Comparison

Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker vs Stow

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

Head to head
About

Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker

This app helps you manage your money using the envelope budgeting method. Create virtual wallets for different spending categories, allocate income, and manually track expenses to see exactly how much you have left. It offers features like shared wallets and receipt scanning for easier budgeting.

Highlights
  • Create virtual wallets for any spending category
  • Allocate income across wallets
  • Manually track expenses
  • See remaining daily allowance
  • Shared wallets for couples and families
  • Receipt scanning for expense import
  • Budget weekly, monthly, or yearly
Features
Read full description

Budget Envelopes is a simple, deliberate way to plan your money using the classic envelope method — now on your phone. Create virtual wallets for anything you spend on (groceries, rent, gas, date night, savings) and allocate your income across them. Every time you spend, log it against the right wallet and see exactly what you have left. No bank connections. No cryptic charts. No guessing where your money went. Just you, your wallets, and a budget that actually works because you built it. -------------------- WHY ENVELOPE BUDGETING WORKS -------------------- The envelope method (sometimes called cash stuffing or zero-based budgeting) has helped people take control of their money for decades. The idea is simple: decide what every dollar is for BEFORE you spend it, not after. When a wallet runs low, you know it's time to slow down — no surprises at the end of the month. Budget Envelopes brings that discipline to your pocket, without the physical cash. -------------------- WHAT YOU CAN DO -------------------- - CREATE WALLETS for anything — groceries, rent, subscriptions, savings goals, fun money - CHOOSE YOUR PERIOD — budget weekly, monthly, or yearly depending on the wallet - ROLL OVER unspent budget into the next period, per wallet - ORGANIZE WITH CATEGORIES to tag transactions and see where money goes - TRACK EVERY EXPENSE manually, so you stay intentional about what you spend - SEE DAILY PACE on each wallet — your remaining daily allowance for the rest of the period - NAVIGATE PAST & FUTURE periods to plan ahead or review where you've been - SET RECURRING EXPENSES for bills that hit the same amount every cycle - VIEW A PERIOD SUMMARY that aggregates what's budgeted and spent across all wallets -------------------- BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT CONTROL -------------------- Budget Envelopes is manual on purpose. Automated apps that sync your bank can show you what happened — but they can't tell you what SHOULD happen. The act of logging an expense yourself is what makes envelope budgeting work. It keeps you present with your money. If you've tried auto-tracking apps and still felt out of control, this is for you. -------------------- SHARED WALLETS FOR COUPLES & FAMILIES -------------------- Sync a wallet with your partner, roommate, or family and keep one shared budget in real time. Everyone sees the same numbers — no more "wait, did you already buy groceries this week?" -------------------- MAGIC IMPORT -------------------- Snap a receipt, upload a CSV, or drop in a bank statement PDF and let Budget Envelopes pull out the line items and totals for you. All the discipline of manual tracking, none of the typing. -------------------- PRIVATE BY DEFAULT -------------------- We don't connect to your bank. We don't sell your data. Your budget is yours. -------------------- SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS -------------------- Budget Envelopes offers a 7-day free trial. After the trial, continued access requires a subscription. Shared wallets and Magic Import are subscriber-only features. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://dimmple-benv.web.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://dimmple-benv.web.app/privacy-policy -------------------- Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you: support@dimmple.com

About

Stow

This privacy-focused app helps you manage your money using the envelope budgeting method. Easily divide your income into virtual envelopes, track spending in real-time, and always know your available balance. It operates entirely offline, keeping your financial data secure on your device.

Highlights
  • Envelope budgeting
  • Offline operation
  • Privacy-focused
  • Quick transaction logging
  • Customizable envelopes
  • Multi-currency support
Features
Read full description

Take control of every dollar — before it disappears. Stow is a privacy-first envelope budgeting app for iPhone. Divide your paycheck into envelopes, log spending in seconds, and always know exactly what's left. No bank connections. No account to create. No ads. No tracking. Your budget lives on your iPhone, where it belongs. WHY ENVELOPE BUDGETING WORKS The envelope method is nearly a century old, and it still works because it's simple: you decide what each dollar is for, and you stop when the envelope is empty. Groceries, rent, coffee, savings — whatever matters to you. Stow takes that system and makes it fit the way you actually live: in your pocket, at the register, five seconds at a time. WHAT YOU CAN DO ON THE FREE TIER - Create up to 5 envelopes with custom icons and colors - Log unlimited transactions, in seconds, with a large number pad - Choose a monthly budget period that matches how you get paid - Automatic period rollover so you start fresh every month - Full spending history for your current and previous period - Multi-currency support — auto-detected from your region - Dark mode, Dynamic Type, and full VoiceOver support - Works 100% offline — no internet required, ever STOW PREMIUM (optional) Upgrade when you're ready for more power: - Unlimited envelopes - Weekly and biweekly budget periods for paycheck-to-paycheck budgeting - Full transaction history across every past period - Spending reports, trends, and charts - CSV and PDF export for spreadsheets or tax season - Additional budget templates to jumpstart setup - Custom themes and icon packs BUILT FOR REAL PEOPLE, REAL MONEY Whether you're living paycheck to paycheck, saving for a house, paying down a credit card, or just tired of hitting Friday and wondering where it all went — Stow is the shortest path to a working budget. Log your morning coffee in two taps. See your grocery budget at a glance. Know before you swipe. PRIVACY IS NOT A FEATURE — IT'S THE FOUNDATION Most budgeting apps monetize your financial data, sell it to aggregators, or use it to train ads. Stow can't, because your data never leaves your device. There is no server. There is no analytics pipeline. We never see a cent of your spending — and we never will. The only thing that touches our systems is your App Store purchase, handled through Apple's payment infrastructure and our subscription provider (RevenueCat). Budget data stays on-device. ACCESSIBILITY Stow is designed from the ground up for everyone. Every screen supports VoiceOver, scales with Dynamic Type, works in light and dark mode, and meets WCAG AA contrast. Color is never the only way something is communicated. QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK? Email stow.contactus@gmail.com — a real human reads every message. Privacy policy: https://maxk-37.github.io/stow-legal/#privacy Terms of service: https://maxk-37.github.io/stow-legal/#terms Stow is an independent app, built by a small team who believe personal finance software shouldn't require handing over your bank login.

Screenshots

Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker4 screens
Stow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Stow at none against Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker's shown. Stow also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year and Stow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker ships an update every 2 weeks, Stow every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker versus Stow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBudget Envelopes Spend TrackerStow
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size132 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDIMMPLE PTY LTDMax Koumarelas

Customer experience

Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Stow

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
3 purchases

Stow

Subscriptions2
  • Stow Premium — Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Stow Premium — Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Stow Premium — Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker free?
Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stow free?
Stow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker or Stow have ads?
Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker shows ads; Stow does not.
Which is updated more often, Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker or Stow?
Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker ships an update every 2 weeks, and Stow every 4 days. Most recently, Budget Envelopes Spend Tracker was updated on October 31, 2026 and Stow on October 31, 2026.

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