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.
Paycheck by Paycheck
Read full descriptionHide full description
Budget by paycheck, not by month. Plan bills, savings, and spending around your actual pay schedule. Know whatβs 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
Paycheck Planner
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
Paycheck by Paycheck ships an update fortnightly, Paycheck Planner monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Paycheck by Paycheck | Paycheck Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly β better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 β better | 17.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DAVID ANDREW LIVINGSTON | Donald Proctor |
In-app purchases
Paycheck by Paycheck
- Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
Paycheck Planner
- Budget Access$4.99
Questions
Is Paycheck by Paycheck free?
Is Paycheck Planner free?
Do Paycheck by Paycheck or Paycheck Planner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Paycheck by Paycheck or Paycheck Planner?
Other comparisons















