Truly Simple Envelopes vs CashEnvelope
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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: • The Main Wallet: A central holding bucket for all unallocated income. Add your paycheck here, then distribute the cash to your categories. • Custom Envelopes: Create dedicated folders for Groceries, Rent, Vacation, etc. Customize them with tactile, earthy colors and native Apple icons. • iCloud Sync: Built natively for Apple devices. Your balances and transactions sync instantly and privately across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. • 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. • 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. • 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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Truly Simple Envelopes at none against CashEnvelope's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Truly Simple Envelopes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and CashEnvelope sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Truly Simple Envelopes ships an update every 2 weeks, CashEnvelope every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Truly Simple Envelopes | CashEnvelope |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 1.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Colin Wright | Tabish Hassan |
In-app purchases
Truly Simple Envelopes
- Unlock Pro$4.99
CashEnvelope
- CashEnvelope Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
Questions
Is Truly Simple Envelopes free?
Is CashEnvelope free?
Do Truly Simple Envelopes or CashEnvelope have ads?
Which is updated more often, Truly Simple Envelopes or CashEnvelope?
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