Comparison

Budget Envelope vs Truly Simple Envelopes

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

Head to head
About

Budget Envelope

Features
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Take control of your money β€” one envelope at a time. Envelope Budget brings back the simplicity of the classic cash envelope method, rebuilt for your phone. No spreadsheets. No bank logins. No subscriptions. Just you, your budget, and a few taps. The idea is simple: decide how much you want to spend in each area of your life β€” groceries, dining out, gas, entertainment β€” and create an envelope for each one. Every time you spend, subtract it from that envelope. When the envelope is empty, you're done spending in that category for the month. That's it. No complexity. No learning curve. You'll have your first envelope set up in under a minute. Why Envelope Budget? -Most budgeting apps are overwhelming. They want to connect to your bank, sync across devices, send you notifications, and show you charts you'll never look at. Envelope Budget does none of that. It respects your time, your attention, and your privacy. -Everything you enter stays on your device. Always. There are no accounts to create, no passwords to remember, and no data ever leaving your phone. Your financial life is your business.

About

Truly Simple Envelopes

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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: β€’ The Main Wallet: A central holding bucket for all unallocated income. Add your paycheck here, then distribute the cash to your categories. β€’ Custom Envelopes: Create dedicated folders for Groceries, Rent, Vacation, etc. Customize them with tactile, earthy colors and native Apple icons. β€’ iCloud Sync: Built natively for Apple devices. Your balances and transactions sync instantly and privately across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. β€’ 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. β€’ 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. β€’ 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

Budget Envelope4 screens
Truly Simple Envelopes3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Budget Envelope at none against Truly Simple Envelopes's 1. Budget Envelope also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Truly Simple Envelopes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Budget Envelope asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Budget Envelope versus Truly Simple Envelopes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBudget EnvelopeTruly Simple Envelopes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size24 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTANNER HUNT FRANCISColin Wright

In-app purchases

None

Budget Envelope

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Truly Simple Envelopes

One-time1
  • Unlock Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Budget Envelope free?
Budget Envelope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Truly Simple Envelopes free?
Truly Simple Envelopes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Budget Envelope or Truly Simple Envelopes have ads?
Neither Budget Envelope nor Truly Simple Envelopes shows ads.

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