Budget Ladder vs MonthLedger

Budget Ladder is an expense budget app built around one simple idea: your next budget should be based on what you actually spent. Start with a monthly cap, then log expenses as they happen. Each completed expense subtracts from the current month, updates your burn rate, and shows what next month would look like if you stopped spending today. Instead of guessing at the end of the month, Budget Ladder keeps the target visible while your choices can still change the outcome. The app supports quick expense capture with typed details, receipt photos, short videos, imported media, and dictated voice transcripts. If you are moving fast, save a partial draft, then return later to complete the amount, category, date, and notes. Budget Ladder also includes a retirement calculator for planning beyond the month. Compare daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly contributions and see how compounding could change the long-term path. Key features: - Monthly expense cap tracking - Live remaining balance and burn percentage - Editable expense ledger - Partial drafts for incomplete expense logs - Receipt photo, video, library import, and voice transcript attachments - Local-first data storage - Month-to-month cap history - Retirement calculator with multiple contribution cadences Budget Ladder is designed for people who want a spending system that gets leaner with time.

Record your money, understand your spending. MonthLedger opens to quick entry and brings your accounts, budgets and financial history together. All features are free, with no ads, subscriptions, registration or bank connection. RECORD THE WAY YOU PAY Record income, expenses, transfers, refunds and balance adjustments. Split one purchase across multiple accounts and categories, with separate tags for each category. Calculate amounts with the built-in keypad, keep unfinished drafts, copy an entry before saving, and add currencies or categories from their pickers. Editable defaults and category-based rules reduce repeated input. SEE WHAT CHANGES Explore income, spending, cash flow and net worth, then drill down by category, tag or budget. Use custom date ranges, monthly and annual reports, and your own reporting start day. Switch between actual income and expenses and costs spread over the actual use of durable items. Record a recovery or resale against the original purchase. Credit-card installments track remaining principal and each posted expense separately from an item's use period; an optional credit limit shows available credit. KEEP YOUR LEDGER ORGANIZED Group accounts, manage money borrowed or lent, schedule entries and carry budgets forward. Search transactions by amount or keyword, and batch-edit notes, tags and categories. Drag transactions to reorder them within the same day; account, category and tag order is shared by management screens and entry pickers. Archive history, inspect retained original entries, and use recovery points and Recently Deleted. Choose which features to show, customize category icons and colors, and explore complete workflows with a separate sample ledger. Widgets and Shortcuts provide more entry points. YOUR DATA STAYS WITH YOU The ledger stays on your device and is shared only with the app's own widgets. No tracking or third-party analytics. Export CSV or full JSON backups. A complete CSV example includes filling instructions, readable account names and row references, without requiring you to invent IDs. Preview imports before applying them. Optional daily backups use an iCloud Drive folder you choose; keep 7 days by default, change retention, delete backups in the app, and preview restores. This is file backup, not live ledger sharing or synchronization. Search fiat currencies and 16 major cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ETH. Optional online reference rates use ExchangeRate-API and Coinbase, with Currency API and Kraken as fallbacks. Requests contain currency information, not your ledger or holdings; providers may process necessary network information. Prices are estimates and remain editable. No wallet connection or trading. Questions or ideas: Oasis7311+monthledger@gmail.com MonthLedger is for personal record keeping, not professional financial advice.