- Manual transaction entry
- Customizable digital envelopes
- Main wallet for unallocated income
- iCloud syncing across Apple devices
- WCAG AA accessibility standards
- Subscription-free with optional one-time purchase
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Managing money is stressful, and modern budgeting apps usually make it worse. They connect to your bank, download hundreds of transactions you don't recognize, bombard you with confusing pie charts, and charge you a hefty monthly subscription for the privilege. Truly Simple Envelopes is the opposite. It’s a digital version of the classic "cash stuffing" envelope method, built to be visually calm, completely manual, and intentionally friction-free. It never links to your bank accounts or automatically pulls in data. Instead, it asks you to mindfully put money into digital envelopes, and manually subtract it when you spend. By stripping away the bloat and focusing entirely on how much money you have left for different priorities, it brings peace of mind back to your finances while helping you develop healthy and sustainable financial habits. The core app, including iCloud syncing between your devices, is entirely free. If you find it useful, a one-time, lifetime $4.99 fee unlocks unlimited envelopes. Features: • The Main Wallet: A central holding bucket for all unallocated income. Add your paycheck here, then distribute the cash to your categories. • Custom Envelopes: Create dedicated folders for Groceries, Rent, Vacation, etc. Customize them with tactile, earthy colors and native Apple icons. • iCloud Sync: Built natively for Apple devices. Your balances and transactions sync instantly and privately across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. • Accessible: Designed strictly to WCAG AA accessibility standards. Enjoy high-contrast text, large touch targets, and full support for Apple's Dynamic Type text scaling. • Complete Control: Swipe to delete a mistaken transaction, use the built-in Reconcile tool to clean up duplicate sync records, or hit the "Reset App Data" button to completely wipe your slate clean at any time. • Proudly Subscription-Free: We hate recurring billing as much as you do. Stick with the free version, or pay once and use the software forever. No ads, no trackers, no hidden fees.
Screenshots
Verdict
Envelope Budget and Truly Simple Envelopes are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Envelope Budget sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Truly Simple Envelopes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Envelope Budget against 5.0 for Truly Simple Envelopes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Envelope Budget ships an update every 3 weeks, Truly Simple Envelopes every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Envelope Budget | Truly Simple Envelopes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Parag Bafna | Colin Wright |
In-app purchases
Envelope Budget
- Monthly$0.991 Month
- Yearly$9.991 Year
Truly Simple Envelopes
- Unlock Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Envelope Budget free?
Is Truly Simple Envelopes free?
Which has better reviews, Envelope Budget or Truly Simple Envelopes?
Do Envelope Budget or Truly Simple Envelopes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Envelope Budget or Truly Simple Envelopes?
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