Comparison

Paycheck by Paycheck vs Paycheck Planner

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

Head to head
About

Paycheck by Paycheck

Features
Read full description

Budget by paycheck, not by month. Plan bills, savings, and spending around your actual pay schedule. Know what’s safe to spend before payday and give every paycheck a purpose. β€’ Bill planning β€’ Spending envelopes β€’ Savings goals β€’ Future expense planning β€’ Safe-to-spend tracking Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://paycheckbypaycheck.com/privacy

About

Paycheck Planner

Features
Read full description

Category budgeting doesn't work when you live paycheck to paycheck. You don't need forty envelopes. You need the answer to one question: "After the bills that are still coming before my next payday, how much can I actually spend?" That's the whole app. One number, on the front screen, honest. HOW IT WORKS β€’ Enter your balance, your paycheck, and your bills β€” once β€’ Paycheck Planner works out which bills land before your next payday β€’ It subtracts them, and shows you what's left: your Safe to Spend β€’ Plus a daily allowance, so you know how to pace it BUILT FOR REAL PAY SCHEDULES Biweekly that drifts across the month. Semimonthly on the 1st and the 15th. Monthly on the 31st in a month that only has 30 days. The date maths is the hard part, and it is done properly. WHAT YOU GET β€’ Safe to Spend, front and centre β€’ Next payday and the days until it β€’ Bills still due before then, and which are already paid β€’ A daily allowance β€’ One-tap spend logging β€’ Trends and charts across pay cycles β€’ A buffer setting, if you like to hold a cushion back NO BANK LINKING β€” ON PURPOSE Paycheck Planner never asks for bank credentials and has no bank connection. You type in your balance. Everything is calculated on your device. There is no account, no cloud, and no network request of any kind. No analytics, no tracking, no ads. FREE, WITH AN OPTIONAL ONE-TIME UNLOCK Free: one income source, up to 5 bills, Safe to Spend, and spend logging. Full Unlock adds unlimited bills, multiple income sources, Trends and charts, and the buffer. One-time β€” not a subscription. Paycheck Planner is a budgeting tool, not financial advice.

Screenshots

Paycheck by Paycheck3 screens
Paycheck Planner3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Paycheck by Paycheck at fortnightly against Paycheck Planner's monthly. Paycheck by Paycheck also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Paycheck by Paycheck sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Paycheck Planner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paycheck by Paycheck ships an update fortnightly, Paycheck Planner monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Paycheck by Paycheck versus Paycheck Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaycheck by PaycheckPaycheck Planner
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly β€” betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size65 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDAVID ANDREW LIVINGSTONDonald Proctor

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Paycheck by Paycheck

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
1 purchases

Paycheck Planner

One-time1
  • Budget Access$4.99

Questions

Is Paycheck by Paycheck free?
Paycheck by Paycheck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paycheck Planner free?
Paycheck Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Paycheck by Paycheck or Paycheck Planner have ads?
Neither Paycheck by Paycheck nor Paycheck Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Paycheck by Paycheck or Paycheck Planner?
Paycheck by Paycheck ships an update fortnightly, and Paycheck Planner monthly. Most recently, Paycheck by Paycheck was updated on November 5, 2026 and Paycheck Planner on October 31, 2026.

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