Comparison

Budget Envelope vs CashEnvelope

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

Head to head
About

Budget Envelope

Features
Read full description

Take control of your money — 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 — groceries, dining out, gas, entertainment — 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

CashEnvelope

This app digitally replicates the cash envelope budgeting method, allowing you to allocate funds for various expenses. Track spending with visual fill bars and forecast your end-of-month financial status without linking bank accounts.

Highlights
  • Digital envelope system
  • Live liquid-fill spending visualization
  • Transaction logging in two taps
  • End-of-month financial forecasting
  • Customizable roll-over behavior
  • Monthly spending overview with charts
  • Automatic paycheck allocation
Features
Read full description

Digital envelopes, kitchen-table simple. CashEnvelope brings the classic cash-stuffing method to your iPhone — no bank link, no account, no analytics. Stuff your paycheck into envelopes for Rent, Groceries, Fun, and Savings, watch the liquid fill bars tick down as you spend, and stay in control of every dollar. WHAT YOU CAN DO: • Envelope Wall — every envelope on one screen with live liquid-fill cards (green on track, amber near limit, red over budget) • Add Transactions — log spending in two taps, see the wall update instantly • Pace Forecast — projects each envelope's end-of-month landing before you actually overspend • Roll-Over Behavior — choose roll, reset, or bank-to-savings at month end, per envelope or globally • Monthly Overview — pie chart of where your money went, plus trend lines • CSV Export — every envelope and every transaction in one shareable file • Auto-Allocate Paycheck — define a paycheck template once, tap "Receive Paycheck", and watch every envelope fill automatically by % or fixed amount • Daily Reminder — gentle local notification to log yesterday's spending • Local Currency — formats automatically to your device locale WHY CASHENVELOPE IS DIFFERENT: The big envelope-budgeting apps (YNAB, Goodbudget, EveryDollar, Mvelopes) all want $10–$18 a month, a login, and a bank connection through Plaid. Reddit and the App Store are full of "Plaid disconnected again" complaints and "lost my data when my subscription lapsed" reviews. CashEnvelope skips all of that. No email signup. No bank link. No cloud sync. Your envelopes live on your iPhone, in SwiftData, and nowhere else. If you cancel, your data stays. If you go offline, the app works. If you want privacy, you have it. CASHENVELOPE PREMIUM — $2.99/month (7-day free trial): • Roll-Over Behavior (roll, reset, or bank to savings) • Smart Forecast Alerts with tunable warning + critical thresholds • Monthly Overview pie chart + trends • One-CSV Export (envelopes + transactions) • Auto-Allocate Paycheck (one-tap distribute by % or $) • Ad-Free Free forever: unlimited envelopes, unlimited transactions, live fill bars, daily reminders. We don't gate the basics. PERFECT FOR: Couples and roommates splitting expenses, parents teaching the envelope method to teens, freelancers tracking variable income, anyone tired of bank-link apps breaking every other week, and the cash-stuffing community looking for a private digital companion. Privacy: CashEnvelope stores everything on your device. No account. No bank link. No personal data leaves your iPhone except the standard StoreKit purchase receipt and AdMob ad requests (free tier). See our Privacy Policy below for full disclosure. Auto-renews monthly. Cancel anytime in your Apple ID Subscriptions settings. Any unused portion of the free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. --- Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://tabishhassan5121472.github.io/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Budget Envelope4 screens
CashEnvelope4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Budget Envelope at none against CashEnvelope's 1. Budget Envelope also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and device support 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. CashEnvelope sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Budget Envelope asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Budget Envelope versus CashEnvelope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBudget EnvelopeCashEnvelope
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 10 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTANNER HUNT FRANCISTabish Hassan

In-app purchases

None

Budget Envelope

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

CashEnvelope

Subscriptions1
  • CashEnvelope Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Budget Envelope free?
Budget Envelope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CashEnvelope free?
CashEnvelope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Budget Envelope or CashEnvelope have ads?
CashEnvelope shows ads; Budget Envelope does not.

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